Friday, May 29, 2009

I've never watched Jon, Kate and their 8.

I have to tell you, though, what they have going on in their lives makes me ill. Seriously. I don't mean this as the judgmental express, but why do they or Nadya Suleman complain about all of the paparazzi or "P People" that they have following them when THIS IS WHAT THEY SIGNED UP FOR!

Folks, when you decide to air your entire life out on national television, you are going to get followed around. Surprising, I know, but you have made your life something people find interesting. Feed the public beast and it will feast.

1. You think that you are caring for your children in doing this as a "job," but now you have made them publicly hunted for the rest of their lives. That means that people good, bad and otherwise want a glimpse of those precious children that you spent so much freakin' money to have. That means grandmotherly ladies in the bathroom, Mamas and their kids in restaurants, playgrounds and whatnot, pedophiles . . . You've opened your life up to everyone.
2. Your children now think that everything that goes on in their lives have to be public knowledge. Do they see themselves on TV for either the program or even commercials? What do they think? Do they have a concept of keeping private matters in the family?
3. This strains relationships in your lives. Though you have chosen to air every single aspect of your life out on the laundry line of life for 1/2 of the world to see, not everyone in your life is interested in being showcased on television. You have just alienated some folks in your lives possibly forever. Just letting you know.
4. You may do this as a "job" but know that when you decided to be a parent, you should have done so with a plan to provide for your family without making them a traveling circus. You have made the choice to have batchloads of children and that is fine. However, having done so, you are now asking the public for money or donations (see website for Nadya Suleman, which I won't post here) or Kate stating that it is her job now to travel and so forth. This is something that you very much chose for your life. You shouldn't expect others to finance this venture for you. I applaud you for choosing to have all the babies that seated themselves comfortably in your womb. I wouldn't have been able to be selective, either.

Why do I write this? I'm irritated. I have never watched Jon and Kate, but I can't believe what choices that they have made for their family. Nadya decided to have a big family on her own-- her own choice-- but then she's been trying to get a reality TV show, going on Dr. Phil and whatnot. Come on people! Just be a family. Raise your family TOGETHER. Jon and Kate's marriage is falling apart. How so sad.

There is a family from NE Ohio that had multiples. They are the Hanselman's. They have sextuplets. Sure, the community pulled together. They had folks help them when the babies came home. Their church had a donation drive for them. Someone built them a spiffy new house. But they didn't ask for these things. They didn't exploit their children. They are an extremely quiet and thankful family.

We've run into them or part of them while we're out and about. We went to a library program with a friend and there were the Hanselman sextuplets-- all six children with additional caregivers in tow. I've seen Jennifer out shopping on her own. But they have done it, on their own, with some community help. They didn't feel the need to employ reality TV as a way to make money. They didn't ask for help. People wanted to help.

See? It is possible to have a big family and finance it on your own. It is possible to be that mommy and daddy that is blessed to have that "Surprise! Guess what took with that in vitro procedure" that you had and do it quietly.

Let the Hanselman's be an example to you. They are quiet people. They are involved people. I admire them for the choices that they have made for their family. Jon? Kate? Nadya? Please make the Hanselman's your roll model.

5 comments:

Rach said...

Amen, sister.

ChupieandJ'smama (Janeen) said...

I've never seen that show either. But I feel badly for the children. This is all so nasty and I can't stand hearing about or seeing it on TV or in the tabloids. When are people going to realize that with money and pseudo fame comes trouble?
And you are correct. They made the choice to have the children (as I would have too) now THEY need to take care of them without asking for others to pay for them. Reality TV is not a job or career. It's self indulgent and unfortunately is backfiring on them.

Jamie said...

Our minds think so alike. I actually wrote a post the other day about JK+8 but decided not to post it, not sure why now.

I can't stand the show and think they got everything they wanted - the attention, the tabloids doing endless stories, etc. and along with that comes the wedge that seems to drive people apart. Ultimately, the kids suffer, which is a shame.

Anonymous said...

Why no mention of the Duggar's? Who have been exploiting their children for years.

Their older children did not sign up to be parents, but they are to their younger siblings.

And the joke that they dont have to pay property taxes because they claim their house is a church. Jim Bob may be Internet ordained, but his only parishoners are his family.

Bailey's Leaf said...

I forgot about the Duggar's. I did remember them in the beginning, but other than Mama being a rather fertile field, I really don't know anything about them. Don't hear a lot about them in the news, either.

I do know of a similar family situation here in Ohio. A couple that married in December were homeschoolers, apparently played out in a very Duggar family fashion and I was just stunned. I didn't know anything like that existed. Wow.