Reality Families

I'm not a big fan of reality shows. However, the kind of reality shows that bother me most is when people put their families out on television as public lives. I want to bring up two issues that irk me a lot, but I am sure there are several other pros/cons of families on reality TV that can be discussed.

Is Kate Gosselin a good mother?

I never really knew much about Jon & Kate till the divorce proceedings were splashed all over the news. The couple always gave me a bad vibe, but Kate always stuck out as a very self absorbed person. My dislike for her compounded when I watched her on Dancing With The Stars. She seemed to be the kind of person always creating drama to evoke reaction and attention.

Now many people sympathize with her stating that she was a loyal wife and Jon cheated on her. That she is now a single mom of eight kids. I won't say what Jon did was right or that he should not be held responsible for his actions. However, my observations make it seem like Kate is a terrible mother. After divorce Jon has tried to stop the production of the show and ban the crew from the house, while Kate signed with TLC to continue it herself. Jon moved out immediately and has kept a mostly low profile.

Kate on the other hand is always in the news. Either she is interviewing or she is complaining about paparazzi. She talks about her woes on DWTS and uses her kids to sell the books she has written. She is constantly drawing attention to herself and the kids and playing martyr.

Is Kate really a good mother or a dangerous attention seeker who is detrimental to her own kids. More broadly are people like Jon and Kate good parents? How many people would put their family and kids on a reality show?

19 and counting ???????

Are you seriously kidding me. Kate may infuriate me, but Jim Bob and Michelle really make me livid wondering what the world is coming to.

Is it healthy and reasonable for a family to have so many children?

What is TLC or The Learning channel doing broadcasting shows like Jon & Kate plus 8 and 19 and counting?

Should people like the Duggars really be allowed on television promoting their conservative evangelism and reproductive opinions? Shouldn't families like the Duggars receive criticism instead of publicity? Especially when young teens are made responsible for the child care and upbringing of their younger siblings, not letting them have a youth of their home? Especially when the children are home schooled and kept away from normal social interaction - because the world is too evil?

Worse - why are people watching such shows?

Well, I feel that john gosselin has a right to cheat, he probably doesn't want to have relations with over fertile kate , or else here might be one more mouth to feed. plus my great granma had 14 children and therefore the money was distributed so our family only got a few lakhs, so overfertile ppl make me angry.

Ok on a more serious note,I dont like kate gosselin at all. she's a horrible woman and a bad mother, who would rather have money at the cost of her kids privacy. If my mom had camera man putting their cameras in my room while I watched tv or spoke to my friends I would leave the house, or maybe throw her out. of course she isnt an idiot plus the house is in her name so i wont and cant. i remember jay leno said that he saw her on the day of her divorce and she said yay. imagine if her kids saw their mother being happy about their father and her getting divorced.

anyway the show is boring, i saw it once, it shows random nonsense like balding john sweating in the gym and looking more bald and kate overseeing her americano-chinky children make amateurish pots.

i think its original thats why its popular or maybe ppl like seeing other ppl having problems.

Yep, those are my 2 cents.

ahhan i have seen these shows once when i was in Canada and guess wht my reaction was "wow so many kids! how do they handle...." when i saw the promos....this is what made me watch it but when i did .... i was like "why am i wasting time to see the parents' speaking of family and doing publicity of their own than to see how they CARED for their kids??" maybe my rationale behind watching the show was wrong...or the channel's rationale shifted according to the TRP they needed...

anyways i admit i watched it for once and the reason was pure curiosity of how they can handle but in reality it's just the use of their "unique" background to earn money and gain fame....

i bet there are families out there with 8 kids like John and Kate but for someone to have 19....i mean the eldest married n he is still having a baby sis rather than having his own daughter ?! eh.... i doubt if people will follow and do the same lol ... or feel impressed....

No doubt if they didn't make it public....they might be some good parents as i am sure rarely do parents not care about their kids....but with the broadcast of their lives....they are just deteriorating in their standard of being good parents....

Good parenthood is not to show it off to the public but to your own kids....you show them how much you love them and care for them....no one else need to know how well you love your kids....

well just my thoughts.... but yea 😛

Originally posted by: chal_phek_mat

Well my granma had 14, so I see ur point. But ours is caused by compunding and not by high deposits

Originally posted by: chal_phek_mat

Well in India they at least try to discourage exponential multiplication. At least when I was TV promoted simple math all the time. Hum do hamare do. NOT hum do hamare 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21...........hamara gaon.

Originally posted by: return_to_hades

Well in India they at least try to discourage exponential multiplication. At least when I was TV promoted simple math all the time. Hum do hamare do. NOT hum do hamare 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21...........hamara gaon.

Usually the poor people have higher birth rates, and the rich have lower.

Originally posted by: Ice-Thinker

Usually the poor people have higher birth rates, and the rich have lower.

This makes the country go into deeper troubles. The poor and uneducated keeps swelling, and the rich keeps getting leaner and leaner...

A good strong middle class backbone might just do the trick. We need a better dispersion of wealth ... a better education system ... and a better understanding about the phsyche of our own people ... and not judge with according to the information we get from books not written solely for our problems.

But inequality is the mother of the society.

Originally posted by: gengarjetty2

But inequality is the mother of the society.

True. And as someone famous said - the worst form of Inequality is to try and make unequal things equal!

Sadly enough, I haven't watched these particular types of reality families at all, so I am in no position to comment. I should do some research and get back here... WHEN I have time! 😆