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Have the Gosselin kids from "Jon & Kate Plus 8" been helped, or hurt, by the TLC show documenting their lives?
Results so far:
| Helped | 23% | 57 votes | Total: 249 votes | |
| Hurt | 77% | 192 votes |
Helped
by Jacquie Schmall
Created on: October 23, 2009
It's not clear when television viewing audiences became enamored of the real life struggles of other people, however, the Gosselins do present an interesting challenge. The children have been helped by their parents earning enough money to care for their real needs. They are not on welfare, nor struggling with switching schedules on nine to five jobs. They have to face cameras, makeup, and the criticism of the general public, which may be a whole lot less dramatic than the reality of being part of the more mundane, and more stressful, ordinary job market
Perhaps we will never really know the full effect of the television show dynamics on each of the Gosselin children, however, we do know the current catastrophe is about their equally disagreeable parents. Neither Jon or Kate appear to truly consider the welfare of their children, or they would have put aside their bickering, and continued to take advantage of their incredibly good fortune.
Children are resilient, as well as curious, and very needy of parental guidance. As they had the great good luck of being able to earn a living for their sizable brood, both Jon and Kate should have put their time into learning how best to produce themselves as a family, and not fall into the trap of who is more annoying for their lack of mutual respect.
Through all the moments of cameras following the children, the cameras were not responsible for any physical harm. What long term psychological damage might produce a real life problem for any of the children later in life, is pure conjecture. Children are raised in every conceivable circumstance, and though not every child becomes president of the United States, most will approach the choices in life with reason, and the strength given them through their unique circumstances.
The confusion precipitated by the disagreeable relationship of Jon and Kate, and the ensuing media frenzy, will likely do more damage than a day to day television show would ever do. The Gosselin children are no different from any other family where the parents have become outspoken enemies. This is a situation the children cannot grasp, and the fallout for them, in terms of psychological damage, cannot be currently measured. The effect may show up somewhere down the line, and it may manifest differently for each of them. They are a big family to be sure, but they are individual human beings.
In general, the Gosselins provided a good beginning for the children, they had all they needed to feel safe, all they needed to be their curious little beings, and lots of people who cared about them, until their parents got more interested in their own welfare, than that of their children.
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Hurt
by Candy Jules
Created on: October 23, 2009 Last Updated: October 24, 2009
When I first started watching Jon&Kate plus 8, I thought it was such a precious family show. The team work, the challenges, the many jobs that became a full time job for both mom and dad. I watched the children grow and change into tiny individuals, each one progressing in their own time.
As the reality show advanced down the road, small things started to change. Jon sat back and let Kate do almost all of the interviews. And she loved dominating the show. The nit picking started soon after that. Kate could do no wrong, and Jon could do no right. She would deliberately undermine him on national TV, and laugh at it as though it was part of the script. He took it for so long, even apologizing to her for interrupting her with his own opinion.
The children have heard the quarrelling and bickering. That has been documented. They get special attention from all whom they come in contact with, but they're getting big enough now to understand where and how they have to live their lives. It's hard for small children to understand why they can't be like normal children. There's a camera in their faces where ever they go.
They act out on the show at times. They are small children. No matter how perfect she wants them to be, it's not going to happen. Kate has an obsession about cleanliness, and her children are not to get dirty. They take them places to play with clay, paints, and things sometimes get spilled. She reacts like a crazed person and demands that they be cleaned up. Dear old dad gets that job.
Kate took the children on a trip to the water, and had very little help with eight children. I was very uneasy watching that particular show. Too much water and not enough supervision. They were there for several days while Jon was at home remodeling the kitchen for his family. Kate had a new bikini on every day. The media pointed that out real quick. But it was true. A lot of the money paid to this family is not going for the children. Yes, they have nice things, but do they have college educations set up? Does the family have money set aside for a rainy day? Things happen sometimes that we have no control over.
I was heartsick when I found out that the couple were talking separation, although I wasn't surprised. I don't know how he took the public humiliation as long as he did. Yes, he made some bad choices, and yes, he was found out, but she was no saint either. She loved the attention she was getting. It's like, all of a sudden, the children were an after the fact.
Now it's down to who has them when, and how much money will be spent entertaining them. Jon likes to do things on the farm for them. Building the crooked houses. Kate cut him down over that to. He takes them fishing, he does dad stuff with them. Kate like the show and glamour. My children never got a manicure in their lives, nor went to a spa and had mud packs and massages. There's nothing wrong with that. It just takes a lot of money.
There's a big issue now, about both of them taking money that belongs to the children. These precious children are becoming pawns. What happens when their cute stages of life are over and they start through puberty, with blemishes and attitudes, and rebellious streaks as all teenagers do. What then? The show is over. These poor children have never known what a day of normal childhood is. How do they become real individuals outside the Gosselin realm.
Who do they turn to now? Mom and dad have gone their seperate ways, and they won't be making any more money off of these babies. So whats next for them? Being in the limelight may be fine for some families, but look at the results of this family. They are no longer a family. Just two people who brought eight children into the world, and because of power struggles and one trying to out do the other, these children no longer have a united family. It's sad, and that's greed and show biz.
The parents are to blame for what is going on in the lives of their children. TLC only tapes the show, and it's done with the Gosselins' permission so what has happened is not the fault of TLC. I have heard that the show will now be called Kate plus 8. When does it turn into just "KATE?"
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