JON and KATE plus EIGHT

[barkley]

i enjoy the show (though the mother is in my opinion downright rude and demeaning to the father). i was however disgusted to read about her appeal for MORE government subsidized medical services for the sextuplets based on her opinion that "society has a responsibility to help with the children since modern medicine promotes the use of fertility drugs which can lead to multiple births" . they had already received government medical assistance to pay for (among many things) a nurse to come in and help 30 hours a week for the first year of the baby's lives but kate wanted an additional year because she said that 8 children was too many for one person to handle. apparantly when it was pointed out that they still had lots of volunteers willing to help, kate complained that she did'nt like having people in her home because it hampered their privacy-(guess that was'nt a problem when tlc offered money to be in their home ).

 

[mindyd]

I loe this show it is one of my favorites every time it is on my husband says tell me you aren't watching the people with 20 kids again LOL.

 

[MindyLuvsMickey]

They don't live that far from us. It was a big deal when the sextuplets were born around here.

I've watched the show several times but always turn the show off before it's over. I have a hard time watching the way she abuses her poor husband. She is a definite control freak, no doubt about it.

 

[SplashMountainMama]

I'm sure that just like any reality show they edit it to make the bickering and comments to her husband seem really bad. It makes for better tv right? DH and I have 6 kids under 10 (no multiples, but also no help) and so I can totally relate to the show a lot of times. Getting everyone out the door does mean a lot of barking of orders sometimes (at least around here ) Since most of the time (I said most, not all) it's the mom who does the majority of organizing I can see how it makes her look worse because she does have to tell her husband what needs to get done also. I will say though, I think Kate can go a bit overboard with the control thing at times like when she insists on them wearing very specific clothing so they look "cuter" as a family. In the end, I'm sure their good times far outweigh the times when the kids are fussing and crying and fighting. They just don't always show those parts of their lives.

 

[abcboys]

I love that show!! I agree the mom is a major control freak and very rude to her hubby but honestly I think that's what makes it so funny! If she was just normal like me her house would be in total chaos so I think she NEEDS to have the control.

I can't believe they took a WDW trip in July. I figured they must have already went since the show is taped months before it airs but still there is no way I'd take that many small kids in the middle of the summer. I wonder if they got special treatment while they were there?

 

[emmababy]

They bicker too much for me. And she's a little obnoxious.

That's why I love it! THEY ARE REAL!! You can't tell me if you had 8 kids under the age of 6 that you wouldn't lose your cool from time to time. Some of the other shows on Discovery with large families look so calm. I would be losing my mind, so I enjoy that someone is real about the trials of that many kids!

 

[Mickey'sfriend]

They bicker too much for me. And she's a little obnoxious.

I agree. I can't watch either. I can't even begin to understand what their stress level must be, but they seem to always be at each other's throats.

 

[disney_family_1247]

Do you think she ever watches the show to see how she looks to America? We saw the one where they went to the 4th of July parade. Making those little kids walk was so dumb; her husband was so right about bringing the strollers! She said that a normal 4 year old wouldn't need a stroller . A normal 4 year old would get tired a third of the way there, and his/her mom or dad would carry them the rest of the way if they had no stroller!

I know it must be hard with so many kids, but there doesn't seem to be much attachment parenting going on in that house . It also bugs me when they mention how difficult having so many kids is because it wasn't an accident. A doctor didn't sneak into her house and implant six embryos in her while she was asleep ! They chose to risk having so many kids, so I don't believe that they should get more special treatment than anyone else who can't pay for medical stuff.

 

[MousekaMaddi]

amen

 

[MSSANDRA]

They were much less negative and seemed to get along better on the show last night. of course they were at chocolate world so they makes everything better!!!

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

I saw the episode where they went to the amusement park! i gasped too!!
She does seem to bicker a lot with him, it's kind of annoying. and also i noticed the kids cry a LOT.......and there was a lot of arm grabbing and forceful movements to me. There seems to be control issues with the mom.
but hey I don't have 8 kids and can't even imagine what their day to day life is like. I would probably need medication......

Their 8 kids don't cry as much as my one 22 month-old from what I've seen of this show. I don't think that they cry any more than normal for their ages (Mady excluded).

Also, I don't think that Kate gripes/bickers so badly. The woman has EIGHT kids 6 and under, so I can understand some griping or shortness.

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

They bicker too much for me. And she's a little obnoxious.

A LITTLE obnoxious?! She's A LOT obnoxious and so mean to her poor husband. She has a nasty attitude...big time! But I do have to give her the benefit of the doubt with 8 kids

 

[1Prince3Princesses]

i enjoy the show (though the mother is in my opinion downright rude and demeaning to the father). i was however disgusted to read about her appeal for MORE government subsidized medical services for the sextuplets based on her opinion that "society has a responsibility to help with the children since modern medicine promotes the use of fertility drugs which can lead to multiple births" . they had already received government medical assistance to pay for (among many things) a nurse to come in and help 30 hours a week for the first year of the baby's lives but kate wanted an additional year because she said that 8 children was too many for one person to handle. apparantly when it was pointed out that they still had lots of volunteers willing to help, kate complained that she did'nt like having people in her home because it hampered their privacy-(guess that was'nt a problem when tlc offered money to be in their home ).

I honestly have NO idea about the Government Medical Assistance paying a nurse to come in for 30 hours a week. I didn't even know that could be done. Kate is a Nurse and knew the possibility of multiples when tampering with fertility meds. Obviously she had twins with her first dabble with fertility meds. I THINK maybe Kate was more upset with Insurance companies in PA when it comes to Infertility. I could be wrong, but I just thought I would throw this out there. PA insurance companies are not required to help financially with IF like other states require such as NJ and most other states. So, I think in Kate's case she did not do IVF and put back 6 blasts. I think she took injectible meds (like follistim or gonal f) and then her body produced the eggs and her husband fertilized them naturally @ home. It is much cheaper to use this method if it works. With this method you don't know how many eggs were released or fertilized until approx. 6 weeks of pregnancy. It is a real gamble. She opted not to do selective reduction and made her choice. My problem with PA and the insurance companies is this: PA will not make the insurance companies help financially with IF so you have to take chances. Insurance companies don't want to pay the cost of IVF which limits the chance of HOM (high order multiples) but then they eat the cost of multiples in the NICU for sometimes months. When I did IVF in 2002 the cost for 1 cycle was approx. $15,000 which was not covered and was out of pocket, my NICU bills which my Capital Blue Cross covered was well over $100,000 and I still have many medical bills yearly due to preemie issues. I never recieved ANY medical assistance or government financial help with them when they were babies and I never had any help. Of course, I had quadruplets and not sextuplets plus twins. I think if the state made the insurance companies step up and help with the cost of IF the state wouldn't have to step in and pay a nurse for 1-2 years to go in and help if that was the case. You could be more conserative with fertility treatments if you have financial help paying for them. I knew when we did IVF that we would only be able to pay for 1 cycle at that time and if it didn't work, we would not be able try again for atleast 2-3 years due to the cost. I believe the cost had doubled or more since I delt with IF too. So, that is why we were aggressive and put back 4 fertilized eggs instead of the average 2 or sometimes 3. It had to work. Although, If I had twins like Kate, I would have been done at that time. I have 4 - 4 year olds and couldn't imagine just 1 more. I love them so much, but have done most of it by myself too. My husband works more due to the cost of multiples which leaves me alone with them even more and he is very passive just like Kate's husband. I'm not trying to stir things up here, but unless you have delt with the heartache and heartbreak of not being able to concieve and desperately want a child and you live in a state like PA, IT IS TOUGH. Again, Just my thoughts.

 

[blessedby3]

I absolutely love this show and this family. I dont think she is that bad considering her situation. I have 4 kids between the ages of 17 and 1 month, and I know how I get on some days. Compound that to be 8 kids under the age of 6 and Im suprised they get along at all. I would be crazy for sure. You would have to be that organized and specific about things with 8 kids that young. I cant wait to see them in Disney World!!

 

[CastleCreations]

I had to mut in my 2 cents too...I love the show, but I think Kate is a little bossy with her husband. She remarks quite frequently (but indirectly)that the husband will leave her. When he was chasing a ball down the street, she was commenting, Run John...run while you can...
If I was her, and my husband was paying the household bills, I would keep my big mouth shut and not encourage him to leave...
I think her husband is adorable and the kids are too cute...

 

[barkley]

I honestly have NO idea about the Government Medical Assistance paying a nurse to come in for 30 hours a week. I didn't even know that could be done. Kate is a Nurse and knew the possibility of multiples when tampering with fertility meds. Obviously she had twins with her first dabble with fertility meds. I THINK maybe Kate was more upset with Insurance companies in PA when it comes to Infertility. I could be wrong, but I just thought I would throw this out there. PA insurance companies are not required to help financially with IF like other states require such as NJ and most other states. So, I think in Kate's case she did not do IVF and put back 6 blasts. I think she took injectible meds (like follistim or gonal f) and then her body produced the eggs and her husband fertilized them naturally @ home. It is much cheaper to use this method if it works. With this method you don't know how many eggs were released or fertilized until approx. 6 weeks of pregnancy. It is a real gamble. She opted not to do selective reduction and made her choice. My problem with PA and the insurance companies is this: PA will not make the insurance companies help financially with IF so you have to take chances. Insurance companies don't want to pay the cost of IVF which limits the chance of HOM (high order multiples) but then they eat the cost of multiples in the NICU for sometimes months. When I did IVF in 2002 the cost for 1 cycle was approx. $15,000 which was not covered and was out of pocket, my NICU bills which my Capital Blue Cross covered was well over $100,000 and I still have many medical bills yearly due to preemie issues. I never recieved ANY medical assistance or government financial help with them when they were babies and I never had any help. Of course, I had quadruplets and not sextuplets plus twins. I think if the state made the insurance companies step up and help with the cost of IF the state wouldn't have to step in and pay a nurse for 1-2 years to go in and help if that was the case. You could be more conserative with fertility treatments if you have financial help paying for them. I knew when we did IVF that we would only be able to pay for 1 cycle at that time and if it didn't work, we would not be able try again for atleast 2-3 years due to the cost. I believe the cost had doubled or more since I delt with IF too. So, that is why we were aggressive and put back 4 fertilized eggs instead of the average 2 or sometimes 3. It had to work. Although, If I had twins like Kate, I would have been done at that time. I have 4 - 4 year olds and couldn't imagine just 1 more. I love them so much, but have done most of it by myself too. My husband works more due to the cost of multiples which leaves me alone with them even more and he is very passive just like Kate's husband. I'm not trying to stir things up here, but unless you have delt with the heartache and heartbreak of not being able to concieve and desperately want a child and you live in a state like PA, IT IS TOUGH. Again, Just my thoughts.

the program the family was under was medicaid which due to the sextuplets arriving prematurly paid for a nurse to be in the home 30 hours per week for the first year. when the parents were notified that because of eligibility factors including that none of the children were disabled they did not qualify after the one year point the appeal was made. when the appeal occured the state sent in a medical specialist to evaluate the situation and found that the existing nurse was doing more in the realm of child care assistance (bathing, changing diapers, feedings)-and that none of the children were either disabled or on any medical treatment plan aside from taking over the counter vitamins. the state proposed to provide an additonal one month of assistance via a home health aide to facilitate the transition. kate in particular was adamant that she did'nt want to have to 'break in' another person to care for the children and that she wanted to keep the particular nurse they had used for the past year. she admitted that none of the children were disabled but argued it's too hard for 2 parents to care for 8 young children at once-and harder still when one of the parents has a 3 hour commute to work, and that society owes it to parents of multiples to subsidize and support their needs.

publicly neither kate nor john have ever made any complaints that i've seen about their private insurance company. i have no idea if they used private insurance or private funds to pursue fertility treatments.

i understand that it must be difficult to raise multiple young children at the same time, but at least in john and kate's situation they had gone through fertility treatments before and knew the possibility of multiple births (and correct me if i'm wrong, but don't subsequent successfully pregnancies come with a higher instance of multiples?). if her husband's passivity was an issue in parenting i'm sure it was apparant during the time they had already been parents, and they were aware that having any number of subsequent children would be a financial burden-those were issues, i would think, they should have considered before pursuing expanding their family.

i have no issue with supporting medicaid and other public assitance programs to assist people when circumstances out of their control occur and they are in need. i do have an issue when persons of their own free will knowlingly and informed pursue a choice with the mindset that simply because the pursuit is technologicaly available society is obligated to financialy support it (in many ways i see her position as no different than that of my former public assistance clients who had single birth after single birth with the expectation that tax payers would provide the financial means to support their 'choice').

 

[momtoBrandon&Jacob]

Why and how did this thread turn into an insurance debate??

 

[murcor]

I think Jon & Kate do a fantastic job with 8!

 

[disney_family_1247]

I don't think it's an insurance debate. The issue is whether or not taxpayers should have to support people who decide to have higher order multiples.

I've never sufferred from infertility, and I can imagine that it would be torture not to have biological children if you want them. The flipside is that there are plenty of babies/kids available for adoption.

Before anyone argues with that statement, I will give you an example. DH and I have always considered adding to our family through adoption. I filled out an online form with a local agency to request an information packet; I did not apply for adoption. We checked off that we were looking at adopting a baby of any race. Within a week, the agency actually called me at home and offerred me two different babies ! One was African-American (3 months old) and the other was half AA and half Caucasian (not born yet). We are still only in the fact-gathering mode, so we declined. It proved to us, though, that there are plenty of unwanted babies out there .

I understand the not wanting to do a selective reduction thing; I could never do that if I was in that situation. I would never put myself in that situation, though.

Okay, now I guess I've turned this into an adoption debate! Sorry!

 

[barkley]

Why and how did this thread turn into an insurance debate??

i was'nt trying to turn it into any kind of insurance debate, just voicing my opinion on the show. i personaly find it interesting when these types of shows with large families either through single or multiple births are aired and how the parents choose to represent how they are able to provide for their children's needs. i love watching the ones on the dilly's and others, and appreciate that they are forthcoming in how much community support, public funded programs, and stranger/corporate donations combined with personal pre-planning and on-going financial choices make it do-able. i am not so appreciative when parents disregard or completly omit these factors and focus primarily on strictly personal budgeting and thier work ethic as being able to make ends meet. it's like with those vacations you see these families travel to on these specials-familes like the dilly's are honest and say 'we never dreamed we could go to x place, but due to the generosity of x providing us with this we can go'-others just say 'we always wanted to take the kids to x place, and we've worked hard to finaly achieve that goal' (completly omitting the donated trip which is only mentioned in the closing credits of the shows as a donation).

i find these omissions no different or less misleading than when the duggar parents insist all they aquire is by cash and via working hard in the years before their children came along-omitting that the majority is via donations in exchange for commercial mention on their specials AND the charitable tax write off donors receive by virtue of the duggars taking advantage of tax laws by which they've designated their home and personal assets a church