Friday, May 15

Kate Plus Eight Minus One

I've only seen three episodes, but if you've even seen even one, you'll understand, and perhaps even have empathy with Jon of "Jon & Kate Plus Eight" and his supposed infidelity. Kate The Shrieker. Although, if you have eight kids all under the age of 12, I can understand her shriekiness.
Does this make sense?
And just because you and your spouse have a boatload of kids--does that entitle you to a television show?

7 comments:

Jilly said...

emma, those people made so much money off their kids. i feel bad for the poor attention starved kids. my friend V loves the show and comes to my place to watch tv, so i've heard a few episodes in the background. she is a nag and yells too much. he's almost useless as a parent. they're lucky their kids are all alive when he watches them because he tosses some toys down and then goes off to do whatever. i sound so critical, but they're the ones who allowed millions to see their home and family. next up is the custody battle which will really be a battle on who gets the money and who has to pay the other.

jilly

Brenda said...

i have never watched the show and probably never will.
but i hear there is lots of trouble in paradise.
people sure can mess up.

sheila222 said...

I have a bit different take on it than Jilly- no surprise there- I often like to look at things differently. I have watched a fair amount of the show (it comes on late night here and on those sleepless nights, better it than colon cleanse commercials). One thing to keep in mind is that they have no editorial control over the show; what the producers decide to include in any episode is up to the producer- cobbled together to tell whatever story THEY want told. I think if you put a camera on any of us interacting with our young children or our spouses,, we could come off looking pretty bad also (let's face it, many husbands need direction and to be kept on task!)

Having 8 children is not ideal and Kate Gosslin has said that. Their goal was not eight. Do children who grow up in large families or part of a multiple suffer? There are good things and bad things about it. I am sure that the Gosslins and those who make the show have child care specialists and advisors. They do try to give each child individual attention with special days. All that said, these children do not look like they are suffering from lack of attention- they seem to be all on track with speech, potty training etc- hitting the milestones that are appropriate. They don't get the attention that single children at home get- but after tutoring at school, I know that there are plenty of singletons, from all economic situations, that fall below their parent's attention radar. Time will tell. It is a real social experiment in some respects.

Do I think it is a good idea to allow folks into your house to film like they have? Well, I wouldn't do it, but it has afforded the parents the ability to stay home and keep them off welfare and probably pay for college education. If all this sounds like I am a big supporter of that family, I would say more of a morbid fascination although this latest round of gossip has turned me off. I am most interested in watching the kids, not the parents and not watching meltdowns. So to answer your question, Emma, I think there is a large streak of voyeurism in all of us that makes us want to look at cribs of the rich and famous, watching dwarfs, contrived matchmaking, etc. I think television just gives us what we want. Sometimes it ain't pretty.

Gail said...

Jay Leno had a great take on this. He said (and I'll have to paraphrase) " I saw a headline in the paper that said Kate and Jon split. And I wondered who in the world these people are and should I know them?"

That about sums it up.

Sonya said...

Sheila, how are you?

(I admit to watching the show in the past. I thought it was interesting to see how a couple could manage with so many kids. But as they became rich and the show became about "outings" and "vacations," I grew bored. Also, and this is incredibly petty, I don't like Kate's haircut--its "audacity" seems to mimic her acerbic personality.

The show I really like on TLC is "Little People, Big World."

I don't know that having a TV show should be seen as a reward for noble living. TV shows are a commodity intended to sell advertising and make money for corporations. Jon and Kate provide a ton of entertainment and gossip fodder, and as long as people watch, they are deserving of their contractual payments.)

Jilly said...

i agree with tree about vacations etc. one episode my friend V watched at my home recently was all about kate's "style" and arranging time with her personal shopper to go get clothing for herself and her kids.

what got me is she said something like "don't listen to daddy, he doesn't care about you" to the kids when he didn't do what she wanted him to do. that's a real sign of an unhealthy relationship and it's probably a good thing they're over.

later, jon said something about hating that it wasn't just him anymore and everywhere he goes it's him, kate and 8 kids and he can't get used to it. so he isn't innocent or a real prize either.

i felt really sad for their kids. the kids bankroll a extravagant lifestyle for their selfish parents who are going after eachother very publically and when the kids are older, it's going to be hard to figure out the truth.

if my relationship destructs, i hope that i don't do lasting damage to my kid via public attacks etc. given that they have 8 kids and a lot of money, those kids will probably wonder if they were wanted for themselves or the money or for the fact that whoever got them wouldn't have to pay support. jon did say once that he could never leave kate because he couldn't afford the child support.

my wv is crakate

jilly

vq said...

I have zero interest in people who have large numbers of children.

(Although I do have a mild degree of interest in the Duggers' fundie hair.)