Kate Plus 8 - General Discussion

[RazzleberryPie]

And this is where wrangling 8 is different than managing 2.  Everyone has to follow the rules cuz you ain't got time to be Columbo every time there is an issue.  As a result large families have more rule with less wiggle room.  I see it in the Duggars as well.  There is NOTHING on the floor of that house.  

 

 

I remember how sad that made me, Emme.  Obviously, you wouldn't want the kids running wild all through the house or going through your things.  But to tell your children that they must never set foot in your bedroom seems so cold and uncaring.  I'm all for rules and structure, but this is ridiculous.

Kate is definitely a greedy control freak (DH has relatives near where she grew up, and she's something else), but with 8 kids - 3 boys - using a bathroom, it can get really nasty really fast. I don't blame her for nipping any bathroom mess and dirt in the bud. 

 

We were taught to NEVER enter an adults bedroom without permission, so I see where she doesn't want them in her room. That's the parents personal space, where they kept financial papers, expensive things (jewelry), dangerous things (the locked gun cabinet in the closet), where married things happen (or maybe not bc she's a single mom), etc. It just wasn't a place to play. I can see where someone who chose to have all those kids still needs space to decompress, and if you let one in, you let them all.

 

The biggest fault I've seen with her on this new series is that she gives no thought to how she speaks to her kids right in front of them. She'll call them monsters, tell them they're why she's sick, they're awful, they're ungrateful, they're the cause of all her problems, etc. Those words can either roll of their backs or damage them for life. It's mean and immature either way.

[OnceSane]

Episode 5:

"Kate's Most Memorable Moments"

Unforgettable moments of Kate's life with her family are recalled.

Airs February 10, 2015.

[Darknight]

My kids aren't allowed in my room without permission. I have many important files and papers in there. As well as personal items. I teach my kids to respect others personal space

[peaceknit]

You mean, a bunch of reruns, basically freebees for TLC? Not that I watch anyway, but NO THANKS! It really annoys me that so many of these channels (Disco is very guilty of this) get away with pawning off old stuff to pad their bottom line - grrrr!

Edited February 7, 2015 by peaceknit

[camom]

I don't mind the kids not being allowed in the bedroom without permission.  But she was so stern about them NEVER setting foot in there.  The kids were pretty little then, and I'd hate to think that if they got scared or sick in the middle of the night they would feel they couldn't go to mommy.

[biakbiak]

Given how upset some of the kids were in the latest episode about having to move to new rooms away from her room, it didn't appear that they never set foot in there aren't weren't allowed to go in their if they were scared/sick.

[Absolom]

They've never been in rooms truly close to Kate since they left the first house eons ago.

[iwasish]

Why does she set up "fun" stuff for the kids that will only turn into fodder for mess and first? Eight kids painting and she expects them NOT to get it on their feet and traipse it all over the house? Christ! It's paint.. A bit of water on a rag will clean it up.

And if she were really all that organized, setting up a garage sale would be a breeze. Instead she waits till the last minute and schedules it in the midst of birthday parties and other distractions.

[Duke2801]

I've only seen snippets of the newer shows (mainly the one with the lobsters and the room "switching").  I just really adore the boys. And the little girls to some extent, too.  Very sweet sibling dynamic they have--despite having to live with the Debbie Downers known as Kate and Maddy. 

 

I was a little upset at the negative comments about lobster and clams.  They are DELICIOUS! They are messy to eat but if cooked properly...Man, there's nothing better for a summer dinner by the beach

 

.

Right!?  Like, WTH was that all about?  Lobster is the BEST.  I wonder if all that anti-lobster talk from Kate influenced the kids' enjoyment of it, or if lobster is more of an "adult" food?  I remember LOVING King Crab legs from an early age ... like 7 or 8 ...and I'm sure my intro to lobster wasn't far behind.  But maybe I was weird.

 

That's not just Kate, that's PA and more specifically Bucks County.

 

 

The same rules apply across the entire state. You can get your lerners permit at 16, and then apply for a Junior License after 6 months.  The Jr. license turns into a regular license in your 18th birthday. 

 

http://teen.idrivesafely.com/Pennsylvania/info/permittolicense.html

 

Things were a bit more lax back in the 90s when I got my license in western PA.  You could get your permit at 15 and apply for your license on your 16th birthday if you had all the necessarily requirements taken care of.  Pretty sure it was a "regular" license from the get-go.  I'll tell you though---the way it is now makes MUCH more sense.  I seriously had NO business being behind the when at age 15/16. 

[TwirlyGirly]

Quote

 

We were taught to NEVER enter an adults bedroom without permission, so I see where she doesn't want them in her room. That's the parents personal space, where they kept financial papers, expensive things (jewelry), dangerous things (the locked gun cabinet in the closet), where married things happen (or maybe not bc she's a single mom), etc. It just wasn't a place to play. I can see where someone who chose to have all those kids still needs space to decompress, and if you let one in, you let them all.

 

Yes, this was the rule in the house I grew up in. I was not allowed to enter my parent's bedroom without permission - ever. I remember always standing in the doorway of my parents room to talk to them, and if I began to inch past the doorway and into their room my father would quickly point it out to me and demand I scoot back.

 

Come to think of it, I don't recall EVER even sitting on my parent's bed, let alone sleep in it. They were of the mind there was never a good reason for me to enter their room - anything that needed to be accomplished could be via talking to them from the doorway. I'm sure if I discovered the house was on fire in the middle of the night, and they were asleep, the appropriate way to handle the situation would be to shout "Fire! Fire!" from the doorway ...

 

So, I don't have an issue with Kate banning her children from her room. I think it's important for parents to have their own private space and some assurance they won't have their kids snooping around their personal things, even if they don't have anything to hide.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Even Kate needs an inner sanctum to be completely alone and she may be single but her "lover" may only need batteries!  LOL

 

Her kids do love her!  She is a true drama queen and embellishes every moment she has on camera whether it is speaking or providing us her facial expressions.  Her facial expressions are becoming more stilted with the injections she is getting though!  

Edited February 11, 2015 by Foghorn Leghorn

[ButterQueen]

My kids were never banned from our bedroom. We kept important things put up. I miss them being young and coming in to watch a movie in my bed with me, or talk. Kate is just hateful, imo.

[QuinnM]

 

My kids were never banned from our bedroom. We kept important things put up. I miss them being young and coming in to watch a movie in my bed with me, or talk. Kate is just hateful, imo.

 

You know a lot of this is that if you have 6 2 year olds some things don't happen anymore.  Mostly because in order to be fair it is one for one.  So if you are okay with 8 kids in and out of your room and all 8 of them in your bed and talking or watching tv then that's fine.  It doesn't make my mother and the millions of moms with large families hateful.

 

I know it was why she wanted a big comfortable sectional for the tv.  So they could all do popcorn and movies.

[Absolom]

Viewership this week:  1.444 M viewers and a .5 rating.

[mbutterfly]

Viewership this week:  1.444 M viewers and a .5 rating.

I think that's low, right?

[Absolom]

Lowish for what TLC wants from a show.  In the middle for this run of specials. 

[What In The]

This is just my opinion but here goes....

First off, jon, on one episode had said that he was happy with two kids. But Princess Kate was not satisfied and just had to have another go at fertility treatment. I want kids too, but I won't. Why? Because i cannot afford too right now. Kate put her wants above others and got more than they could handle.

Second, the kids live what they learn. If Mady or any of them have bad attitudes, it is because their mother did not teach them otherwise.

Third, nobody told kate to get that huge house. Bigger families have and do get by on way less space. The bills for that place must be huge.

Fourth, Kate made her bed, she now has to lay in it.

[What In The]

About the bedroom thing. I would never tell my kids that they would be punished to going in my room. What if they need to get in there to get Kates help? What if one gets sick at night and need her? Do they have to suffer until she gets up?

[Tony]

I was scrolling through the channels and tuned into this show for a few minutes. All I saw was how obviously fake Kate was being to the camera, but worse, how bratty and entitled her older daughters were (Maddy I think her name was?).

 

How people manage to watch this crap is beyond me.

[gunderda]

This is just my opinion but here goes....

First off, jon, on one episode had said that he was happy with two kids. But Princess Kate was not satisfied and just had to have another go at fertility treatment. I want kids too, but I won't. Why? Because i cannot afford too right now. Kate put her wants above others and got more than they could handle.

 

I'm sure Kate and Jon are not the first and won't be the last set of parents that don't agree on how many kids they want.  And from what I see and hear more often than not the husband gives into the wife.  Especially a man like Jon because he's just a pushover. 

[QuinnM]

 

How people manage to watch this crap is beyond me.

I'll speak up.  I do watch it.  I don't watch (anymore) any of the housewife franchises, Dance Moms, Honey Boo Boo.  So in doing self reflection I think I watch because it reminds me of a house I know.  I shared a room with 1-2 siblings.  When I was a senior in high school and the older sib went to college I had my own room for the year.  I know what it sounds like to ALWAYS have a washer or a dryer running.  I know about the noise and the activity even when everyone is getting along.  I was well into my 20s the first time I called home and there was NO ANSWER!  What!  How can that be?  Is someone in the hospital?  I freaked out.

 

So I put up with the melt downs and the Mady nonsense.  I like the moving of the rooms.  We all moved rooms and that is what it's like.  The EVERYONE is cleaning the basement.  If you aren't there you can't guard your stuff.  

 

That's why I watch.

[mbutterfly]

I watch it too. We had 4 children, one older and three "little kids." So we had half this family. So I can put aside the drama queen stuff and just enjoy the kids. We went to a lot of the same places and did a lot of the same stuff like switching rooms around. So I find the show basically more pleasant than most reality shows. Even with the drama, they do pleasant things. 

[gunderda]

I watch too.  Honestly I just love watching people.  I love reality shows.  I hate really really REALLY scripted reality shows (ie duck dynasty however I really loved the first season).  Reality shows with kids can't be all that scripted (other than their special trips and outings) because you can't really tell kids what to do unless they're actors. 

 

And once I'm introduced to a family I love to see how that family grows up - who the kids turn out to be. 

Edited February 12, 2015 by gunderda

[QuinnM]

 

And once I'm introduced to a family I love to see how that family grows up - who the kids turn out to be.

 

I think that is a big part of the shows with kids appeal for me.  I would be fine with 6 or so episodes a year to let me see how they were doing.  What changed, what was the same.  I really want to see the empty nest.  Does Kate downsize and the kids have to really bunk when they come home?  I see how tight she is with money and I can't see her maintaining all of that for an empty nest.  Then how does she do?  I know my mom cried like a crazy woman every one of us that left but once we were all gone she said don't replace the dog, I'm in heaven all on my own.  

[ChicksDigScars]

I wasn't allowed in my parents bedroom, as well,  so Kate saying that never bothered me, either. In fact, when I was home alone, I'd walk in their room and yell at the ceiling, Kevin McAllister-style, "HEY...I'm in your room! Better come home and bust me!" My mother was more paranoid about me sneaking into her closet, more than anything. 

Edited February 13, 2015 by ChicksDigScars

[gunderda]

I think my parents assumed I never went in their room because I always found some interesting stuff and it was not that hard to find lol 

[GleamingMist]

I also wasn't allowed in my parents room.  Can't fault Kate too much for that, and I've seen her tweet about the kids all watching the show in her room so she obviously allows them in.  I find a lot wrong with her but this isnt one of them.

 

Personal Anecdote: My daughter found our drawer of grown up "things" in our room once and came running out with something while we had company asking what it was.  Kids are definitely not allowed in our room anymore without an adult haha.

[mbutterfly]

I think it is fine that is Kate's rule, but I've learned that in many families children don't go into parents' bedrooms. I don't realize that was common. 

[Absolom]

Bad news for Jon.

[mbutterfly]

Poor kids.

[mxmummy]

I agree mbutterfly, I have never had a rule about no kids in our bedroom and I did not realize it was so common. I think it is fine, I see nothing wrong with it if that is what you prefer.

[mxmummy]

Jon has so much growing up to do. I think it is really important for Kate to encourage the kids to have a relationship with Jon and to spend time with him. If I were Maddy and Kara, I would just ask him to please keep all his women out of the house when they are there to spend time with him. He does not need to have the flavor of the month over when he has the kids. When he finally settles himself down and finds that special person it will be different but I doubt that will happen!

[Maharincess]

My kids were never banned from our bedroom. We kept important things put up. I miss them being young and coming in to watch a movie in my bed with me, or talk. Kate is just hateful, imo.

I agree. I couldn't imagine my kids not feeling comfortable coming into my room. They were taught to knock first but they were always welcome in my room.

They would sleep with me if they were sick or we would watch TV or read in my bed. Great memories. Now my granddaughter sleeps with me when she spends the night.

I think Kate's exact words when they moved in that they were to never, ever under penalty of severe consequence to be in her room.

[QuinnM]

 

I think it is really important for Kate to encourage the kids to have a relationship with Jon and to spend time with him

 

No this is Jon's responsibility.  It is not Kate's job to force the kids to be with there dad.  It is Kate's job to make that opportunity available for the kids and she does.    It is really important for Kate to be a mom.  It is really important for Jon to be a dad.  She gave him a free van so he could take all the kids.  He doesn't have it anymore, big surprise.   Not sure what people expect Kate to do.  Jon apparently never takes responsibility for anything as witnessed by this latest escapade.  

 

The kids are learning the hard lesson their mother already learned.  He lies.  He cheats.  He is lazy.  He takes no responsibility.  At this point it is on Jon to earn his way back with his kids.

 

It's so odd to me that at the beginning of this I was 'two sides to every story' etc.  And little by little Jon has done absolutely everything possible to make himself the bad guy.  It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

[MarysWetBar]

She didn't want them to catch sight of the bodyguard in her bed.

That's likely as much the reasoning as anything else. Oops...IMO.

[ElizabethWilson]

I always thought she got the bad end of the publicity.  He always seemed like another child for whom she was responsible, starting with quitting the job with the state.  He could never stay on track and be depended on to finish the task at hand.  Had he been smart, he would have realized that his bread and butter was in good behavior.  Keeping his pants zipped meant financial stability.  He didn't have the maturity and sense to realize that pretty obvious fact.  That he doesn't pay child support... send him to jail.  Their are consequences for actions, and failing to take financial responsibility for your children, when you did everything possible to ruin their stability, is part of it.  In the original show, she always seemed to me as over stressed and over whelmed, and alone, with no one on whom to depend to do the smallest of tasks.  He has had multiple opportunities to be an adult and purposefully ruined every one.  There is more to being a parent than donating sperm.  It's being there for them and providing for them.  Sadly, he is again getting away with irresponsible behavior.  Perhaps jail would scare him into growing up.

[gunderda]

Is he still with the woman he was with on couples therapy? 

[QuinnM]

 

Is he still with the woman he was with on couples therapy?

 

The tabloids said they were not a couple anymore when that series was filmed.  But the last tabloid on his status was when he moved to the apartment he just was evicted from.  At that time they were saying he had broken up with the latest woman.  Hard to say since it is all tabloid reported.  I'm guessing now that he is djing for a living there will be pics from gigs.  Just knowing Jon's love of the camera if he was seeing someone they would have been together at the garage sale.  That was the last time he was in public where there were pics.

[Joe Jitsu913]

The thing is, Jon has always been sort of a loser with no direction in life. I believe he said in one episode that before he met Kate he was drifting around and didn't want responsibility. My impression was that he was living off of daddy's money. When he married Kate, she kind of pushed him into the "responsible adult" role. I think he felt that's what he had to do. Now that he and Kate are divorced, he's basically reverted back to his old behavior. I really think he needs some kind of counseling or therapy before this ends very badly for him.

[Betweenyouandme]

Erm, I'll be a single mom, so not personally going to be worried, but if I were married, I wouldn't want my child in that bed. I'd go to them. I mean, how is *that* managed? I mean, I hope people keep sheets washed, but if a child is always running and jumping in the bed at their will...do people just change the sheets immediately after each time having sex? I'd just be very uncomfortable from how I'm imagining things. I've never done that so I don't know about the logistics. But if I saw my child sitting on a sex stain, I would absolutely die. And, if it's sex most nights, that's a lot of sheet inspections and changes. Doable. Just, I'd have to be very diligent and never accidentally fall asleep afterward because that kid could be there in the morning. Yikes. I'm not trying to be judgemental. I just really don't understand.

Kate has 8 and a big house. The kids can stay out of one room. It's not like Kate said she refused all hugs, cuddles on the couch, and if they got sick to just sit there. The kids can probably go knock on her door. She is sort of far, but if you have a big house, that can be common. Doesn't bother me even though I think I'll be different with my baby.

[Diane]

With all the bodyguard talk did I miss the episode he was in this season? Why do some people seem to state fact that they are having an affair, everything I have seen he is happily married. Are we taking the gossip tell all book as fact?

[gunderda]

With all the bodyguard talk did I miss the episode he was in this season? Why do some people seem to state fact that they are having an affair, everything I have seen he is happily married. Are we taking the gossip tell all book as fact?

 

Oh the last episode she said she was single - didn't have time to date.

Other people have said the bodyguard stayed with her when she did celebrity apprentice.  BUT that was filmed about a year ago. 

[QuinnM]

 

Other people have said the bodyguard stayed with her when she did celebrity apprentice.  BUT that was filmed about a year ago.

 

Wendy Williams asked her about this on the post CA appearance.  She said that Kenya was lying and knew better because the bodyguard rode the elevator up in the morning with Kenya's hair and makeup people.  She said it was a very hateful thing to say and that Kenya needed to remember that it was n't just her family that was hurt by the lie but Steve's family as well.  She said he is married and happily and always had been.

 

I personally thought the whole bodyguard thing was one of the ugliest displays from Kate's brother and his wife.  They said it on one of the morning shows like it was a fact.  Her sister in law was smiling when she said it.  

[mbutterfly]

With all the bodyguard talk did I miss the episode he was in this season? Why do some people seem to state fact that they are having an affair, everything I have seen he is happily married. Are we taking the gossip tell all book as fact?

I wonder about that too, especially when we see Steve traveling with The Little Couple. 

[iwasish]

He does need to earn a living. Don't know why she needs a bodyguard now that the show is over. Who pays him to guard her, if it's a job I'm sure he gets paid, he has to support his family. If she's paying him out of pocket, then she must have more cash flow than she admits to, money can't be that tight. Was he seen at the yard sale?mid think he would be needed with all those strangers around.

It's just odd that she needs a bodyguard while staying in an expensive hotel in NYC. Didn't see anyone else with one. And the others were much better known.

[Persnickety1]

I wonder about that too, especially when we see Steve traveling with The Little Couple. 

 

 

He does need to earn a living. Don't know why she needs a bodyguard now that the show is over. Who pays him to guard her, if it's a job I'm sure he gets paid, he has to support his family. If she's paying him out of pocket, then she must have more cash flow than she admits to, money can't be that tight. Was he seen at the yard sale?mid think he would be needed with all those strangers around.

It's just odd that she needs a bodyguard while staying in an expensive hotel in NYC. Didn't see anyone else with one. And the others were much better known.

 

Maybe he's provided by TLC if he's also been seen guarding The Little Couple?  Maybe since she's under contract with TLC, it's a perk she can use for appearing in other TLC-approved programs?  

 

Just judging by some of the angry posts by rational people here directed at Kate, if I were in her shoes I'd probably want a bodyguard, too.  There's a lot of nuts out there in those trees.  

 

Being at one time the most hated woman in America can't be an easy title to live down and people do tend to hold grudges.  

Edited February 17, 2015 by Persnickety1

[Snickerdoodle]

I've only seen snippets of the newer shows (mainly the one with the lobsters and the room "switching").  I just really adore the boys. And the little girls to some extent, too.  Very sweet sibling dynamic they have--despite having to live with the Debbie Downers known as Kate and Maddy. 

 

.

Right!?  Like, WTH was that all about?  Lobster is the BEST.  I wonder if all that anti-lobster talk from Kate influenced the kids' enjoyment of it, or if lobster is more of an "adult" food?  I remember LOVING King Crab legs from an early age ... like 7 or 8 ...and I'm sure my intro to lobster wasn't far behind.  But maybe I was weird.

 

 

The same rules apply across the entire state. You can get your lerners permit at 16, and then apply for a Junior License after 6 months.  The Jr. license turns into a regular license in your 18th birthday. 

 

http://teen.idrivesafely.com/Pennsylvania/info/permittolicense.html

 

Things were a bit more lax back in the 90s when I got my license in western PA.  You could get your permit at 15 and apply for your license on your 16th birthday if you had all the necessarily requirements taken care of.  Pretty sure it was a "regular" license from the get-go.  I'll tell you though---the way it is now makes MUCH more sense.  I seriously had NO business being behind the when at age 15/16. 

I also got my PA license in the 90s and it was a Cinderella license (can't drive after midnight) until you turned 18.

[Duke2801]

I also got my PA license in the 90s and it was a Cinderella license (can't drive after midnight) until you turned 18.

 

Oh mine probably was then, too, I just didn't remember. I had a strict 11 pm curfew. LOL

[Maharincess]

No this is Jon's responsibility. It is not Kate's job to force the kids to be with there dad. It is Kate's job to make that opportunity available for the kids and she does. It is really important for Kate to be a mom. It is really important for Jon to be a dad. She gave him a free van so he could take all the kids. He doesn't have it anymore, big surprise. Not sure what people expect Kate to do. Jon apparently never takes responsibility for anything as witnessed by this latest escapade.

The kids are learning the hard lesson their mother already learned. He lies. He cheats. He is lazy. He takes no responsibility. At this point it is on Jon to earn his way back with his kids.

It's so odd to me that at the beginning of this I was 'two sides to every story' etc. And little by little Jon has done absolutely everything possible to make himself the bad guy. It would be funny if it wasn't so sad.

He didn't cheat. He had been living in the apartment over the garage for more than a year before he was seen with a woman.

It was crystal clear who was the better parent during the early years and it sure as hell wasn't their mother.

Jon bathed them, fed them, did most of the care for them while their mother sat in her plastic chair and barked at everybody.

I've seen Jon sit and talk to his kids and have fun with them. Never seen that with their mother.

Kate went on the one on one days with all of the girls but couldn't be bothered driving "hither and yon" to be with her sons on their special days.

There are pictures of Kate smacking Leah. No pics of Jon being abusive.

Jon, before going off to his full time job would make coffee for her, made to her exact Post It specifications while she slept in. She would also make the kids stay in their cribs for hours so she could sleep. Those were her words.

There was video of the kids crying hysterically crying because they didn't want their dad to take them home.

The kids have admitted on camera that Kate stresses them out any time they do something together.

I could keep going but I'm bored now.

[MarysWetBar]

Oh boy you hit the nail on the head with that post.That is my memory as well of how their dynamic was as a married couple. She was heinous to watch.