'Good Bones' Star Karen Laine Addresses Fan Criticism of Daughter Mina Starsiak-Hawk's 'Sass' Toward Her (Exclusive)

Good Bones star, Mina Starsiak-Hawk is no stranger to dealing with some mom-shaming from fans and [...]

By Tania Hussain

Good Bones star, Mina Starsiak-Hawk is no stranger to dealing with some mom-shaming from fans and viewers occasionally panning the HGTV personality when it comes to parenting or her very public IVF journey, which has resulted in a second pregnancy. But every so often, the Indianapolis native is also subjected to unwarranted criticism by fans of her mother, Karen Laine, claiming the designer daughter is being "rude" or giving her "attitude" during renovations. Such is not the case, though, as Laine addresses the criticism in an exclusive with PopCulture.com, even laughing off the alleged "sass" some viewers assume exists.

"First of all, I think it's sweet that people want to be protective of me. I think it comes from a place of kindness. That's how I'm going to look at it, whether it's true or not, that's my position," Laine told PopCulture. "[But] they should know from seeing me on the show that I can handle it, and when my kids sassed me, I never, ever got mad at that — that's a sign of their intelligence. They're using their brain to figure out, 'Oh, what should I be saying here?' Not hitting me or throwing something, they're using their minds and their voices."

She goes on to share how the banter between her and her 35-year-old daughter during renovations is a "fantastic" element for any parent-child relationship. "I think kids should be able to make fun of their parents. You know, we shouldn't be that serious about ourselves, for Pete's sake," she stressed. "And challenge me or disagree with me — I should be able, as an adult and as a parent, to handle that, and I raised my kids knowing it's okay."

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While the former defense attorney-turned businesswoman shares how she wants her kids to be expressive and use their minds when it comes to constructive conversations, she admits there was one thing she couldn't handle growing up with them. "The only thing they couldn't do, really, was whine — I can't handle whining, and that I managed by ignoring it," she laughed. "You know, it's the checkout line, everybody's tired, and there's candy there. 'But I want to... whatever, no!' I can't do it when you whine, I just can't. You speak to me like a normal person, we'll be fine, and that is really my only pet peeve, whiners."

Aside from the dramatic comments, Laine admits she really "loves" the feedback from fans regarding the series and takes a proactive measure to respond to many of them who take the time to share their stories. "They tell me about what they're fixing up, what they got inspiration from, whatever — I'm always asking people for pictures. I think that is so sweet," she said, dispelling rumors that her account is bot-run. "I answer every message I get on social media, and sometimes they write to me, and I always answer those letters. So, it feels nice that people care and that they're watching. That's job security for me. I like it. And that people get inspired and excited by what they see. That's fantastic. That's cool."

Good Bones airs every Tuesday at 9 p.m. ET on HGTV. For more with Laine and her daughter, stay tuned to PopCulture for all your favorite reality TV shows, movies, music and more. For the freshest news in popular culture, follow us on Twitter for the latest.

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