Maddie Brown: Seeking a One-Woman Man

[GleamingMist]

https://www.theashleysrealityroundup.com/2023/11/13/sister-wives-star-madison-brown-says-her-kids-dont-recognize-her-dad-kody-im-not-going-to-force-you-to-have-a-relationship-with-my-kids/

I'm not always the biggest Maddie fan but I had several "You Go Girl" moments reading this.  Also did anyone else notice on the last episode during that Zoom call Robyn looked really nervous when Maddie came on (maybe editing but if any kid is going to call Robyn out on her shit I think it'd be Maddie.

[RazzleberryPie]

Maddie always came off as naively condescending and smug to me, but if she’d put Robyn in her place I’d totally be there for it.

[Joan of Argh]

6 hours ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Maddie always came off as naively condescending and smug to me, but if she’d put Robyn in her place I’d totally be there for it.

Same here, not a big fan of Maddie but if she told Kody and Crybrows about themselves I’d want a front row seat!!! 👍🏻

I’d also love to see her put Meri on blast!

[Scarlett45]

Maddie’s interview seemed fairly reasonable to me. She’s got three children to raise, she’s not going to harass her own father to be in her life/have a relationship with her kids. And yes, physical distance helps. Christine and Janelle seem like the type that are thankful for the grandmother role yet respect her parenting and her priorities.
 

Ysabel was with her for a year and decided she would rather be in Utah- but Maddie isn’t the type to think that means Ysabel doesn’t love her any more or their sister relationship is broken. 

 

Good for Maddie doing what’s best for her and her kids. Kody isn’t thinking about her. 

[ginger90]

TikTok video:

 

 

[General Days]

2 hours ago, ginger90 said:

TikTok video:

 

 

 

"I'm done with my Christmas shopping. ... My exchange gift — you know the one."

LMAO, Maddie.

[mythoughtis]

Well we know the gift exchange didn’t go away forever.    

[Gramto6]

Thank goodness Crybrows didn't ruin that tradition!

[General Days]

The Browns had a gift exchange the year of the group text fight too, it's just that Robyn's kids declined to take part.

[xwordfanatik]

2 hours ago, General Days said:

The Browns had a gift exchange the year of the group text fight too, it's just that Robyn's kids declined to take part.

In other words, Crybrows told her kids that they were voted off the Brown family island, and therefore, not welcome to take part.

Now they're all victims.  It's Christine's fault!  /s

[Meow Mix]

I like Maddie's idea.  While my parents didn't frame it like that, that is how we did Christmas.  As we got older, my mom also added in music to the books.  So when we were teenagers, we would provide her a list of books and music and she would pick from that one book and one record (yes I'm old) so that she knew we would get what we wanted.  

Glad to hear the gift exchange is still going and I am sorry for Robyn's kids because I believe that the choice to no longer participate was really Robyn's.  And I loved Maddie's snarky aside about it.

[ReclinerTurnip]

And possibly the Meri shade with "something they can wear all year...not Christmas PJs"

[Gramto6]

1 hour ago, ReclinerTurnip said:

And possibly the Meri shade with "something they can wear all year...not Christmas PJs"

LOL, Really there is a rule you can't wear Christmas PJs all year round? Asking for a friend......😁 

 

But yeah, I get the shade thrown Meri's way!

Edited December 17, 2023 by Gramto6

[Rabbit Hutch]

I really like Maddie and I could be wrong but I thought her remark about the Christmas P.J.s was indeed towards Meri and therefore a little unkind.  She and her meltdown with Meri has been a while ago, now.  Maddie's life is brimming with successes such as hubby, kids, a nice home, and Plexus cash. Clearly she's proved Meri’s old assertion wrong. You've won, Maddie. Let it go.

That particular character flaw is this family's hallmark, the inability to let go.

[General Days]

I agree that Maddie was throwing shade, and that it was unkind.

Meri may have done countless shitty things in her life — making pajamas for up to 18 kids, when only one of those kids was her own, was not one of those shitty things.

Also, Maddie lives in North Carolina. Are they seriously wearing the same jammies in January that they are in July? It can gett hotter and more humid than hell in NC in the summer.

[mythoughtis]

4 hours ago, ReclinerTurnip said:

And possibly the Meri shade with "something they can wear all year...not Christmas PJs"

I actually didn’t think about Meri.  I thought about all the people who dress up In matching Christmas PJs and take  photos this time of year. 
 

Were Meri’s pajama gifts always  Christmas themed? 

Edited December 17, 2023 by mythoughtis

[General Days]

55 minutes ago, mythoughtis said:

Were Meri’s pajama gifts always  Christmas themed? 

I suspect they were probably, "Whatever fabric remnants I can get my hands on"-themed, at least for the years prior to landing the series.

[Meow Mix]

4 hours ago, Rabbit Hutch said:

 

That particular character flaw is this family's hallmark, the inability to let go.

Not only that, but beating up on Meri is another family pastime.  Before Christine left, Kody blamed Meri for everything that went wrong from family strife to hiar loss.  I agree that if Maddie was thowing shad at Meri, she needs to just enjoy her life and move on.

[Joan of Argh]

9 hours ago, General Days said:

I suspect they were probably, "Whatever fabric remnants I can get my hands on"-themed, at least for the years prior to landing the series.

Exactly I remember the pj’s that Meri made and they were made from the ugliest fabric from the clearance bin.

I’m thinking thats the only fabric she could afford and bottom line it’s the thought and effort that counts.

[altopower]

4 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

I’m thinking thats the only fabric she could afford and bottom line it’s the thought and effort that counts.

What was fun for little kids can lose its appeal when they get older. Christmas PJ's in whatever fabric became a predictable gift that Meri put time and effort into making, but that doesn't mean it was something they all really loved getting. Some, sure. All, probably not. 

[ReclinerTurnip]

I stand corrected! Can I revise some of my suppositions in my statement about the shade on Meri (in my defense, I did say "possibly")?  I had envisioned them as Christmas themed PJs but they were not. I had to google this because of the comments after I posted and found video of when Meri made the PJs: 

 

[General Days]

Oh, I still think Maddie was throwing shade at Meri.

I do love that clip, though. I remember when it aired, because impressed that even some of the Brown teenagers (including more sullen ones like Mykelti and Leon) got in on the fashion show, and let themselves be silly and enjoy it (on camera).

[Meow Mix]

I'm not sure.  Social media is full of twee pictures of families in matching Christmas PJs and I can see Maddie thinking that they look ridiculous.  So I hope it wasn't shade on Meri who did what she could with the limited resources she had.

[Gramto6]

55 minutes ago, Meow Mix said:

I'm not sure.  Social media is full of twee pictures of families in matching Christmas PJs and I can see Maddie thinking that they look ridiculous.  So I hope it wasn't shade on Meri who did what she could with the limited resources she had.

The pjs weren't matching though. They were all different material. Something that could have been worn any time not just Christmas. I think they are cute! And I think the kids liked them too!

Edited December 19, 2023 by Gramto6
typo

[Joan of Argh]

14 hours ago, ReclinerTurnip said:

I stand corrected! Can I revise some of my suppositions in my statement about the shade on Meri (in my defense, I did say "possibly")?  I had envisioned them as Christmas themed PJs but they were not. I had to google this because of the comments after I posted and found video of when Meri made the PJs: 

 

That years PJ’s were actually mild compared to other years that I’ve seen pics of.

one year in particular had the worst cotton fabric and colours I’ve ever seen, the fabric looked stiff and not something I’d want to sleep in, I remember wondering if Meri was punking the kids with the ugliest fabric she could find.  😋

[xwordfanatik]

9 hours ago, Joan of Argh said:

That years PJ’s were actually mild compared to other years that I’ve seen pics of.

one year in particular had the worst cotton fabric and colours I’ve ever seen, the fabric looked stiff and not something I’d want to sleep in, I remember wondering if Meri was punking the kids with the ugliest fabric she could find.  😋

I think Meri just lacks taste in fashion.  Remember the ugly-as-mud crappy fabric that she picked for the phony commitment ceremony?  The young woman that was trying to sew that hideous dress finally gave up and told Meri to go buy a dress.  Not that what she ended up wearing was a good look, either!  

[Rabbit Hutch]

It could also be that some member from their church or community had leftover fabric scraps that they would give to Meri to make those familial Christmas pajamas.  I don't recall where Meri said she got the fabric, but I do recall them indicating times were lean back then.  Didn't one of the original children mention drinking hotdog water for a meal and sometimes going to bed hungry?  Don't know how believable all of that is but if true then they were far poorer than I originally thought.

[xwordfanatik]

I have never heard of the hotdog water, but I do remember one of them saying they ate stale bread.  That's darn sad.

It never occurred to Kootie that he should limit his family size?  That's very selfish.  JMO.

I wonder if Maddie and Mykelti talk crap about Meri.  I kind of felt they were always in competition.  

[Auntie Freeze]

3 hours ago, xwordfanatik said:

I think Meri just lacks taste in fashion.  Remember the ugly-as-mud crappy fabric that she picked for the phony commitment ceremony?  The young woman that was trying to sew that hideous dress finally gave up and told Meri to go buy a dress.  Not that what she ended up wearing was a good look, either!  

Which is why she found her niche with Lularot 😆

[Roslyn]

3 hours ago, Rabbit Hutch said:

I do recall them indicating times were lean back then.  Didn't one of the original children mention drinking hotdog water for a meal and sometimes going to bed hungry?  Don't know how believable all of that is but if true then they were far poorer than I originally thought.

 

1 hour ago, xwordfanatik said:

I have never heard of the hotdog water, but I do remember one of them saying they ate stale bread.  That's darn sad.

It never occurred to Kootie that he should limit his family size?  That's very selfish.  JMO.

Mykelti talked about their poverty in her patreon. She mentioned that they ate the leftover bread from the bakery that is on the ranch (never mentioned on the show, but talked about by the nephew in an interview). When Tony heard her say that he said "but you had hot dogs..." and Mykelti said "no...we WISHED we had hot dogs" Which is probably where the hot dog reference comes from.

And yes... even having such food insecurity with a gaggle of children Kody and the wives went on to have even MORE children.

I believe Kody said in the book that when he was panting after Robyn and she dangled the "fact" that so many men in their church were after her...he proposed to her even tho he was "at his lowest financial place". Choosing to bring in more children, more housing and food needs and $30,000 ish debt.

[Orcinus orca]

7 minutes ago, Roslyn said:

And yes... even having such food insecurity with a gaggle of children Kody and the wives went on to have even MORE children.

On Escaping Polygamy, it was noted that the homes of polygamists always smell like garbage.  They are eating rotting food that was often obtained by dumpster diving.  The women had to do whatever they could to feed the kids, the men just kept marrying more and making even more children.

Sure hope that heavenly planet is worth it.

[Roslyn]

20 minutes ago, Orcinus orca said:

On Escaping Polygamy, it was noted that the homes of polygamists always smell like garbage.  They are eating rotting food that was often obtained by dumpster diving.  The women had to do whatever they could to feed the kids, the men just kept marrying more and making even more children.

Sure hope that heavenly planet is worth it.

Yes, I remember watching that show and hearing this story. I grew up very poor and I know what it's like to walk into a grocery store with X dollars to spend and that has to stretch for X people for X days. But I was never so poor that rotting food had to be eaten or dumpster diving. I really can't imagine that. My Grandparents were Depression Era and they had stories to tell, but Grandma taught me all her make it happen and make due skills.

And food insecurity sticks through your life like DNA glue. My family is "doing okay" in this economy but I still know exactly what is in my root cellar, my freezer and pantry and exactly how long it will last for us.