SabineElisabeth

Just watched Erin & Chad's recent YT vid . . . and it struck me as kinda creepy, to be honest. They were both using their super soft, breathy Fundie voices. And if fake smiles could speak, the one plastered on Erin's face would've been screaming, "I AM the perfect wife, damn it. Livin' the dream, always keeping sweet and being joyfully available to my master husband. Just look at me. I'm fucking radiating serenity and happiness!" And to Erin, Chad (and Travis + Katie), if you don't want to be bothered with making YT vids, then . . . don't fucking make YT vids. But, in the meantime, please just STFU about how much time it takes, what a burden it is, blah blah blah. 🙄🙄🙄

I think they're looking forward to it. Evan sounded rather gleeful when he said they're going to be the "party house."

Did Michael ever end up working as a nurse? I can't imagine spending the time and money to become an RN only to continue working as a babysitter for what I'm sure is peanuts compared to the $30-35/hr that RNs make, on average, in Knoxville. Evan's mother actually refused to let them hang out at their house? That surprises me, as I always assumed Evan's mother was the main one who perpetuated spoiling Evan to the point of obnoxiousness. On another note, I just watched C+E's latest YouTube vid of Layla's 4th birthday party, which was supposed to be what I think is called a "sleep under" these days. Or, as Carlin called it, a "half sleepover." Per Carlin, it was to be a small party, with only Layla's besties. Then, day of the party, Carlin says Willow is sick so isn't able to come, and it appears from subsequent footage of the "party" (which consisted of sitting in a tent in Layla's room eating and watching a movie), that the only other guest was Khloe?? I don't know, I can appreciate that birthday parties don't always have to be big blow out events, but having a birthday party that consists of your cousin coming over to watch some tv just seems kind of . . . sad. Maybe this was her social media party . . . not her "real" party. (And yes, rolling my eyes at myself that I serioulsy just typed "social media" party).

As long as they keep receiving positive reinforcement for their behavior (i.e. a whole ass tv show), they will absolutely keep doing the same stupid shit over and over and over again. IMHO, Amy not only needs an antidepressant and counseling, she needs some parenting lessons - desperately. It's clear she didn't have great parental role models herself, and she's not certainly not bright enough to seek out the knowledge and educate herself. However, I do believe she wants to be a good mother, and she's miraculously managed to put herself in a situation where she actually has the opportunity and means to better herself. She should also take advantage of her current situation and move forward with either hiring a nanny or finding a good preschool for at least her older boy, as I think having two little ones is a lot under the best of circumstances . . . and I definitely wouldn't call a household being run by Amy and Tammy the best of circumstances. However, to give Tammy credit wher credit is due, she has stepped up this season and is noticeably less self-focused than she's been in the past. I'm thinking that starting to regain her health a bit and some independence has perhaps freed up some mental energy that can be directed to someone other than herself. Yes, she lapses back into it sometimes, but I have honestly been kind of shocked at how supportive she's managed to be of Amy and her other two sisters' surgeries. In any case, not really sure why I watch this show at all, as it basically sucks. Ran across it months ago, binge watched all the past episodes, and now I continue to watch mainly because it's marginally more entertaining than all the other crap available to watch. (Yes, I know . . . that's kind of pathetic. I should read a book. Or do pretty much anything else that would be more useful. And yet, every week, here I am. Sigh. lol).

Brennan kept trying to clarify why he disagrees with Dr. Pia's assertion he needs therapy, but Emily seemed to miss the nuance completely. Specifically, Brennan said he understood Dr. Pia to be saying he needs therapy because he has difficulty identifying / being "in touch" with his feelings generally, leading to an inability to be "vulnerable" and discuss his feelings with Emily. However, Brennan tried more than once to point out that in fact, he has lots of feelings in the general sense of the word; what he doesn't have are feelings for Emily. And the latter, at least in his estimation, doesn't seem to require therapy.

So Glenn is going to rent a condo for a few months and hang out with the daughter he gave up for adoption to help her find the son she gave up for adoption? I can understand Whit's fear that perhaps it will turn into something more permanent, but just once, rather than thinking only about herself, she could just be extraordinarily grateful that her dad has found a new sense of purpose by connecting with a group of people who so far, at least, seem to be sincere and genuinely interested in forming a real relationship with all the Thores. And let's be real, other than filiming a few videos with Jessica every now and then, it's not like Whit is stuck in NC. No reason she can't (and wouldn't) invite herself to Glenn's Alabammer condo as often as she wants anyway. Not saying that connecting with a while family you didn't know existed would be an easy situation to navigate emotionally - and this seems like a really good opportunity for either some family therapy, if they'd be willing, or at minimum, for some individual therapy for Whitney. If they truly wish to integrate with the "new" family on more than just a surface level, the dynamics of their relationships absolutely will change - and I think the key is for Whitney to see this as a positive, rather than be jealous/fearful. And so far, I haven't gotten the feeling the "new" family wants anything from the Thores other than to develop a close relationship. It's been a little difficult to fully gauge since there are obviously some members of Angie's family who have chosen to minimize their screen time (e.g. her parents, her husband), but I've honestly been rather surprised by their seeming genuineness so far. And I have been particularly shocked that under the little smirky face and attitude, Jamie has actually been very thoughtful and warm to her new family - and has put forth a lot of effort to make them feel included and welcome. And for the record, had it been me, I would've been over the moon Glenn had somebody else to drag to the BOBST factory. While they were gone, I would've had an amazing time wandering through the streets doing some shopping and trying out little cafes.

Ethan seemed to have moments of genuine happiness while spending time with his family. His smiles actually reached his eyes, and there were little glimpses of the "old" Ethan, who found joy in the simple things and was innocently carefree. In other news, Moriah continues to think the world revolves around her. I'm not sure if she sincerely believes she's responsible for their family fracturing or if that was just another way for her to get attention/praise/affirmation. If the former, it reminded me a bit of the kind of "magical thinking" children display (having yet to become fully aware that they aren't the center of the universe, they natuarally then believe that their thoughts, wishes, etc, influence the external world when in fact, they're entirely unrelated). Not a therapist, so I don't know the right way to say this exactly, but it seems like a lot of the older Plath children have some level of arrested psychological development.

I have to admit, I was pretty bummed to hear Erin mention in her latest YT vid that Tori's pregnant again.

In this week's YT vid, Trace repeately tells the camera they're going to the Smoky Mountains to see the fall "fallage". Or, as the rest of the world says, fall "foliage." No idea why I keep watching their videos, and all I have to say about this one is, "bless his heart."

Ah, thanks for the heads up! You're right - it wasn't Lydia Grace, but another one of her sisters. Nonetheless, I didn't think her response was dumb because of which sister leaked the news - and I still think it was dumb lol. At the end of June, she posted the below in response to one of her sisters saying she and Ethan are divorcing. Personally, I think I would've handled the situation a bit differently - i.e. without being so quick to publically say my sister didn't know what she's talking about when it fact, she was right - as confirmed by Olivia and Ethan's recent posts announcing they're divorcing. "A friend informed me of this post so I just wanted to take a second and clarify. Sophia is my younger sister, but her and I have a very distant/strained relationship due to our worldviews and reactions to the ultra-religious world we were raised in. Subsequently, she actually isn’t a reliable source when it comes to my personal information as she doesn’t know about my personal life. There is a lot of speculation going around, but if Ethan and I had something to share, we would. Thanks!”

I'm almost 50 yo and have been to the emergency room once in my entire life - and that was at the direction of my surgeon, who met me there to perform a quick procedure. To be clear, I would do just about anything to avoid going to the ER - as would any other normal human being I know. The Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA), a federal statute mirrored by most state statutes, requires hospitals with emergency rooms to provide treatment for emergency medical conditions until the condition is either stabilized or appropriate transfer can be made to another facility.* An emergency medical condition is defined as : an incident that is severe or life-threatening, an incident that seriously impairs bodily functions or organs, or when delivery of a baby is imminent. What is not an emergency medical condition? A small cut. *Although only requried to treat emergency conditions, it's not uncommon for ERs to treat everyone, rather than try to parse out what truly is an emergency medical condition. As to urgent care, urgent care centers are not equipped to provide emergent medical care and should transfer patients presenting with an emergency medical condition to an appropriate facility. Thus, as there's no legal requirement to provide non-emergency care, urgent care centers aren't required to treat uninsured patients. (At least, not under this statute. Some states require not-for-profit medical facilities to provide a certain amount of "charity care," but that's different than what's being discussed here). Agreed. Between Carlin and the kids, they are conspicuous consumers of health care. No way they're paying for it out of pocket.

Holy fuck, what kind of grown ass adult acts like that? (Todd, I am talking to you). Seriously, never, in a million years, would anyone I know act like that. Not around friends/family, definitely not around strangers, and not a chance in hell in front of cameras. Not gonna try and play armchair therapist and start diagnosing Todd, but I'm sorry, nowhere, under any circumstances is that normal behavior. Speaking of abnormal, I don't really understand acting as if the Frenchman - who was an extensive part of season 9's storyline - never existed. Now that Whit's getting "back on the apps," why not just stick a short talking head into one of the last couple episodes of Whit saying things didn't work out with the Frenchman? Seems like an appropriate point at which to offer an explanation, and that would feel much less weird than the history re-write. Which leads me to my last question . . . why exactly does Buddy almost always show up alone to Whit's events? I seem to remember him insisting a few episodes back that his fiance doesn't have a problem with Whit - and yet, she clearly prefers to send him alone to pick up his paycheck for pretending to still be Whit's friend. Could be she just doesn't want to be filmed, I suppose, but seems as though she's actively avoiding Whit.

So Lydia Grace was right. Ethan and Olivia are finally divorcing. I get that Olivia must've been upset her sister leaked the news of the separation before she was ready apparently. Nonetheless, responding to the tea Lydia spilled by releasing a statement that you and your sister are still estranged, basically, so she has no idea what she's talking out - and then releasing another statement just a few weeks later that confirms she was spot on - is kinda dumb. And wow - that's the second Plath family marraige to collapse in as many years. Lydia (Plath, not Grace) must be lying on the couch with an epic case of the vapors right about now.

Agreed that KJ looked lovely - and agree she needed better footwear. I would've chosen a pair of Tieks ballet flats, such as the ones I stuck in the attached photo. They're way more comfy than they look and while they're a bit expensive new ($185 to upwards of $400 for some pairs), there's a huge secondary/used market for them - especially on FB - so they can do their "buy used, save the difference thing," too. Win/win. (Actually, now that I think about it, not sure if "buying used" is something any of the Bates still do(?), except Erin and occasionally Alyssa, but anyway . . . )

Watching them to try have fun is so incredibly awkward I actually feel some second-hand anxiety. I was pretty shocked she moved to FL to live with the new boyfriend, as some of her girls are still pretty young. It looks like she's only a little over an hour away from Cairo, but are the little girls really going to live part time with her at the new boyfriend's house? Seems highly unlikely for many reasons. And while I get wanting to be happy, that's pretty shitty to peace out on your young daughters - who, no matter how much Barry rises to the occasion, are going to suffer significant emotional damage due to not having a present, invovled mother. Ethan's assertions he hasn't changed just shows his lack of self-awareness, as he's a totally different person than he was even at the beginning of the show. He's gone from being happy, goofy, carefree, and innnocent to someone who seems much more jaded, bitter, and perpetually unhappy. We've also seen his perception of his family change over time, as well as his opinion on what kind of relationship he and Olivia should have with them. He went from being all about his family - to fully supporting Olivia, which effectively cut him off from not just Kim and Barry, but all the little kids, as well - to being angry and resentful towards Olivia over her refusal to have anything at all to do with Kim, and by extension, the rest of the family. I was rather taken aback that he's still pro-homeschooling after the seething anger he has towards Kim over being homeschooled. He basically accused her of leaving him without a basic education . . . and he doesn't want better for his kids? Maybe he thinks it was just a Kim problem, and not an overall fundie homeschool problem . . . But after Olivia shared an episode or two ago that she thinks about going to college all the time, I'm not at all surprised she wants to send her kids to public school. I imagine that after growing up with parents who kept her world so small, Olivia will do everything in her power to help her kids experience the broader world and have all the opportunities she's wanted so badly.