When the show started, I thought this lifestyle was pretty weird, and definitely not for me. But, they seemed content with it, it worked for them, and while they admitted money was tight, they said they always "got by". So, I felt very "live and let live" about it. Adding Robyn to the group did seem to throw everyone off a lot. The three original wives seemed to have a pretty balanced routine, so I don't see how adding another non-working adult and three kids all at once would help the family.
Ever since they started filming, all of these other issues have come up. Some are the direct resullt of filming (polygamy charges filed) some less so.. I do wonder if adding Robyn was somehow related to filming. I'm guessing the promise of adding the drama of another wife to the mix helped to get TLC interested in them. Honestly, if they didn't add another wife last season, I'm thinking that that season wouldn't have been so interesting. After the initial curiosity of the polygamous lifestyle, it would just be a story about a huge family.
Clearly TLC is giving them lots of money. I have no problem with that, technically. This is sort of a job, TLC is making money from them, so, fine. THis "lifestyle" isn't really a problem for the kids as far as I can tell. Rather, the publicity from the show, resulting in charges, resulting in the sudden move is what I see as the problem. Can you imagine starting a new school, with your "weird" family all over the TV and internet? So I see the publicity of the show as the root of their problems. They are doing the show for the money. And without TLC's money, they would never be able to afford four large houses. So, if the wives learn to enjoy the solitude and privacy of their own house (and I do think it will be hard for them to move back to one big compound after getting used to their own space) you really can blame the show for that. So I do kind of have a problem with a family taking money for something that is clearly hard on the kids.
I think there is a name for that....when the making of a documentary actually causes changes to the subject being filmed. THis reminds of J and K plus 8. THey were filmed to show how a family with lots of kids gets by day to day. It turned into a circus, with TLC throwing money at them, and taking them on fancy trips, while the parents tried to outdo each other for publicity. I can see the Browns heading that way if they aren't careful. And it's too bad, because I really do think that they started off exactly how they represented themselves, as a large, poor but happy polyg. family, just trying to get by.