Dina Lohan dishes on her family

Lindsay Lohan's mother Dina has endured a lot of criticism for her stage mother tendencies and her seeming complicity with her daughter's wild lifestyle. But the former Rockette insists that she is just a caring parent trying to support her daughter in the treacherous world that is Hollywood. Dina, who has been known to voice her opinions in the past, does so again in the April issue of Harper's Bazaar. And even with all the scrutiny on her family, she claims, "I'm living the American dream."

Dina spoke frankly about Lindsay's recent stint in rehab. She says, "Lindsay had to fall and get up. I knew it was coming. I told her, but finally she was like, 'Mommy, I had to do it myself.' You can lead a horse to water. You can't make him drink." Dina denies that her daughter is an alcoholic, despite Lindsay's many public visits to AA meetings in the last few months. Instead, Dina says, "[Lindsay] is just a 20-year-old who had to reel it in. And she's from an addictive personality genetically. And in that world, they give you things like candy. Hurt your ankle? 'Let's give her something.'"

Dina goes on about the troubles of the entertainment industry, stating, "[Lindsay's] in such a whirlwind; she's in a tornado. I mean, we're talking serious earthquake, you know?" And when asked about the paparazzi, the 44-year-old mother of four says, "Look at me. [Princess] Diana will happen again."

Dina, who complains that her family is "so misunderstood," explains that the reason she goes out to clubs with Lindsay is that Lindsay needs her there for protection. She explains, "Listen to me: Lindsay would drag me, literally drag my loser butt there and say, 'I need you to know who these people are.' Yeah, she trusts my judgment." And she hates it when she's referred to as a "party mom." Dina tells Bazaar, "Oh, the party mom, the party mom, the party mom! Whoever said that, my ex-husband or whatever, I'm not the party mom! You throw enough pasta on the walls, some pasta's going to stick, okay?"