It's been going on for weeks and at first I thought I wouldn't weigh in, but I just can't help it. First, a confession, I am (or was) a huge fan of the show Jon & Kate Plus 8. Now my reasons for not watching the show as much recently have little to do with who slept with whom (more on that in a moment) and more to do with that for me, the show isn't worth watching if mom and dad aren't going to be shown interacting with their kids and each other as a family. It isn't about the outside drama, the show isn't supposed to be a soap opera.
My real issue is the way the media and many others have reacted to the show since the alleged infidelity. All of a sudden everyone has an opinion and people who never seemed to care before want to condemn both parents. Someone has even filed a complaint that they are violating child labor laws by having the kids on the show!
Unique families have been fascinating for years and people have always been more than happy to let us in on a peek at what life is like in an atypical family. And even as people condemn Jon and Kate, a new reality show on raising sextuplets has launched on WE TV. And if you are going to accuse Jon and Kate of child labor violations, what about the Duggars (I love their show too!), this new WE TV show or the other TLC multiples show- Table for 12?
Let's be real, no one on fertility treatment sets out to have six babies at once. And with that many kids someone has to stay home. So when Jon and Kate first began their show it was a great way to document their lives and let's face it, to make a little much needed cash. Raising two kids doesn't always bring out the best in me, so raising 8 isn't going to be a pretty picture all of the time.
Reality TV is fun to watch but in the end, it's just that... TV! And if you think some things on reality TV aren't portrayed in a particular light to boost ratings, then you're living in a vacuum. What Jon and Kate ultimately decide to do with their marriage is their business. And what TLC decides to do about the show is up to TLC. And sure, we are all allowed to have an opinion about whether agreeing to the show was a good idea, but to say they don't care about their children? I don't know if I'd go that far.
When the show was wildly popular and before the scandal, nobody cared about the interviews, the freebies or Kate yelling at Jon, or even how much their children appeared on television. So what's the difference with parents who allow their children to become actors and appear in film after film, or on a sitcom or drama week after week? And manage their child's money no less.
Now, everyone has to have their say, even family members are trying to cash in (which I think is pretty low). But to have them investigated like criminals for a TV show?! Octomom has a TV show!
I just liked watching to see how a family with multiples worked. It was neat. And when she lost it on Jon cause he forgot to use a coupon - c'mon, that was funny! I am a coupon queen, coupons are a big deal! And sometimes I got a few good tips with the projects they did with their kids. But in the end, people, reality or not, infidelity or not, it's just a TV show.
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