TEMPE – from www.myfoxwausau.com- Pepper spray is intended for warding off attackers — but this mom apparently pepper sprayed her own daughters.

According to Tempe Police, 35-year-old Michelle Antone was trying to get the keys to her car Saturday night — but she’d had too much to drink.

When her adolescent daughters wouldn’t help her, police say she lost her temper.

The woman’s 10-year-old and 15-year-old daughters told police she’d been drinking, says Tempe Police Sgt. Steve Carbajal.

“She starts asking them to the keys to her car. But the keys are in a separate room that’s locked to prevent her drinking and driving,” says Sgt. Carbajal.

But the girls refused to give their mother the car keys. “At that point mom gets so mad she uses her pepper spray and sprays her 10 and 15-year-old daughters.” The girls called 911.

Antone apparently took off on foot after the incident, and police found her at a nearby park. They arrested her for assault, and according to court records, Antone’s been arrested for DUI before.

“For the children to have the concern to intercede, and grab the car keys, signals they’re concerned. They love their parent and they don’t want them getting behind the wheel,” says Mimi Rodriguez, a counselor with the National Council on Alcohol and Drug Dependency

Rodriguez says it’s common for the children of alcoholics to act more responsibly than the parent.

“One of the sad effects on the family is that the kids grow up really fast. Because if the parent isn’t able to be the parent, the children will rise to that challenge,” says Rodriguez.

Rodriguez says the mother should face consequences — but jail time is always the best solution. She hopes the mother gets treatment.

The organization Alcoholics Anonymous helps people struggling with addiction — but Al-Anon and Alateen are two organizations that can help their family members and children.

The daughters who were pepper-sprayed are being cared for by their father.