S04.E12: Everyone's Invited

[Back Atcha]

4 hours ago, Notabug said:

I've seen panic attacks and that was not at all what I saw from her.

I've seen panic attacks that varied from...I couldn't tell anything was going on...to "Call the Ambulance NOW!"  Some can suffer quietly while they feel they're having a heart attack.  You truly can't tell from looking.

6 hours ago, Fouts said:

After Olivia arrived at the cemetery, the reality of coming face to face with her abuser was just too much.  I saw a panic attack as a result, not pouting.  And then Ethan--who should be protecting her as his spouse--and the siblings chose to punish her for it.  They did everything they could to shift blame of the family dysfunction onto her.  Their toxicity and hostility towards Olivia seems to have unified them at the moment, but that core is based on rot and Kim's narcissism.  It will not end well.  

I completely agree, Fouts.   Hypocritical Kim's manipulation of her family will continue; she'll be Queen Bee before we know it.  Things don't look good for Olivia.  Ethan and Barry aren't equipped emotionally to help her at all.

Will Kim be happy if she "wins"?  Doesn't that mean she'll keep the house, keep the kids (and all the "motherwork involved) who live in the house ... and put a hold on her dance studio dream and love nest apartment.

[Ziggy]

10 hours ago, Notabug said:

No, but we did see Olivia visibly upset that Ethan, Moriah and Micah chose to go to their brother's grave when Kim was going to be there,

I don’t think Olivia was upset that Ethan, Moriah and Micah were going. I think Olivia was upset that she wasn’t told until right before they were leaving.  She had no time to process it, and she had to decide RIGHT NOW.  Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t po’d that her own husband didn’t bother talking to her about it.

[Salacious Kitty]

3 minutes ago, Ziggy said:

I don’t think Olivia was upset that Ethan, Moriah and Micah were going. I think Olivia was upset that she wasn’t told until right before they were leaving.  She had no time to process it, and she had to decide RIGHT NOW.  Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t po’d that her own husband didn’t bother talking to her about it.

Well, if there's one thing Ethan is bad at, it's communication with his wife. He freely admits this. 

[Notabug]

31 minutes ago, Ziggy said:

I don’t think Olivia was upset that Ethan, Moriah and Micah were going. I think Olivia was upset that she wasn’t told until right before they were leaving.  She had no time to process it, and she had to decide RIGHT NOW.  Also, I wouldn’t be surprised if she wasn’t po’d that her own husband didn’t bother talking to her about it.

Olivia is an adult, if she needed advance notice in order to 'process' Kim's attendance at a graveside gathering in honor of her child; then she should've made it clear and maybe even asked in advance what the plans were re: Kim's presence.  If she didn't find out until the last second and that was emotionally overwhelming for her, then maybe she should've asked rather than wait for her husband and his siblings, who she knows ae terrible when it comes to discussing unpleasant subjects, to delay it until the last moment.  However, I still think that a big part of the reason she was upset to find out at the last minute was because she also found out at that time that Ethan, Moriah and Micah were still going to attend, with or without her.  I do think she expected them to refuse to go or demand Kim be excluded. Yes, of course, Ethan should've told her as soon as he found out, but, if the audience wasn't surprised that he didn't, then surely she shouldn't have been, either.

I guess I just find it amazingly presumptive of Olivia to expect her husband and his siblings to give her precedence over their mother in all things, including at a remembrance for their dead sibling who Olivia never even met.  That she seemed to feel that it was right and just that she attend with the rest of the family while Kim be left to fend for herself alone is really pretty selfish, IMO.  I know she has good reason not to want to interact with Kim, but, it is kind of appalling to me that she made the gathering all about her issues with her MIL rather than showing compassion for the entire family and their loss and stepping aside gracefully.  Just because she was unhappy that they hadn't told her sooner doesn't mean she couldn't have behaved better in that moment and then taken Ethan to task privately afterwards.  

Edited August 16, 2022 by Notabug

[RedDelicious]

Recollections may vary. 

[Ziggy]

21 minutes ago, Notabug said:

Olivia is an adult, if she needed advance notice in order to 'process' Kim's attendance at a graveside gathering in honor of her child; then she should've made it clear and maybe even asked in advance what the plans were re: Kim's presence.  If she didn't find out until the last second and that was emotionally overwhelming for her, then maybe she should've asked rather than wait for her husband and his siblings, who she knows ae terrible when it comes to discussing unpleasant subjects, to delay it until the last moment.  However, I still think that a big part of the reason she was upset to find out at the last minute was because she also found out at that time that Ethan, Moriah and Micah were still going to attend, with or without her.  I do think she expected them to refuse to go or demand Kim be excluded. Yes, of course, Ethan should've told her as soon as he found out, but, if the audience wasn't surprised that he didn't, then surely she shouldn't have been, either.

I guess I just find it amazingly presumptive of Olivia to expect her husband and his siblings to give her precedence over their mother in all things, including at a remembrance for their dead sibling who Olivia never even met.  That she seemed to feel that it was right and just that she attend with the rest of the family while Kim be left to fend for herself alone is really pretty selfish, IMO.  I know she has good reason not to want to interact with Kim, but, it is kind of appalling to me that she made the gathering all about her issues with her MIL rather than showing compassion for the entire family and their loss and stepping aside gracefully.  Just because she was unhappy that they hadn't told her sooner doesn't mean she couldn't have behaved better in that moment and then taken Ethan to task privately afterwards.  

The plan was to go to the gravesite without Kim. The plan changed, and Moriah (not Ethan) informed Olivia.

I find it odd that you are under the impression Olivia is asking anyone to choose. I don’t recall that ever happening, but I do remember her saying that she doesn’t want to be there if Kim is - not in a mean way or in a demanding way, just matter-of-fact.

I’m not sure what you saw Olivia do that you deem to be her “behaving badly.” When she found out Kim was going to be there, she quickly excused herself. She did try to talk to Ethan in private, and he got mad and walked away.

I'm not saying Olivia is perfect or handled everything perfectly, but we really didn’t see much at all.

[Notabug]

3 minutes ago, Ziggy said:

The plan was to go to the gravesite without Kim. The plan changed, and Moriah (not Ethan) informed Olivia.

I find it odd that you are under the impression Olivia is asking anyone to choose. I don’t recall that ever happening, but I do remember her saying that she doesn’t want to be there if Kim is - not in a mean way or in a demanding way, just matter-of-fact.

I’m not sure what you saw Olivia do that you deem to be her “behaving badly.” When she found out Kim was going to be there, she quickly excused herself. She did try to talk to Ethan in private, and he got mad and walked away.

I'm not saying Olivia is perfect or handled everything perfectly, but we really didn’t see much at all.

I am basing my assumption that Olivia expected the others to choose her and stay behind because she complained that they were going to the cemetery and were going to leave her all alone on the farm.  If she was only concerned about her own actions, she wouldn't have been upset that the others were leaving.  To me, that was a strong indication that Olivia expected Ethan, at the very least, to stay behind with her.  Expecting them to decide to stay with her instead of going to the cemetery because Kim would be there indicates to me that Olivia wanted to demonstrate to the family, especially Kim, that Ethan, Moriah and Micah were supporting her over Kim.  

Edited August 16, 2022 by Notabug

[Ziggy]

2 minutes ago, Notabug said:

I am basing my assumption that Olivia expected the others to choose her and stay behind because she complained that they were going to the cemetery and were going to leave her all alone on the farm.  If she was only concerned about her own actions, she wouldn't have been upset that the others were leaving.  To me, that was a strong indication that Olivia expected Ethan, at the very least, to stay behind with her.  

She said (in her interview) that she could go and be with Kim, or she could stay at the farm alone. She didn’t want to be alone, so she road over. That’s when she realized it was too much.

Articulating your only two options isn’t the same thing as forcing others to choose. She as right. Those were her only two options. She didn’t have a car, so what else could she do?

[Ziggy]

8 hours ago, Notabug said:

We'll have to agree to disagree as to whether she was having a panic attack or trying to force the issue with her husband and his family.  I've seen panic attacks and that was not at all what I saw from her.

To be fair, we (and Ethan and the family) didn’t see her at all at the gravesite. Sure we heard her talk to someone from TLC, but we don’t really know what happened.

Edited August 16, 2022 by Ziggy

[Jeanne222]

Olivia exhausts me.  The concert and now the gravesite.

Kim will always be the mom.  Olivia will always make a fuss.

Ethan doesn't support her because he loves his family and wants to be with them.  Kim done him wrong but he accepts her faults, wants to move on and wants to participate in all things family.

Olivia is what we used to call 'the fly in the ointment'!

[heatherchandler]

On 8/13/2022 at 11:50 AM, Ms.Lulu said:

Here you go:

Does this mean they are not getting divorced?

[gingerella]

I find it incredibly sad that there are some who would vilify a young woman who has admittedly come from what sounds like a very damaging and emotionally abusive family, and then been verbally and emotionally abused by her in laws, and make her out to be somehow lying about having PTSD. I mentioned it before, and I'm not going to go into details here of all places, but I know a lot firsthand about PTSD and as someone else mentioned upthread, PTSD presents itself in many different ways, but the one thing that I think most people who have PTSD would tell you is that they often hide it because it feels uncomfortable and embarrassing and oftentimes confusing to them, let alone having to explain it to others. PTSD is an umbrella diagnosis that, in my experience, carries with it extreme anxiety that can be triggered in expected ways and then in very unexpected ways. You never know what it will rear its head and where. Movies and TV have shown us for decades Vietnam war vets suffering from PTSD who experience intensely terrifying flashbacks when they hear a car backfire or see/hear fireworks go off. And while that can happen, PTSD triggers are often more subtle than that and one finds themself suddenly ramping into a panic without understanding why it's happening.

In the case of what we've seen of Olivia, she shows all the signs of dealing with PTSD and its associated anxiety. She is putting in hard work with what seems like a good therapist, who has given her the language to talk about how she is feeling and what she needs to do when she feels an anxiety/panic attack coming on. That is exactly what she did with the Joshua episode. The kids - I think it was Moriah - had planned a kids only visit to Joshua's gravesite, that did not include the Plath parents. That was made very clear and it is not anyone's interpretation, it is fact. What happened was that Olivia then reached out to Barry to ask if she could talk to him while they were picking the girls up at the Plath house to take them to the farm. THAT is when the plans got fucked up. Sadly, Olivia didn't think it through, and her inviting Barry meant that the kids then felt that Kim should be invited too. Ironically, it was Olivia's desire to try to begin mending the relationship with Barry that caused Kim to then be invited. There was a scene in which Moriah was pissed off that Olivia reached out to Barry because it was throwing a wrench in their plans. Also, just because you have the words and tools to deal with a panic attack does not mean you can use them right away, it can take years to be able to respond calmly with the therapeutic tools Olivia has been exposed to through her therapy.

Lastly, just because the kids wanted their own time graveside did not mean Kim would not be 'allowed' to visit her dead son's grave - that was never implied nor stated outright. It's just that the original plan was indeed for the kids to be there without their parents.

Like others here, I applaud Olivia for trying to manage her feelings even when she is feeling like she is spiraling out of control. If you have never experienced a panic/anxiety attack you have no clue how terrifying it is, and I just don't think she's acting about that. Now Ethan, OTOH, I think is being totally honest about being unable to communicate with his wife about anything meaningful. He is a silly man child who I don't think will ever grow up. Olivia has outgrown him, IMO, and would do well to move on, no matter how painful that would be. Though since they're in Europe living it up, perhaps they've gotten past some of the bullshit.

Edited August 16, 2022 by gingerella

[Back Atcha]

22 hours ago, Notabug said:

To me, it seems like she wants the money that the show provides and is perfectly willing to keep being put into conflict with Kim in order to cash in and get free trips and such.  She needs to own that, too.

Does anyone really think Olivia (or ANY cast member) has the power to create storylines and keep them going..."in order to cash in and get free trips and such"??   This is a television show with writers, "continuity girls"", executives, censors, FCC standards, etc.  Many rules to follow. The production company won't allow conflict just because "she wants the money."  They create conflict to get and keep viewers.  Just go with the flow ... enjoy the pandemonium.

[Back Atcha]

32 minutes ago, gingerella said:

I find it incredibly sad that there are some who would vilify a young woman who has admittedly come from what sounds like a very damaging and emotionally abusive family, and then been verbally and emotionally abused by her in laws, and make her out to be somehow lying about having PTSD. I

BRAVO, Gingerella, BRAVO!!  EVERYONE should read your post--and some need to read it again!  I want to mention (re Panic Attacks) that sometimes medication is the key.  Medications are not without side effects, but patients will often explain it was the only thing that allowed them to live a normal (enough) life. 

ALSO...merely because someone claims having "seen panic attacks" doesn't imply that the person could observe ALL LEVELS of panic attack.  Often suicides follow the worst of them.  Don't be so judgmental where mental illness is concerned.  You CAN'T know everything!  (Not you, Gingerella)

I have to remind myself too often that this board was originally "Television Without Pity," and the main focus (and enjoyment!) was our snark.  Sometimes the snark gets very cruel when discussing cast members shortcomings (physical and mental).

Edited August 16, 2022 by Back Atcha

[Notabug]

8 hours ago, Back Atcha said:

Does anyone really think Olivia (or ANY cast member) has the power to create storylines and keep them going..."in order to cash in and get free trips and such"??   This is a television show with writers, "continuity girls"", executives, censors, FCC standards, etc.  Many rules to follow. The production company won't allow conflict just because "she wants the money."  They create conflict to get and keep viewers.  Just go with the flow ... enjoy the pandemonium.

Oh, absolutely.  I don't think any of them has a big say in how the storylines play out.  I think the producers take a grain of truth: Kim is toxic, Olivia doesn't want to interact with her and then write storylines to maximize the drama.  The gathering at the gravesite was most likely TPTB's idea as was the storyline that Olivia would not ask or be told that Kim was coming until it was literally time to go to the cemetery. I expect that TPTB told Olivia not to ask and told Ethan, Micah and Moriah not to tell her beforehand. It's not just that Ethan avoids conflict, maybe he does; but TPTB love conflict and have built the show around it. Either that, or they all knew all along what was coming and the whole thing was faked by all involved, but I don't think any of them have that kind of acting ability. I think the rest of us saw it coming a mile away and could've anticipated exactly what happened, but, either they aren't very insightful or they are willing to play along for the benefits of being on TV.  I think it's the latter.

I think the family has very little room for improv, but I also think TPTB create the situations that lead to heightening the conflict.  This is why I question why Olivia, who has gotten some therapy and has more insight that the rest as to her issues, continues to appear on a show where her terrible relationship with her MIL is the focus.  If she is still seeing a therapist, I find it hard to believe that there hasn't been some sort of discussion as to how doing this show is probably not beneficial to her emotional health.  I can't imagine any professional in the field of psychiatry thinking that Olivia should subject herself to being repeatedly blindsided by the person who has caused her so much pain.

If she's not doing the show for financial gain, why is she doing it?

8 hours ago, gingerella said:

I find it incredibly sad that there are some who would vilify a young woman who has admittedly come from what sounds like a very damaging and emotionally abusive family, and then been verbally and emotionally abused by her in laws, and make her out to be somehow lying about having PTSD. 

 Could you please point out a post where Olivia has been vilified or someone has claimed she is lying about having PTSD?  Disagreeing with how Olivia behaves in the situations that the show places her in is not the same as vilifying her.  I don't always pay very close attention but, while I have heard Olivia talk about her terrible childhood without going into much detail and she has been pretty clear that she has very valid reasons to not want to deal with Kim; I haven't heard her say that she has PTSD or panic attacks.  I've seen posters here say it, and I don't disagree that she might have those problems, but I haven't heard her frame it that way.  PTSD and panic attacks are very specific diagnoses with very specific symptoms required for diagnosis.  I would prefer not to diagnose Olivia from watching her perform on TV when I see only a tiny fraction of her story. I personally did not feel that Olivia's reaction to the family gathering with Kim at the gravesite was a panic attack and I thought her refusal to join them at the picnic ground but instead expecting the family to come down to the river and greet her personally was a bit ridiculous.  But, we're here to discuss and disagree; if anyone else thought it was a panic attack, it's all good, we get to have our own opinions.  I also think it was scripted that way and none of these people has a lot of control over the way it plays out.

As far as how or why the family couldn't have worked out a way for both Olivia and Kim to visit the gravesite at separate times; well, that couldn't happen because TPTB on the show didn't want it to happen.  The show is scripted.  The family does as they are told.  I think more than a couple of them are bright enough to have figured out a reasonable alternative to what was scripted; but they don't write the show and they don't get to make reasonable suggestions because TPTB are not interested in family harmony and compromise.  And, once again, all of the adults in this family have signed contracts and are paid to appear on the show and, if they really find it all too triggering, they could leave the show.  

Edited August 17, 2022 by Notabug

[the-grey-lady]

On 8/3/2022 at 10:43 AM, bichonblitz said:

It makes me sick the way these kids forgive Kim for being such a shitty, disgusting human being. I'm also sick of kids saying they forgive their parents for being assholes just because " Well, she's my mom" or "He's my dad" and I love them.

Also when Micah asked how long Olivia was going to hold onto her beef with Kim.

Um, until Kim apologizes and makes amends? Olivia isn't required to pretend Kim wasn't abusive to her just because X amount of time has passed.

Speaking of making amends, I would love to hear Kim say something like, "look, I told you marriage was forever, and I really did believe that, but sometimes you do everything you can and it isn't enough. I'm sorry I got that wrong." But her constant deflections and excuse-making are maddening.

Edited August 23, 2022 by the-grey-lady

[Craigcodybazhate]

I love Olivia. She’s beautiful. Just gorgeous. Stunning red hair. 
 

I don’t know why she tripping on her dudes mom. Maybe some of y’all can help me out. 
 

is this cause his mom was stealing from them? Well she’s my favorite. 
 

I think it’s a great show. Jamaica was one of my favorite episodes. 
 

Only thing I didn’t like was how Olivia was just talking with her brother chilling with her Brother not talking to anybody kind of caty. You could talk to them. 
 

glad they made up. Can’t wait til next season. 

[Bethanne]

On 8/7/2022 at 5:56 PM, GreenlinetoHarlem said:

I'm super impressed with Micah. He seems so grounded, healthy and sweet. Also very emotionally intelligent! There are some nice kids in this family. They did a lot wrong but some things right, Barry and Kim. I can't figure out if Kim is a villain or not, but I hope not. Olivia was too young when she got involved with all this to be a villain to me. I really wish everyone the best, and I'm glad they are all less screwed up than I would have predicted a couple of years ago. I think the divorce is good news for everyone. Olivia and Ethan should be next- they are obviously not compatible!

I agree with all of this. They really are some lovely kids, with the exception of that simpering man-child Ethan and the manipulative, fake-pious Lydia. I especially like Amber and Isaac for their sweet, quiet, loving personalities. Cassia and Mercy are adorable and fun, too.

Edited September 26, 2022 by Bethanne

[MamaGee]

Why do they talk so weird? The say "the children." Barry and Kim call each other by their proper name when they are talking about each other to "the children." So. Very. Weird. 

[Craigcodybazhate]

On 9/13/2022 at 2:16 AM, Craigcodybazhate said:

I love Olivia. She’s beautiful. Just gorgeous. Stunning red hair. 
 

I don’t know why she tripping on her dudes mom. Maybe some of y’all can help me out. 
 

is this cause his mom was stealing from them? Well she’s my favorite. 
 

I think it’s a great show. Jamaica was one of my favorite episodes. 
 

Only thing I didn’t like was how Olivia was just talking with her brother chilling with her Brother not talking to anybody kind of caty. You could talk to them. 
 

glad they made up. Can’t wait til next season. 

I can’t wait for season 2.!!!!!!’n

It’s like a little bit of civilization and they get turned out. Olivia is mad and turned up about his mom. They got beef. 
 

But Olivia kind of feels like she was brainwashed and it was a lie. 
 

this season is gonna be bananas. 

[TwirlyGirly]

On 9/13/2022 at 5:16 AM, Craigcodybazhate said:

I love Olivia. She’s beautiful. Just gorgeous. Stunning red hair. 

I don’t know why she tripping on her dudes mom. Maybe some of y’all can help me out. 

is this cause his mom was stealing from them? Well she’s my favorite. 

By "her dude" do you mean Olivia's husband, Ethan? And Ethan's mother (Olivia's mother-in-law) Kim?

Kim wouldn't allow Olivia to be around any of Ethan's younger siblings because she was afraid Olivia would expose them to things she didn't want them to be exposed to. Let me be perfectly clear: we're not talking about drugs, porn, or anything most parents would consider inappropriate. Kim didn't want Olivia to introduce them to what most kids their age knew about/enjoyed/participated in. 

Olivia was raised similarly to the Plath children, but ditched the beliefs with which she had been raised and became "worldly" when she became a legal adult. She helped expose Ethan to "worldly" things, too. He was very naïve - as all the Plath children were at the time (and some still are).

Being treated like she was a danger to her sisters- and brothers-in-law by her mother-in-law upset Olivia. Of course! Kim forbid Olivia from spending any time with them. 

That is why Olivia wants nothing to do with Kim. 

[Craigcodybazhate]

4 minutes ago, TwirlyGirly said:

By "her dude" do you mean Olivia's husband, Ethan? And Ethan's mother (Olivia's mother-in-law) Kim?

Kim wouldn't allow Olivia to be around any of Ethan's younger siblings because she was afraid Olivia would expose them to things she didn't want them to be exposed to. Let me be perfectly clear: we're not talking about drugs, porn, or anything most parents would consider inappropriate. Kim didn't want Olivia to introduce them to what most kids their age knew about/enjoyed/participated in. 

Olivia was raised similarly to the Plath children, but ditched the beliefs with which she had been raised and became "worldly" when she became a legal adult. She helped expose Ethan to "worldly" things, too. He was very naïve - as all the Plath children were at the time (and some still are).

Being treated like she was a danger to her sisters- and brothers-in-law by her mother-in-law upset Olivia. Of course! Kim forbid Olivia from spending any time with them. 

That is why Olivia wants nothing to do with Kim. 

Vey good. I’m so interested in this. It’s like they’re Amish but they’re not. So like she restricts them from everything? Music Movies??? Pop culture? I’m sure they aren’t allowed any social media. Are they just away from civilization? 
 

 

This show is one of my favorites. And Olivia is so hot.!!!!!!!!!!! 
 

didn’t Olivia say the mom was taking Money from her Husband? 

[TwirlyGirly]

1 hour ago, Craigcodybazhate said:

Vey good. I’m so interested in this. It’s like they’re Amish but they’re not. So like she restricts them from everything? Music Movies??? Pop culture? I’m sure they aren’t allowed any social media. Are they just away from civilization? 

1 hour ago, Craigcodybazhate said:

 

 

They're Fundamentalist Christian.

All of the children have been/are homeschooled, and I'm pretty sure I know what curriculum they use.

It requires no teacher. The students just complete workbooks, and at the end of each workbook there's a multiple choice test. After finishing a test, the student scores it themselves. If they don't get a passing grade, they're given another copy of the same workbook and they have to start from the beginning of the workbook and complete it again. If they do pass the test, they're given the next workbook in the series for that subject. 

Every subject is taught from a Biblical perspective. Much of what is taught is factually incorrect.

AFAIK, the Plath children were/are not given the opportunity to interact with any children outside the family. They had/have no TV or video games, and computer use was/is strictly controlled. Parental approved reading materials only.

If Olivia were to say to one of the kids "No, the Earth is not 6000 years old; It's billions of years old" Kim would consider that just as bad as if Olivia explained to them what porn is. (I wish I were joking).

Kim is manipulative and doesn't respect boundaries. She's also a hypocrite, because as soon as her faith-based beliefs get in the way of something she wants to do, suddenly they aren't as important to living a God-fearing life as she taught her children.

For example: divorce.

The Bible clearly states there are only two justifications for divorce: your spouse commits adultery, or your spouse is a non-believer and they ask for a divorce.*

But Kim is no longer happy in her marriage to Barry. They've separated, and Kim wants to proceed with divorcing him. 

*The Bible also says if someone divorces for any reason other than their spouse committing adultery/being a non-believer, they'll still be married in the eyes of God. If later they marry someone else, then they will be committing adultery. Adultery is a death penalty crime in the Bible. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by TwirlyGirly
Corrected punctuation error.

[Notabug]

9 hours ago, TwirlyGirly said:

They're Fundamentalist Christian.

All of the children have been/are homeschooled, and I'm pretty sure I know what curriculum they use.

It requires no teacher. The students just complete workbooks, and at the end of each workbook there's a multiple choice test. After finishing a test, the student scores it themselves. If they don't get a passing grade, they're given another copy of the same workbook and they have to start from the beginning of the workbook and complete it again. If they do pass the test, they're given the next workbook in the series for that subject. 

Every subject is taught from a Biblical perspective. Much of what is taught is factually incorrect.

 

Ethan Plath, on the show, said that his mother did virtually no monitoring of the kids' education; they pretty much were on their own.  In an argument with Kim, he complained that, when he was still a preteen, he expressed an interest in cars and engines and Kim let him spend all day, every day, tinkering with an old car in the barn rather than doing any schoolwork.  As an adult, he came to realize how much he had missed by not being exposed to subjects like geography and history and science.  He had trouble reading and doing basic math, amongst other things and felt really out of place and unable to participate in regular conversation about topics involving everyday common knowledge.

Quote

didn’t Olivia say the mom was taking Money from her Husband? 

Olivia said that Ethan had a credit card that Kim kept for him and charged personal things for herself on all the time.  That Ethan had trouble paying his monthly credit card bill because of this.  Kim also had access to his checking account and ATM card, I think, and used that money for herself, too.  This continued until after Ethan and Olivia married until Olivia finally convinced Ethan to put a stop to it.

Edited September 5, 2023 by Notabug

[TwirlyGirly]

6 hours ago, Notabug said:

Ethan Plath, on the show, said that his mother did virtually no monitoring of the kids' education; they pretty much were on their own.  In an argument with Kim, he complained that, when he was still a preteen, he expressed an interest in cars and engines and Kim let him spend all day, every day, tinkering with an old car in the barn rather than doing any schoolwork.  As an adult, he came to realize how much he had missed by not being exposed to subjects like geography and history and science.  He had trouble reading and doing basic math, amongst other things and felt really out of place and unable to participate in regular conversation about topics involving everyday common knowledge.

Yes!

And in another episode, one of the younger girls said all they do is "fill out workbooks", which is what solidified in my mind the homeschool curriculum I suspected the Plaths use was correct. 

It's called A.C.E.: Accelerated Christian Education. According to its own website*:

"A.C.E.'s self-instructional PACEs (Packets of Accelerated Christian Education) allow your students to learn with minimal supervision."

Want to hear something really scary?

A.C.E. is used by many Christian private schools! 

Christian private schools that use A.C.E. have "classrooms" that look more like office spaces; instead of rows of desks like you'd see in public and secular or other religion private school classrooms, the classroom spaces are filled with cubicles. Each student spends the school day sitting in their cubicle working through their PACEs at their own... pace. 

Christian private schools that use the A.C.E. curriculum don't hire certified teachers. The adult in each classroom is a monitor; their function is to keep their classroom quiet so the students can work. 

Ethan might be better off for not being exposed to A.C.E. science, because he doesn't have to unlearn all its factually incorrect teaching. For example, A.C.E. science claims humans and dinosaurs coexisted:

"That dinosaurs existed with humans is an important discovery disproving the evolutionists’ theory that dinosaurs lived 70 million years before man. God created dinosaurs on the sixth day. He created man later the same day.” (ACE, Science 1099, p. 29.)

*Don't be surprised if the A.C.E. website won't open for you; I had to open it with the Wayback Machine, because the website is frequently down. I suspect they hire A.C.E. graduates as their webmasters. 

Edited September 5, 2023 by TwirlyGirly