S06.E08: More Girls than Kody can Handle?

[rck]

Yes, but Meri is only a few short months from that "magic" age of 45 when even a normal woman's chances of conceiving have dropped down to 3-4% and would likely need IVF to conceive, and with her history of fertility issues with Kody, I see that as a very remote possibility even with IVF.

I actually didn't realize she was that young. I know of course it's a lot harder to conceive at that age and her fertility problems make that even more difficult, but it seems like these days it's not unusual at all for women in their mid 40's to be having babies.

[Absolom]

IVF with donor eggs has brought the increase in mid 40s babies.  Since Meri has already ruled that out, I don't see it happening.  Not only is there only a slight chance of conception, but the miscarriage rate is around 50% at her age.  I think it's pretty safe to say, Meri's chances of a full term pregnancy are miniscule.

[DakotaJustice]

The thing that always kills me about the surrogate story arc is that waaaay back in the first season, Kody asked Meri about IVF and she promptly shut it down. Then he brought it up with the GYN while Christine was in labor.

It was Kody who wanted it all along. Then when Meri finally expressed interest he acted like it was her idea to begin with.

He's done the same thing at least once before - that whole "Fundamental Fitness" opening a gym, was HIS idea but when Janelle semi-ran with it, he shot it down and acted like it was HER idea.

[LilWharveyGal]

Was it just me or was kody super-awkward with the girls, from the getting ready to go how he talks to them in this kind of 'I don't know you that well, but hey we're all going to do something fun' type vibe to the weird surfer talk to try and be entertaining , jeeze how uncomfortable was that? 

 

Kody reminded me SO much of someone I know during those segments with the girls - and today it hit me.  That's exactly how my childless, bachelor uncle interacted with me and my cousins when we were small.*  If you had asked any of us, he would have been our favorite and most popular of the adults.  He was right there with the jokes, goofy voices, doing fun things like tossing a ball around, etc.  However when it came time to make sure we were eating, pack up the car, police our arguments, and so on, he was nowhere to be found and our parents stepped in to do those things (and rightfully so, IMO).

 

* Major apologies to my uncle for the comparison. 

[CourtneyCourt]

They had some gray crappy weather for their Beach trip. It was a nice change to see those girls, I feel like they got lost in the crowd.

I just watched this tonight. The girls seem genuine if a bit desperate for attention. Wow, that Savannah looks just like Janelle.

I thought the moment when Kody was talking about Robyn being his only shot for more kids was peculiar. In an odd way it seemed candid yet it creeped me out that he seemed to discount the women who gave him 13 kids as played out. Maybe he didn't mean it that way, dunno.

I found it bizarre as well. He has wide range of ages with his kids and he isn't getting any younger. The comment he made in regards to Robyn "being the only one left" was weird. He's like "but I'm not allowed to talk about her reproductive health." I guess the others are just done, maybe have some issues after all the kids they had. I'd still love to know what is wrong with meri fertility wise. Edited October 15, 2015 by CourtneyCourt

[jacksgirl]

Interesting episode. I am always one for a good conspiracy theory, and I think this trip with the 5 daughters was a way to get the viewing public interested in the next slew of Brown kiddoes. I have loved Logan, Hunter, Maddy and Mykelti for years. Never cared much for Princess Mariah, but that's more geared towards my irrational hatred of Meri and her wet bar of tears. This next generation of children pales with the originals, especially the desperate Aurora and Breanna. Seems like the older kids are so over the show and the younger ones cannot fill the void.

Edited October 16, 2015 by jacksgirl

[mythoughtis]

Just surfed my cable provider's channel guide for tonight.  TLC is subjecting its' viewers to a 15 minute preview of Sunday's Sister Wife program.  Seriously?

[camom]

Maybe if we watch tonight we can save ourselves an hour on Sunday!

[leighroda]

I apologize if this is the wrong thread, I watched the last 2 episodes together because I missed the earlier one so I'm not positive what episode it was actually said in... But Robyn's attitude about the whole consent thing infuriates me, she is treating the kids biological father the was she should have treated Kody to begin with. They have been calling Kody daddy since 20 minutes after meeting him, and while it was never shown I feel like she probably had no qualms about leaving her kids with him or the other sister wives before she really knew then. Yet, they now call their biological dad "Preston" and Robyn is all "we'll have to see how visitation goes if he wants to see them" like she is hesitant to even let it happen. And wtf, all this time she has claimed that the children have had no contact with their biological dad for like 3 years, yet the talked to him soon after finding out about the "consent" ? I don't buy that, if he truly had effectively cut them off there really would have been no reason to talk to him at that point (at least that's my opinion).

Also I find it interesting that Robyn has been talking to Kody about how much more important it is for Kody to invest more in the tween girls, which happened to be the age group her own girls fit in.

[DakotaJustice]

15 minutes?? There's at best 24 minutes of actual new content in the average hour long SW show. Desperate network?

Oh Robyn was using the free babysitting services from the get go. Remember Kody bringing two of the older girls along with him to watch Robyn's kids while the two of them went out during his long distance weekend courtship visits?

[UsernameFatigue]

Watched the 15 minute preview which was all about how the adoption procedure is going along just swimmingly. I was shocked to find out that the children are issued new birth certificates with Kody listed as the father. Many years ago a friend had her second husband adopt her son (father signed over rights) but she never mentioned that her son had a new birth certificate with 2nd hubby as the new daddy. Kind of seems pointless to have a birth certificate listing the parents names when they can be changed and biology has nothing to do with the names listed.

 

I really hope that Kody's 5th wife comes with kids as well, and that Robyn is expected to divorce Kody so he can marry number five and adopt her kids too.

Edited October 17, 2015 by UsernameFatigue

[Micks Picks]

Usernamefatique I'm so glad you watched it.  I didn't know it was on until the last 2 minutes and that was all commercials.  Bummer.  I am surprised at the swap on the birth certificates of Kody's name as biological father.  It had not crossed my mind.  I've never thought about it before, but it doesn't seem right somehow.  Thanks for posting this.  Are they on Sunday night again?  I think I've missed a week or so.

[DakotaJustice]

I haven't watched the show in forever, but if I was, I'd stop watching now. This is disgusting. Adoption for the sake of ratings and plot lines. Just like the divorce.

[Kohola3]

I was shocked to find out that the children are issued new birth certificates with Kody listed as the father.

 

Serious;u?  I can't even fathom that is legal much less makes sense.  Doesn't the birth certificate list biological parents?  The insanity continues.

[momofsquid]

I agree that the birth certificate thing is strange. I legally took my husband's name when we got married and I was issued a new birth certificate with my married surname. It bothered me. I guess it makes life simpler if your ID matches your current name, but I think the birth certificate should reflect the circumstances of the birth. And you cannot change who the birth father is with a piece of paper. This whole adoption story stinks.

[3girlsforus]

Serious;u?  I can't even fathom that is legal much less makes sense.  Doesn't the birth certificate list biological parents?  The insanity continues.

 

I didn't see the mini-show but I suspect this is yet another 'only in the land of the Browns' thing. I did some research and asked a lawyer I know and from what I can tell changing the biological parent can only happen if the person on the birth certificate has been show NOT to be the biological parent.  The biological father or mother does not have to currently be the parent anymore but they are still the biological parent so there is not a legal reason to be able to remove.  Apparently there are occasionally reasons you can get a court order for something like this but my friend, the lawyer, said she doubted such a reason would exist in this case, especially since they are still in contact and visiting the biological father. Of course she said it didn't sound like he gave up his rights either since they are still seeing him. I laughed. 

 

In my case, I am adopted, my adoptive parents are on the birth certificate that I am issued when I request a certified copy. However, I was adopted as an infant in a closed adoption. Somewhere in the depths of the courts of the state in which I was born exists a birth certificate with at least my biological mother's name on it. It requires a court order to get a copy of that. 

[3girlsforus]

I agree that the birth certificate thing is strange. I legally took my husband's name when we got married and I was issued a new birth certificate with my married surname. It bothered me. I guess it makes life simpler if your ID matches your current name, but I think the birth certificate should reflect the circumstances of the birth. And you cannot change who the birth father is with a piece of paper. This whole adoption story stinks.

 

This actually makes a lot more sense than changing the biological father. Legally you are now your new name. But you are the same person. So the birth record of 'married name momofsquid' is that birth record. You were just called 'no married yet momofsquid' at the time. It is still the correct record of the birth of one person - you. Changing the birth father alters the truth of the record itself. In this case if they change the birth certificate to have Kody's name on it, it's wrong because Kody is not the birth father. 

[UsernameFatigue]

It seems strange to me that a bio parent who raised the children to a certain point and is still involved in their lives can be wiped off a birth certificate as if he never existed. I really would love for that to happen to Kody at some point since he is so fine with it happening to Robyn's ex.

 

Then it made me think what if it was the mother involved instead of the father. Say, if Robyn's ex still had the kids, remarried and his new wife wanted to adopt her kids. I doubt she would agree while alive, but what if she had died and that was the circumstances?(Pre Kody of course).  Would she be fine with her kids' birth certificates being changed as if she had never existed? This whole adoption storyline of children who are pre teens and teens is just disgusting to me.

[leighroda]

In a way I guess I kinda understand, it kinda closes the door to future legal claims... Maybe, I don't know the true technicalities of it. But in no way do I agree or think it's right. It just seems fitting for how this family rewrites history. It's not like they are babies and are going to live not knowing they have a different father... I don't see what the point in changing birth cirtificates when everyone is aware of the circumstance. I swear if there was a way to alter their DNA and replace the Jessop DNA with Brown they would have probably already done it. It just gives me an uneasy feeling the way this is being handled.

[Mittengirl]

My uncle adopted his second wife's children, who were between 2 -12 years old at the time, back in the early '60's and they were issued new birth certificates. Their father had signed away his parental rights to them, but he was an abusive alcoholic who had abandoned them and had paid no financial support. I remember my aunt saying that there was a short period of time when the kids were legally wards of the state, between when the old birth certificates where "voided" and the new ones were issued.

My mother's aunt and uncle adopted a little girl back in the late '10's or early '20's and when her adult children were doing genealogy research they were able to get both her original certificate and her new one that listed her adoptive parents as her birth parents. So issuing new birth

certificates has been going on in Michigan for almost a century.

Edited October 17, 2015 by Mittengirl

[algebra]

I'm curious about the birth certificate thing, where do you get a new one when you get married? I've been married twice and still use my original, which, when getting a Passport, meant I had to produce the marriage licenses and divorce decree from the first one to explain the three different name changes: this is who I was when I was born, this shows the name change in the first marriage, the divorce, and the change from the first married name to the second married name. I never heard of someone getting a new birth certificate when she gets married.

[CofCinci]

I can't find the original commenter (want to give you props!) and I'm paraphrasing but it stuck with me -- the girls are chattel and Dayton is special needs.  In the circles Jessop runs in, his children are worthless.  They have no social value.  He was probably happy to sign the adoption paperwork so he wouldn't have to pay child support anymore.  Kody beat his chest and sounded the warhorns fully knowing that he would never have to go into battle with Jessop.

[UsernameFatigue]

It is really too bad that a judge wouldn't say to Kody "You already have 14 children and no visible means of supporting them other than a TV series that could end at any time so I am denying you parental rights to these children". But of course that will not likely happen. Though Christine did say (though don't know if it is true) that polys have a hard time adopting.

 

In the first look segment Robyn also said that Dayton wanted to change his middle name to Dayton. His given name is David Preston Jessop Jr. He wants to become David Dayton Brown. Apparently Dayton was a combo of the names David and Preston - not sure how the 'y' comes into play but whatever. Anyhoo when I googled as I could not remember Dayton's real name I came up with this interesting tidbit of info regarding Robyn's ex hubby:

 

■He is related to nearly all of the ‘Sister Wives’ cast! He is not only the first cousin of Christine, but is also related to Meri (via her father’s “other” wives) and the third cousin of Kody, Robyn’s second husband!

 

I don't remember this ever being brought up on the show before. I guess I should not be surprised but I was anyway.

Edited October 18, 2015 by UsernameFatigue

[SometimesBites]

It is really too bad that a judge wouldn't say to Kody "You already have 14 children and no visible means of supporting them other than a TV series that could end at any time so I am denying you parental rights to these children". But of course that will not likely happen. Though Christine did say (though don't know if it is true) that polys have a hard time adopting.

 

In the first look segment Robyn also said that Dayton wanted to change his middle name to Dayton. His given name is David Preston Jessop Jr. He wants to become David Dayton Brown. Apparently Dayton was a combo of the names David and Preston - not sure how the 'y' comes into play but whatever. Anyhoo when I googled as I could not remember Dayton's real name I came up with this interesting tidbit of info regarding Robyn's ex hubby:

 

■He is related to nearly all of the ‘Sister Wives’ cast! He is not only the first cousin of Christine, but is also related to Meri (via her father’s “other” wives) and the third cousin of Kody, Robyn’s second husband!

 

I don't remember this ever being brought up on the show before. I guess I should not be surprised but I was anyway.

Yeah, the family wreath. They'll never bring that up on the show. If the Brown leg-humpers took a few extra seconds to investigate the reality behind the facade, most of them would vomit in their cornflakes.

[RazzleberryPie]

I feel like we need a FAQ page that begins with the wreath:

 

Janelle was married to Meri's brother prior to marrying Kody.

Kody's father and Janelle's mother are/were married. Kody and Janelle did not grow up together, but married after their parents married and after Janelle had divorced Meri's brother.

Kody and Christine are 3rd cousins (share a great grand parent). Kody and Robyn's ex-husband David also are 3rd cousins who share a grandparent.

Christine and David are first cousins.

Meri's father is married to a woman (not Meri's mother) who is biologically related to David.

Maddie's fiance is somehow related to Kody's late brother. Not sure if it's by marriage or how, but yeah, family wreath.

[AmyFarrahFowler]

My uncle adopted his second wife's children, who were between 2 -12 years old at the time, back in the early '60's and they were issued new birth certificates. Their father had signed away his parental rights to them, but he was an abusive alcoholic who had abandoned them and had paid no financial support. I remember my aunt saying that there was a short period of time when the kids were legally wards of the state, between when the old birth certificates where "voided" and the new ones were issued.

My mother's aunt and uncle adopted a little girl back in the late '10's or early '20's and when her adult children were doing genealogy research they were able to get both her original certificate and her new one that listed her adoptive parents as her birth parents. So issuing new birth

certificates has been going on in Michigan for almost a century.

I was adopted by my Dad in 1972 after he became my Mom's second husband. When the adoption was finalized I was issued an amended birth certificate with only my adopted Dad's info in the paternity section. It is also a closed adoption and it is impossible to get my original BC and very difficult to get my amended one. Also~we were visited by a social worker who did a quick home study. Why do I feel that isn't happening in this case?

[algebra]

Issuing new birth certificates only makes sense if it's a closed adoption and the biological parents want to remain anonymous. That used to be pretty standard procedure. Now, almost all adoptees know from early childhood on that they were adopted, and a lot of them know who their birth parents are. In this case, where the children grew up with their biological father, the new birth certificates Seem just wrong.

[Mittengirl]

There are many reasons I can see why a new birth certificate makes sense. In some cases, like enrolling a child in school, little league, scouts, etc., there is no reason why they need to know the child is adopted. Not because of shame, but simply none of their business.

If a minor needs to show a birth certificate for passport/travel situations, they would need to show that they are traveling with someone who has the right to take them out of the country.

Legally, adoptive parents are seen as the child's only parents. The birth parents have zero rights to the child. Being able to produce a legal document that is universally recognized makes things much easier in many cases where parentage needs to be established. It really has nothing to do with what the parties involved know about lineage. It is all about dealing with legal situations.

[algebra]

Well the new birth certificates are going to come back and bite Kody in the butt when he divorces Robyn and tries to marry her oldest daughter!

[algebra]

Wow I just had a lightbulb moment, maybe Robyn has noticed her daughters are infatuated with Kidy so that's really the reason for the adoptions? She doesn't want him to marry them, so she's trying to make an end run around him?

[emily842752]

Wow I just had a lightbulb moment, maybe Robyn has noticed her daughters are infatuated with Kidy so that's really the reason for the adoptions? She doesn't want him to marry them, so she's trying to make an end run around him?

 

Didn't stop Woody Allen!

[andromeda331]

Also~we were visited by a social worker who did a quick home study. Why do I feel that isn't happening in this case?

Yeah, that didn't happen. Too bad that would have been awesome to see if it was a real social worker stopping by

to do a home study. Even better if it was a woman asking questions and pointing out any and always Kody's an

unfit parent. And so is Robyn. Questions on how he supports all of his kids, how much time he has with all

his kids. Although somehow I can see Robyn answering that Kody only has four and confused on who Truly,

Madison, etc kids are and why the social worker keeps mentioning them.

[algebra]

I don't think Woody Allen ever adopted Mia Farrow's kids, the ones she adopted with Andre Previn if I recall. I could google that but I don't care enough to do any fact checking.

In any case the stepfather-stepdaughter pairing is actually very common, and legal if the child has reached the age of consent. Which is 16 in most states. How old is Robyn's daughter, 13?

[Tabbygirl521]

I don't think very highly of Kody, but I have to believe he would never pull a Woody Allen. I don't watch the show much, so I guess I don't really know. But he doesn't seem pervy in that particular way. Please, god.

[RazzleberryPie]

In any case the stepfather-stepdaughter pairing is actually very common, and legal if the child has reached the age of consent. Which is 16 in most states. How old is Robyn's daughter, 13?

Are you a Duggar? It may be legal, but I've honestly never heard of anyone doing this, excluding Woody Allen and Mia's daughter (which I don't think Woody adopted or raised, either. Still gross that she was underaged when it started, and his almost stepdaughter, but that whole family is freaky Hollyweird),

 

I don't think very highly of Kody, but I have to believe he would never pull a Woody Allen. I don't watch the show much, so I guess I don't really know. But he doesn't seem pervy in that particular way. Please, god.

I don't think he would, either. He makes some really bad choices and thinks with his dick far more than he should, but I really don't think he'd cross that line. Now I have always suspected that Robyn had her cousin or sister or whomever that blonde babysitter chick is as a backup, incase she needed to dangle something in front of Kody.

[algebra]

There was an episode of Hoarding that featured a woman who started hoarding when her husband dumped her for her daughter, the daughter was still married to the guy. There are innumerable cases where it started as sexual abuse of a minor, so you hear about those in the news. Google "sexual abuse of stepdaughter" and you will find a horrific list. But many are never prosecuted, and some wait till the girl is old enough to consent. Henry II took his son's fiancée as a mistress, many men married their wards (kept the property under their control that way)

It's offends most the sensibilities of most of us, but that doesn't make it unusual

[DanaMB]

I don't think Kody would do that, and I can't stand the man.  The speculation about it creeps me out.

[ghoulina]

My ex-step-father started getting weird with me when I was about 15. He would hug me a little too long. Massage the back of my neck while I was making a sandwich. Just little things like that, but they made me very uncomfortable. It was even weirder because we hated each other. He married my mom when I was 3 and as a kid I liked him just fine. As I became older I started to strongly dislike him and he was always trying to differentiate between himself and my father. We pretty much either fought or avoided each other the last few years of the marriage, so when he would do these things it was super weird. Thankfully it never went any further than it did. 

 

Anyhow, just sharing because I've heard other stories similar to mine, where you never would have expected it when the child was young, but she becomes a teenager and all of sudden things change. So I can't really say with Kody. I dislike him for a myriad of reasons, but I don't know if he'd really go that far. But then again, I wouldn't have thought my ex-step-dad would be like that either. And, truthfully, Kody sometimes reminds of him, with his mania and immature ways. 

[Kohola3]

Looking into those black, evil, fanatic eyes of his and I wouldn't put anything past him.  Zealots always feel they are above all laws, both legal and natural.

[AZChristian]

My concern is the apparent emotional fragility and neediness of Robyn's older daughter.  She appears to be so starved for male attention that Robyn needs to keep a watchful eye on her . . . lots of young men around that compound.  A Josh Duggar situation could happen.

[algebra]

when my mother's parish priest was revealed to have raped his step daughter 3 times a week for years before her mother found out, I realized that no matter how upstanding a guy seems to be on the outside, he's still a man and thinks with his little brain

[lexington11]

My concern is the apparent emotional fragility and neediness of Robyn's older daughter.  She appears to be so starved for male attention that Robyn needs to keep a watchful eye on her . . . lots of young men around that compound.  A Josh Duggar situation could happen.

Somehow I don't see that happening, as I don't think Janelle would want her two youngest boys to touch Aurora with a ten foot pole, and ditto for Christine due to her jealousy issues with Robyn.

[AZChristian]

I don't think either JB or Michelle "wanted" their son to molest their daughters, but it happened anyway.  The issue is what the kids do . . . not what the parents want them to do (or not do).