My Thoughts About Jon and Kate Plus Eight
Unlike most people who have “had their say” lately, I have watched every single episode of Jon and Kate Plus Eight at least twice.
In this day and age, Jon and Kate deserve a lot of credit for choosing life for their sextuplets in a society where selective reduction is the norm for multiples resulting from certain fertility treatments. If Kate had not been pro-life, at least three of those precious children would have likely been killed before birth.
No matter how much you love your children, the stress of multiples must be very difficult – with or without the cameras. It is true that children are gifts and blessings, but parenting is still hard work. And having multiples is not like having several stairstep children.
I never felt like criticizing Jon and Kate for their parenting decisions or for the choices they have made on their journey of life, although I wish I could have helped (but I didn’t try to help). For the most part, I have heard very negative comments about Jon and Kate, especially in regard to their parenting and relationship. Perhaps all you perfect parents out there in the perfect marriages with the perfect children can stop judging and start sharing your perfect advice.
It is just my opinion, but I believe Kate was honest in her behavior in front of the cameras over the years. I believe Jon mostly controlled his reactions in front of the cameras, but was much worse when the cameras were not taping. I recall Kate saying that more than once. Some men seem to be able to control their behavior in front of other people, but if you take away those outsiders, they “let go” on their family. I suspect that is the true reason why Kate wanted to tape their lives. I think it gave Kate and the children an element of emotional protection if Jon was under the spotlight. In almost every show, we saw Kate’s reactions from tremendous frustration and deep sadness while struggling to give joy to her children. This was noticeable even during the first season of taping.
While the rest of the world continues to judge and criticize Kate for everything she says and does, I feel empathy and sadness for her situation. Like most people, I feel very sorry for her children who have lost stability, normalcy, and married parents. This loss will be felt in their family for generations.
At the end of the last season, it was obvious that Jon needed an outside job, and they needed to end taping. Unfortunately, they were already in over their heads, and they needed the financial income from the show for protection and security from the media and paparazzi, never mind the cost of raising eight children.
I think Jon was greatly influenced by the viewers/media who tended to see Kate as the nagging wife and him as the poor 32-year-old victim with too much responsibility. I heard him say such things quite a few times. I think he started to see himself as a victim who didn’t stand up for himself. Now he thinks he is standing up for himself. And shame on his “female friends” who quickly jumped in to take Kate’s place. It seems that Jon has “moved on” and will not even communicate with Kate to work on their issues. I think this could have been different if they had been given the right guidance and help.
I don’t believe Kate ever dreamed she would ever be divorced, even though she ended up filing for divorce herself. I suspect she truly did need to do this for her children, even though most people seem to disagree.
Jon said about the divorce, “I’m excited and hurt at the same time.” Yep. Sounds like someone who really cares about his family. Kate is obviously not excited. The kids are definitely not excited. But Jon is excited to be free. After all, he says, he is only 32.
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