Friday, June 27, 2008

current obsession -- john & kate plus 8


maybe it's because we're going to have our own child soon. maybe because there are multiples in our family (triplets), so i can *kinda* relate. or maybe because the kids are just so darned cute. but i'm totally enamored of john & kate plus 8.

dave and i actually love to watch this show together. it's an interesting insight into not only how a family raises an insane amount of multiples, but simply how a family raises their children. period. john and kate don't try to fake it -- they don't put on airs, or act differently for the camera. kate's personality has been known to rub people the wrong way, but neither she nor he make apologies for it. they get snippy. sometimes they're mean to each other. but in the end, wouldn't you be a little beyond your best if you had 8 children to watch, 6 of which are 4 years old?!

obviously the children are very happy, and well taken care of. which, in and of itself, is a tribute to the parenting skills. i can only hope that our one child is as happy and adorable and verbal as these 8 kids.

the gosselin family had one-hour specials devoted to them early-on in the sextuplets' lives. eventually, those specials turned into a tv show. and why do they do the show? to bring great opportunities to their children. obviously, a family of 10 on one income would not easily survive these days, and john and kate have found a lot of help in the generosity of the viewers. so far, they have received toys and clothing for the kids, trips for the whole family, and even a tummy tuck for kate (after the birth of the 6) and a hair transplant procedure for john. and every time they do an episode about another generous gift or contribution, they make a point of thanking the kind people profusely -- noting that they'd never be able to do all these things for their family without the kindness of "strangers".

if you haven't watched the show, i suggest that you give it a shot. watch it with your significant other, or your friend. enjoy the kids. understand and enjoy the parents. and respect the work that they do.

you can find information for the show and the gosselin family at the tlc site, or the gosselin family personal site.

photo © willow street photos.

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