Jon and Kate plus 8
Posted
October 29, 2007 at
1:13 pm by
Jessica
If you haven’t caught an episode of TLC/Discovery Health’s “Jon and Kate plus 8“, it just may give you a little solace in the hardships of ones own parenting challenges. Jon (an IT Analysist) and Kate (a former nurse) Gosselin used in-vitro fertilization to help spawn 8 kids. One set are twins and the other six are from a subsequent litter.
Last season, I really liked the spunk coupled with the unconventional and imperfect parenting techniques used by Kate. Although she tended to run a tight ship, she was also human and threw political correctness to the wind when it came to the realities of having 6 toddlers and young twins only 4 years older than the sextuplets.
This season, I have to say, the reality parenting TV show has lost some of its charm with me. Although I enjoy, in a voyeuristic sort of way, watching parenting pained by temper tantrums and legal slavery by way of 6 more demanding children than I am left to deal with, I also have found Kate to be as bratty on occasion as her preschool broad.
In some ways Jon and Kate are very lucky. They have a cozy network of incredibly supportive family and friends who take and/or watch their children frequently. In the first couple of weeks of this season, I watched as Kate went to spa treatments, out to dinner with just her and her husband and plan a vacation by themselves in the Florida Keys. Personally, I know of very few 1.3 children families that are afforded so much free time as they are.
Another less than flattering observation I’ve made — Kate is not very nice to her husband Jon. While Jon is easy going and incredibly accommodating to his wifes idiosyncrasies, she is always snapping at him and making condescending remarks. Is it not enough that he spends all of his time at home helping with the children and goes to work on a daily basis to provide for his classroom of children and thus allowing Kate to be an “at-home mom”. Of course, I can’t imagine that 8 kids in childcare would be worth the effort of working outside of the home, but she always acts as if he is clueless and her life is so incredibly hard. Often times, she resorts to treating him like one of their toddlers.
One episode, Kate decided to hire a cleaning person. Through her exhaustive search, she finally settled on the one person who actually agreed to take the job on — so her prospects were limited. After the brave cleaning lady left, Kate then went around her house with imaginary white gloves, pointing out the hidden dust left behind. “Thanks for trying,” Kate said out loud, along with other rumbles of disappointment. The implication was that the cleaning woman was fired, not up to Kate’s high standards. Of course, you should get what you pay for, but cleaning after 6 toddlers and their bigger sisters, something is bound to get forgotten. Perhaps she should have cut the cleaning lady as much slack as she expects in return?
While Kate seems like a lot of fun and incredibly organized, it’s the little things — weird things — that seem to get her in a tizzy, like what shoes the older girls are going to wear to a carnival or if any of her family or friends puts her out by being one minute late. Sometimes you get the feeling that Kate is nothing more than a control freak, loving every challenge that comes her way, but at the same time, expecting others to reward her and recognize her for having it so tough, when in actuality, she really doesn’t. Sure, having 8 small children would drive the sanest person batty, it has also given them a much desired family and tv show. All in all, they have a pretty fortunate lifestyle.
As much as I like this show, I wish Kate would be less focused on herself and the indulgences of her children and complain less. Most families, even with less children, have their own unique challenges and have many other issues to deal with on top of it. Count your blessings Kate. You are not the first “over-worked” mother and you won’t be the last.
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Discuss on the blog comments or visit our Jon and Kate forums here:
http://www.imperfectparent.com/community/viewforum.php?f=205
Tags: Discovery-Health, Jon-and-Kate-plus-8, Jon-Gosselin, Kate-Gosselin, Parenting, sextuplets, The-Gosselins, TLC, twins |
14,620 Responses to “Jon and Kate plus 8”
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1. shellie said:
November 1, 2007 @ 11:36 am
I too, feel that Kate this season is really rude and condenceding towards Jon. It’s been all about her and her feelings. I can not believe that Jon just sits their nicely while she degrades and ridicules him on national t.v.
I thought it was really quite rude of her to tell Jon that the girls were not wearing that to play outside and that HE was going to change them. Man, I would have been just happy because I had a husband who was even willing to put forth any effort to help with the kids.
2. Prescott said:
November 1, 2007 @ 11:55 am
I watched the last episode — the first I had ever seen — and I felt more sorry for Jon that he had to get all his shit done at the kiddie places to save time. Haircut at the kid salon, teeth cleaned at the pediatric dentist… I would go nuts.
And as for Kate, I dunno, she surely was being a bit of a bee-yotch a few times but I’m a grumpy, irritable mess with only two kids so I’m cutting her some slack. And is it just me, or does she sound just like Ellen Degeneres?
Myself, if I wound up with twins my first go around with in vitro, I surely wouldn’t have tempted the fertility gods a second time… they are surely having a good laugh at Jon and Kate right now.
3. shellie said:
November 1, 2007 @ 5:30 pm
oh, I know poor Jon for having to get his haircut at the kiddie place. I wonder if Kate gets her hair done with the girls? (highly unlikely).
I remember last year when Kate had her plastic surgery to get her stomach done. I mean really this doctor was doing it for free and she wanted a boob job on top of it? WTH??
I know it is very hard to handle children from time to time (raising three as a single mom) but, sometimes the way she says things about the children? WOW!
I am sure she is a sweet caring person but this season is not showing it.
4. Rita said:
November 2, 2007 @ 1:17 pm
I only watched the show once and she totally belittled the husband so many times, it made my stomach queasy.
Maybe her stress level would be greatly reduced if she got all the camera crew out of her life and just went about her day as a regular person, maybe she’s just over her head with this stuff?
5. shellie said:
November 2, 2007 @ 1:49 pm
She may be over her head. I know I would be.
I wonder though, how much they get paid to do it. I mean, really, it must be hecka expensive to raise 8 kids plus themselves. I bet they can’t get get rid of the camera crew because they can’t afford to raise the kids without it.
6. Jessica said:
November 2, 2007 @ 3:53 pm
I dunno. It’s not like they live in a dump and their custom van appears to have been purchased before the show.
I’m sure they are doing it for the money, but as I said before, they get a lot of help. They have more help than I do with 2 kids.
7. Kelly's Grandma said:
November 2, 2007 @ 7:48 pm
The sextuplets were NOT conceived through in vitro fertilization (there were no petri dishes and no embryos were implanted). Kate took meds to make her ovulate (produce eggs). She actually over-ovulated and ended up in the hospital. Anyway, the eggs got fertilized in the usual way! Seven eggs got fertilized (one died in utero). The twins were NOT from a “subsequent” litter (that would mean AFTERWARD). The twins were from a preceding litter!
8. Jessica said:
November 2, 2007 @ 8:51 pm
Okay, so you got me on a technicality, but it really doesn’t change the point of my post.
[quote comment="118161"]The twins were NOT from a “subsequent” litter (that would mean AFTERWARD). The twins were from a preceding litter![/quote]
I actually said that the 6 (the sextuplets) were from a subsequent litter, which is accurate.
9. shellie said:
November 6, 2007 @ 3:37 pm
ok, so last nights episode was pretty good. Kate was still condecening towards Jon, which I have now grown accustomed to. Oh well.
Jon has great patience as most of the men that I know would not put up with Kate’s attitude for very long.
It was nice to see Kate venture out on her own (with babysitter). She seemed a little pouty at first, but she handled everything very well.
It would absolutely drive me insane to have to watch all of those kids by myself, props to Kate for that.
10. shellie said:
November 6, 2007 @ 3:40 pm
[quote comment="118130"][quote comment="118113"]I bet they can’t get get rid of the camera crew because they can’t afford to raise the kids without it.[/quote]
I dunno. It’s not like they live in a dump and their custom van appears to have been purchased before the show.
I’m sure they are doing it for the money, but as I said before, they get a lot of help. They have more help than I do with 2 kids.[/quote]
Oh heck no, they dont live in a dump and they do drive very nice vehicles. I suppose maybe I worded it different than what I meant. I meant that they need the extra money to help ends meet.
I can barely raise three kids (two teenagers and one nine year old.) on my own let alone 8. I could not imagine.
11. Wendy said:
November 11, 2007 @ 7:53 pm
I loved watching this show and in spite of the clearly edited bickering and comments made to make Kate look much more bossier than what she probably is - I think this couple and their kids are to be commended.
Alot of the traits of Kate that are being criticized are simply attributes of her personality. (See “Wired That Way”) Kate is a Choleric-Melancholy (almost a “no test needed”) while Jon is a Melancholy-Phlegmatic blend. This is actually a very good match well-suited for the challenges they face and will face.
As to the comments back and forth - geesh if that is all they are doing to relieve the stress of parenting 8 I highly applaud them. I’ve seen far worse behavior from parents less surrounded on all sides by kidlets who need them.
I like Jon and Kate as a couple, as parents, and their realism is endearing to all of us who fight daily the myth of parenting perfect and the reality of parenting imperfectly the imperfect children we are each blessed with.
12. Clair said:
November 12, 2007 @ 3:19 am
I don’t blame them for putting their lives in front of public eyes so they can raise their children in comfort.
Come on! What parents does not want the best for their children?
With 6 at the same time? It takes so much more money.
Besides, I am single and makes less then $25,000 a year, and I can not imagine not being able to get away on a cruise or Las Vegas, once or three times a year. They are parents of 8 children. They may be blesses, but they must be tired too. They NEED the alone time more then I do.
What I am really wondering about, is how come, their family is not helping them? Besides Kevin (Kate’s brother) and his wife.
I am Asian, it is a crime not to help your family. Especially when it comes to child care. My sister is a single-parent of a 2 year old child with Leukemia. I can tell you he is SPOILED.
My sister still complaint about how much work my nephew is, when in fact I am taking care of him Approx 30% of the waking time, my parents takes care of him for approx 20%, my sister (the mom) take care of him 45+% of the time, and the father takes less then 5+% of the time.
I really, REALLY feel bad for Jon and Kate.
13. Kellie in Omaha said:
November 12, 2007 @ 11:10 am
My whole family enjoys the show. My husband and I have 3 children and the stress can be over-whelming at times. I find them to be great role-models for the both of us even though I am 41 and he is 46! They insire us! As for the bickering between Kate and Jon…………it’s just like my house
14. Michelle said:
November 12, 2007 @ 8:03 pm
Sorry to split hairs, but she had IUI, or intrauterine insemination.
And yes, she is a complete bitch to her hubby, but if he ever stands up to her, she gets EVIL! And she acts like he had no right to call her on her comments.
She also said that society has an obligation to help with large families since it puts pressure on people to use fertility treatments. Can you believe that shit? This is after Medicaid wouldn’t pay to continue the services of the paid nurse the babies had for A FULL YEAR after they were born. She wanted the nurse longer because she didn’t trust them with anyone else. She said their lives were in DANGER!!!
Her hubby was actually unemployed for most of the pregnancy. Not that I judge people for getting Medicaid, but she sure has a princess complex.
They also solicit donations all the time. Not just accept them from kind people. I think it’s disgusting. I watched the show in the hospital, but when I started looking them up, I found some news articles that turned my stomach.
And her poor-mouthing? It’s just another way to get people to send them more shit. She has no shame.
15. Suzanne A. said:
November 13, 2007 @ 1:57 pm
Let’s just remember that this is a television show. There are no real “reality” shows. They are told what to say and how to act to a certain degree in order to keep viewers interested. I am quite sure they wanted her to kick it up a notch or two this season. Part of why people watch is to see how anal she’s going to be about things, and what sort of things they’re going to fight about, even though it’s always the same fights about Jon not watching the kids carefully enough on outings, or they don’t have the right color jackets on. It seems like Jon is getting a lot pissier with her this season though, so maybe the producers suggested that, or maybe he’s sick and tired of her crap. Either way, it’s good entertainment, and that’s why we watch.
16. Debbie said:
November 14, 2007 @ 10:56 pm
She is very mean to her husband ! Why does he put up with it
She enables all the kids especially Kara and Mady to be spoiled and whining brats
They do get free toys (play dough and a Rose Petal Cottage )just cause they plug it
She is soo anal about eveythng , on one show she had to back from grocery shopping (had it timed ) before they the 6 got up from their naps- couldnt she stay out for an extra 20 mins and let someone else deal with the brats. The kids are gonna be messed up from such an OCD mom , come on Kate we know you read this
17. awannabe writer said:
November 15, 2007 @ 2:41 pm
I got hooked on the show when they were reairing episodes from last season a couple months ago.
But now, hearing the way Kate talks to her husband and belittles him, it makes it not fun to watch.
18. jcmom said:
November 16, 2007 @ 10:57 pm
Okay I have just one comment as far as Kate spoiling herself at a spa for the day. She doesn’t do that all the time, that was her mother’s day gift. And Jon ain’t so nice either. What about the nasty comment he made in regards to his wife’s body in the first episodes. He made quite a few comments, but the worst one was that he wanted to take a paper cutter and just cut her belly off. I love the show and yes Kate can be extremely bossy, but all parents feel stress and when some of us do we get grouchy. So what if they get free things for their kids, I would take it if it would put a smile on my kids face. True Mady can be a bit of a drama queen, but that just seems to be her personality. My daughter seems to be the same way. LOL
19. Alma Harris said:
November 18, 2007 @ 12:05 am
As a grandmother, I frankly enjoy watching this family’s daily goings on. I often wonder if Kate and/or Jon ever get “under the weather”. I think the show portrays most of the good parts and in all honestly REALITY is not there. In any event, although Kate and Jon are totally different people, they do a good job of thinking about the children in most cases before themselves.
Kudos to them. Thank God! My Mom only had twins.
I am one of them.
20. jody said:
November 19, 2007 @ 2:14 pm
You do have to understand that this is a “reality show”. It is editted, i’m sure significantly! The producers want you to see Kate’s bitchyness, cuz its more interesting than being nice. I have a friend that I think is alot like Kate. Bold, a bit aggressive, but truely kind hearted underneath the sandpaper exterior. I do think we see the worst of Kate and Jon, and rarely, but sometimes the best. That’s the way television shows like this work. And look how many people are talking about it! Its almost as good as politics!
Enjoy!
21. Nancy said:
November 20, 2007 @ 12:50 pm
Wait til you see the episode where they go to the furniture store to buy new beds for the 6. It is enough to make me never want to watch this family on tv ever again.
22. sherry said:
November 24, 2007 @ 4:43 am
I wonder how many of the people who run Kate in the ground really understands the true meaning of being a mother and wife??? The people who lay around watching the soaps all day with their feet propped up and kids running around with crapy diapers and eating what they want has no idea the true meaning of real motherhood or being wife!! Kate can be a real stinker at times BUTTTTTT look at how good she takes care of them kids and the clean house she has..PLUS, she’s a devoted wife to Jon..What real wife and mother don’t have times of being bitchy?? Any normal woman with kids would have to relate to her..That’s if the house,kids,husband, grocery shopping,cleaning, and the normal things are done..I’d rather keep working my 8 hour shifts than to go through what Kate does..SOOOOOOOOOo what if they get free gifts! It just shows the good hearts of the people who give them…I hope they get LOTS more gifts and nice things..I believe that the people who seem to think Kate is bitch should watch little people….There’s Amy talking to Matt like a dog and only seems to be in a decent mood when they go on vacation..I feel sorry for Matt and think Amy is the bitch!!!!!That house is nasty, the kids disrespects and act like pigs, Amy looks and acts like a bulldog and what’s her excuse for the way she is?? It sure isen’t from all the hard work she does and the taking care of kids..At least Kate shows affection and she can sit with jon and laugh…Kate and Jon plus 8 keep rocking and keep up the good work work!!!!!!!
23. Jojo said:
November 24, 2007 @ 5:12 pm
Nancy, the episode with the bed purchases was HILARIOUS!! Life is absurd, and Kate seems to have that fact well in hand.
When her husband had to go out and “help” Colin with his constipation, I thought it was hilarious. When Kate asked him to okay the furniture purchase and he yelled at her (from the parking lot) that he didn’t care what she got, just BUY IT (as about 6 kids were pulling at him) I practically bust a gut laughing.
Her powers of denial are phenomenal and she needs every single one of them to get through the day. It’s fascinating, and funny!
24. doris said:
November 25, 2007 @ 12:13 am
I’ve watched most of all the episodes and am fascinated with it all like the viewers above. Hopefully Kate will tone it down a bit as she does mistreat Jon. He seems to take it, but what about the message that she is teaching the children as they hear her constantly belittling their father.
On the hope that Kate does read these, let’s just encourage her to stop trying to give three year olds experiences. I realize that the crew has to film adventures, but taking the children to buy the beds was absurd. Maybe just maybe taking the twins would have been a nice mother older daughters outing, but the whole clan. OMG!
Let’s see some schooling going on. Let’s see Kate actually on the ground playing with the children. Lastly, please Kate, figure out what it takes to get Maddy on the right track. She appears to be her Mommy through and through. I am one of those people who loves big families. I didn’t have one, nor does my only child so the family is heart warming. Maybe a few episodes of the Duggar family would be inspirational for the Gosselins.
25. Trisha said:
November 26, 2007 @ 9:26 pm
Although I enjoy the show, I hate the way Kate treats Jon like a dog. Oh my God! She needs to take a step back reconsider because if I was him, I would be gone!
26. Max said:
November 27, 2007 @ 8:35 pm
Let’s also consider that reality TV does not always portray people accurately. I’m sure the producers tend to show whatever arguments they have because that makes for more compelling TV than Jon and Kate just getting along.
I’m sure if you had a TV crew following you and your spouse around, they could capture a few moments a day when you are not at your best towards your significant other.
27. Lin said:
November 27, 2007 @ 9:01 pm
I just adore those children, they are so very beautiful! And Yes, I agree, Kate needs to adress some control issues, while still having control of a very busy house.
28. Kadi Prescott said:
November 30, 2007 @ 4:29 pm
Agreed. I have 7 under 9 years old. My uterus is on the verge of falling out, and my sanity voluntarily moved out long ago. If you wanna see imperfection, watch this coming season of “Super Nanny”. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed!
29. Kadi Prescott said:
November 30, 2007 @ 4:31 pm
Oh, and I highly, highly, HIGHLY agree with Mox. Reality TV is only real in a very twisted sense. Also trust me on this one! Cameras are on 24 hours a day…scary!!!
30. PRWins said:
December 1, 2007 @ 2:09 pm
Cameras are not on all day… not even every day. That would be ridiculous.
You’re confusing Jon&Kate with Big Brother or Survivor… or other such reality shows.
I suspect that cameras are on Jon&Kate for, maybe 8 to 12 hours a day, and usually on weekends… or for “special” outings. Jon is usually present, and he is only home on weekends. (Except when he announced, when they went to the dentist, that he had taken a “sick day.”)
The same is true for the Roloffs. No cameras 24/7.