Now a few things about their site that I finally got a chance to look at. 1) they have craft services that deliver in "organic fashion," for all they know they are just telling her it's organic, but then again who knows. That would be kind of funny if they were delivering food and just saying that it's organic.
OK, now on to point 2) This statement was made on their site (http://www.sixgosselins.com) under Q&A.
Q: "How do you deal with the negative things said about you or the show?"A: "Quite honestly, we don’t pay attention. First of all, we don’t have time to worry about what people are saying and second of all, we know that our show is benefiting so many people that we need to continue. Any flack we receive is just typical stuff that anyone on TV on a regular basis receives. Furthermore, although this is the absolute hardest job (aside from raising 8 kids, that is) that Jon and I have ever had, it is also the most amazing blessing that we can be home with our children while working and when asked, all 8 of our children agree…for now, we need to continue on…and so we will!"
My take on this is as follows: You care more about how the show is benefiting other people than the well-being of your own children!? Then I think to myself, Am I really surprised at that? How cynical is that, they don't NEED to continue, they WANT to continue and at what cost to their family? Sure, they may get millions and millions of dollars a year for the show, and a boat load of free stuff, but to me, it just doesn't seem to be worth it. Especially if it is toying with my children's well-being and emotions and coming between my family! Someone on another blog I post to said "I think they are in a really tough position. It’s very easy to say “give up millions of dollars and a lifetime of financial security” from a computer chair." That is so true, it is easier said than done. However, you have to weigh your options and see where you are going to benefit more. You have a ton of things to consider, and while it would be a difficult choice to make, ultimately, I would make the choice that best suits my children and their needs. To me,! my children are more important than money. Even when I did work, my children still came first. I was out of work for 3 weeks with my son when he was 3 months old. He had RSV and had almost quit breathing and was put in the hospital. Granted that $800 (less taxes) a week paycheck doesn't compare to what the show brings in, but still for me it was a no brain-er. That wasn't an isolated occasion either. My son had a rough go at it from the time I was 3 months pregnant with him until he was almost 2 years old and I missed a lot of work. My kids and their needs over money, I pick my kids every time.
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Jon and Kate + 8 = Atrociously Mortified
First I want to say that the reason I selected Atrociously Mortified as my preferred words is because this is how I feel about the parenting styles of Jon and Kate Gosselin. Instead of being happy that they have 8 kids who are healthy, which the sextuplets had a higher risk of not being healthy due to the fact that there were 6 babies in the womb at one time and therefore, nourishment resources were stretched to the max. These parents have started to really take advantage of any and every opportunity they have been given, especially their kids. Even with everything they have been given, they are VERY ungrateful for the things they do have and complain constantly about anything and everything that has been given to them. Now granted, for the businesses that have given them things, they get a nice little kick back come tax time and advertise via product placement on the show, but that is still beside the point. They have all these things that ordinary parents don't have, and still complain that it's not enough, it's never enough for these parents who continuously have their hands out waiting on someone to put something free in them from bath stuff to houses and trips. AND STILL HAVE THE AUDACITY TO COMPLAIN.
So now, on to my original rant....
I have had somewhat of an epiphany today. As I sit here and all 11 kids are asleep for their nap and I know they will be up soon. They have tested my nerves and my patience on more than one occasion this weekend and it's still not over. I still have one more day to go, then I'm back down to 6, but then my sister and her SO will be back home so come Monday, I will have (8) - 3 less until parents come to pick the others up Monday afternoon, then I'll be back to the usual... 3. So I'm thinking, It must be really hard for Jon and Kate to manage 8 kids, twins and sextuplets none-the-less. Then it hits me, It's hard for them NOW because they were used to always having so many people around to help them before. As time went on and fame and fortune took first place in their list of priorities. They had Kevin, Jodi, Beth, Beth's husband Bob and their daughter Carla. They also had some help from another lady with laundry. They had people taking care of the kids down to laundry and, based upon speculations, have a chef to cook dinner. Then Jon and Kate shunned them from their lives. What gets me, these people were there and showed them so much kindness before the show took off like it did, AND FOR FREE. Wow, way to go Jon and Kate, that was the best way to show appreciation for everything they have done for you. Still, even now, they don't have to worry about buying too much of anything, and still yet they gripe about EVERYTHING. Makes me start to wonder what the heck are they going to do when the show isn't paying for the supposed chef, the nanny's, clothes, and everything else they get for free. How are they going to overcome the challenges of parenting then?? Meanwhile, you have us parents who do it ALL on our own. Man now that is tough, regardless to how many children you have. I don't know how many mothers are like me but I count my blessings if my kids wash their hands after using the bathroom and before meals without me having to do what I like to call a "smell check," brush their teeth twice a day, mind their manners especially when out in public, go a day at school without talking and pulling sticks, do their chores without me asking them to do them, or even me asking them once or twice, eat what I cook for dinner and understand that I'm not a short order cook. I REALLY count my blessings if my kids go a day without testing my patience. I count my blessings if my son doesn't make the puppy (who is 6 weeks old tomorrow - Labor Day, and who now has a new home to go to then) turn flips thinking it makes the puppy happy because turning flips makes my son happy. At almost 4 years old it's kind of hard to grasp that type of stuff. He doesn't yet understand that the things that may make him happy won't necessarily make others happy or as happy as those things make him. My son says the puppy is his best friend, but every time I turn my back he's doing something that might hurt the puppy. For instance, when the puppy was a week old, my son gave him a "bath" in the mama dog's water dish, I rushed to it's rescue not a moment too soon with dry towels and coddled him until he was dry and then gave him back to mommy to warm him back up. He thought this was OK because he loves to take baths, go figure a boy that loves water, especially when it's setting in dirt and has become mud. The first time we took the puppy outside, my son has a big Tonka dump truck. Now I know my son loves to sit in the back of it and have one of the girls to push him around, and he loves to crash. Now I would do this but I have way too many back problems, due to a car wreck, to stoop down that low and even at 25 years old, it kills my back. At any rate, my son put the puppy in his dump truck and crashed him. Yes he got a time out and lost his dump truck for a week, but still, he could of hurt that puppy just because he doesn't understand. These are things a kid should be doing, not necessarily to a newborn puppy but as a kid they should be outside exploring and investigating stuff instead of being cooped up inside what has been labeled a fishbowl. Surprisingly I found that to be the BEST metaphor for Jon and Kate's situation and their take on their children. To me, it's a crime against childhood to keep kids "locked away" like that.
I try to do what is best for my children and all things considered I think I'm doing great. I still have hair and it's not grey yet, I still have some sense of humor left, I still have some patience left even after the weekend I have had (which was very eventful to say the least), I have some sort of balance in my life and that is an accomplishment in itself. I can balance my time between three kids, 8 dogs, and my SO. Those are the three most time consuming things I feel compelled to do daily. There again, yes with 24 hours in a day, I feel stretched to the MAX, but I still do it. No complaints, little to no yelling, and no smacking. Meltdowns, of course, there are several of them daily. Do I go ballistic and turn my back on the child that needs attention SO MUCH they have resulted to a meltdown or make excuses for them? No, I most certainly do not, I take the time to talk to the child in crisis and find out what the core issue is and amazingly enough, it doesn't take long. See here is my strategy, I don't ask too many questions, and I make TONS of comments. I say "I see you're unhappy and I'm sorry you feel this way, is there anything I can do to help?" The child in crisis then tells me what the problem is, and suggest a solution. If their solution isn't up to par by my standards then we go into compromising and within 5 minutes, situation is resolved. Would it be so hard for Jon or Kate or even both of them to take that small amount of time to talk to their children about what is bothering them instead of punishing them for their meltdowns?? Even the younger ones who are only 4 years old, they are competent enough to know what is bothering them and what would make them happy. They may not understand that the things that make them happy may not make others happy, but at least they know what makes them happy. The sextuplets are very much alike on the outside but you can tell they are VERY different on the inside, yet you see one of them trying to make the others do what they like to do and makes them happy and that's when all hell breaks loose, so to speak anyway. That's the time they go into hitting each other and pulling hair or whatever they feel like doing at the time. I think it would all be solved if Jon and Kate would sit down. When they go into doing stuff like this, it's a cry for attention, and Jon and Kate acts like it's something that is impossible for them to sit down for a few minutes with one of the kids and read a short book or even sit down with all of them and read a book. With 8 kids, quality time is spread thin and even thinner because of a camera crew and even more thinner because of speaking engagements they have taken on. They say these kids are a blessing, but when it all boils down, it appears to me that they see the kids as a burden more than a blessing and the only reason these kids are a blessing is because they get a truck load of freebies on a regular basis and also lots of money doing the show, speaking engagements, selling pictures, and whatever else they do to make money that takes time away from those sweet and innocent children. I know parents have to work after all, you have to work to make money. However, In most of the families I know, the parents work, not the children. Now granted I know the parents work, but so do these 8 little kids. They wouldn't have the show if it was just Jon and Kate. They didn't even have the show when they had Mady and Cara. They are doing the show because now they have Mady, Cara, Leah, Hannah, Alexis, Joel, Collin and Aaden. Therefore, these children work more than the parents do. While it may not seem like work, to them it is work. Because of the show, they aren't able to have a real life and do the things kids are supposed to do. They have to be around when the camera's are rolling, otherwise there would be no show.
They had better start planning and putting those plans into action now concerning how they are going to handle parenting and keep a cash flow into the family. From what I've read and heard from a good amount of people, I think their 15 minute window of fame and opportunity, is rapidly closing. They think it's tough now, just wait until the show closes up shop. They wont have the show paying for their supposed chef, nanny(s), they wont have any sponsors to give them free things, they will lose a lot of the benefits they have now due to the show. They will have to start paying out of pocket for a lot of things they otherwise didn't have to pay for. With Jon nor Kate working, they will have to pay full price for doctors, dentists, etc. You would have thought that one or the other would have kept a job so they could have at least kept their benefits. I know it gets expensive for 3 kids' medical and dental, but they have 8 kids. Until one of them gets a job and has that job for so long, they wont be paying just a co-pay, they will be paying full price x8, x10 if you count them. Now if they keep the extravagant lifestyle they have now AND start paying the other added expenses and bills, they will run out of money rather quickly. In my opinion the shows ending is bittersweet. Bad in a sense for Jon and Kate, but more importantly and anyway you slice it, the best thing possible for the kids and their well-being. They brought this all on themselves, if they start looking for pity after the show is off the air, they wont find it so easily as they did before the show even aired.
So now, on to my original rant....
I have had somewhat of an epiphany today. As I sit here and all 11 kids are asleep for their nap and I know they will be up soon. They have tested my nerves and my patience on more than one occasion this weekend and it's still not over. I still have one more day to go, then I'm back down to 6, but then my sister and her SO will be back home so come Monday, I will have (8) - 3 less until parents come to pick the others up Monday afternoon, then I'll be back to the usual... 3. So I'm thinking, It must be really hard for Jon and Kate to manage 8 kids, twins and sextuplets none-the-less. Then it hits me, It's hard for them NOW because they were used to always having so many people around to help them before. As time went on and fame and fortune took first place in their list of priorities. They had Kevin, Jodi, Beth, Beth's husband Bob and their daughter Carla. They also had some help from another lady with laundry. They had people taking care of the kids down to laundry and, based upon speculations, have a chef to cook dinner. Then Jon and Kate shunned them from their lives. What gets me, these people were there and showed them so much kindness before the show took off like it did, AND FOR FREE. Wow, way to go Jon and Kate, that was the best way to show appreciation for everything they have done for you. Still, even now, they don't have to worry about buying too much of anything, and still yet they gripe about EVERYTHING. Makes me start to wonder what the heck are they going to do when the show isn't paying for the supposed chef, the nanny's, clothes, and everything else they get for free. How are they going to overcome the challenges of parenting then?? Meanwhile, you have us parents who do it ALL on our own. Man now that is tough, regardless to how many children you have. I don't know how many mothers are like me but I count my blessings if my kids wash their hands after using the bathroom and before meals without me having to do what I like to call a "smell check," brush their teeth twice a day, mind their manners especially when out in public, go a day at school without talking and pulling sticks, do their chores without me asking them to do them, or even me asking them once or twice, eat what I cook for dinner and understand that I'm not a short order cook. I REALLY count my blessings if my kids go a day without testing my patience. I count my blessings if my son doesn't make the puppy (who is 6 weeks old tomorrow - Labor Day, and who now has a new home to go to then) turn flips thinking it makes the puppy happy because turning flips makes my son happy. At almost 4 years old it's kind of hard to grasp that type of stuff. He doesn't yet understand that the things that may make him happy won't necessarily make others happy or as happy as those things make him. My son says the puppy is his best friend, but every time I turn my back he's doing something that might hurt the puppy. For instance, when the puppy was a week old, my son gave him a "bath" in the mama dog's water dish, I rushed to it's rescue not a moment too soon with dry towels and coddled him until he was dry and then gave him back to mommy to warm him back up. He thought this was OK because he loves to take baths, go figure a boy that loves water, especially when it's setting in dirt and has become mud. The first time we took the puppy outside, my son has a big Tonka dump truck. Now I know my son loves to sit in the back of it and have one of the girls to push him around, and he loves to crash. Now I would do this but I have way too many back problems, due to a car wreck, to stoop down that low and even at 25 years old, it kills my back. At any rate, my son put the puppy in his dump truck and crashed him. Yes he got a time out and lost his dump truck for a week, but still, he could of hurt that puppy just because he doesn't understand. These are things a kid should be doing, not necessarily to a newborn puppy but as a kid they should be outside exploring and investigating stuff instead of being cooped up inside what has been labeled a fishbowl. Surprisingly I found that to be the BEST metaphor for Jon and Kate's situation and their take on their children. To me, it's a crime against childhood to keep kids "locked away" like that.
I try to do what is best for my children and all things considered I think I'm doing great. I still have hair and it's not grey yet, I still have some sense of humor left, I still have some patience left even after the weekend I have had (which was very eventful to say the least), I have some sort of balance in my life and that is an accomplishment in itself. I can balance my time between three kids, 8 dogs, and my SO. Those are the three most time consuming things I feel compelled to do daily. There again, yes with 24 hours in a day, I feel stretched to the MAX, but I still do it. No complaints, little to no yelling, and no smacking. Meltdowns, of course, there are several of them daily. Do I go ballistic and turn my back on the child that needs attention SO MUCH they have resulted to a meltdown or make excuses for them? No, I most certainly do not, I take the time to talk to the child in crisis and find out what the core issue is and amazingly enough, it doesn't take long. See here is my strategy, I don't ask too many questions, and I make TONS of comments. I say "I see you're unhappy and I'm sorry you feel this way, is there anything I can do to help?" The child in crisis then tells me what the problem is, and suggest a solution. If their solution isn't up to par by my standards then we go into compromising and within 5 minutes, situation is resolved. Would it be so hard for Jon or Kate or even both of them to take that small amount of time to talk to their children about what is bothering them instead of punishing them for their meltdowns?? Even the younger ones who are only 4 years old, they are competent enough to know what is bothering them and what would make them happy. They may not understand that the things that make them happy may not make others happy, but at least they know what makes them happy. The sextuplets are very much alike on the outside but you can tell they are VERY different on the inside, yet you see one of them trying to make the others do what they like to do and makes them happy and that's when all hell breaks loose, so to speak anyway. That's the time they go into hitting each other and pulling hair or whatever they feel like doing at the time. I think it would all be solved if Jon and Kate would sit down. When they go into doing stuff like this, it's a cry for attention, and Jon and Kate acts like it's something that is impossible for them to sit down for a few minutes with one of the kids and read a short book or even sit down with all of them and read a book. With 8 kids, quality time is spread thin and even thinner because of a camera crew and even more thinner because of speaking engagements they have taken on. They say these kids are a blessing, but when it all boils down, it appears to me that they see the kids as a burden more than a blessing and the only reason these kids are a blessing is because they get a truck load of freebies on a regular basis and also lots of money doing the show, speaking engagements, selling pictures, and whatever else they do to make money that takes time away from those sweet and innocent children. I know parents have to work after all, you have to work to make money. However, In most of the families I know, the parents work, not the children. Now granted I know the parents work, but so do these 8 little kids. They wouldn't have the show if it was just Jon and Kate. They didn't even have the show when they had Mady and Cara. They are doing the show because now they have Mady, Cara, Leah, Hannah, Alexis, Joel, Collin and Aaden. Therefore, these children work more than the parents do. While it may not seem like work, to them it is work. Because of the show, they aren't able to have a real life and do the things kids are supposed to do. They have to be around when the camera's are rolling, otherwise there would be no show.
They had better start planning and putting those plans into action now concerning how they are going to handle parenting and keep a cash flow into the family. From what I've read and heard from a good amount of people, I think their 15 minute window of fame and opportunity, is rapidly closing. They think it's tough now, just wait until the show closes up shop. They wont have the show paying for their supposed chef, nanny(s), they wont have any sponsors to give them free things, they will lose a lot of the benefits they have now due to the show. They will have to start paying out of pocket for a lot of things they otherwise didn't have to pay for. With Jon nor Kate working, they will have to pay full price for doctors, dentists, etc. You would have thought that one or the other would have kept a job so they could have at least kept their benefits. I know it gets expensive for 3 kids' medical and dental, but they have 8 kids. Until one of them gets a job and has that job for so long, they wont be paying just a co-pay, they will be paying full price x8, x10 if you count them. Now if they keep the extravagant lifestyle they have now AND start paying the other added expenses and bills, they will run out of money rather quickly. In my opinion the shows ending is bittersweet. Bad in a sense for Jon and Kate, but more importantly and anyway you slice it, the best thing possible for the kids and their well-being. They brought this all on themselves, if they start looking for pity after the show is off the air, they wont find it so easily as they did before the show even aired.
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