TV: Jon & Kate + 8

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Are you serious, you think that one should not have x amount of kids if they make x amount of money? God provides and I know a heck of a lot of people who have 8+ kids and live on one celery. It is ridiculous that one would look at babycenter.com or any other similar source to determine their family size. Remember anything can happen to any family at any time and if you are sitting around relying on these grubbers to figure out your future than you have some major problems.
A family of 8 surving on one CELERY truely miraculouse!!!😉

Ps -I am the worts typpper EvEr!
 
However, I don’t think that Kate would automatically be awarded the children in the case of a divorce, there’s nothing that she does for her children that their father couldn’t do.

Could and Would are two different things. IMO, one spouse’s misbehavior absolutely does not excuse the other’s and I mean this both towards Kate and Jon. I realize Jon has been beaten over the head and immasculated, but that doesn’t excuse him from fulfilling his responsibilities and obligations towards his family - i.e., from doing the right thing. When has he shown in his actions that he is both capable and willing to care for the children start to finish on any given task or day?

As for the financial arguments against having a large family . . .Before my sister IVF’d to get her first child, she mentioned that they were saving up money to cushion for the additional expenses that comes with a new baby. As it turns out, most of that went towards the IVF’ing itself. I explained that if you wait for the ‘perfect’ time to have a child, it will never happen. You can save up tens of thousands of dollars and finally say, ‘okay we’re financially stable enough to have a child,’ and your house could burn to the ground the next day or you could have serious complications during the pregnancy or end up w/ a child having special needs and medical bills coming out your ears.

I’m not saying that we should be undiscerning in our family size, but we don’t also pretend to be in control of everything when we are not. We trust in God. Believe me, as one who’s having her 3rd baby in 4 yrs of marriage and we didn’t anticipate DH’s salary being cut nearly in half, we are definitely trusting in Divine Providence. Even if others do not believe, I know that God wants this baby and he wants us to be able to provide for this child and our other two. We cannot even begin to fathom God’s creativity in making ends meet.

It is no more my place to tell a financially and materially wealthy family with only one child that they should have more kids simply b/c they can afford it than it is their place to tell me NOT to have more kids if I don’t have the money up front. God doesn’t give us a task and ask us if we have the resources solely on our own - no, he provides the resources for the tasks he give us. He is rarely early, but never late!
 
Are you serious, you think that one should not have x amount of kids if they make x amount of money? God provides and I know a heck of a lot of people who have 8+ kids and live on one celery. It is ridiculous that one would look at babycenter.com or any other similar source to determine their family size. Remember anything can happen to any family at any time and if you are sitting around relying on these grubbers to figure out your future than you have some major problems.
God helps those who help themselves. Exercising self restraint can easily yield fewer
children, this notion that you have to have as many as you can is ridiculous and the
worst kind of egotism.

If you want a big family, why not adopt one of the children who had to be surrendered because their parents simply could not afford to take care of them?

Many people want more children than they have, they want that third or fourth child
but they know that they can’t afford more kids and I give them credit for denying themselves.
 
This whole thing is just so sad. All dysfunction aside, there really did seem to be real love between these two in the early episodes, and they seemed happy back then. It’s just so sad to watch a marriage fail right before your eyes.

I hope they at least try marriage counseling before they give up…at least for the kids sake. They both keep saying everything is about the kids, they do everything for the kids…marriage counseling IS the best thing for the kids. A divorce would be devastating for them.

Maybe we should e-mail them information to sign up for retrovaille (sp?)…I’ve read that it has saved many marriages that were otherwise doomed.

After watching last night’s episode, I was reminded so much of my own feelings toward my husband when we were about to split up. I hated him, could not stand to be in the same room with him. Being around him would make me literally sick to my stomach… it seemed impossible that I would ever feel any differently about him. I’m so glad I didn’t give up, though. I turned it over to God and HE saved our marriage.

I’ve been where they’re at right now and can totally relate. I just hope they don’t give up and give God a chance to heal their family.
 
However, I don’t think that Kate would automatically be awarded the children in the case of a divorce, there’s nothing that she does for her children that their father couldn’t do.
Could and Would are two different things. IMO, one spouse’s misbehavior absolutely does not excuse the other’s and I mean this both towards Kate and Jon. I realize Jon has been beaten over the head and immasculated, but that doesn’t excuse him from fulfilling his responsibilities and obligations towards his family - i.e., from doing the right thing. When has he shown in his actions that he is both capable and willing to care for the children start to finish on any given task or day?

As for the financial arguments against having a large family . . .Before my sister IVF’d to get her first child, she mentioned that they were saving up money to cushion for the additional expenses that comes with a new baby. As it turns out, most of that went towards the IVF’ing itself. I explained that if you wait for the ‘perfect’ time to have a child, it will never happen. You can save up tens of thousands of dollars and finally say, ‘okay we’re financially stable enough to have a child,’ and your house could burn to the ground the next day or you could have serious complications during the pregnancy or end up w/ a child having special needs and medical bills coming out your ears.

I’m not saying that we should be undiscerning in our family size, but we don’t also pretend to be in control of everything when we are not. We trust in God. Believe me, as one who’s having her 3rd baby in 4 yrs of marriage and we didn’t anticipate DH’s salary being cut nearly in half, we are definitely trusting in Divine Providence. Even if others do not believe, I know that God wants this baby and he wants us to be able to provide for this child and our other two. We cannot even begin to fathom God’s creativity in making ends meet.

It is no more my place to tell a financially and materially wealthy family with only one child that they should have more kids simply b/c they can afford it than it is their place to tell me NOT to have more kids if I don’t have the money up front. God doesn’t give us a task and ask us if we have the resources solely on our own - no, he provides the resources for the tasks he give us. He is rarely early, but never late!

When Kate was on her book Jon took care of the kids and I’m sure that he could
handle the job as well as Kate.
If they go to the courts, it will be up to the judge to decide who gets what, I just happen
to believe that Jon is the better parent, he attends to the emotional needs of his children
and the money, if used wisely is there for the rest of their lives.

While I agree that life is entirely random so planning for a child and making sure that
you have the resources to properly feed, clothe and educate the child may be all for
nothing, it’s common sense not to buy beyond your ability to pay for what you want.
It’s all very well and good to say that “God will provide…” but why did God gives us
brains and the power of discernment if we were to just be willy nilly about producing
a baby a year?

I’ve seen programs on Mother Angelica’s show that indicated that when a man
and woman have to practice restraint in their relationships they value their intimacy more
than they did before they practiced restraint.

BTW, I would LOVE to have your cavalier attitude about producing new lives but it’s not
in my personality.
 
I think Jon could get custody easily since he is the main caregiver for the children. Kate’s never even home, plus there’s quite a bit of footage showing her treating the children badly. The whole ‘poor me’ act she’s putting on is rather pathetic. Especially with what she’s trying to do with her husband and throw him under the bus so she looks good. The poor guy is really being set up and I’m sure he knows it.
 
It’s interesting that Kate arranged the birthday party and Jon grumbled because she forgot the cakes at home. I find it interesting that Kate says she’s not going anywhere and she’s going to be there for her kids etc. Jon, on other hand, says he doesn’t know what he’s going to do. He said he will get together and act cordial for the children’s sake. As an after thought he said will do whatever needs to be done for the kids sake.

It’s interesting that he considers it an option to walk away. I think it’s indicative of his immaturity. **At one point he said, “I got married at 22, had twins by the time I was 23 and had 8 kids by the time I was twenty-seven. I had no choice. I had a life and a job. Now, I don’t work. I just have the kids.” ** That sounds like a self-pity party to me.
What do you think?
Oh my! Did he really say this last night? “I just have the kids?”:eek: I’ve heard before that it really hurts a man’s ego when the woman is the ‘breadwinner’, maybe that’s the case here, maybe Jon wants a job outside the home and have his wife stay her butt home. Why is it that she feels the need to travel and do book signings? Is it because the show’s ratings ARE down and she’s trying to make more moolah?? :confused: Then again, the kids have been the ‘breadwinners’ for the past how many years?? :rolleyes: If it wasn’t for them, the show wouldn’t be here and Jon and Kate wouldn’t be living in the house they are currently in (or is Jon not living there?)…
 
I must say I do see Kate in different light too and have a new respect for her. I dont agree with how she treated Jon, but I admire her strength. Jon acted like a baby in the episode.
**
I ended up caving in and watching it after I said I wouldn’t, I"m human and weak what can I say. :rolleyes:

So, yes, Jon did act like a big baby. he’s mostly to blame for this mess that they are in (or maybe not in?). He didn’t put forth any effort in last night’s show however do you think that maybe he didn’t because he’s sick of being beaten down by her snide comments? She referred to Jon as ‘him’ on more than one occasion, as if she’s so sickened by him and this mess that she can’t even speak his name except once in awhile. Anyone else notice that? Such as at the party, he came w/ the cake and she told her ‘helper’, “someone go get the cake from HIM.” She’s still bossy as ever to everyone in my opinion. 🤷**
 
This whole thing is just so sad. All dysfunction aside, there really did seem to be real love between these two in the early episodes, and they seemed happy back then. It’s just so sad to watch a marriage fail right before your eyes.

I hope they at least try marriage counseling before they give up…at least for the kids sake. They both keep saying everything is about the kids, they do everything for the kids……marriage counseling IS the best thing for the kids. A divorce would be devastating for them.

Maybe we should e-mail them information to sign up for retrovaille (sp?)…I’ve read that it has saved many marriages that were otherwise doomed.

After watching last night’s episode, I was reminded so much of my own feelings toward my husband when we were about to split up. I hated him, could not stand to be in the same room with him. Being around him would make me literally sick to my stomach… it seemed impossible that I would ever feel any differently about him. I’m so glad I didn’t give up, though. I turned it over to God and HE saved our marriage.

I’ve been where they’re at right now and can totally relate. I just hope they don’t give up and give God a chance to heal their family.
**FUnny you mention this, Masondoggy. My husband watched the show last night w/ me. At the end of the show, he said, “you know what their problem is? They said that 'they are in this for the kids, everything is for the kids”. They need to focus on THEM as husband and wife before they can focus on the kids. Their marriage should be ‘everything’ to them and it’s sad that it’s not." However I told my husband, I think that what they meant was that now at the point where they are that everything they do is for the kids, meaning that if they threw in the towel so to speak that the kids would still be their ‘everything’ to them. I could be wrong though. 🤷

I, too, thought in my mind last night that someone should email them on their personal website the Retrovaille link. Even tho they aren’t Catholic, they could still attend, right? Or do you all think that Kate is too stubborn to do anything like that? I get the impression from her last night (yes I felt bad for her when she was crying at the end) that she didn’t even care to work on the marriage, she put up this hard bootie attitude as if she could do it ALL herself. I could be reading her wrong tho. 🤷 In past episodes they used to talk a LOT about God and their faith in Him, but last night I don’t recall them bringing up their faith at all…**
 
BUT, why oh why do SOME men ALWAYS have to have the next woman lined up before
they sever the relationship with their current woman? How cowardly!
You’re right. There’s no need to have one lined up. Women pop up like toothpicks from a dispenser when a guy leaves his family. (And vice versa.) I’ve seen this for years. I’ve been married for 30 years (by God’s grace) to the same woman but I’ve seen many men (and women) drift back onto the market. They’ve had to beat them off with a stick.
 
Kate has only been doing book signings on and off for the last 6 months. According to them, it was something that they agreed upon. On the final episode of last season, you could see the hurt and confusion as Kate tried to put a brave face on everything. (They didn’t address the issue of Jon being caught in a bar kissing a girl from a college athletic team.) I think Kate was wounded and was trying to make the best of the situation.
After the latest escapade with the blonde at another bar, I think Kate’s world shattered. The only thing Jon seems to be remorseful about is that he was caught. I think he has fallen for his own press, “the poor Jon who is stuck with a wife like Kate.”

Instead of judging whether Kate caused Jon to become involved in the scandals he has been entangled in, I think we should pray for both of them. I we need to pray for Jon especially, that he wont walk away from his wife, family and responsibilities.
 
Since both Jon & Kate say that’s their main focus is on the kids, maybe something that
needs to be said to them is that the greatest gift they can give the kids is to love each
other. And, yes, they can do it since Love is a decision, not a feeling.
 
This whole thing is just so sad. All dysfunction aside, there really did seem to be real love between these two in the early episodes, and they seemed happy back then. It’s just so sad to watch a marriage fail right before your eyes.

I hope they at least try marriage counseling before they give up…at least for the kids sake. They both keep saying everything is about the kids, they do everything for the kids…marriage counseling IS the best thing for the kids. A divorce would be devastating for them.

Maybe we should e-mail them information to sign up for retrovaille (sp?)…I’ve read that it has saved many marriages that were otherwise doomed.

After watching last night’s episode, I was reminded so much of my own feelings toward my husband when we were about to split up. I hated him, could not stand to be in the same room with him. Being around him would make me literally sick to my stomach… it seemed impossible that I would ever feel any differently about him. I’m so glad I didn’t give up, though. I turned it over to God and HE saved our marriage.

I’ve been where they’re at right now and can totally relate. I just hope they don’t give up and give God a chance to heal their family.
Look, they have an official website and you CAN email them. In my opnion you should
send them the information on retrovaille…it cannot hurt them and who knows, it might
save their marriage, which, bottom line, is what we’re all hoping for.
Most of would agree, I think, that there’s little profit in divorce and that the children
would do better with both parents, so I say, look up the official website on Google
and send the information to them. If nothing happens, at least you’ve followed an
excellent idea that maybe the Holy Spirit has placed on your heart.
 
Look, they have an official website and you CAN email them. In my opnion you should
send them the information on retrovaille…it cannot hurt them and who knows, it might
save their marriage, which, bottom line, is what we’re all hoping for.
Most of would agree, I think, that there’s little profit in divorce and that the children
would do better with both parents, so I say, look up the official website on Google
and send the information to them. If nothing happens, at least you’ve followed an
excellent idea that maybe the Holy Spirit has placed on your heart.
I’ve thought about e-mailing them, but I don’t quite know if it’s appropriate to “poke my nose in somebody’s business”, ya know?
 
I know they can have a succesful marriage… My DH is the male version of Kate. He doesnt even realize hes acting that way when he gets snippy and sarcastic. I have learned to be less passive and speak up more- he also lights a fire under my slothful feet and I am more productive. In many ways we compilment each other. I cant imagine being married to someone that is as relaxed as me…nothing would ever get done!! He has learned from me to be more compassionate and calmed down a lot since we were first married. He even coaches a girls soccer team:eek: which I was totally worried about. It turns out he has become a very popular coach and the parents really like him! They could really learn a lot from each other.
 
I know they can have a succesful marriage… My DH is the male version of Kate. He doesnt even realize hes acting that way when he gets snippy and sarcastic. I have learned to be less passive and speak up more- he also lights a fire under my slothful feet and I am more productive. In many ways we compilment each other. I cant imagine being married to someone that is as relaxed as me…nothing would ever get done!! He has learned from me to be more compassionate and calmed down a lot since we were first married. He even coaches a girls soccer team:eek: which I was totally worried about. It turns out he has become a very popular coach and the parents really like him! They could really learn a lot from each other.
I think the problem with Kate isn’t her personality, it’s that she was never properly taught how to assert it properly. I see the same thing in Maddy. She throws the temper tantrums and there’s never any re-direction given from her parents. They just tend to ignore it. Not gonna work. She will be just like her mother when she grows up if they don’t reign her in now.

There’s nothing wrong with a strong, take charge personality. But the person really has to be taught from a young age how to act respectfully towards others and put their qualities to good use. kwim? I don’t think Kate was ever taught how to do that. I suspect she didn’t have much discipline growing up and she got away with way too much disrespectful behavior and now it’s turned into a big mess that has hurt a lot of people…namely her husband and ultimately their children.
 
Anybody see this on TLC? We dont’ have cable, but we borrowed a DVD and promptly went out and bought them all!

This couple had fertility issues and had drugs administered to stimulate her ovulation. Worked like a charm and they had twin girls. After a couple years they yearned for just one more, did another go round - and had SIX more kids! (I was worried they used IVF or some other troubling thing, but their approach was ALMOST catholic approved. I’m not sure why, but they used artificial insemination after the ovarian stimulation. That’s the only moral issue).

The show is a documentary of their family outings and struggles with everyday life. HUGE fun and very family friendly.

I thought this page could use a positive TV show recommendation! 👍
As a Catholic and a fan of Humanae Vitae and Theology of the Body, I have been offended by this show from Day 1.
I am not surprised at how it’s turning out. It was my impression from the first day.

I think their view on children is not so much self giving, but of objectification.
Not an example of what Pope John Paul II called “Responsible Parenthood,” in my personal (critical, sorry) opinion.

Pope John Paul on Responsible Parenthood:
ewtn.com/library/PAPALDOC/JP840801.htm
 
The difference between the Duggars’ parenting style and Jon & Kate is that the Duggars have the older children help out with the youngest children. Each of the older children are assigned chores and a younger child to help. Jon works as an IT and Kate, at times, is alone with 6 kids the same age. The majority of the work falls on Kate’s shoulders. She is very organized and very tired. I know she would like more help from Jon, but he has worked all week and is tired on the weekends as well. I know Kate has some problems with any kind of mess, but we all have our idiosyncrisies. I’m sure if I spent all day in the laundry room with stain removers, trying to get outfits clean, I would be cranky, too. I think that Kate needs to address Jon in a more loving manner and Jon needs to be more emotionally supportive of Kate. I think there are times when he could diffuse the situation, but he contributes to it instead, which makes Kate even more frustrated.

There are times when they are talking on the couch, when she turns to him seeking affirmation and he ignores her. She is a strong woman. If she weren’t, she would have gone crazy by now.😃 I know she can be tough and a little quirky, but I like her.
She should express her wants and needs in a more loving manner, but I guess every show needs a villain.😦
 



Maybe we should e-mail them information to sign up for retrovaille (sp?)…I’ve read that it has saved many marriages that were otherwise doomed.

After watching last night’s episode, I was reminded so much of my own feelings toward my husband when we were about to split up. I hated him, could not stand to be in the same room with him. Being around him would make me literally sick to my stomach… it seemed impossible that I would ever feel any differently about him. I’m so glad I didn’t give up, though. I turned it over to God and HE saved our marriage.

I’ve been where they’re at right now and can totally relate. I just hope they don’t give up and give God a chance to heal their family.
Look, they have an official website and you CAN email them. In my opnion you should
send them the information on retrovaille…it cannot hurt them and who knows, it might
save their marriage, which, bottom line, is what we’re all hoping for.
Most of would agree, I think, that there’s little profit in divorce and that the children
would do better with both parents, so I say, look up the official website on Google
and send the information to them. If nothing happens, at least you’ve followed an
excellent idea that maybe the Holy Spirit has placed on your heart.
I wonder what would happen if they got a bunch of emails with Retrovaille in the subject line.

Like TracyJ wrote, it can’t hurt them and it might help.
 
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