Jon and Kate Plus 8 official Thread, Part 2!!

[madge]

. This show really does bring people out of the woodwork.

I have a blog... I have a couple of Jon & Kate entries (in fact, I feel one coming on today, LOLOL) and one is titled Aunt Jodi's video. When you google search Aunt Jodi's video, my blog is the 4th entry. I wrote the entry in August and I still get comments and a ton of traffic. Some days I get hundreds of views. Lately, I've had to start moderating the comments a little more carefully .. it's starting to get a little heated again.

 

[madge]

BTW, my kids don't want their own rooms. My DD has asked repeatedly if she can just share one big room with her brothers.

My DD has her own room, but prefers to be where her brother is. And oddly enough, they both sleep in their older brother's room, and he's away at college. Go figure.

My kids are spread apart in years, and I have 1 DD and 2 DS. It won't be appropriate for them to share rooms .. some would say it isn't now, but they're really not sharing. they're just sleeping in the same room, but not in the same bed. I feel the sudden need to justify that. LOLOL.

I do think it's interesting that they spent that kind of money on a house that doesn't have enough bedrooms? How many does it have? I guess I need to get caught up on the blogs ..

GeorgiaPeach8, have you been buried with snow or ice lately?

 

[kidshop]

That's your opinion and you're certainly entitled to it - just doesn't mean everyone has to live that way though. I personally see nothing wrong with some kids sharing or one of them having their own room. Think it totally depends on the personality of the individual kid.



Kate said that Hannah had horrible migraines because she was waking up too early in the morning - due to Leah and Alexis; so they gave her the room to allow her to sleep undisturbed.

So why didn't Hannah sleep in the basement at the old house?

It seems to me the bedrooms in the old house were HUGE, plenty of room for three beds and toys etc. I didn't really catch too much of the new little kid rooms, but they seemed pretty small to me, and I think Kate said that the bedrooms were smaller but the other areas larger. It'll be tight in a small bedroom with 3 boys.

 

[MichelleVW]

So why didn't Hannah sleep in the basement at the old house?

It seems to me the bedrooms in the old house were HUGE, plenty of room for three beds and toys etc. I didn't really catch too much of the new little kid rooms, but they seemed pretty small to me, and I think Kate said that the bedrooms were smaller but the other areas larger. It'll be tight in a small bedroom with 3 boys.

Because apparently at the time it worked for them to have Alexis sleeping downstairs, and now they are trying it out with Hannah having her own room. I really don't see the drama here. Situations change. I have always had a 3 bedroom house with 2 kids, some times the girls shared a room, sometimes they wanted their own room, just depended on what worked for us at the time.

Maybe they don't want the bedrooms to be play areas. I know when my girls shared a bedroom, the other room was the playroom and I didn't allow any toys in the bedroom. Their bedroom was a place to sleep and not play, maybe that's where they are coming from. My girls are teenagers now and still don't hang out in their own rooms that often. They do their homework in there, but usually they are in the living room with us, or upstairs in the bonus room together.

 

[bookgirl]

---------------

Oh I never said there wasn't any "conflict".. I can still hear my sister - in that horribly whiney voice - complaining to my parents.. "MOTHER..she's in my room AGAIN.. But would she kick me for it? NEVER!! We tattled on each other - as did my own children and stepchildren - but it was the parents who dealt with the situations.. Never was it left to the children to "duke it out" among themselves....

I guess in retrospect I probably should have worded it the way you suggested, but because siblings wailing on each other is such a foreign concept to me, I never suspected so many other parents would view it as "normal" behavior.. Even my 10 year old DGD has never been involved in any kind of physical altercation with another child, so it's waaaaaay out there in left field for me..

Okay, maybe my brother and I were just deviant. We totally whaled on each other, totally. I stabbed him, he split my head open, he butsted my lip open, I laid back his lip with a see and say, black eyes, punches, wrestling moves, football, general annoyance, there were many hospital/doctor visits, lots of icebags. Most of the time the injuries were not malicious, we just played really rough and we fought really hard. But I totally meant to stab him, my mother even warned him if he didn't stop pestering me one of these days I would turn around and nail him. Some kids are more physical. Mady is mean to the kids, she's jealous, that's obvious. But some kids are more likely to hit. My parents did not let us get away with hitting but we did it anyway, mom just never knew until there was blood or brusies to explan.

By the way we are both upstanding well rounded adults, who are not abusive or physically agresive to others. I have a degree and a Masters and work with kids, my brother is Vice President with a multi million dollar company. We get along, we like each other most of the time, and we vary rarely hit each other anymore (throw a roll at each other yes, but no more punches LOL)


Oh and his twin son's, my 91/2 year old nephews totally whale on each other.

 

[lucas]

So why didn't Hannah sleep in the basement at the old house?

I was wondering about that, too. Didn't one of the other little girls sleep in the basement due to some other issue?

 

[barkley]

My mother had no idea that my older brother would punch me and my sister, and trust me....it was not a light punch. No way would we tell on him, or we would get punched for telling! We get along fine with our brother now and have no deep scars from the experience. It happens, and with 8 kids under the age of 7, I'm sure it happens more often than in multi age households. No, it's not right, but 1. Kate didn't see it, and 2. with that many kids they need to learn how to settle their differences themselves because the parents can't be a constant referee.

my mom is 87 and to this day will insist none of us ever hit each other-we 4 kids beg to differ. we may not have punched or kicked each other but there was hitting (and worse ). i have a scar on my knee from my brother pushing me onto an oil drip pan in the garage , i detest small spaces because when mom told my brothers they'de get in trouble for hitting me, they would push me in a closet and hold the door shut. i've got one brother who had a tremendous talent for holding another down and tickling him till he peed his pants (db #1 would be yelling for mom, mom would yell to db #2 "you better not be hitting him", db #2 would yell back "mom don't you hear him laughing-we're having fun").

having lived in this kind of environment the rule in our home is that you can't put your hands on another person. this extends to the "death grip" hugs my son has tried to gift his sister with-but they make up for it by coming up with other 'tortures' (i am so sick of seeing eyelids turned inside out to gross out one's sibling or hearing "mom, telling him/her to stop NOT touching me" as one hovers around the other saying-"but i'm not touching you, but i'm not touching you" ).

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

My guess is that they'll create more reality... weekend day trips, etc. Or not put them in public/private school, pull Cara & Mady out and continue on..

I saw Kate on Larry King Live Monday night. It's the first time I've seen the "new and improved" version I've seen mentioned here .. the spray tan, stripier hair, slimmer face, and what appears to be obvious botox or other skin work. She was there commenting on the octuplets birth .. alone. Are Jon & Kate not doing interviews together these days? There were Jon's Utah interviews and Kate's CNN interview, and Larry King Live ..

Anyway, during the course of Kate's portion of the show, she mentioned that they chose to put their lives out there (**while showing clips of the naked (diaper only) kids running around ) and that it is their day to day reality. There is so much controversy swirling around about the mom of the octuplets laying out a PR plan for herself and her kids .. and there sits Kate, still trying to pass off their life/show as reality. Reality = something most people can relate to. Give me a break. The trips, the house, the cosmetic enhancements .. that's my reality. Isn't that everyone's?

** about the kids running around naked... my husband rarely, if ever sees JK8. He could not believe that a parent would allow their children (daughters, specifically) be filmed in that way and shown on national television. I told him how much people have complained over that .. he couldn't believe that was old footage, people have expressed concern, and they still chose to show that footage.

I haven't seen new episodes since The Bachelor and American Idol started. It might be a good thing.

Reality = something that is real. Celebs have massive houses, beaucoups of cash and personal assistants. It's reality, but I don't relate to it. Look at other reality shows...how many of them are relatable? No one would have a reality show if it was relatable. Yes, there are portions of people's lives we relate to, but to have a completely relatable, "normal" family on tv? Boring!!

This is the Gosselins' reality now. They get perks and trips and clothes, etc., etc., etc. Just because Joe (or Jo) America can't relate to it doesn't mean it's not reality.

How do you feel about Anne Geddes? She's got tons of "naked" baby pictures. Diaper-clad tots often run around in just a diaper. I've seen it in public, on other tv shows. I don't see the big deal here.

 

[longstangetrip]

I think the new house has 5 bedrooms. It looks like Mady and Cara have one with it's own staircase, not really accessible from the rest of the upstairs. The boys (3) have one, Hannah has one, Alexis and Leah have one and the master suite. The old house had two huge bedrooms (12' x 24'?) upstairs, the twins (bonus) room over the garage, Jon and Kates' downstairs and the "homework" room was a downstairs bedroom. They put Alexis (I think) in the basement playroom to sleep because she bothered Leah? and Hannah. Why didn't she go into the 5th bedroom/homework room? Whatever works for them. Jon and Kate stated at one point, they were looking for wider hallways in a new home?!

The new house has tons more square footage and acreage, but I loved the old house and thought the layout, yard, garage, etc. seemed great for a large family. This big property is not the answer to teach the kids to respect one another or each other's things. They won't function any better as a family unit if they are banished from each other's areas. I just don't like that. I know toddlers obviously can't destroy older brother's room/legos, and there are saftey considerations, but they are almost 5 and safety was not the issue with the Gosselins' rules. Isn't it interesting that none of the girls are told not to enter the boys' rooms? Never were. Mady was kicking Alexis? on the landing outside of her room not in her room. These territory rules give the kids unnecessary power over one another. Mady does what she lives. I think her conflict with the tups is often times that she is disciplining them.

Kids will be kids and siblings squabble; but I don't think any parent, daycare provider or pre-school teacher should expect or condone physical aggression. My kids are MOUTHY, but since they have been verbal, they don't really hit, kick, bite or pinch. They are forced to co-exist and respect each other's things and space, WHILE being together. Not possible if they are kept apart. It seems awfully enticing to go in a sibling or parent's room if you have been exiled. What's in there that must be so good?!

I don't think what we see the Gosselin kids doing (the fighting) is all developmentally normal. I just watched Super Quads, and Allison Mathias doesn't tolerate hitting! A lot of people say we only see a small portion of their lives, but why would they choose to show them at their worst?

 

[madge]

Reality = something that is real. Celebs have massive houses, beaucoups of cash and personal assistants. It's reality, but I don't relate to it. Look at other reality shows...how many of them are relatable? No one would have a reality show if it was relatable. Yes, there are portions of people's lives we relate to, but to have a completely relatable, "normal" family on tv? Boring!!

I watch several reality shows .. The Real Housewives, The Bachelor, etc. It's all FLUFF. I know that the Housewives show probably is reality-ish for a spendy part of California. I think the "reality" shows on TLC are marketed as just that - reality. Home life. Different than the Osbornes, Real Housewives, Rock & Roll Love Bus, etc. Many, many people's reason for loving JK8 is because they're so "real". In the beginning, I get that. Not any more.

This is the Gosselins' reality now. They get perks and trips and clothes, etc., etc., etc. Just because Joe (or Jo) America can't relate to it doesn't mean it's not reality.

That is a very good point. And from comments I've read this morning, a lot of people are turned off by this new reality. We've seen that here. Obviously, a lot of people aren't bothered ..

Thinking about reality, related to TV .. none of it's reality. It's all edited. Very little happens as it does in "real" life. LOL.

How do you feel about Anne Geddes? She's got tons of "naked" baby pictures. Diaper-clad tots often run around in just a diaper. I've seen it in public, on other tv shows. I don't see the big deal here.

never been a fan of hers. I thought some of the images she's shot were cute, but I never owned an Anne Geddes poster or anything like that. LOL. And IMO, there's a difference in a newborn naked and a toddler running around. Sadly, both images are probably appealing to sick perverts out there.

 

[madge]

A lot of people say we only see a small portion of their lives, but why would they choose to show them at their worst?

Ratings.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

I think the new house has 5 bedrooms. It looks like Mady and Cara have one with it's own staircase, not really accessible from the rest of the upstairs. The boys (3) have one, Hannah has one, Alexis and Leah have one and the master suite. The old house had two huge bedrooms (12' x 24'?) upstairs, the twins (bonus) room over the garage, Jon and Kates' downstairs and the "homework" room was a downstairs bedroom. They put Alexis (I think) in the basement playroom to sleep because she bothered Leah? and Hannah. Why didn't she go into the 5th bedroom/homework room? Whatever works for them. Jon and Kate stated at one point, they were looking for wider hallways in a new home?!

The new house has tons more square footage and acreage, but I loved the old house and thought the layout, yard, garage, etc. seemed great for a large family. This big property is not the answer to teach the kids to respect one another or each other's things. They won't function any better as a family unit if they are banished from each other's areas. I just don't like that. I know toddlers obviously can't destroy older brother's room/legos, and there are saftey considerations, but they are almost 5 and safety was not the issue with the Gosselins' rules. Isn't it interesting that none of the girls are told not to enter the boys' rooms? Never were. Mady was kicking Alexis? on the landing outside of her room not in her room. These territory rules give the kids unnecessary power over one another. Mady does what she lives. I think her conflict with the tups is often times that she is disciplining them.

Kids will be kids and siblings squabble; but I don't think any parent, daycare provider or pre-school teacher should expect or condone physical aggression. My kids are MOUTHY, but since they have been verbal, they don't really hit, kick, bite or pinch. They are forced to co-exist and respect each other's things and space, WHILE being together. Not possible if they are kept apart. It seems awfully enticing to go in a sibling or parent's room if you have been exiled. What's in there that must be so good?!

I don't think what we see the Gosselin kids doing (the fighting) is all developmentally normal. I just watched Super Quads, and Allison Mathias doesn't tolerate hitting! A lot of people say we only see a small portion of their lives, but why would they choose to show them at their worst?

Have you ever seen the girls in the boys' room? I can't recall that I have.

To say that those who work with kids should never expect "physical aggression" is ridiculous. It is part of life when several children are present. Now, adults shouldn't condone hitting, kicking, etc., but that's completely different than expecting it.

Kate mentioned the smaller bedrooms and larger family rooms so the kids would have more room to be together. She doesn't want them in their rooms all the time. They aren't being "kept apart."

What do you think is developmentally abnormal about the Gosselin kids? And to what/whom are you comparing them?

Again, I will say that quads (especially all girls) are still completely different than the Gosselin situation and can't really be compared. Do the quads have older siblings (that add the jealousy)? Are there boys in the family? There are too many factors to say that "Oh, their mom doesn't allow hitting, why are the Gosselins any different?"

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

Ratings.

True dat.

 

[Erin1700]

I remember seeing the girls in the boys room.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

I watch several reality shows .. The Real Housewives, The Bachelor, etc. It's all FLUFF. I know that the Housewives show probably is reality-ish for a spendy part of California. I think the "reality" shows on TLC are marketed as just that - reality. Home life. Different than the Osbornes, Real Housewives, Rock & Roll Love Bus, etc. Many, many people's reason for loving JK8 is because they're so "real". In the beginning, I get that. Not any more.

Again, I'll say there are portions of each family you can relate to on these shows. TLC-specific, though...at first glance, how many people, aside from other little people, relate to LPBW? How many people relate to the Duggars? I doubt many.

Some people obviously feel they can relate to Kate (all the people laughing in agreement about the receipts/coupons, etc.), but they may not relate to her situation (probably just the other twins/tups family can actually "relate").

That is a very good point. And from comments I've read this morning, a lot of people are turned off by this new reality. We've seen that here. Obviously, a lot of people aren't bothered ..

Can't be that many people, or they wouldn't be on the air. Or those people, again, are cutting off their noses despite their faces by tuning in, buying the book to bash, gabbing on the internet, etc.

Thinking about reality, related to TV .. none of it's reality. It's all edited. Very little happens as it does in "real" life. LOL.

Because every day, relatable reality is BORING!!

never been a fan of hers. I thought some of the images she's shot were cute, but I never owned an Anne Geddes poster or anything like that. LOL. And IMO, there's a difference in a newborn naked and a toddler running around. Sadly, both images are probably appealing to sick perverts out there.

Yes, those people are sick, but should that stop the general public from letting their kids run around in diapers, go to the swimming pool, take their girls to Disney in tank tops and shorts? People can argue that the Gosselins are setting up their kids to be leered at by freaks, but I bet those same people let their kids go swimming. You never know who's looking at your kids in public.

 

[DreaGirl]

I hope that Jon and Kate are paying taxes on all of their "gifts" that they got last year. Esp. after what is happening in the government with those same issues right now.

I had no idea that if someone gave you a free trip that you had to pay taxes on it! So does that mean all the free toys, trips, hotel rooms, visits to parks all have to have taxes payed on them? Anyone know?

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

I hope that Jon and Kate are paying taxes on all of their "gifts" that they got last year. Esp. after what is happening in the government with those same issues right now.

I had no idea that if someone gave you a free trip that you had to pay taxes on it! So does that mean all the free toys, trips, hotel rooms, visits to parks all have to have taxes payed on them? Anyone know?

It's not like they can hide it. I'm sure they're doing what they have to do (or their "team" is).

ETA: You are allowed a yearly gift that is not taxed. It's some odd number, so they won't have to pay taxe on everything. I know when I was in college, I got several thousand dollars each semester from scholarship overage, and it was under the "gift" limit each year.

 

[madge]

Total Snow White said (and DIS won't let me quote )

TLC-specific, though...at first glance, how many people, aside from other little people, relate to LPBW? How many people relate to the Duggars? I doubt many.

maybe relatable isn't exactly the correct phrasing I want .. but TLC has, over the years, marketed itself heavily to moms and families .. the Baby Story/Wedding Story daytime programming and now the Monday night "family night" (or whatever they're calling it). The Monday night shows are families, while different than yours or mine, they're families. Families shown at home, shopping, playing, whatever. The Gosselins built their show around the premise of their "everyday life" ... and in the beginning, that meant a struggling young family. I certainly don't expect them to portray themselves as that same young family, because they aren't those people anymore. But their new reality is pretty far removed from their old one. And to me, it's as if John & Kate are now characters in their own story .. especially with the cosmetic work they've had done and living in this new house (that I have never had issue with). It's a whole different kind of reality, for sure.

Can't be that many people, or they wouldn't be on the air. Or those people, again, are cutting of their noses despite their faces by tuning in, buying the book to bash, gabbing on the internet, etc.

I wonder, what percentage of the internet followers make up Jon & Kate's ratings? I know a lot of people that watch that have no idea about any back story. (and no, I don't tell them. I don't want to ruin it for them ) I'd guess the internet viewership is small in the big picture.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

Total Snow White said (and DIS won't let me quote )

maybe relatable isn't exactly the correct phrasing I want .. but TLC has, over the years, marketed itself heavily to moms and families .. the Baby Story/Wedding Story daytime programming and now the Monday night "family night" (or whatever they're calling it). The Monday night shows are families, while different than yours or mine, they're families. Families shown at home, shopping, playing, whatever. The Gosselins built their show around the premise of their "everyday life" ... and in the beginning, that meant a struggling young family. I certainly don't expect them to portray themselves as that same young family, because they aren't those people anymore. But their new reality is pretty far removed from their old one. And to me, it's as if John & Kate are now characters in their own story .. especially with the cosmetic work they've had done and living in this new house (that I have never had issue with). It's a whole different kind of reality, for sure.



I wonder, what percentage of the internet followers make up Jon & Kate's ratings? I know a lot of people that watch that have no idea about any back story. (and no, I don't tell them. I don't want to ruin it for them ) I'd guess the internet viewership is small in the big picture.

Oh, because I wrote within your quotes. Hehe!

Many viewers may not take part actively in the internet madness that follows JK8, but it's the internet that brings the show into the light for other mainstream media. Reporters and news shows probably aren't sitting around watching JK8, they're getting their news via the internet, too. I'm a journalism (public relations) graduate, and the media, both local and national, are getting the majority of their "tips" from the internet. Press releases are done through emails, shows are being broadcast online, the internet is quickly becoming a heavy hitter in mass news. Those people who have brought "negative" attention to JK8 on the internet are absolutely boosting their ratings (whether people tune in to see the carnage or are tipped off by mentions of the unusual family-type).



ETA: Thank goodness your power's back!! I needed some intelligent debate! The cut and paste discussion was getting old.

 

[longstangetrip]

Have you ever seen the girls in the boys' room? I can't recall that I have. Yes. Jon and Kate make a point to say the girls need more privacy. As they went over the numerous territory rules, the boys' room was fair game.

To say that those who work with kids should never expect "physical aggression" is ridiculous. It is part of life when several children are present. Now, adults shouldn't condone hitting, kicking, etc., but that's completely different than expecting it.
I disagree. Parents often get exactly what they expect.

Kate mentioned the smaller bedrooms and larger family rooms so the kids would have more room to be together. She doesn't want them in their rooms all the time. They aren't being "kept apart."
She also mentions room to spread out. In my experiences little kids don't spread out, but pile up. She obviously doesn't want them in their rooms all the time, but with all the physical boundaries, they are being kept apart.


What do you think is developmentally abnormal about the Gosselin kids? And to what/whom are you comparing them?
I said the fighting.
My siblings, children, nieces, nephews, students, neighbors, family friends, Sunday School students, Bible School participants, Church nursery charges, Girl Scouts, Youth Group, other televised "reality families", etc.

Again, I will say that quads (especially all girls) are still completely different than the Gosselin situation and can't really be compared. Do the quads have older siblings (that add the jealousy)? Are there boys in the family? There are too many factors to say that "Oh, their mom doesn't allow hitting, why are the Gosselins any different?"
I think it is interesting that you brought the boys up as I see them portrayed as being less aggressive and better behaved. Obviously because "we" don't allow it doesn't always make it so. The contrast between the other televised multiples and large families is interesting to me.
I appreciate your point of view! I would HATE to have my parenting and/or kids' behavior scrutinized on TV!
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