Carlin and Evan: But Mostly Carlin!

[GeeGolly]

A while back I read an article about a person traveling with his influencer friend. He said after about a decade of doing it she wants to quit because its non-stop and no longer fun. He said she feels trapped because the money and grifts are so good. She started in her early 20s and and has no other skills, so quitting would be a drastic change in lifestyle.

It reminds me of many clients we would get, who were former drug dealers. When forced to quit (due to legal troubles) they crashed and burned. One client said, its hard to go from carrying wads of cash to carrying a SNAP card.

The problem is, both influencers and drug dealers can budget and save money like the rest of us, so when quitting time rolls around they're all set. But they don't - they (and their egos) like the 'high life' and are stupid about it.

[Jeanne222]

On 12/26/2024 at 2:20 PM, BitterApple said:

Erin and Carlin in the same room? Oof, that's going to be interesting...

They don't get along?  I thought they started the boutique.

[BitterApple]

3 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

They don't get along?  I thought they started the boutique.

They did, but there was some sort of falling out around the time Erin had covid and her reproductive issues. She hadn't posted about BSB or been featured in their photo shoots for months. Fans were asking about it on Erin's, Whit's and Carlin's social medias and not getting an answer. Finally, Erin addressed the elephant in the room with her usual Jesus-speak and said after prayer and consideration, she chose to step back. 

Since then, Erin has had nothing to do with Carlin. No pictures together, no comments on posts and not attending get-togethers or birthdays at each other's homes. Also notable is when this was going on, Katie deleted all pictures of her and Erin together from her Instagram. It was a huge about-face from Erin and Carlin being really close and together all the time. Even now in the footage from Gil's birthday, they were filmed on opposite sides of the room. Carlin posted pictures of her with all her sisters, minus Erin. Whatever went down cut really deep. 

Edited December 31, 2024 by BitterApple

[Jeanne222]

3 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

They did, but there was some sort of falling out around the time Erin had covid and her reproductive issues. She hadn't posted about BSB or been featured in their photo shoots for months. Fans were asking about it on Erin's, Whit's and Carlin's social medias and not getting an answer. Finally, Erin addressed the elephant in the room with her usual Jesus-speak and said after prayer and consideration, she chose to step back. 

Since then, Erin has had nothing to do with Carlin. No pictures together, no comments on posts and not attending get-togethers or birthdays at each other's homes. Also notable is when this was going on, Katie deleted all pictures of her and Erin together from her Instagram. It was a huge about-face from Erin and Carlin being really close and together all the time. Even now in the footage from Gil's birthday, they were filmed on opposite sides of the room. Carlin posted pictures of her with all her sisters, minus Erin. Whatever went down cut really deep. 

Thank you.  That's a shame for both of them. I'm sure it hurts the whole family as it does in other families when disagreements can't be amended.

[SabineElisabeth]

On 12/23/2024 at 8:28 AM, floridamom said:

Biltmore Hotel tour, Dollywood....just after coming back from a first class trip to Dubai? These two are living like they are millionaires IMO.

The Dubai trip was definitely comped.  (On a side note, I would love to know if the Dubai Tourism Board feels like they got their money's worth out of Carlin and Evan, as their Dubai content sucked, IMHO).  As to Biltmore and Dollywood, those don't necessarily have to break the bank.  Growing up (in Knoxville), we'd take a day trip to Biltmore once every couple of years, and we'd get season passes to Dollywood every year.  (I'd guess their Biltmore tickets ran about $500, and that they paid $800-1000 for seasons passes to Dollywood).  For us, Biltmore was pretty expensive for a one day thing, but we'd go to Dollywood almost every Saturday during the summer, a few times around Christmas, and other random times during the year - so I would say Dollywood was a pretty good value for us.  However, unlike Evan and Carlin, we would only eat inside the park or buy crap from the varoius shops as a special treat.  Normally, we would pack a big cooler with lunch, hike back to the car (parked in the cheapest, and therefore furthest away, parking available), and eat sitting in the car in the parking lot.  No way we could have afforded to go that often otherwise, as the food, etc, inside the park is outrageously priced

On 12/22/2024 at 9:50 AM, BitterApple said:

He's good at child exploitation!

I often wonder if their kids are really filmed as much as it seems like they are.  I mean, by definition, 100% of what we see was filmed, so it makes sense we also perceive it as being pervasive, but I'm always curious if in context, their kids are really flimed that much or if it just seems that way.  I also definitely get the vibe that Carlin and Evan would be recording their lives whether they got paid for it or not, as I think they're addicted to the attention, for one, and I've never in my life seen people who love taking pictures of themselves as much as they do.  I also understand the argument, however, that it's not really the videos themselves that are the issue per se; it's the posting of those videos online for money/attention that is exploitive.  Obviously, not really sure on which side of that I come down, as I do watch at least some of their content - and I feel like it would be pretty crappy to keep watching the content and thereby contributing to its continuation if I were truly convinced it was doing harm to their kids.  Anyway, that's kind of a heavy topic for this early in the morning, so back to snarking.  : )

On 12/23/2024 at 11:35 AM, Jeanne222 said:

But its just freebee after freebee!  He has to know all the ropes in getting everything free!

They just don't bring in enough from that boutique to afford Dubai and other trips.  Hotel fees and dinners, Tesla cars, swimming pools, nail salons and unlimited Starbucks and door dash!

Carlin might dress some from the boutique but Evan and the kids wear high retail clothing.  The very best!

They most certainly do not "buy used and save the rest."  For example, they all wear brand name Uggs, and those stupid Lululemon jogger sets they wear - which they definitely did not buy at Goodwill - are several hundred dollars each.  (I personally have always thought of Lululemon as a brand for tween/teen girls, so it kind of cracks me up to see Evan in his jogging suit with "Lululemon" emblazoned in giant letters across the front).  

As to whatever clothes Carlin wears from the boutique, I'm not sure I would classify them as being "the very best."  I'm almost certain all the clothes carried by BSB are suuuuper cheap items bought from China.

On 12/23/2024 at 8:49 PM, Notabug said:

Influencers do have to pay taxes.  They are generally considered to be independent contractors and would get a 1099 form from every company that compensated them for their services if they reached a threshold amount of payment from that business.  It used to be, any business that paid a contractor $600 or more in a year had to report it to the IRS and issue a 1099.  The influencers would pay self employment taxes on top of their regular income tax to make up for the Social Security and income tax contributions that would be provided by a regular employer.

And, yes, anything of value they would receive from a client would have to be reported as income.  However, they could deduct business expenses too including stuff like laptops and Evan's fancy camera set up.  Travel, if not provided by the client, would also be tax deductible.  The thing is, that kind of stuff can be fairly easily hidden or undervalued for tax purposes and a lot of self-employed influencer types probably don't report a lot of the swag they receive.

If they're under-reporting income, they're just screwing themselves long term, as the amount of social security you can draw is directly based on how much income you report.  So, if they are under-reporting to try and save on taxes now, I hope they're taking those savings and investing them for retirement. I know, hahahaha, right? 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

On 12/26/2024 at 7:46 PM, Meow Mix said:

When I accidentally stepped on my cat's tail, he sounded better than Lawson.

I'm still scratching my head at Carlin needing an IV to get over jetlag.  I had no idea that was a thing.  I just toughed it out when I had jetlag and made sure to stay hydrated.  Of course I had a job I had to get back to as well, so there's that.  Carlin's an idiot.  And she really needs to stop with the duck lips.

 

On 12/27/2024 at 9:01 AM, AgathaC said:

It really is a low bar…

The duck lips look idiotic.

Anyway, I, too, don’t get the IV thing. It just reeks of performative “specialness.” Earlier this year, I had an IV iron infusion for iron-deficiency anemia. Supplements weren’t working and I couldn’t go up the stairs without getting really winded. So, I genuinely needed it. But to deal with jet lag? Seriously? I guess she’s one of those people who uses medical issues to get attention (not surprising, given her background). I’ve known people like that and they’re exhausting and frustrating in the extreme.

 

On 12/27/2024 at 12:22 PM, Absolom said:

I don't believe that there is any solid proof the IVs commercially available actually help most people at all.  It's like vitamin water in the trendy vein.

 

On 12/27/2024 at 6:49 PM, 65mickey said:

Carlin if you are reading here stop with the stupid pursed duck lips. You look absurd. It is not cute or clever. You just look like an idiot.  

Re: her duck lips poses, Carlin clearly really likes the way she looks and really enjoys looking at herself. 

And I agree, the IV vitamin fad is ridiculous.  Not only is there no evidence it's anymore helpful than taking a multivitamin and drinking a Gatorade, it's also not FDA regulated, which means there's no oversight as to the vitamin formulations or of the preparation of the IV bags themselves.  So yeah, I'll pass, thankyouverymuch.

Edited January 1 by SabineElisabeth

[BitterApple]

Funny but not-so-funny story about LuluLemon. A lady on my mother's tennis team went in there to shop. She was trying on a jacket and struggling to find the right fit and the sales girl told her "You know, this stuff is really meant for younger women." Oof. 

[satrunrose]

There are three things that trouble me about the way kids are exploited by their influencer parents.

1- When possible, kids (especially young kids) should not be breadwinners for their families. That's too much pressure for a little person and I think kids are fully capable of picking up on the pressure even if they don't understand the economics. (See the rictus grins of the Rodrigues kids and Layla's duck lips)

2- Kids don't reliably understand the difference between real and make believe until they're about 7. The problem is, Evan and Carlin's kids are living most of their lives in this weird in-between "reality".  I'm not sure that it's easy for kids to figure out the difference when they aren't seeing a model of real vs imaginary at home. (Or, I don't know, maybe it's easier if E and C are much less ditzy off camera). 

3- Being on public display. This is my biggest issue, actually. I remember when Jon and Kate + 8 was on, I heard some middle teens go on a long rant about how bratty one of the twin daughters was. I can't imagine having to grow up under the shadow of people you've never met, from another country, no less, having Strong Opinions! about your character. We later found out that between age and stage and the dynamics of the household, there were some very good reasons why the kid in question didn't keep sweet, but thanks to the exposure she is, and always will be 'the brat'. That's not fair. In this case, Layla has strangers on at least three sites commenting on her size, her toilet training and her eating habits. We've been pretty compassionate around here, but just the thought of the world commenting on my toilet habits as a small child gives me cold shivers. 

Edited January 1 by satrunrose

[AstridM]

15 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Funny but not-so-funny story about LuluLemon. A lady on my mother's tennis team went in there to shop. She was trying on a jacket and struggling to find the right fit and the sales girl told her "You know, this stuff is really meant for younger women." Oof. 

Yikes! I hope she reported that rude bitch.

[Absolom]

They do project a certain air.  I went in to buy something my daughter wanted and there was a completely obvious attitude shift when she asked if I wanted to try something on for size (what I was holding was not my size) and I said no my daughter wanted a different color from what she already had.  All of sudden huge smiles all around.  No one was rude, but they went from extremely business like to joyful. 

[andromeda331]

10 hours ago, AstridM said:

Yikes! I hope she reported that rude bitch.

So would I. She should be fired for that.

[Natalie68]

On 12/28/2024 at 11:05 AM, GeeGolly said:

A while back I read an article about a person traveling with his influencer friend. He said after about a decade of doing it she wants to quit because its non-stop and no longer fun. He said she feels trapped because the money and grifts are so good. She started in her early 20s and and has no other skills, so quitting would be a drastic change in lifestyle.

It reminds me of many clients we would get, who were former drug dealers. When forced to quit (due to legal troubles) they crashed and burned. One client said, its hard to go from carrying wads of cash to carrying a SNAP card.

The problem is, both influencers and drug dealers can budget and save money like the rest of us, so when quitting time rolls around they're all set. But they don't - they (and their egos) like the 'high life' and are stupid about it.

With under consumption becoming trendy for 2025 maybe influencing will die down.

[lookeyloo]

2 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

With under consumption becoming trendy for 2025 maybe influencing will die down.

The minimalists abound still 

[BitterApple]

2 hours ago, Natalie68 said:

With under consumption becoming trendy for 2025 maybe influencing will die down.

We can only hope. 

[cereality]

So they bought a new Tesla to replace the other one. Yet they're soooo busy and important they Uber-ed to Chattanooga to pick up the Tesla. While they say they had a ride, if it was a friend or brother, no way would both of you be sitting in the back as your chauffer drove. Uh they do have another car - most people would drive that one for the 2 hr ride and then each person drives back one car. But then you can't film content together on the way back . . .  Plus it's only poor ppl who'd care enough to save on a $150 uber . . . .

And awesome respect for the new possession they (or Layla) worked so hard to buy. On the trip home, they had to stop at Arbys to get chicken nuggets and whatever else. Uh you really need to eat in the car on your first trip in a brand new car?? Are you toddlers who simply can't wait a few hours for food, so you must christen the new car with chicken grease and crumbs ASAP?

Is there a video of K&T's new house? I can't imagine it's sitting well with C&E that K&T lived in an apartment for barely 6 mos and then walzed into a 500k house. Granted Trav has family money - in the form of some made up position that his family's school probably throwing off 250k in salary for him - on top of the fact that I think their YT, IG etc. has more views than C&E and they appear to advertise for bigger companies than C&E. But still in the sibling competition, it can't feel great that K&T and J&K are definitely better off financially. I know J&K haven't moved yet but they've purchased land and likely will have a forever custom built home. Cue a pregnancy for C&E to take some attention away and/or whining about how this is just a starter home and they feel they're outgrowing it already - despite dropping $$ on their monstrosity of a backyard 2 seconds ago.

[BitterApple]

The house tour is on Travis and Katie's latest vlog. 

I can see Evan and Carlin eventually going broke. They blow through money at an alarming rate, and unlike Travis, there's no safety net. Zade lost her $500 Oura ring and Carlin didn't bat an eye. 

[Heathen]

6 hours ago, BitterApple said:

The house tour is on Travis and Katie's latest vlog. 

I can see Evan and Carlin eventually going broke. They blow through money at an alarming rate, and unlike Travis, there's no safety net. Zade lost her $500 Oura ring and Carlin didn't bat an eye. 

The first question would be why a toddler was playing with a $500 ring at all. 

These people have the intellectual capacity of a stuffed animal. 

[Notabug]

12 hours ago, Heathen said:

The first question would be why a toddler was playing with a $500 ring at all. 

These people have the intellectual capacity of a stuffed animal. 

Please don't insult stuffed animals that way!  

Both Carlin and Evan are just so darned careless with their possessions; it is maddening.  They really do not seem to understand the value of a dollar and act as if they expect expensive stuff to just fall from the sky into their hands.  For that matter, they treat their kids like they're disposable and easily replaced.

[andromeda331]

On 1/14/2025 at 9:38 AM, Notabug said:

Please don't insult stuffed animals that way!  

Both Carlin and Evan are just so darned careless with their possessions; it is maddening.  They really do not seem to understand the value of a dollar and act as if they expect expensive stuff to just fall from the sky into their hands.  For that matter, they treat their kids like they're disposable and easily replaced.

I don't know about Evan but Carlin was never taught by her parents to respect their possessions. Gil and Kelly certainly never respected theirs or their parents'. They were the idiots laughing about their kids breaking the hammock at Gil's parents' house every time they visited. As if it was the most hilarious thing instead of showing how disrespectful they were. Or telling their kids (Carlin included) to get off the tables after Jane told them not to stand on the tables. Or causing a mess when they visited Alyssa's house for Allie's 1st birthday.

[cereality]

In the continued annals of - we don't give a damn unless we can put it on social media - parenting, did anyone catch the reel of C&E taking Zade for speech therapy? These two idiots were gushing about how much they are supporting him and how they're learning sooo much bc they're learning what they need to do. Meanwhile the speech therapy - Z reading books and playing Mr. Potato Head with the speech therapist. I'm not putting down the speech therapy at all - I know at this age it'll be done via play. But literally this woman read books with him in a very eager voice - pointing to pictures so he could say frog or door or whatever; or she'd say words asking him to repeat. Then they played with Mr. Potato Head where she asked him what pieces he wanted to put on the toy so he said nose, mouth etc. Like this is hardly rocket science and 2 parents who are home 24-7 with no jobs could certainly have been doing this with him basically since birth. I mean it's hardly a novel concept that parents TALK to their children.

Then Carlin shows this paper they gave them about language facilitation and again it's things like play with your child, talk about what you are playing, talk to the kid about what you're doing all day and have them repeat words etc.

Yet knowing these idiots he will get speech therapy 1 hr per week or whatever insurance covers; or if they don't have insurance that covers it - they'll do it whatever number of times until the story line gets old for IG and YT. And they'll do nothing at home along side. Like they'll expect that 1 hr weekly to magically fix everything.

And it's so sad to see it but these kids are sooooo happy with medical professionals. I mean Zade was all smiles the entire time and wants to go back. It's not unlike when Alyssa's ignored daughter Zoey had to go to the ER bc she felt heart palpitations. Drs. quickly determined there was no danger and she was all smiles as the nurses gushed over her, got her stickers etc and she was similarly happy going to the cardiologist to follow up as the dr paid all kinds of attention to her. Leads me to think these kids get so little attention at home that any kind adult paying attention to JUST them - not their siblings - without a camera in hand is a big deal to them. These kids so desperately need to be in a school with teachers who'd pay attention to them every day 6 hrs per day, whereas their own parents can barely look up from their phones to toss them some Doritos for lunch.

 

Edited January 22 by cereality

[BitterApple]

I said something similar on the subReddit. Speech therapy will last until it no longer generates engagement or starts interfering with their many vacations. I imagine Carlin will pop up pregnant soon to keep the grift going and we know what that will entail. Once the medical drama starts all over again, Zade will be long forgotten. 

Interesting to note that the Stews will soon be doing a podcast with Travis and Katie. When she posted the news on Instagram, the comments weren't favorable. People saying they only follow them for the kids, if the kids aren't involved they aren't interested, how sad they'll be because they won't get to see the kids. I'm sorry, but how effing creepy is that? Why are complete strangers so emotionally invested in children they don't know? 

 

[Salacious Kitty]

Well, it justifies their choice to keep exploiting the kids for cash. 

I hope the podcast crashes and burns. 

[65mickey]

I was horrified seeing Zade walking into therapy while sucking on an uninflated ballon. It is basic child safety 101 to never give a child a ballon that has not been inflated because of the risk of suffocation. If the ballon is inhaled and sucked down the throat it can block the airway. I hope the therapist instructed these two idiots to take the ballon away for safety reasons. I can't believe that they don't know this. 

It's sort of like the senior Bates leaving lighters around where the two youngest boys could get them and set the laundry room on fire.

 

[AgathaC]

18 hours ago, 65mickey said:

I was horrified seeing Zade walking into therapy while sucking on an uninflated ballon. It is basic child safety 101 to never give a child a ballon that has not been inflated because of the risk of suffocation. If the ballon is inhaled and sucked down the throat it can block the airway. I hope the therapist instructed these two idiots to take the ballon away for safety reasons. I can't believe that they don't know this. 

It's sort of like the senior Bates leaving lighters around where the two youngest boys could get them and set the laundry room on fire.

 

Even if the balloon is inflated, it’s a danger. My dad is a doctor and he used to tell us about the child he saw during his pediatric ER rotation. She was playing with a balloon near her face. It popped. She gasped and inhaled a piece of the balloon (or the whole thing). She was dead before she got to the hospital. To this day, I panic at any very small child playing with a balloon.

[floridamom]

I noticed that on their YouTubes, Carlin and Evan "speak for" their son. This may be contributing to Zade's lack of pronunciation....his parents will do it for him. Ask him question and LET HIM ANSWER, don't offer choice answers for him...then all he has to say is "YAH".

[farmgal4]

On 1/22/2025 at 1:46 PM, Salacious Kitty said:

Well, it justifies their choice to keep exploiting the kids for cash. 

I hope the podcast crashes and burns. 

They’re trying to entice listeners by saying they’re going to “spill the tea” or something like that.  Oh, please!    What kind of tea could these boring idiots possibly spill?  

[65mickey]

I also caught that they do not have conversations with Zade. They ask him a question like "do you love the Christmas tree?" And he says yes and that's all he says.  Instead Carlin should be asking him open ended questions like tell me what you will miss about the tree when it is gone.  He needs to be encouraged to speak. If they read to him ask him to tell them about his favorite books and ask questions like what do you think is going on in this picture? They should be included in the speech therapy sessions and have the therapist help them practice having conversations with him. 

Layla turns 5 next week and I think she is behind the average 5 year old in her speech. The kids are probably bright but they have a couple of not so bright parents. 

[ozziemom]

Is Carlin still homeschooling Layla? Don’t really follow them anymore but it seems like C&E made a big deal about it when Layla was 3 or so. I’m guessing Layla coloring a workbook isn’t exciting SM content. 

[Notabug]

17 hours ago, ozziemom said:

Is Carlin still homeschooling Layla? Don’t really follow them anymore but it seems like C&E made a big deal about it when Layla was 3 or so. I’m guessing Layla coloring a workbook isn’t exciting SM content. 

We haven't heard otherwise.  I think putting Layla into a regular preschool would interfere too much with their monthly vacations and photo ops.  Since she just turns 5 this month, Layla hasn't been legally required to be in school.  Now that she is kindergarten age, they're going to have to step up and actually work with her.  Or they would, if they weren't so ignorant.  I expect Carlin thinks the videos she does of Layla trying on dresses and getting her nails done are educational experiences for the child.

I don't know how stringent Tennessee's homeschool oversight is, but, considering Carlin is a product of that system and has shown herself to be an ignorant twit in most areas; I don't think they'll have to work too hard at her education.  I don't picture Carlin or Evan really caring if Layla is well educated as long as she's able to meet the minimal standards for Tennessee homeschoolers.  They're not going over and above the lowest bar, IMO.

Edited January 25 by Notabug

[65mickey]

A recent video showed a few words written on slips of paper and taped to a wall. Layla looking at one read CAT. Carlin was so excited about this. She said to Evan Layla  read CAT.  She is reading 3 letter words. Imagine that 3 letter words! I suspect Layla and Zade's education at the hands of their parents will be woefully lacking.

[BitterApple]

17 hours ago, ozziemom said:

Is Carlin still homeschooling Layla? Don’t really follow them anymore but it seems like C&E made a big deal about it when Layla was 3 or so. I’m guessing Layla coloring a workbook isn’t exciting SM content. 

I think they toss a few worksheets at her in between Starbucks runs, but that's about it. Like others said, there's no routine or care or real investment. Social media is their #1 priority. 

[Salacious Kitty]

Layla's 5th birthday present is a Disney cruise. Comped? I guess we'll see. 

[Heathen]

46 minutes ago, Salacious Kitty said:

Layla's 5th birthday present is a Disney cruise. Comped? I guess we'll see. 

That kid is going to turn out as materialist and poseur-y as the Biermann kids. If her parents don't go bankrupt and end up living with Granny and Gramps Stew first. 

[Meow Mix]

One of my friend's kids had a speech delay.  She said the first thing the speech therapist told them was to stop translating for him or finishing his sentences.  She said just letting him work to get the words out helped a lot.  With Zade from what little I have seen (I have only watched some of a recent video) he seems to be way behind.  He just whines unintelligibly, but I think that's mainly because they don't talk with him at all.  I hope they do what the speech therapist tells them to.  These two have such short attention spans that I am afraid if they don't see immediate results they will give up.  I feel bad for both those kids.

[Notabug]

5 hours ago, Meow Mix said:

One of my friend's kids had a speech delay.  She said the first thing the speech therapist told them was to stop translating for him or finishing his sentences.  She said just letting him work to get the words out helped a lot.  With Zade from what little I have seen (I have only watched some of a recent video) he seems to be way behind.  He just whines unintelligibly, but I think that's mainly because they don't talk with him at all.  I hope they do what the speech therapist tells them to.  These two have such short attention spans that I am afraid if they don't see immediate results they will give up.  I feel bad for both those kids.

One of my nephews also had a speech delay.  My sister and BIL got the same advice; no shortcuts, he had to speak in complete sentences in order to get what he wanted.   My sister, being his mom, was able to anticipate what he was going to say before he said it and often took care of it before he finished the sentence or just finished the sentence for him.  They put the advice to work, not responding to him until he spoke in a sentence without hand gestures or other non-verbal cues.  Within a couple months, he'd made incredible progress.

However, this requires parents to take their time and wait for their child to form the words before responding and to really listen when the child speaks. And to do it consistently even when tired or hungry or in a hurry.  I don't picture either Carlin or Evan doing this.  They're too self-centered and lazy.

[lookeyloo]

My late brother had speech delays.  He was born in 1952 and I don't think anyone heard of speech therapy.  I was the only one who could understand him. I was almost 9 years older than him.   He pointed, and made some sounds and could say a few things.  His first sentence was "two cookies".  Anyway, we all just went along and then he went to kindergarten at age 4 and a half and whatever happened there fixed him.  So, I'm thinking if there is nothing "wrong" with Zane except his lazy parents, and if they could manage to send him to school (not likely) things might work themselves out.

[65mickey]

Like you said it's not likely that Zade will be enrolled in school. Going to school means keeping regular hours with early bedtimes and getting up in the morning to get to school on time. Regular attendance with no excuses for Disney cruises is also a requirement.  I don't think the Stewarts are willing to give up their many vacations  and late night "parties" in order to send the children to school. It's a shame because I believe both Zade and Layla would benefit from school. 

[Meow Mix]

I saw some commentary on another forum on the comments people left on a video they posted of Layla and I am very disturbed.  There were comments about her being a woman in a child's body and how someone liked the way she exhaled.  I just can't understand how Carlin and Evan can read stuff like that and still put her on social media like this.  Because of their actions, people know the layout of their house, they know where she goes to dance class, and they know when those two idiots have taken off on another vacation and left her with some relative.  Videos of her are getting shared all over the place.  They really need to adjust their priorities, but they won't.  They sure have come a long way from the supposedly wholesome image Gil and Kelly tried to portray of not being materialistic and valuing family over everything.  They value vacations and Teslas and backyard pools over everything else.

[floridamom]

Did these two post any new YouTubes? Haven't seen anything from them in a bit...just a "short" from their stateroom surprising Layla with a Happy Birthday wake up.

[BitterApple]

4 hours ago, floridamom said:

Did these two post any new YouTubes? Haven't seen anything from them in a bit...just a "short" from their stateroom surprising Layla with a Happy Birthday wake up.

They posted the Disney Cruise vlog yesterday and they're on the annual ski trip now, so plenty of child exploitation is yet to come!

[floridamom]

Thank you for the info. A ski trip? I don't understand just how is it that Carlin can "run" her business when they seem to not ever be there. I wouldn't think that Whitney and Zach are happy to have the bulk of the work dumped on them. Is it that those 2 young women who they employ actually are the full time-hands on managers and the Stewarts and Bates "sisters" are in name only managers? Doesn't add up once again. Oh BTW, didn't they commit little Zade to speech therapy? Do these two understand that Zade has to actually ATTEND those sessions regularly to be effective? 

[AstridM]

2 hours ago, floridamom said:

Thank you for the info. A ski trip? I don't understand just how is it that Carlin can "run" her business when they seem to not ever be there. I wouldn't think that Whitney and Zach are happy to have the bulk of the work dumped on them. Is it that those 2 young women who they employ actually are the full time-hands on managers and the Stewarts and Bates "sisters" are in name only managers? Doesn't add up once again. Oh BTW, didn't they commit little Zade to speech therapy? Do these two understand that Zade has to actually ATTEND those sessions regularly to be effective? 

They honestly think they’re the fundie Kartrashians. I can’t wait for their downfall.

[Natalie68]

55 minutes ago, AstridM said:

They honestly think they’re the fundie Kartrashians. I can’t wait for their downfall.

I was just thinking the same thing.  Every trend has an end date so they need skills other than being a bullshit influencer.  Plus safety nets, once the bottom drops, are going away (choices have consequences).  I expect the next generation of Bates will be poor (and intellectually inferior and entitled).  Except for Katie and Josie since they married money.

[BitterApple]

3 hours ago, floridamom said:

Thank you for the info. A ski trip? I don't understand just how is it that Carlin can "run" her business when they seem to not ever be there. I wouldn't think that Whitney and Zach are happy to have the bulk of the work dumped on them. Is it that those 2 young women who they employ actually are the full time-hands on managers and the Stewarts and Bates "sisters" are in name only managers? 

You're not the only one wondering. There's several comments on the BSB Instagram page, asking why Carlin is never around. They did a recent pop-up store at a mall with two of the employees. I didn't see the reels, but those who did said it didn't appear to be getting much traffic. Kind of an odd choice considering malls are dying. They're also having in-store shopping at the warehouse this week. This indicates to me that online sales are lagging and they need cash. 

With regards to speech therapy, Zade had an appointment before they left. The therapist told them previously not to use baby talk, and then we're treated to a video of Carlin asking Zade if he wants "wa-wa." Good to see her taking things seriously! 🙄

[cereality]

OMG I was going to post here if anyone had seen the reels of this kid's useless speech therapy. First appt parents show up in their matching North Faces, Sbux in hand, sipping away and filming while they gush about how cool this is, how cute a kid they made, how they're learning sooooo much, how the speech therapist gave them the best flyer that'll help them soooo much. The flyer listed the most common sense things imaginable like talk to your kid, read to your kid and point to pictures to have him fill in words in the story, ask him questions thru the day so they narrate what they're doing. Second appointment - just Evan shows up, coffee in hand, sitting there sending videos to Carlin.

Cue Disney cruise where kid asks for Me Mow 800000 times. Not one time to they correct him and say "say Mickey, his name is Mickey." On the way to speech therapy he's wearing a Spider Man jacket which I'm sure they shopped for on the cruise and and he announces it's Ba ba Man. Uh maybe have him say SPIDER? Not one time have we seen them correcting him or asking him a question where he needs to respond with correct language/correcting how he says it and asking him to say it. Nope they think it's just faster and easier to ask yes/no questions and translate for him - it takes the least amount of time away from their YT and IG filming.

And I don't believe any notion of - oh they don't want to embarrass the kid on camera bc these people put up videos of their kids sitting on dr exam tables. And frankly if they were working with him outside the 45 min he gets with a speech therapist every few weeks between vacations, we'd see the kid speaking a bit more clearly even after just 3-4 weeks.

[BitterApple]

I remember when Bill and Jen from The Little Couple took their two adopted children to speech therapy. Both kids made rapid progress and we're talking about children whose first language wasn't even English. Of course it helps that mom and dad are a doctor and businessman as opposed to immature, fame-whoring imbeciles, but my point is, the treatment works if you're willing to put in the effort. 

Like cereality said, Evan and Carlin treat it as a cute little outing they fit in between Starbucks runs. And for what it's worth, Layla isn't much better. Her speech and vocabulary are lagging behind what I'd consider typical for kids her age. I don't think either of them are encouraged to do much besides making wide eyes and phony expressions for the camera. 

Edited February 11 by BitterApple

[floridamom]

Yes, it's so sad for little Zade. He seems like such a nice little boy and he will seemingly be shortchanged across the board in life by his clueless, immature parents. Layla, turning 5 yrs old, should be enrolled in kindergarten come the next school year. I am sorry that she will miss out on this. With all of the $$$ they waste on nonsense and self, instant gratification, they have the funds to pay for tuition in a private christian school for her. Also, Zade would benefit A LOT from a pre-k program, public or private....like my son, who also didn't speak did. His therapy at a pre-k program did him wonders all across the board. I mentioned in a previous post, the traveling and events this month for them but forgot that it's February...I LOVE YOU DAY is coming up. No travel for them, but costume rentals, preparations to add more chaos to the Stewart household. Those two children don't have a chance to actually relax in their own home with some peace and quiet.....AND a scratch, homemade meal.

[65mickey]

17 hours ago, floridamom said:

With all of the $$$ they waste on nonsense and self, instant gratification, they have the funds to pay for tuition in a private christian school for her. Also, Zade would benefit A LOT from a pre-k program, public or private

It's not lack of funds for these 2 teenage wannabes. It's being too lazy and immature to have regular schedules for dinner time and bedtime for their kids.  If they are enrolled in a school whether it be public or private they can't just stroll in at 10:00 am if school starts at 8:00 am.  And you can't go on vacation every couple of weeks and have the children miss school while the kids are being drug from one place to another. Zade and Layla would would benefit from being around other children their age who speak with age appropriate words and sentences. And having a teacher who pronounces water as water and not wa wa and Layla as Layla and not ya ya. 

[ranchgirl]

IMO, Zack/Whitney + Carlin/Evan = BSB owners.  Zach seems to be the CEO and organizer.  Evan is their camera man and PR guy.  Whitney and Carlin are models and advertisers/influencers.  They hired that one lady to manage the day-to-day operations and then she has 2 stock girls, who also model and do silly videos.  They can open the store up now b/c the manager runs things, and the owners need to only make an appearance.  At the mall set up thingy, Zach was there but neither Whit or Carlin.  

Ski trip appears to have been planned before Kelly's big health scare.  I do not believe she traveled to Utah.  Gil seems to be doing most of the kid watching.  I bet Michaela stayed behind to help Kelly and to make I Love You day costumes.  Right?  Looked like only Katie/Travis, Carlin/Evan and Josie/Kelton + all the younger Bates went skiing.  I haven't seen anyone else, but not really looking much in the background of the stories of the above mentioned.  

I honestly would not like having a lifestyle of Carlin and Evan.  I would long for days at home and not rushing off.  Routine.  But I know they are "go,go,go" people so this suits them fine.  And Carlin can always get her IV from home when she is lagging.  *sigh*

[RebeccatheWriter]

New Insta-stories show the kids getting fitted for their ski boots. Carlin is right there with them calling Layla sissy and sis rather than her name. Layla needs speech therapy too. She is 5 and cannot carry out a full sentence. She's now narrating videos and even with the closed captioning makes zero sense. There was gibberish about skiing in the snow and watching a video when she got home with a phrase about landing the plane. 

I don't think Carlin and Evan actually talk with their children as much as they are speaking at them on camera. 

I don't like exploiting children on camera and social media, but I will say others do the narration thing better. Josie Balka had a few reels and such where Willow spoke as the narrator, including announcing Josie's pregnancy with Miles. Willow does speak more clearly and it was probably recorded a few times. But even without closed captioning, I could understand her five short sentences. (I went back and found it to confirm it wasn't an urban legend. Willow says, "I have a surprise. Mommy has a baby in her belly. There's a picture of it (video of them holding the ultrasound pics). Hazel's a big sister now. Love you, bye." Not a fan of the exploitation, but at least that was not all in baby talk.

 

[ranchgirl]

Well, I was very wrong ... Kelly was there in Utah.   She said that Carlin/Evan, Josie/Kelton and Katie/Travis got the airb&b and paid for that + a dinner at Ruth Chris for her and Gil.  Lawson was there w/o his wife and baby, and Warden, Ellie, Callie, Jed and Jud.