Monday, August 4, 2008

ALL ABOARD - New Episode - August 4th, 2008


Jon & Kate Plus 8


Jon and Kate take the kids to the Strasburg Rail Road, not far from their Pennsylvania home, to ride a train pulled by Thomas the Tank Engine at an event called Day Out WithThomas.


Please feel free to post comments about this episode.

56 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is this the same place Jon took Collin for his special day?

Anonymous said...

From what I could find, Jon took Collin to the Strasburg Train Museum which I think is the same park.

Anonymous said...

Jon and Kate get another free trip and whine b/c the guide doesn't make the talk on the train age appropriate. (Yes, he could have tried harder, but they don't need to act so insulted.)

Anonymous said...

Yes, this is the same place they took Collin. The train Museum is right across the street from the actual "train station"

Anonymous said...

I thought this was a cute episode. Actually enjoyed it. I really don't understand the problem with the free trips or merchandise given to this family. Go to the Oscars and see what the celebrities are given at these events. They certaintly don't need it either but they accept it.

Anonymous said...

I didn't see that J&K acted "insulted" about the train guide. I think they just found it a bit strange that he chose to talk to four-year-olds about "Hello Dolly" - a movie that was made before their parents were born.

I thought this was one of the best episodes in that we got to see a lot of the kids interacting with each other. Mady and Alexis, for example. We hardly ever see those those two together. And I liked that Jon snapped at Mady, but then backed down and explained to her why he wanted her to leave Alexis' hair alone.

Jon cracked me up with his mimicking the kids pointing the finger at each other.

I liked too how we got a few minutes of watching the kids play at home before they went on their outing.

Can't wait to find out what people will find to complain about this time around...

Anonymous said...

Well, I'll bet the ever popular phrase "damage control" will pop up. That's usually the fallback when J&K don't act bad enough for the haters to really find something to rip into them for.

If I started a GWoP drinking game wherein you take a shot for every time the phrase is used, you'd be blotto probably half-way through the comments.

I thought this was a cute episode. The kids seemed to have fun and were mostly well-behaved (Alexis got upset a few times but her adorable pigtails more than made up for her bad attitude). I thought Kate was quite pleasant. Jon was a little grouchy at times, but not unbearably so. All in all, a fun episode to watch.

Just to prove I'm not a 24-hour-a-day J&K apologist - what is it with them and the rigid gender roles thing? Did they really feel the need to explain that the girls knew who Thomas was because of their brothers? Or that the girls and boys share toys? It doesn't bother me, and I don't think it's going to scar the kids for life or anything, it's just kind of weird. I get the sense that Kate has always been a very girly-girl, so maybe that's why she sees the boys and girls as naturally having very different interests. Not sure what Jon's excuse is.

Anonymous said...

Anya- I competely agree...I just got done reading GWoP and I was appalled...They are actually saying stuff like, NO STROLLERS!! They read our comments and changed. Well, this episode had to have been filmed in June, sorry their opinion didn't matter :) They also apparently did not see the entire episode...the only saw the part when nobody wanted to sit with Kate. So sad, they watch an adorable show through "angry eyes." I enjoyed the episode too.

Anonymous said...

And if they HAD used strollers, GWoP would have been full of posts bitching at how the tups are "too big to be pushed around in strollers." Doubt me? That's exactly what they whined about after Disney and Dutch Wonderland. And color me surprised someone is already whining about Kate's comment toward the conductor. Big fucking deal. She complained once. Stop the presses!

Overall, it was a cute episode. The happy faces of the kids are not something that can be manufactured for the cameras. It was a short trip, so the meltdowns were few. I did laugh that none of the kids wanted Kate to sit with them on the little train. Heh.

A trip to a train museum. Educational and fun. I certainly see why these parents are complained about so much. Especially if you watched that horrible Nanny show that TLC broadcast before J&K. I would have been arrested right there if that disrespectful little shit was my kid!

Anonymous said...

"NO STROLLERS!! They read our comments and changed."

The GWoP cyberstalkers are awfully full of themselves, aren't they? Good GOD. Get over yourselves!

Anonymous said...

Yes, mcb they are very full of themselves...Thank you for this site. I enjoy the atmosphere so much more!

Anonymous said...

Again I wish the cameras were only on the kids, all 8 of them, and really never on Jon & Kate. They take away from the program, do not add to it. We miss so much of the fun of the kids when the cameras are recording the blah-blah of the parents.

Anonymous said...

I agree with all of you! I only read a little of that blog and had to move on. I hope they do not live in glass houses, they are very good at throwing stones. I thought last nights show was wonderful and I am so happy for the Gosselins that they are given the opportunity to take all of their children on these trips. There is no way it could happen without TLC, it would cost way to much.

Anonymous said...

mcb, I KNOW! Really full of themselves. Besides that, I get the creepy sense that for some of them it means A LOT to think that J&K are paying attention to them. It's like, they themselves feel the need to be part of the J&K+8 story somehow. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: that's stalker behavior - the need to imagine that you have a "relationship" with the one you are fixated on. Cree-py.

Anonymous said...

You are right Guinevere, they pulled out the "damage control" phrase quickly and often. Oh the power they think they have, its laughable. I also noticed one of them calling for Alexis to be given something to cry about. I thought they were supposed to care about the welfare of the kids, now they are advocating hitting them? I also love the comments about getting a list of their book tour schedule so they can call in to harass J&K. For some odd reason they have a very high opinion of Larry King and think he would attack J & K. Larry King doesnt even know what day it is, much less who he is even interviewing half the time.

Anonymous said...

I agree about with the comment about some looking at the show with "angry eyes." They miss out on a lot of really special and adorable moments.

They don't have enough "food for their feast" this time around so they are reduced to complaining that the clothes the kids wear are too big. Oh, and more complaints about the "freebies" (not that they are jealous mind you).

The Larry King thing cracks me up too. Of all the people to pin your hopes on....

Anonymous said...

If you don't think these "gifts" they get that an average family dosen't even get to do is normal then why aren't there any other people of the train with them? If it was me and you there would be a slew of others on the train too.They get to see all characters at parks to themselves if it was me and you we would have to wait our turn to see elmo or micky mouse. Rides to themselves. No lines. They totally get favortisam and it freaking makes me mad. Have a million kids and you get to ride the gravy train. they do more with 8 kids then a family of 2 kids gets to do. That's totally backwards. I won't watch it if it involves going here, going there. But i watched last night because it was tomas and let my daughter see it cause of that. I want to see a woman at home with her kids not jetting off here and there every episode. I want to see only the home life of a mom and dad with 8 kids, the ever day run of the home. Now i see yet again next week they will be going on a new "outing" How lucky they are with so many kids. YEAH RIGHT!

Anonymous said...

"They totally get favortisam and it freaking makes me mad."

* * * * *
Lisamarie:
I admire your honesty. At least you are open that you are jealous of the free stuff (unlike others who claim only to care about the kids, but complain non-stop about the freebies).

All I can say is something you probably already know is true -- life isn't fair and sometimes people get stuff they haven't "earned" by virtue of being born into the right family or maybe just being in the right place at the right time.

If it bothers you, maybe you should turn the channel. By the way, I think about 10 minutes before and after the train outing were film of the kids getting ready for the day, playing and getting into mischief at home. So we do see some of the every day home life IMO.

Anonymous said...

Yes, they do get freebies, but what makes them different from anyone else on television? Those companies and theme parks dishing out the perks are not doing it because they think Jon and Kate are such swell human beings. They're doing it to serve their own agendas. It's free advertising. Every time a smiling sextuplet is shown playing with their toy, drinking their Juicy Juice or having their hair untangled with their hair care products, it's money in the bank. I laughed the day Kate was shown combing the tangles out of one of the girls hair, and she used a spray bottle of detangler, and set on the counter. Then she remembered, reached down and turned the bottle so that the product label was showing. You scratch my back, I'll scratch your's.

Look at the Roloffs. If you see an early show, their house is kinda boring and crappy. Through each season it's gone through extensive renovations, including the stage lighting that the folks at GWoP like to harp on because it was installed at the Gosselins. That swanky built in pool that Matt installed this past season was probably free, or at least paid for by the First National Bank of TLC. Hey, why not? It's benefiting his family.

Jon and Kate (and the Roloffs for that matter) probably know the score. There will be a day that their kids are not so adorable and interest in the show will dwindle. The Roloffs are starting to go through it, now. Their perch a top the ratings heap at TLC was taken over by J&K. Younger kids. More cute factor. Same thing will happen to J&K eventually. In the meantime, if they get free stuff, whatever. I admit, I'd rather see them give away the free toys and clothing they get when they're done with it instead of selling it at a yard sale or consignment (another GWoP bitching point), and there's no proof that they actually don't give some stuff away, but plenty people would do the exact same thing in their position, especially with eight kids to support.

Shit, I'd love to be handed a $5000 credit card to go shopping in NYC with (a perk from another TLC show). I just don't know if I'd be willing to dress like a freak to do it.

Anonymous said...

What is your problem?

You all are so full of meaness and hate over here?

Ranting and raving just like Color Me Gossein.

Glad you have found a home.

Anonymous said...

Right. We're not the one's posting the contact information of Figure 8 Productions so that our resident pack of wolves can descend on them with hate mail, trying to get the show canceled, yet WE'RE the mean ones. Alrighty. Eyeroll.

Daisy said...

I saw the contact info and emailed Figure 8 and told them how much I enjoy the show. I hope others do the same.

Anonymous said...

You all are so full of meaness and hate over here?

Oh, it's Opposite Day! Someone should have told me!

Seriously, I think that one of the reasons I am able to enjoy the show for what it is is because there are a number of things I just don't care about:

- I don't care how J&K got pregnant, why they had fertility treatments so early in their marriage, whether they knew there was a risk of multiples the second time. Kate has been pretty blunt about the fact that having sextuplets was not in her plan, so I don't know why everyone harps on the idea that it was some grand plan for world domination she's had since childhood or something. Even if that were the case, I just don't care.

- I don't care whether or not J&K are estranged from various relatives. I'm not saying I'm don't have the normal morbid curiousity for dirt, but ultimately, I realize it's none of my business, and I don't really know the facts, so how can I make any judgments?

- I don't care that the Gosselins get perks and freebies. As someone already pointed out, life is not fair. One of the first posts I saw on the show thread at GWoP was some poster whining about how *she* couldn't afford to take her two kids to the Railroad Museum. I don't mean to be mean, but my first thought was, "So? We're supposed to care why, now?" I understand being jealous but there are kids all over the world right now living in far worse conditions than this lady's kids. If she can afford to feed them, she's doing fine and should count her blessings. The Gosselins have it better than some and worse than others, and that's just the way of the world. Expending anger over it seems like a real waste of time to me.

Watch the show if you enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, DON'T WATCH IT. If you're not even trying to make the claim that you watch so you can monitor the abuse of the Gosselin kids or some such nonsense, I really have no idea why you'd continue to watch if you resent seeing the Gosselins get freebies, or feel that the show focuses too much on J&K, or are sick of the outings. It's really pretty simple.

Anonymous said...

Don't forget that another show featuring sextuplets premiers tonight. The Harris Sextuplets series (Then Came Six) starts on Discovery Health at 9:00 pm EST tonight. Can't wait to see it.

It was hilarious reading the GWoP message board regarding the Harris family when it was announced that they were also getting their own series. How much better and more "real" they were compared to the Gosselins, despite the fact that the Harris' got a freebie bigger than anything the Gosselins ever dreamed of. A fully loaded house from Extreme Make-Over Home Edition. You've seen the McMansions they build for people with every bell and whistle imaginable, including a van. The older brother has a TREEHOUSE with a leather recliner and flat screen plasma TV. Yeah, that's appropriate for a kid's treehouse. Oh, but they're "more real" than the Gosselins and not as greedy. Looks like both families are benifittlng from giving birth to a litter of kids all at once.

Mark my words. Tomorrow there will be posts on that other blog praising the Harris family, because nothing is more important than trashing the Gosselin's. Even though BOTH families are doing the same thing. making money off their kids and getting freebies because of it. More power to them. I'll be watching. I was an "only," so all these shows on large families fascinate me.

Anonymous said...

To Former GWoP Fan said...

Thanks for the reminder on the Harris show. I read about this a week ago and flipped over to Discovery Health to see if I could find it, but couldn't. I didn't know it was still a week away when it was being discussed and compared superior...! (And I had no idea they had rec'd a house too. Good for them).

Hmm. Big Brother is on too. Guess I'll set my DVR.

Anonymous said...

Someone made mention of this sight over on gwop...get ready for the hate posts.

Anonymous said...

Those comments are already here if you look around. Someone mentioned this site on Sunday and they immediately started coming.

Jenn said...

"NO STROLLERS!! They read our comments and changed."

The GWoP cyberstalkers are awfully full of themselves, aren't they? Good GOD. Get over yourselves!


I'm actually the one who made the No stroller comment.. And I am actually a bit offended that you think I'm "full of myself". If you were to go back and look at anything I've posted you'll see that I"m not a "hater". I was making the point that after all of the complaining about how they were too old for strollers, this time they didn't have them. I do believe that you have jumped to the wrong conclusion on this one.

Anonymous said...

Geneivere said:
"Watch the show if you enjoy it. If you don't enjoy it, DON'T WATCH IT. "

Have you ever considered taking your own advice and stop reading GWOP?
Spending so much time reading a blog that you don't agree with seems like a big waste of time to me. What are you gaining from doing so? You read something at one blog site only to post a comment about a comment at another blog site. Hilarious!

MCB - Nice language. Are you a parent? I hope you can zip your lip when you feel compelled to refer to a child as a "little shit". Remember, monkey see, monkey do.

Why does it seem that all the Kate supporters are so full of anger at those who have a different view of the family? Ever think of how it makes you appear? Didn't think so.

When all is said and done, 8 children are being exploited so that their parents can remain unemployed and beg off others.

Anonymous said...

Anon,
I can't speak for the people that you mentioned. I like going on GWoP. I feel I am fair minded and I think that some of the participants there have good insight and some of the comments are right on the mark. However, I disagree with quite a few things that have been said and when I do try to comment (politely and with great thought) I was never posted. I noticed since this blog was started they are starting to post a few more comments that go against the grain. I think it is that attitude that upsets people - the total anti-Gosselin they can do no right. But I guess we keep going on that site just as they all keep watching the show because it is human nature, entertaining and curiosity.

Anonymous said...

To Jennifer:

I think the stroller comment came out of the opinion some of us have that the Gosselins can never do anything "right" in some people's eyes. They take the strollers, and they are accused of babying the tups. (Even though to me it's reasonable in an amusement park with six kids who just turned 4. It's just a matter of getting from one point to another and keeping everyone together). Now, if they don't bring the strollers, they are in "damage control".

Also, and I am not saying this is true of you, but some people seem to think whatever they type on a blog is read immediately by J&K and/or the production team, and I just don't believe that's the case. Is it possible that they scan the message boards from time to time? Sure. However, I don't think they are making decisions such as whether to bring strollers and/or use or not use sippy cups based on what the bloggers are writing. Remember we are a very small part of their overall audience.

Just my opinion, of course.

Anonymous said...

I watch J&K and sometimes I like it and sometimes I just don't. I can name a bunch of times I've been annoyed at the parents or how they treat each other/kids and other times I've thought it was cute. I fully understand why people love the show and why people hate it so. On that note, instead of bickering about differing opinions, which really, you'll never really reach a middle ground on, why not just settle into each other's corners (to each site his own) and have your discussions that way, without fighting, bickering, or being disrespectful? At the end of the day J&K lives go on and you guys just pour over webpages arguing about things and people that probably really don't care in the first place.

Again, I'm all for the differing opinions (love/hate of the Gosselins) I just hate that people just choose to bicker in the comments instead of having intelligent conversations.

Off the soapbox now...

Jenn said...

To Anya:

The reason I addressed the comments made on this board was because the words used (cyberstalker and full of themselves) were directly related to the comment I made about no strollers.

All I said was did anyone notice no strollers. I didn't say it was a good or bad thing. The people here assumed that it was a negative comment. In fact it was not. Like I said before, I was trying to bring light to the fact that the very thing people were complaining about was different now.

I realize that people here may be sensitive to the othe board or people who post on that board. However I do not think it's fair to critize my post when it wasn't negative. I am not a cyberstalker nor am I full of myself. I was simply trying to point out to the members of GWOP that something they bitched about had changed.

Simply put, I felt attacked by this board for something I posted on another board. Isn't that what people here have complained about regarding members of the other board coming here and stirring things up?

Anonymous said...

Oh GOD, it is Ephesians....the biggest internet hypocrite of all!

She calls herself a Christian and yet talks terribly of other posters. She is a bully and let me tell you, not very smart....right in line with the mentalitly of you sheeple!

LOL

What a site!

Unknown said...

Boy, you all are very angry about a blog! Swearing and ranting!

Can you not conduct yourselves civilally? Can you not write a post coherently? Can you not be so mean-spirited?

Guess not!

Pathetic!

Anonymous said...

As a matter of fact, Anonymous poster without the cojones to put your name down, I am a parent and he's 21 and quite well adjusted and proper, thankyouverymuch. Not that it's any of your business!

Seeing that you came over from GWoP (the superiority complex and condescension in your post is a dead give away), I wonder. Since you say that the Gosselin kids are being "exploited" (another GWoP bitching point and red flag as to where you came from), are you guys over there going to treat the Harris family the same way as the Gosselins? Going to call Paul Peterson on them? Whine to their state child welfare agencies? Badger the National Enquirer? Boycott the show's sponsors and their products? "Out" their unseen family members and post personal information about them online? Check Grandma Harris' employer's website, just for fun (and ammunition)? Maybe get the sister of a disgruntled family member to tell you some juicy secrets to use against them? Their series started last night on Discovery Health and it's also produced by Figure 8. They're going to be in the same freebie boat as Jon and Kate very soon. My guess is that the cyberbullies hiding behind their computer monitors over at GWoP won't touch them with a 10 foot pole. Hypocrisy at its finest.

Anonymous said...

To: Jennifer

I went over to the other board and saw your posts and I can see why you would feel your words were twisted. Sorry if you felt attacked or singled out.

I'll speak for myself, but I know there are others like me (lurkers anyone?) I would love to have more posters on this site with a variety of opinions because it certainly isn't interesting when we are all agreeing with each other! I hope we can at least minimize the attacks on each other and keep it focused on opinions of the show.

For what it's worth, I am pro-Gosselin only in comparison to the extreme positions of some of the more frequent bloggers. I'd love a lively discussion on some of the Gosselins "quirks" (gender stereotyping anyone). There's a lot to talk about without labeling each other.

Anyhoo, hope you will stick around, Jennifer!

Anya

Anonymous said...

"Why does it seem that all the Kate supporters are so full of anger at those who have a different view of the family? Ever think of how it makes you appear? Didn't think so."
*********************************
I wouldn't label myself a "Kate supporter" exactly (see previous post). I think anger is also too strong a word for how I feel about those "who have a different view of the family." I will say that for me many posts from the most frequent anti-Gosselin posters come across as hypocritical, lacking self-awareness, unkind and sometimes a little creepy. Those are just my opinions. I don't "hate" anyone who feels different. Just disagree with them strongly.

Anonymous said...

Another "brave" anonymous poster said:

"right in line with the mentalitly of you sheeple!

LOL

What a site!"

I really think we need to start a GWoP Drinking Game, as someone had suggested earlier.

DRINK every time a poster calls us "Sheeple." TWO DRINKS every time the name caller's post is written by "anonymous."

DRINK every time we're referred as "you people." You know that phrase. It's one that ignorant racists usually use to refer to someone who looks/acts/thinks differently. TWO DRINKS every time the cyberbully's post is written by "anonymous."

Okay, okay, I'll give them the benefit of the doubt about being racists. They don't know what we look like (although they like to generalize). However, the mindset of using "you people" in an accusatory and derogatory way is certainly the same as a racist's.

DRINK every time a name caller can't spell. TWO DRINKS every time the Spelling Bee Champ's post is written by "anonymous."

Example: "Mentalitly."

I know, I know. Who has time to spell check when you're typing drive by insults? There so much else to do in a day! Call the IRS, National Enquirer and Paul Peterson, reminding them to do their jobs and keep an eye on J&K, send hate mail to Figure 8 and the Washington Post, drive by the Gosselin home, use People Finder search engines to find out where Kate's cousin, twice removed, lives and works and who she's married to, suck up to a family member's clueless sister with an axe to grind...there just aren't enough hours in the day.

THREE DRINKS if a poster from GWoP actually signs their hate post with their screen name!

FIONA...A FIRST! APPLAUSE, although reading through the posts, the only ones I find that qualify as incoherent and mean-spirited are the ones left by your herd of friends. You know. The ones usually posted by "anonymous?"

Oh, and Fiona, one last comment on posters here being "angry, swearing, ranting" and unable to conduct ourselves civilally" and being "so mean-spirited?" I've seen your posts. I also used to be part of the "super seekret message board" attached to GWoP where you all clandestinely plot your next move and call the kids names. I also left there when things got a little too heavy, nasty and serious. All I can say about your comments are, "POT. KETTLE, BLACK."

TWO DRINKS whenever a negative poster generalizes us as religious fundies, uneducated white trash, or grandmothers. THREE DRINKS every time the sanctimonious gasbag's (thanks Anya!) post is written by "anonymous."

Incidentally, the answers to those are no, no (the white part is correct, though), and HELL NO, unless my son has been keeping something from me.

Know what? I'd be seriously drunk by now.

Jenn said...

To Anya:

Thank you very much for taking the time to check out my other posts and to acknowledge that perhaps my words were twisted.

What I find funny is that you weren't one of the people who posted about the no strollers comment and yet you are the one doing the research. That makes me appreciate your time/effort even more!

Anonymous said...

My gosh....drinking games....you are just proving what kind of lushes you really are...LOL!!!

YOu need an excuse to get yourself drunk. Maybe you are drunk when you watch the show....that's why you see Kate thru drunk glasses...HA HA!

MCB-you are a disgrace. Do you own this site...because I wouldn't let your kind on here!

Anonymous said...

Jennifer, I'm sorry you felt attacked. I was responding to what someone else had quoted that was along the lines of "no strollers; I guess they listened to our comments". It really is a commentary on the belief at GWoP that the Gosselins or the producers are paying attention to them and adjusting their behavior accordingly. Which is nutty, if you ask me. Sorry you got caught up in that.

Have you ever considered taking your own advice and stop reading GWOP? Spending so much time reading a blog that you don't agree with seems like a big waste of time to me. What are you gaining from doing so? You read something at one blog site only to post a comment about a comment at another blog site. Hilarious!

Your flashpoint for hilarity seems alarmingly low. I would say it's mildly amusing, at best.

BTW, the reason that I have to "post a comment about a comment at another blog site" is that very few of the comments I've submitted to GWoP have been published. I'm not the only one that has had that experience. The blog owners over there seem determined to allow very few posts through that aren't rabidly anti-Gosselin.

I actually did stop reading GWoP for a while, because it WAS making me mad, and I do have enough sense not to read something that's making me angry when I don't need to.

I started up again because it's bothering me less. The general consensus at about four sites that I can think of off of the top of my head is that GWoP is chock full of crazy. Maybe it doesn't make sense, but when I'm only getting the GWoPpers' POV, the extremity of the views expressed there bothers me. But when I read a bunch of posts by other, seemingly sane people with the same opinion as mine, I feel validated and I can kind of laugh at the whackiness on GWoP.

Regardless, I wouldn't say I spend "so much time" there. Maybe five minutes a day? I don't check in every day, but most days. It's neither the most enriching five minutes of my day nor, sadly, the least. There is always something better to be done with one's time, isn't there? But we poor mortals need our bread and circuses.

Why does it seem that all the Kate supporters are so full of anger at those who have a different view of the family? Ever think of how it makes you appear? Didn't think so.

Are you seriously saying that without irony? SERIOUSLY? The folks at GWoP don't seem to worry about how they appear when they are contacting the ombudsman at the Washington Post or trying to get J&K to lose their speaking gigs (which is weird to me, since I would think y'all would consider it "work" of a sort, and you seem so put out that they don't sit at desk jobs from 9 to 5).

I just don't think I've seen anything on this blog that is a grain of sand compared to the vast beach of anger one sees daily at GWoP. Nor have I seen anyone here take it a step further, as GWoPpers seem to routinely do, by trying to dig up information on anyone or interfere with their lives. Can you really not see the difference?

Speaking for myself, I don't even know that I'd say I'm a "Kate supporter" - I like her but see her faults. I'd be happy to discuss her flaws and virtues, but that impossible at GWoP. Which is why I'm here. This is not a Gosselin love site, no matter how you want to make it out to be one. It's just intended, as the message at the top of the page says, to bring some balance to the discussion of the show.

Finally (I know, I know, I'm long-winded), I don't feel anger to the folks at GWoP. I admit I have in the past, and that's when I took a step back. There is no need for any of us to be angry at people just for having different opinions. But if I'm honest I must say I don't have much respect for many of the posters there. There are some normal(ish) folks there, but from what I can see (again, not spending huge loads of time there every day), there are at least as many people whose words and actions are utterly beyond the pale and contemptible. People who have engaged in stalking the Gosselins. People who have apparently taken to ripping apart various Gosselin children's appearances on super seekrit message boards. I don't feel anger towards these people, but they do disgust me, and damn right I feel superior to them.

Anonymous said...

MCB - You have a foul mouth and you are a lush? I bet you make your son proud to call you his mother.

Anonymous said...

Well, I for one enjoy the company of foul-mouthed lushes (better than sanctimonious hypocrites, anyway), so MCB can come sit by me!

Anonymous said...

Thanks, Guinevere! Don't you just love that WE'RE being called mean, yet they're the one's questioning my parenting ability and sobriety and calling names? I guess I should be insulted, but I actually think their desperation is becoming quite humorous. They can't stand the fact that someone is actually questioning them.

Margaritas, anyone?

Jenn said...

Thanks Guinevere for seeing my POV on the issue.

I do have to ask.... What is the "super seekret message board" stuff about?

Anonymous said...

Margaritas, anyone?>>

Yes please! Maybe if Im drunk I will see the "higher intelligence" that the GWOPers claim they have over the rest of us. I just can't see it while I'm sober.

Anonymous said...

I do have to ask.... What is the "super seekret message board" stuff about?

Someone posted that they had briefly belonged to an invitation only board attached to GWoP, where the posters, among other things, make fun of certain of the sextuplets' looks. I don't *know* about it for sure (and don't want to fall into the same trap as others of believing what I read on a message board), but given the things these people are willing to say in public, it would not surprise me.

Anonymous said...

Margaritas? YUM! Pass some here and make sure they're delivered by a hot cabana boy!

And I'd also sit next to any of the "disgraceful lushes" here, AND share my chips and salsa, with them, as well.

MrsRef said...

First of all I post on the GWOP and I am not full of myself nor do I spend my time e-mailing the Washington Post or Figure 8. That said, I see a big difference in the Harris's vs. the Gosselins, the first being that some of the Harris children have physical disabilities (at least one with autism) that thankfully J&K have seemed to avoid. Yes, they got a big house for free but Mr. Harris goes out to work everyday (not in his closet)to pay the bills for his big house. I don't care about the freebies for the most part but i do have a problem with teeth whitening, hair transplants etc when most families are just struggling to pay bills and J&K are doing the church circuit and receiving free will offerings. (I have no problem with the tummy tuck) Please do not lump everyone together. I do feel badly for the Gosselin children as they are not living a "normal" childhood with lights and cameras in their faces. I gave my three adult children normal so I do know what it looks like.

Anonymous said...

To: MrsRef:

I think your point is a valid one -- people do get lumped into one camp or the other and like life, it's usually more complex than that. Sure, you are always going to have your far-right Republicans and far-left Democrats, but most of us fall somewhere in the middle. I think it's probably not that different with our opinions of the Gosselins. (I am leaning pro-Gosselin, but am not blind to their faults or the fact that the show has disadvantages).

As for a "normal" childhood, I think by virtue of being born sextuplets, they were never going to have what we may consider a "normal" childhood. Things were always going to be a bit different for them. Different isn't always bad, but they may have to come to terms with that as individuals at some point.

I think the show has provided the family some good opportunities, but it comes with a cost (like anything). My real point is I believe it is the Gosselin parents who should get to decide what's right for THEIR family.

MrsRef said...

To Anya: I agree that by virtue of there being 6 kids that normal is not my definition of normal. I just really feel badly that they live their life in a fishbowl with the cameras filming even their visits to the bathroom. And yes, they are given a lot of opportunities but I have to wonder how many melt-downs would have NOT happened if they were just enjoying the day, not meeting production schedules. For instance, maybe they were all having a bad day when they had to go to Crayola and could have just said they would go another day if they were not obligated to shoot for Figure 8 that day.That is where my concern lies. For the sake of their whole family, I think it is time to stop production and maybe just have a couple of specials a year.

Daisy said...

Delurking here.

None of us sees the big picture in the Gosselins lives. We only see a small portion of what goes on in any given episode. We aren't privy to everything.

Jon & Kate know their children and know what's best for them. It's up to them to decide when to stop the show.

Kids melt down. They would have had meltdowns whether or not the show was filmed. Regarding the 4th of July episode, The Gosselins would have gone to Wyomissing even if they weren't filming the episode. They would have walked to the parade and to where they hade lunch. The meltdowns would have happened without the cameras there.

I hope they keep filming as long as people watch so the Gosselins can provide a good life for their sweet children and maybe even pay for college.

This is just my opinion. It's not meant to start an argument.

Anonymous said...

"For instance, maybe they were all having a bad day when they had to go to Crayola and could have just said they would go another day if they were not obligated to shoot for Figure 8 that day.That is where my concern lies."

***********************************

Mrsref, I don't necessarily disagree with you. You may well be right. I felt that way about the birthday cupcake episode. Nobody really seemed in the mood for that excursion and the tension showed in the episode. It wasn't really that enjoyable to watch (not that I think it was the disaster of epic proportions that other's made it out to be). And as for your point about the bathroom filming, I would be very surprised if we see 4-year-olds on the potty/toilet in future episodes. Yes, the sextuplets may be mildly embarrassed when they see these shots of them at 1, 2 or 3 years old in the future, but I don't think it rises to the level of the inappropriate (again, based on the age they were at the time).

While I think there are rational reasons to question whether they should be doing as much filming as they are, I agree with Teacup -"Jon & Kate know their children and know what's best for them. It's up to them to decide when to stop the show."

Anya

Nancy said...

I just wish that the Gosselin parents would see that the kids need less time with the cameras. Everyone likes seeing the kids, but it's probably time to switch to yearly shows. I believe the parents have earned enough to send 20 kids to college, so it's not as if they need the money now. Send the cameras home, send Jon out to a real job like other dads have, and let the kids enjoy their lives.

Anonymous said...

Nancy:

When the show ends, maybe the parents will need to return to a 'regular' type of job. I tend to think Kate has the higher earning potential, however. For now, I think it's great that both parents can afford to stay home with the kids. Why do people begrudge them this?

Speaking as a single mother who had to put my child in daycare at two months, I don't understand why people think it would be better if both parents were working 9-5, the kids were in full-time preschool/daycare and J&K only got to see their kids for a couple of hours a night (at the same time that they would be helping Mady and Cara with homework, supervising baths, making dinner, doing laundry, making lunches for the next day, reading bedtime stories, etc. etc. etc.).

I personally haven't seen any data from a trusted source to confirm that J&K are in a financial position to end the show. I tend to think this will probably happen in the next year or two anyway as the sextuplets mature and start attending school. At that point, we may move to yearly specials and I think that would be fine.