Our Preppy and Privileged Son is Now a Wannabe Gangster” - S17.E177

Fifteen-year-old Dawson says he is not the person his parents, Chris and Dawn, believe he is. He says their perception of him is based on their childhood memories of him playing baseball and going on family vacations. Dawson says he wants more freedom to do the things he enjoys, such as smoking marijuana and hanging out in the streets, where he posts photos on social media of himself holding guns. Dawson shared some videos he posted on social media with Dr. Phil producers – and his parents were shocked and horrified to see what their son was up to right in their own neighborhood. Later, hear from Dawson’s aunt Abbie, who says her minivan was trashed after Dawson went joyriding in it at 110 miles per hour. Not convinced Dawson really understood what his future could look like if he kept idealizing this criminal lifestyle, Dr. Phil presented a group of people to explain the consequences of dangerous behavior, including a former gang member and a woman currently paralyzed as the result of a reckless car accident.