Jon & Kate + 8

Anyone who has cable has certainly heard of the show, Jon and Kate Plus 8. Most people I know just assume that I like this show because like Kate, I'm also a mother to multiples. I'll admit, at first I found the show cute and eye opening. Not to mention that each of her children are BEYOND adorable! I started watching it when I was pregnant with my twin boys and so I thought I'd get some really good ideas from her. Shortly after watching it, I found out that this definitely wasn't the place to get advice or ideas from. Kate is absolutely insane.

I'll first start off by stating the obvious. I have twins. Only. Not twins and sextuplets, like J&K (Jon and Kate). I understand that I have 6 (SIX) less children than they do....so in no way am I comparing apples to apples.

I hate blasting Kate (or any other mother, for that matter), because we moms of multiples KNOW what it’s like to go for days on end without sleep. To go to the grocery store only to be stopped by people every single aisle asking a billion different questions thus spending an HOUR just to get three things on your list. To go without a shower for a week and not even realize it, and when we do get a shower we cut it back to less than 5 minutes because it's either that or a cold soggy dinner. I feel we MOM's (mothers of multiples) have a tighter bond and deeper understanding for one another simply for the "simple" things we go through.


I've got a few problems with not only J&K, but also with the show. Let me try and explain.



I feel that this show can be very dangerous to desperate couples out there looking to infertility treatments to grow their family. J&K went through infertility treatments (IUI) the first time around and were blessed with twin daughters. Very beautiful and smart daughters, I might add. Speaking from experience, twin pregnancies are DANGEROUS. Extremely so. It should go without saying that a sextuplet pregnancy is even more so. Not only to the mother, but to each of the babies as well. Then, knowing this (Kate is also a nurse) they attempted yet another IUI. This time, they didn't just get two babies, they got SIX. All I can say, is that it's a true MIRACLE that each of the sextuplets are alive and healthy. I know they said that they wanted "just one more" but let's not stick our heads in the sand and act like we don't know anything about pregnancies or infertility medicine. They KNEW they were taking a HUGE risk and yet they took it anyway.



I don't feel like the show ever showed how truly dangerous it is with a multiple pregnancy. As a mother to twins, I have all sorts of friends come up to me telling me how they hope they get pregnant with twins. While I understand what they are saying...I also warn them that it's not as easy as a singleton pregnancy. You have a MUCH higher rate of preterm labor which can cause so many devastating complications. I've had friends go into preterm labor and they lost each and every one of their children...one at a time. I have friends who's children have long-lasting health issues due to being born prematurely. I personally had to leave the hospital with empty arms because your children are too sick and have to stay in the NICU. I know what it's like to have such fragile babies that you are not even allowed to HOLD them for weeks! The list goes on and on and I don't ever remember them showing this side of the story.



The show simply isn't showing the REALITY. The TRUTH. It's supposed to be a reality show, so why aren't they showing all the help that Kate really gets? When I do catch a show, all I see her doing is complaining about having to wash clothes, mop the floor, ect. What isn't being told/shown is that she doesn't do their laundry. She has separate people who come in and wash, fold and put away her clothes for the family. I also found it strange on one episode where she made a BIG deal about how they "only ate organic" yet she was dishing out paper plates to make her life easier. That seemed like a contraction to me. Come to find out...it's because the show has paid for her to have a PERSONAL ORGANIC CHEF! So, not only does she not have to cook, clean or do laundry, she gets to go to spas and on vacations. LOL!



To add to it....they make it seem like Jon is the only one supporting the family. Like it's a one income family where Kate is afforded to stay at home with the kids. I can promise you, if it weren't for the show, they would be living in a cardboard box under a highway living off his salary alone.



I think the show also gives a false impression as to what life with multiples is like. And I think that is irresponsible. I don't think it's any secret that J&K get money from their show but sadly, I don't think all the viewers take this into consideration and they obviously NEVER mention it on the show. I think most people see a couple with eight children getting to go on all these lavish vacations, seeing Kate go to a spa (HA!), Jon having the added money to get hair plugs, ect. and they think, "Hey! This isn't half bad! If they can do it, so can we." WRONG. J&K get so many handouts that it isn't funny. It's the SHOW that pays for them to go on the vacations. It's the SHOW that pays for Kate to get to go to a freaking SPA, it's the SHOW that pays for them to hire a cleaning lady.



So what's wrong with hand-outs? What's wrong with getting money from a TV show?



Exploitation. To take it a step farther, exploitation of your own CHILDREN. That's what makes me most sick.



Her children aren't allowed the basic privacy's that everyone should be given. They are filmed showering, getting dressed, being potty trained. Each and every slight mistake is aired on national TV. The kids can't catch a break. I can't imagine going around, always feeling the need to be perfect for the cameras. Knowing that if you do something that makes your Mom mad, (and let's be honest, it doesn't take much to set off Kate) it's going to be aired on TV for the world to see.



Which brings me to my next point.



Let the poor kids be just that. KIDS! Her children are always dressed up like they are going on a photo shoot. Well, DUH! Everyday IS a photo shoot for them! No wonder Kate is so neurotic about not letting them use WASHABLE MARKERS! Are you kidding, Kate? The youngest set of kids are almost 4 years old! And I know we all hate doing laundry...but the markers ARE washable. And since she has other people to do her laundry, WHO CARES? Kids should be kids! They should get to go out and play in the dirt and mud. They should be allowed to use washable markers and make a mess. They are KIDS. Either she doesn't realize or she doesn't CARE, but one day they are going to be grown-up. They aren't going to want to spend time with her drawing or playing in the dirt. Maybe that's what she wants. Maybe she never wanted children...maybe she just wanted little Nazi Cleaners like herself.



Some of the BEST advice I ever got while I was pregnant came from my wonderful mother in law. She told me, "Teela, don't stress yourself out worrying about keeping the house clean. There will be a time for that later in your life once the boys are grown. Don't care about what people think about your house, just spend as much QUALITY time with your sons as you can." What wonderful advice. If the people in my life are turned-off by what a dirty house we have, don't come over. I can proudly say that while my house isn't the cleanest on the block, my children are most certainly the happiest on the block. And I wouldn't change that for the world!