PROVO — Five-year-old Jordan Taylor threw a fit the last time he lost to his mother at "Chutes and Ladders."
His father was the one who got into trouble for the outburst, however.
Lisa Taylor wrote to TV talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw about her son's behavior and the Provo family ended up on national television discussing the child's behavior.
"I think (the behavior) is a fairly common thing," said Lisa Taylor. "The only reason Dr. Phil was interested is because Beau and I have such different views about how to handle it."
McGraw — who catapulted to fame with the help of Oprah Winfrey — listened to the family talk about how Beau Taylor applauds his young son for feeling so competitive.
And then, in his distinct Southern drawl, dressed him down. The "Dr. Phil" show featuring the Taylor family aired at 3:30 p.m. Thursday on KUTV Channel 2.
Beau Taylor said he wasn't surprised to become the target of the interview. Women are the target market of the show, he said, so it made sense for McGraw to zero in on him.
"They hammer the dad, and that makes them feel better," he said.
Taylor, however, said he's willing to accept McGraw's advice.
"I think we're going to focus more on (Jordan's) efforts in the games, more than on the result," said Beau Taylor, who said he and his wife own several of McGraw's books.
Lisa Taylor said she was playing a game with her son when he started to lose and her normally calm, mellow, eldest son started to get upset and change the dice to give him sixes.
When his mother won, Jordan Taylor shouted, "I'm supposed to win! I'm supposed to win!" and tossed the gameboard. And when playing with little brother Zachary, Jordan never loses — because he cheats, say his parents.
"I told my husband about it and he said, 'It's a good thing. He should care about winning,' " Lisa Taylor said.
Lisa Taylor was called by McGraw's producers about three months after she sent an e-mail to McGraw's show asking for help. Camera crews shot footage of the family in December.
On the day the camera crew photographed the family, Jordan was a model child, playing and sharing with his two brothers and baby sister.
They taped the show in Los Angeles last month.
The Provo couple said they bonded with McGraw and his wife since both couples are from Texas. "We were the only guests who got to meet Dr. Phil and his wife after the show," Lisa Taylor said. "He's completely different off the show. He's very relaxed. We had so much fun just being there."
For his part, Jordan, a kindergartner, thinks the whole thing is kind of funny.
And he wonders what all the fuss was about.
"I think games are fun," he said.
E-mail: haddoc@desnews.com