Jon and Kate Plus 8. Official Thread!!

[TotalSnowWhite]

I know you're really young, I bet you're pretty sharp, and I hope you wouldn't put money before friends and family. Nothing material replaces people, ever. I bet you knew that before I wrote it, but the Mom/teacher in me...you know.

I may be "really young" (and age has nothing to do with the facts I stated), but I've had more life experience than most people I know. Logistically, you have to have money to support a family. There's no getting around it. It may not be lovey-dovey, rosey-eyed to talk money, but those are the facts. I am extremely close with my family due to the cards life dealt. I adore them, and would step in front of a bullet for them. However, I know people who do not have any extended family or a close circle of friends. They are just as content with their immediate family as I am with my extended one. Family and friends are important, but you can't discount the lengths parents will reach to provide for their children.

Just for the record, I'm a mom and teacher, too. I'm not arrogant enough to think I have all the answers, but age does not equal wisdom or lack thereof.

 

[EveDallas]

I may be "really young" (and age has nothing to do with the facts I stated), but I've had more life experience than most people I know. Logistically, you have to have money to support a family. There's no getting around it. It may not be lovey-dovey, rosey-eyed to talk money, but those are the facts. I am extremely close with my family due to the cards life dealt. I adore them, and would step in front of a bullet for them. However, I know people who do not have any extended family or a close circle of friends. They are just as content with their immediate family as I am with my extended one. Family and friends are important, but you can't discount the lengths parents will reach to provide for their children.

Just for the record, I'm a mom and teacher, too. I'm not arrogant enough to think I have all the answers, but age does not equal wisdom or lack thereof.

What she said!

 

[barkley]

I remember this show vivdly, even though I was young. It aired on PBS, and it was fascinating. I can remember watching it with my mom. That family really was screwed up after that show. I think i will google them and and see if anything current comes up. I don't thing the Gosselins are going to do very well in years to come, especially those twins. They are already high maintanence.

one thing that has crossed my mind is how this whole situation is going to play itself out if the family continues to support themself in this manner for many more years in terms of instilling a work ethic in the children.

kids and esp. boys have been shown to adopt their attitudes about work from their same sex parent. i have to wonder how in those little boy's minds they are going to perceive their father as their role model in this area. right now they just know that daddy is at home with them and gets to do fun stuff with them but when they get older, or start going to school with other kids they are going to see that most mommies and daddies don't both get to stay at home with the kids all the time. i wonder if they won't have questions that will be very hard to answer about this.

if they don't continue in this manner i would hope they have saved well-given jon's profession even a year out of activly working within it can be a huge detriment to employment (and i believe i've read that he's not degreed so that could make it even harder). i can't see it being feasable for kate to ever return to nursing-i have to imagine that it would be difficult if not impossible to effectivly nurse in any kind of public setting being such a recognizable person (let alone one that elicits such strong feelings in complete strangers ).

as much as i think the duggar family is in their own way as misguided in televising thier lives i have to give them credit in that their kids definatly have been raised with a tremendous work ethic.

 

[gasperdam]

I'm moving on to the Duggars. Their show starts tonight.
__________________

I LOVE the Duggars!!! Their family is so awesome, and the kids are just cuties!
I know this will catch criticism, BUT to ME, they are just more REAL than J & K plus 8.

 

[mousetravel]

I thought last night's show with Q&A was OK.
The only part that really bugged me was when Kate told Jon "You're always interrupting me!" I thought, my goodness woman, you NEVER let him talk!!

 

[whitneyNC]

tomorrow!!!

Flying ... and it's a good thing. From what I understand, gas is hard to find on our route!

Lucky you. Have a GREAT TRIP!

 

[whitneyNC]

.

Just for the record, I'm a mom and teacher, too.

That's why I said, "you know." I thought we had those things in common. You sounded offended and that was not my intent. If you were, I apologize. You are right. Youth is not always wasted on the young!

 

[MegaDisney]

I was definately a bit disappointed in the show last night, but not surprised. It was exactly what I thought it would be. The answers seemed pretty edited to me, and we didn't really learn anything new or surprising. Any thoughts?

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

I was definately a bit disappointed in the show last night, but not surprised. It was exactly what I thought it would be. The answers seemed pretty edited to me, and we didn't really learn anything new or surprising. Any thoughts?

I agree. I was hoping for something juicy!!

 

[MM27]

I watched the second episode last night, the games one, where Jon rollerbladed off followed by Cara. They showed both Mady and Cara after they returned to the house and neither girl had a cut up face as was previously reported.

Last night was okay, but nothing special.

I watched the Duggar show too. It was funny how Michelle had photos to hand out to random people. I wonder how long it is before she takes Kate's lead and starts charging for them.

 

[TotalSnowWhite]

I watched the second episode last night, the games one, where Jon rollerbladed off followed by Cara. They showed both Mady and Cara after they returned to the house and neither girl had a cut up face as was previously reported.

Last night was okay, but nothing special.

I watched the Duggar show too. It was funny how Michelle had photos to hand out to random people. I wonder how long it is before she takes Kate's lead and starts charging for them.

I kept the tv on, but just caught bits and pieces. Anyone know why they do two thirty minute episodes instead of a one hour? Especially for the premiere episode?

Yeah, I thought that, too. I was waiting for one of them to fall or show up a bloody mess. Um...yeah, didn't happen.

 

[sha_lyn]

kids and esp. boys have been shown to adopt their attitudes about work from their same sex parent. i have to wonder how in those little boy's minds they are going to perceive their father as their role model in this area. right now they just know that daddy is at home with them and gets to do fun stuff with them but when they get older, or start going to school with other kids they are going to see that most mommies and daddies don't both get to stay at home with the kids all the time. i wonder if they won't have questions that will be very hard to answer about this.

The kids see Jon go to work. Sure some J&K haters claims he doesn't work, but what we've seen on the show indicated that he does. The last episode I remember that specifically addressed it was about mid season. I think maybe the Young Chefs episode, or maybe music lessons. Anyway it was a day that one or both twins had something. Jon came in from work. Kate said how great it was that he could come home early from work to help get the girls to activities now that he was in business for himself. Also J&K both go away for speaking engagements.

 

[barkley]

i've seen the duggars before on the specials but i realy enjoyed the new show much more. seemed more relaxed-and given that both episodes dealt with traveling via air and bus with 19 people that's saying allot (and kudos to them for the idea of the recycled plastic grocery bags to bundle complete outfits together so they only have to pull from a suitcase what they need for that particular day ).

i saw something last nite on the duggar show that realy impressed me, and it spoke volumes to me about michelle duggar and her parenting-while the kids were playing in central park one of the littler girls (looked to be about the age of the gosselin sextuplets) was having a some kind of issue and michelle got down right at eye level and was gently speaking with her. she was conveying that the behaviour was'nt appropriate and reminding her what the appropriate behaviour should be but doing it in a way that was obviously very loving and caring.

i think for me it's those kinds of gentle moments that i regret not seeing on j&k+8, moments when a parent reccognizes the need to intimatly connect with a child and bring a conversation physicaly and emotionaly down to their level. the duggars are 'different' for sure but i get the impression that immediatly telling a child to go to time out is'nt their first reaction for every misbehaviour (not that time-out's a bad technique it works great with some kids-i just think if it's not acting as a deterant then you need to explore other options, and i don't see it as a deterant on j&K+8 but more of a way to simply stop the behaviour for the time being without doing the follow up of talking to the child and discussing the reason they were put there/what the appropriate behaviour should be, so the behaviours repeat themselves-and sadly, it seems like some of the little kids have picked up bad behaviours from one another and in particular from thier older sister ).

 

[barkley]

The kids see Jon go to work. Sure some J&K haters claims he doesn't work, but what we've seen on the show indicated that he does. The last episode I remember that specifically addressed it was about mid season. I think maybe the Young Chefs episode, or maybe music lessons. Anyway it was a day that one or both twins had something. Jon came in from work. Kate said how great it was that he could come home early from work to help get the girls to activities now that he was in business for himself. Also J&K both go away for speaking engagements.

i could be wrong but i believe in subsequent episodes kate has made comments on how nice it is that jon is home all the time now, and i seem to remember jon making a similar comments. that could lend itself to either him having a buisness that he runs out of the home or as many speculate-that the buisness of the show (and perhaps the maintainance of their website) is the self employment they previously mentioned.

if he does have his own separate buisness i think it would be facinating to learn what type he can succesfully operate with the demands the filming, travel and his very apparant involvement in caring for the children entail. i don't know what capacity he was working in for what seemed to be the short period of time he worked for beth's husband, but the work he was doing when he lost his job while kate was pregnant and the subsequent job he quit at the govenor's office were largly in the systems tech support field so unless he's gone back to college and gotten a degree or done some other training to advance his skills and knowledge i would think it would be very difficult to establish a successful buisness (it's not like he was a high level programmer or web designer that can work whenever the time is available-successful tech support has to be constantly available and accessable).

 

[madge]

I'm hoping to have time to check-in online before we leave today ... if I don't, I'll have to remember where I stopped reading ... if I come back to this thread. I may have a blissful JK8-free week and I may never look back!

 

[sha_lyn]

i could be wrong but i believe in subsequent episodes kate has made comments on how nice it is that jon is home all the time now, and i seem to remember jon making a similar comments. that could lend itself to either him having a buisness that he runs out of the home or as many speculate-that the buisness of the show (and perhaps the maintainance of their website) is the self employment they previously mentioned.

I don't remember her saying all the time, but maybe it was said. I do remember one or both of them saying he can work from home some days.
As for "the short time her worked for Beth's husband".... we don't know that he isn't still working with Beth's husband, or if he isn't, how long he worked with him. It was said they went into business together I believe, not that Jon went to work for him.

Of course all that is is moot now considering that they have probably moved or are about to move out of the state unless he can telecomute.

 

[barkley]

I don't remember her saying all the time, but maybe it was said. I do remember one or both of them saying he can work from home some days.
As for "the short time her worked for Beth's husband".... we don't know that he isn't still working with Beth's husband, or if he isn't, how long he worked with him. It was said they went into business together I believe, not that Jon went to work for him.

Of course all that is is moot now considering that they have probably moved or are about to move out of the state unless he can telecomute.

not to argue but i do remember that when the first mention of being self employed came up kate said something to the effect of how great it was that he was no longer working for anyone else and being able to be his own boss and make his own hours. for me at least that does'nt sound like something that would have transitioned from being an employee of beth's husband into any kind of partnership in (and they were pretty clear about jon going to work FOR beth's husband and how appreciative they were of it at the time-did'nt sound anything like a partnership-just a new job).

 

[PlutosFriend]

I thought last night's show with Q&A was OK.
The only part that really bugged me was when Kate told Jon "You're always interrupting me!" I thought, my goodness woman, you NEVER let him talk!!

No kidding!
I missed the show. Was there anything "new" or interesting talked about?

 

[MichelleVW]

I thought last night's show with Q&A was OK.
The only part that really bugged me was when Kate told Jon "You're always interrupting me!" I thought, my goodness woman, you NEVER let him talk!!

I was watching it with my 17 year old and when she said that my DD looked at me and laughed and said, "OMG Mom, that sounds like something you would say and I can totally see John (my DH her stepdad) rolling his eyes and making fun of you for saying that!"

 

[sha_lyn]

No kidding!
I missed the show. Was there anything "new" or interesting talked about?

Only thing I found interesting was someone asked about them moving and would it be within the same school district.
The answer was something like
"Yes we are moving, no we won't be in the same district. Big things are coming, stay tuned"

Barkley....
Hmmm maybe I am remembering worng, but I'm pretty certain that at least once it was said that they went into business together.