Ms. Rowe was simply a surrogate, not a "Mommy"!

Dr. Michelle Golland: I was astonished when I heard that Debbie Rowe, biological surrogate mother of two of the Jackson children, is even considering fighting for custody. I truly wonder what she wants at this point in time. For all intents and purposes, she has not been in these children's lives for many years. Let's just say what she really was ... she was the surrogate for Michael Jackson and has never been their mother! She reports they have never called her Mommy, and after the divorce with Michael Jackson, she was given over 8 million dollars to go away for good.


After her foul-mouthed public outbursts toward a cameraman the other day, I truly question her judgment. It is very suspicious that she is now concerned about the kids -- if she had truly been concerned about the welfare of the children prior to MJ's death, you think she would have intervened earlier. My advice to Ms. Rowe is that she bow out with as much grace as she can muster or we will continue to see her being bleeped on all the talk shows.

As a surrogate mother, Debbie Rowe should have no legal rights to these children. I have many friends who have used surrogates due to fertility issues. I know they would be horrified if the woman who carried their children came back with some claims of parental rights. MJ obviously did not want anything more to do with Debbie Rowe because he made explicit instructions in his will against giving her any money. He clearly stated he wanted first, his mother, and second, Diana Ross to be the guardians of his three children.

As a clinical psychologist, I must say the issue of guardianship should not be an issue of biology or age, but whether or not the person truly has the best interests of these three innocent children at heart. It is also extremely important that we see Michael Jackson's directives in his will are followed, both in regard to custody of his children and in regard to executorship of his will. If his wishes are not carried out, it will be as much of an injustice as his death.

Do you think Debbie Rowe should get the kids? Comment below.

Dr. Golland is a USC graduate and a licensed Clinical Psychologist (PSY#16974). She works with adults, teens and is an expert in the field of marriage and relationships. Dr. Golland has given her expert advice on CNN, HLN, MSNBC, ABC, and Fox news. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and wonderfully exhausting two children.