Broken families make me sad... My 6, almost 7 year old used to love to watch the TLC show, Jon and Kate Plus Eight. I have to admit that at first, even I would get a kick out of watching the antics of raising a set of twins and sextuplets under one roof, and even admired how Jon and Kate seemed to work so well together to raise their little ones... True, as a Catholic, I have some definite opinions about using fertility methods that usually are the cause of these multiple pregnancies, but after the fact, it's not really the child's fault of HOW they got here. So, that being said, watching this show, in the beginning, I was attracted to how this large family had become such a hit, in how they work together and make things "work"... Although I had lost interest in the last couple of seasons because it seemed to become more about "Jon and Kate take vacation comp trips with their kids all the time..."... How is THAT reality?... No, seriously, in "reality" especially with a big family, you just can't take vacations all the time. Every family is NOT asked to take a 'comp' trip to anywhere from Disney world to Hawaii week after week...
Now any of you that watch the show, if you'll recall the beginning of just LAST season, the opening was all about the family returning to Hawaii to renew their wedding vows, and it was all about showing and assuring their growing children that they (Jon and Kate) were together FOREVER... Now, this season opens with quite the opposite... I watched it, hesitantly after everyone else had gone to bed and it just made me so sad... I really don't "know" these people... other than what is allowed to show through the TV screen on Monday nights... Kate is a little bit OCD and Jon is pretty laid back... as different as their personalities could be, they seemed to fit one another and work it through... but now, for whatever reason, they can't seem to, anymore... why?... In my humble opinion, if it were MY family, whether the rumors were true or not, the show would be over... at this point it seems that it is all about the money and how much everyone can make on this show, this family, these children...
By their own admission, Jon quit his job two years ago, so that he could stay home full time with the kids, while Kate traveled the globe promoting her book... Their "show", their "hobby" had become the "job"... sadly, it's almost like they sold their souls... We were no longer looking "in" on their day to day lives, but the show had become their lives... While Kate seems to have taken to this new "job" I think Jon, down deep, was seeing real "reality"and regretting it... The premier show last night had the two now speaking to each other in terms of "I don't know if we can fix this" or "where our future is going", etc... yet they are both all about "I'm here for the kids", "the kids are our top priority"... and I'm thinking, "You stupid, stupid people... don't you KNOW that 10 and 20 years from now the kids aren't going to give a flying flip about the show or how or where they lived or how much money or fame they had because of the show??! They will care about their family... their PARENTS... they will care and be affected by whether or not the family stays in tact over this..." I don't care HOW amicable a couple thinks they are being in a split up... if kids are involved, they WILL be affected negatively... I think that was even in the closing lines of last nights show... about trying to remain friends for the sake of their kids... it doesn't matter... kids aren't stupid and they can read the writing on the wall... Kids want mom and dad together forever...
I found myself praying for this family as I went to sleep last night, and again this morning, as well as all families that are in turmoil right now... broken families really make me sad... and the kids are always the biggest casualty... And these eight particular children unfortunately have their families turmoil recorded for all of history... was it worth it?... Something I have heard before, and I'm not really sure who said it, but I believe it with all my heart:
"The greatest gift that a father/mother can give his child(ren) is to love their mother/father"... Jon and Kate seem like nice enough people, I really hope that they figure this out before it's too late... Life is not a TV show and sometimes it can get messy... That's when we have to close the door and hit the floor praying for His strength to help us through...
1 comment:
That is very sad. I used to watch the show too, but don't watch it as much any more. They seem like a nice family, but Kate, with her ocd ways, and not letting the kids be kids sometimes, really is annoying. She can be overbearing, and I can see how Jon would feel sad about things. I too think the show should end, but as much as Kate loves her kids, she also loves that money and other things that the show brings in. I guess all we can do is pray for them, and hope that everything works out.
I enjoy Table for 12 much better. They are a very down to earth family.
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