When Things Go Horribly Wrong

Submitted for publication by Kelley, this is her take on the Aunt Jodi saga.

There was a time when I had no idea that there were discussion boards regarding Jon and Kate Gosselin. I started watching the show in the middle of season two. (I think) It wasn’t until recently that I saw the original show and the first season.

I did notice the “Gum Episode” and I wondered why Kate would be so snappish toward Jodi, who is obviously a sweet person and loves the kids, all 8 of them, the way any Aunite would. When I began watching season 3, I wondered where Jodi had gone. I also wondered why Alexis was sleeping in the basement. But when I found the blog that Jodi’s Sister Julie decided to put out in specific response to why Jodi was no longer on the show; I was floored. The video from Jodi on the blog is particularly offensive.

This is where things get sticky for me. I’m not a fan of the whole “She said this and then did this and Jodi felt terrible, so I decided to ACT!” thing. I have no problem with Julie being on Jodi’s side. Kate can take care of herself. But, if Jodi can’t take care of her problems with her sister-in-law herself, isn’t it Kevin’s place to stick up for his wife? And why do it on a public blog? I had no idea why Jodi was missing from the show. In fact I assumed that Jodi was probably busy with her own children; and now that the Gosselins were making money from their show they didn’t need her to interrupt her life to take care of 8 additional children. Why should she want to be paid for watching the children she loves so much? If I don’t charge my friends to watch their children, nor would I accept money from my brothers to watch their (theoretical) children. Even my assumption about her absence isn’t true; why make the truth public? Just because it’s the TRUTH? Why drag out the dirty laundry and show it to people who feed on negative garbage like this and perpetuate things like a disease? Is that helpful to your family? How is it less destructive than the cameras and crew and money and gifts and trips and all the other things you claim are hurting the children? Why would making a family rift public make anything better? The fact that you are disgruntled with people who are now famous and making money from a TV show and then post your problems with them publicly on any kind of discussion board or blog automatically puts your motives, credibility, and objectivity in question.

Have the Gosselins ever actually cried poverty? They have always mentioned the fact that they do have to multiply the cost of things by eight and that the numbers are often staggering. I think the numbers are staggering when it comes to children’s things when it’s for one child. I can’t even imagine what it would mean to multiply baby clothes and formula for eight children. Again, I always assumed that it was to give the viewers an idea of how a family with eight children of the sa me age worked. And even rich people would worry about the economics of putting eight children through college at the same time and paying for five weddings let alone a family trip to Disney World. Just because Jon and Kate do it on TV doesn’t make it wrong. And as far as their house goes, I never thought about how you could grow out of a house until she mentioned it, eight children would indeed get bigger and need more space. The only time I ever heard them even hint at any money issues was the bikes, and even then I chalked it up to dramatics on Kate’s part.

Kate Gosselin is an uncompromising person sometimes (maybe most of the time, I don’t know her personally), if she’s not in actuality than she comes off that way on TV all by herself. No need to contrast her with sweet Aunt Jodi to see that. Perhaps Kate did resent looking even more impatient and abrasive in comparison to Jodi; but once again I didn’t need that confirmed by a family member on a blog. I really don’t believe that anyone who watches the show believes for one second that she’s an easy woman to get along with, and I have a feeling she’s always been dramatic, particular about the way things should be, and eager to be the center of a ttention. And those same qualities endear her to some people as much as it puts other people off. She is a very fine example of a human being. We all have flaws in our character that make people like us or dislike us. Many people will not agree with the things I’ve written here. Do I lose sleep over it? No, because I, like Kate, tell it like I see it regardless of how people will feel about it.

Every family has their quarrels and disagreements and even relatives they don’t speak with. Not all of us have TV shows about our lives, but even though the Gosselins do, that doesn’t make it ok for people they trust to thrust their inside knowledge to the world. In the future, Aunt Jodi and Kate could repair their relationship, and it is my sincere hope that they do. My aunts and uncles have all been very influential on the person that I’ve become, and with so many children to guide to adulthood, they will need role models aside from their parents. But now, when that does happen, there is still this record of bitterness that could have been and is better left forgotten? What happens when forgiveness and love take over on both sides and a family is restored and yet here is this ugly thing standin g as an Ebenezer to the anger of the past? You can never go back.