This country is filled with many great parents who raise responsible, caring kids.

The problem is too many parents these days are bending over backward to excuse or even encourage their children’s bad behavior because they believe their little angels deserve only the best — even when they’re accused of committing a crime.

An incident last week took this trend to new levels when a mother of one of the girls accused of holding another teen against her will, repeatedly beating her and then posting a videotape of the incident on the Internet decided she and her daughter should sue the sheriff.

Garcia and her daughter, Mercades Nichols, 17, sent a letter to the Polk County, Fla., Sheriff's Office stating their intent to sue, which is a requirement under Florida law, according to an article in the Orlando Sentinel.

Her reason? Sheriff Grady Judd’s comments about the brutality of the beating — he referred to the attack as “animalistic” — caused mom Christina Garcia to sustain “damages to her professional reputation as a result of numerous comments and improper characterizations made by the sheriff,” the article stated.

The two seem to have no realization of the physical and emotional damage Mercades and four other girls did when they beat Tori Lindsay, 16, on March 30, causing bruises and a concussion, not to mention their attempt to humiliate her with the videotape. The suspects were charged with kidnapping and battery.

Garcia’s suit claims the sheriff caused them “emotional distress.”

This mother, whose daughter’s reputation has supposedly suffered since the attack, has no concept of teaching her child right from wrong.

If Mercades’ reputation suffered, she brought it on herself. It is, and should be, part of her punishment. The sheriff does not deserve the blame.

Garcia apparently also does not realize she is bringing more anguish to her daughter by planning this lawsuit. Does she think people will sympathize? Judging from blog posts since this story broke, this news only resulted in more ridicule and derision from the public toward her daughter.

Good parenting does not mean protecting your children when they do something wrong.

Holding someone captive while five girls beat her is a vicious crime and, yes, “animalistic” describes it. The evidence of the brutality is on the “tape seen ’round the world.”

Garcia’s actions tell her daughter, and the other suspects, that they can shift the blame to others.

She would fare better if she taught her daughter to stand up and admit to her crimes, show remorse and — we can only hope — learn from the incident.

If she spent more time teaching values to her daughter rather than threatening the sheriff, Mercades might have a chance for a future.