Another large family I despise

Warning- Parts of this post may offend those who may be neurotic, dramatic, selfish, or impatient. The rest of you, please keep reading.


Ok, so I don't despise the Duggar's, just read this post... I do have a few nice things to say.

But I do absolutely despise another large family in the public eye. Many of my large family friends seem to adore the cast of Jon and Kate plus 8 which airs almost constantly on TLC. I must be cut of a different cloth because honestly, to hear Kate's voice shrilling out of my tv speakers if I happen to have been watching something entertaining on TLC (which is a rarity, as the entire channel is full of crap generally) and forgot to turn the channel in time makes me want to stick hot pokers in my eardrums.

Now I have watched a few episodes. When it first aired those adorable kids made me want to like them, and again when other large familie moms would talk about the show, I really wanted to like them. I tried.

But I can't.

And it turns out I'm not the only one either. Check out this blog which is apparently written by the sister of a sister in law of the Gosselin's. And then there's this blog which is slightly annoying in it's detailed recaps of epidsodes, but redeems itself with the hilarious and accurate comments.

As I said, I wanted to like the show. I wanted to like this mother who was a bit of a kindred spirit. I myself can be slightly OCD, after all.

What I noticed the first time I watched the show is that Kate didn't seem to enjoy her children whatsoever. She was constantly annoyed by everything they did. Her behavior struck me as that of the toddlers she was chasing around, temper tantruming every time the need arose.

The children are quite ill behaved. But that's not surprising. No one reprimands their mother for her tantrums and they learn from her. Being dramatic is how Kate gets through the day, drawing the attention to herself when she feels too much is being paid to the kids. The kids have then learned to get attention in the same way.

It also surprised me how little patience Kate has for ANYTHING. Every other large family momma I have ever met oozes patience. I figure that's probably a combination of a couple of factors, Kate seems to have been the type who surrounded herself with people who are at her beck and call, princess syndrome as I call it. So she has a very big need for instant gratification. The second factor probably is that since her children were born pretty much at the same time she never LEARNED to be patient with a child.

And then there's Jon. Poor Jon. Everyone feels sorry for Jon. I tell you what, Jon needs to grow some kahunas. No man with an ounce of self respect would allow his wife to talk to him that way, ESPECIALLY in front of his children. Those poor boys are destined to grow up being walked all over themselves unless he steps up and teaches them how to be men. Is it any wonder those children treat each other the way they do? Fight like they do? They have their mother teaching them that it's ok to be nasty to whomever doesn't do your bidding, and their father teaching them that it's ok to be treated badly. So the children lash out instead of dealing with problems like civilized people, and cry like babies when someone lashes out at them.

Then you've got the fact that these parents think it's ok to exploit these children for monetary gain. The parents speak at various churches and venues and tell what is coming to light as outright lies to garner sympathy and cash from people. They sell photos of their children, they pimp their children to any company willing to pay the right price. It's disgusting. There's a difference between going on tv to tell your story and making a living off children who aren't old enough to decide for themselves. Sure, this happens all the time with child actors, but child actors go HOME where there aren't cameras after a days work.

And here's the part I'll get flamed for. Now I'll keep my personal opinions on assisted reproduction as a whole to myself, but I think it's all a bit rediculous that people see these kids as nothing short of amazing. If these sextuplets were a natural act of God It would be a miracle, if this family were blessed with twins and sextuplets through an act of God that would be amazing, and you know..... I would be interested then! But they weren't, they were the product of manipulation. Kate was given the fertility medication clomid and was hyperstimulated. Her doctor hospitalized her and refused to complete the next step, IUI or Intrauterine Insemination because she had many ripe follicles. John and Kate had sex anyway and 5 weeks later she was diagnosed pregnant with 6 live embryos and 1 that hadn't formed. That's not amazing, that's irresponsible.

All in all I cannot bring myself to enjoy any part of this show. I hope those children somehow grow up well adjusted people. Maybe some sponsor will offer Jon some testicles so he can become a man and show his boys how to be men. Maybe someday Kate can let go of some of her mental issues and let her children enjoy life and maybe, just MAYBE enjoy it with them. Or maybe some day the fans of this show will come to their own senses and stop supporting the exploitation of these children, although I fear what would happen if Kate were to parent those children without the eye of the camera on her to keep her in check. *shudder*

Sadly, these are the families that represent other large families. That represent other families with high order multiples.