S11.E04: I'm A Little Boss

[CousinAmy]

Kids spend so many hours of the day - often their most alert, productive hours - at school, and we never see those hours. (Not that we should!) As a volunteer at a preschool, I considered myself so fortunate that I got to enjoy all those hours, and that at the end of the day the cranky, tired children got to go home to their tired cranky parents, while I went home to a quiet house and an evening of eating bon-bons.

My point is that what happens at school is very significant in Will's life, and we are missing that piece that might show him more focused, more disciplined, etc., (or not.) 

It's possible that Bill and Jen don't even know what is happening during school hours. I once remarked to a parent about their child riding a pony the previous week, and it turned out the child completely forgot to mention that we had had an equestrian center bring two horses and give each child a riding lesson! As years go by, school and friends become even more significant, but we won't see school and unless a friend's parent OKs a TV appearance, we probably won't see any close friends, either.

So it will mostly be family stuff and excursions.

[SunnyBeBe]

I did see very touching and loving behavior from the kids and that's great, but, they still are quite contrary, when things are not on their agenda.  And, I don't blame Will's tendency to ignore instruction on his early days in the orphanage, because, he was not as difficult when he first arrived.  His behavior has become this way SINCE he adapted into his family.  I think it's likely due to following the lead that Zoe does what she wants, so why can't I.  I think that Zoe was so difficult with meltdowns when she first arrived, that  the parents let her have her way to keep her calm.  Just speculating. 

[JocelynCavanaugh]

17 hours ago, RedheadZombie said:

But doesn't vet school require you to learn farm animals as well?  I know some vets have cats-only practices, so it's just getting through the training in large animals. 

Jen's medical school definitely made some major exceptions for her due to her size (probably to an unethical point, IMHO -- not all accommodations are "reasonable"), so it's possible a veterinary school would do the same for Zoey. 

[booboopbedoo]

On 10/10/2017 at 9:51 PM, BitterApple said:

I was completely grossed out by the cake making scene.

They should have two cakes- one with spit and grubby hands for the kids and one for the adults- made by an adult. KInda made me throw up a little watching that.

They need to address Will's obsession with food. I know he was starved in the orphanage but he has issues.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

13 minutes ago, booboopbedoo said:

 

They need to address Will's obsession with food. I know he was starved in the orphanage but he has issues.

Will was found starving and the orphanage fed him just fine I assume by seeing his pics from New Day from the time they got him to his adoption.  There were many pics of him through the years at New Day and he looked healthy.  I agree he has an obsession with food and so does Alex from the 7LJ show.  

[CousinAmy]

44 minutes ago, booboopbedoo said:

They should have two cakes- one with spit and grubby hands for the kids and one for the adults- made by an adult. KInda made me throw up a little watching that.

They need to address Will's obsession with food. I know he was starved in the orphanage but he has issues.

I didn't watch that closely. Are we sure they didn't switch out the grubby cake for a fresh one? 

I have a food compulsion - binge eating. No, I wasn't a starving orphan, but my mother was addicted to laxatives since she was a teenager, and she was most likely malnourished by the time she had my brother, and then me. She couldn't breastfeed so we were raised on 1940s formula. By the time we were school aged my skinny brother and I were living on saccharine-based diet food. When I was old enough to spend days with friends, go to parties, etc, I couldn't control my bingeing. At 68 I still struggle with it.

There are many factors that go into food disorders, and it's not that easy to control. I give Will thumbs up for being an awesome, friendly, curious kid, although I probably would decline a slice of that cake.

[SMama]

Is it a fact that Jen's medical school made major exceptions for her, that could verge on or be unethical? I love snark as much as everyone here, but to insinuate that because of her size Jen got a pass, or is not equal to other physicians is unfair. The woman is not only a neonatologist, she taught at Baylor University, adirected a simulation center with great success, and now has a new job running another simulation center in Florida. I doubt Jen would have left their dream home in Houston and uprooted the kids if it was not a promotion. As in more money, because she's worth every penny to them.  Jen is simply exceptional.

Edited October 14, 2017 by SMama
Added a thought.

[JocelynCavanaugh]

10 minutes ago, SMama said:

Is it a fact that Jen's medical school made major exceptions for her, that could verge on or be unethical? I love snark as much as everyone here, but to insinuate that because of her size Jen got a pass, or is not equal to other physicians is unfair. The woman is not only a neonatologist, taught at Baylor University, and has directed a simulation center with great success. Jen is simply exceptional.

IMHO stands for In My Humble Opinion, so not fact, by definition. It's based on knowing several people who went through medical school. There is actually a lot of physical work required in their training. They would talk about some women who were just small-average (not LPs) not being able to do certain types of exams, surgeries, or deliveries, and having to get an attending to help them. It was kind of a "look the other way" thing since the students are really supposed to so everything in their training themselves at some point. I can only imagine what a woman as tiny as Jen didn't have to do to get the same diploma as her classmates. I'm sure she's quite intelligent but that always bugged me a little. She is "exceptional," yes, partly because exceptions were probably made for her. 

[SMama]

Thanks for the acronym lesson. I grew up with a physician father, nurse practioner mother, and several physician uncles. I spent more time than it was healthy around hospitals (back in the Jurassic era when the niece of the chief of surgery could wonder around). When my family pushed me about going to medical school my retort was only if I get credit for all those rounds I had done.  I learned very quickly that brains beats brawn hands down. But it's OK to agree to disagree. If I had a preemie I'd have no qualms to have Jen as the attending.

[mythoughtis]

Jen seems able to do her job. We saw her be on call for the NICU in past seasons. She would go get her step-stool by the Wall, bring it over to the incubator and climb up on it without any help.  There are medical personnel with all kinds of infirmaries- missing limbs, paralysis, seizures, etc. certain things would prevent certain specialties( shaky hands means no surgery for example).  I’m NOT a medical professional but  I’m not about to think that medical boards and hospital administrators care so little about their liability that they would look the other way. I’d trust Jen with the medical care of my infant.  I think  she picked  her specialty for a reason. She’s pretty realistic. 

[abbey]

19 hours ago, Libby said:

I don't think that there's any doubt at this point that Will is delayed. If Bill and Jen were really doing the show to educate us, I would think that they would discuss it in order to help people with delayed children. I think that the jig is up as far as them doing the show for selfless, educational reasons. They are either doing it so that Bill can feel like he contributes to the family income or just for money alone.

Their motives for doing the show may have changed,  but imho it is one thing for Bill and Jen to show their difficulties in order to educate the viewers (and or make $$)  and something else completely to share Will's difficulties.  He is a child, he cannot make that decision for himself and it wouldn't be fair to him to show details of his developmental delays.  His classmates could be privy to that info and he could be subjected to teasing and bullying.  His deserves some privacy in that regard and I am glad Jen and Bill appear to be providing that privacy to him.

[Libby]

2 hours ago, abbey said:

Their motives for doing the show may have changed,  but imho it is one thing for Bill and Jen to show their difficulties in order to educate the viewers (and or make $$)  and something else completely to share Will's difficulties.  He is a child, he cannot make that decision for himself and it wouldn't be fair to him to show details of his developmental delays.  His classmates could be privy to that info and he could be subjected to teasing and bullying.  His deserves some privacy in that regard and I am glad Jen and Bill appear to be providing that privacy to him.

If they cared about their childrens' privacy, they wouldn't do the show at all. 

ETA: It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that Will is behind. Jen and Bill just choose not to discuss it (in spite of their stated desire to educate). They obviously don't care that much if people see Will's delays. They just hope that the audience will ignore them.

Edited October 13, 2017 by Libby

[humbleopinion]

Even more tiresome is  kids decorating cookies...barf...slide them all in the trash, please....

Glad to see Jen's brother, SIL and niece getting an episode. 

Spread the TLC paychecks around.

No word about Kate...guess she is needed less and less now that everyone is healthy.

[SMama]

Maybe they expect the audience to act as they would if they saw a child with developmental delays IRL. There is NO WAY I'd ever expose my child to such scrutiny. The local outlets wanted to feature our daughter on their ads. Small town stuff no one would notice, and she would be compensated. My husband and I said no thank you without thinking about it. I truly get the guarding your children's privacy. Our own relatives do not know most of what we know about our daughter's beginnings, or her struggles through the years. When and if she is ready to tell her full story, it's hers to tell. There is curiosity, I am here as well, but it feels uncomfortable to read adults piling on a child. A better way is to say making definitive statements about a child. When I saw Will in the car in Charlotte and when he was greeted by Nai Nai, his shorts pocket was showing (I hate it when that happens to me). I told my husband I hoped the Will is still wearing diapers discussion would not resurface. Let's say he did. So freaking what? I know many children with medical conditions that have to wear them.  Zoey seems more advanced, more mature, and is just plain adorable. We have no idea what these children endured prior to meeting their parents. I hate it when people tell me love cures everything. Fuck that, it does not cure abandonment, malnourishment, abuse, trauma, and physical illnesses. Putting myself in time out now. :)

[Libby]

5 minutes ago, SMama said:

Maybe they expect the audience to act as they would if they saw a child with developmental delays IRL. There is NO WAY I'd ever expose my child to such scrutiny. The local outlets wanted to feature our daughter on their ads. Small town stuff no one would notice, and she would be compensated. My husband and I said no thank you without thinking about it. I truly get the guarding your children's privacy. Our own relatives do not know most of what we know about our daughter's beginnings, or her struggles through the years. When and if she is ready to tell her full story, it's hers to tell. There is curiosity, I am here as well, but it feels uncomfortable to read adults piling on a child. A better way is to say making definitive statements about a child. When I saw Will in the car in Charlotte and when he was greeted by Nai Nai, his shorts pocket was showing (I hate it when that happens to me). I told my husband I hoped the Will is still wearing diapers discussion would not resurface. Let's say he did. So freaking what? I know many children with medical conditions that have to wear them.  Zoey seems more advanced, more mature, and is just plain adorable. We have no idea what these children endured prior to meeting their parents. I hate it when people tell me love cures everything. Fuck that, it does not cure abandonment, malnourishment, abuse, trauma, and physical illnesses. Putting myself in time out now. :)

You and your husband should be admired. You put your child's well being ahead of yourselves. You sacrificed for her. The Klein's didn't. They chose to broadcast their children's rough road in front of the world. Let's face it, people have been watching the show to see Will and Zoey since they came on the scene. This esteemed pediatrician and her husband have been using these kids to keep their show going. They love them and take care of them, but they also use them.

[SMama]

SIGH, yes there is that. I admit I love watching the kids, and so does my daughter. Except she's made some comments that has us wondering if we should allow her to keep watching. We spent five days in New Orleans, and fell in love with the city, music, food, and people. Our daughter fell in love with sweet tea. She was beyond excited to watch that episode and "see my city again." When the aquarium staff person came to ask them if they wanted to see the baby penguin it caught my daughter's attention. She told me "Well, NO ONE came to ask us to go behind the scenes. I hope they know how lucky they are." We discussed that it is a TV show and scenes are staged. She has also taken issues with their behavior. *Face Palm* My ten year old looks at us and says, "Oh no, no way I would ever get away with that." TBH, it made us feel like shitty parents. When Bill was counting to three she said "How's that working out for you? Go and pick her up, you are the adult." We wanted to bust out laughing, but didn't want her to think being so critical is OK. Our daughter can snark with the best of them.

[Kid]

2 hours ago, SMama said:

I hate it when people tell me love cures everything. Fuck that, it does not cure abandonment, malnourishment, abuse, trauma, and physical illnesses. Putting myself in time out now. :)

People who say love cures everything have not been abandoned, abused, or traumatized.  

[Kohola3]

Quote

Jen's medical school definitely made some major exceptions for her due to her size (probably to an unethical point, IMHO...

I interpret "definitely" as there being proof that this happened.  Can you share that proof?  Or would this just be a supposition?

I just retired from nursing after 45 years. Every time I see Jen in action I think how much I would have loved to work with someone like her.  I just hate to think that someone's opinion, presented as fact, would make people think less of her even if the word unethical weren't included in the statement.

[Emily Thrace]

9 hours ago, mythoughtis said:

Jen seems able to do her job. We saw her be on call for the NICU in past seasons. She would go get her step-stool by the Wall, bring it over to the incubator and climb up on it without any help.  There are medical personnel with all kinds of infirmaries- missing limbs, paralysis, seizures, etc. certain things would prevent certain specialties( shaky hands means no surgery for example).  I’m NOT a medical professional but  I’m not about to think that medical boards and hospital administrators care so little about their liability that they would look the other way. I’d trust Jen with the medical care of my infant.  I think  she picked  her specialty for a reason. She’s pretty realistic. 

I actually think her size might be an advantage in neonatal. There are a lot of tiny tubes and needle sticks in preemies Jen's smaller hands would be an advantage.

I can't think of anything Jen would have trouble with that can't be overcome with a step stool. CPR maybe but most Doctors don't do that very often and if they do its as part of team so someone would be able to take over for Jen in a pinch. Jen has become an amazing and in demand doctor I think it would have been a far bigger crime(no pun intended) if she had been prevented form becoming a doctor.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

 Jen is not a practicing doctor any more, no idea how long she was or if she had a practice.  I think simulation is a better choice for her.  I can imagine having to move a step stool would be time consuming and a pain in the ass for others trying to work in the area especially for a code blue or some other critical situation.  

Edited October 14, 2017 by Foghorn Leghorn

[Kohola3]

12 minutes ago, Foghorn Leghorn said:

Jen is not a practicing doctor any more, no idea how long she was or if she had a practice.

And you know that for a fact?  We saw her working shifts in NICU in the first seasons, as a matter of (actual) fact until she was under treatment for cancer.  I was very impressed at how she handled a baby in distress and how calm she was during the intubation of the child.  How do you know she still doesn't do at least some time in the units?  

[Foghorn Leghorn]

9 minutes ago, Kohola3 said:

And you know that for a fact?  We saw her working shifts in NICU in the first seasons, as a matter of (actual) fact until she was under treatment for cancer.  I was very impressed at how she handled a baby in distress and how calm she was during the intubation of the child.  How do you know she still doesn't do at least some time in the units?  

Wow fact checker is on duty!!  LOL. Yes I am assuming her job as Director of Simulation is a full time job, I have no idea if she sees patients on the side but I doubt she has time.   I said she worked on babies in the past.

[Libby]

Jen stopped seeing patients in 2015.

https://www.google.com/amp/people.com/tv/the-little-couple-tlc-star-dr-jennifer-arnold-is-no-longer-seeing-patients/amp/

Edited October 14, 2017 by Libby

[ZoloftBlob]

No longer seeing patients is not the same as no longer being a doctor, nor is it the same as the implied 'not really a doctor at all but bunches of people at a medical school made her a doctor's badge and think it's cute to let someone they don't think is capable actually treat patients because its adorable!' business.

Jen Arnold earned a medical degree despite her handicap. Jen Arnold worked for years as a neonatologist for years at different hospitals. When people claim she's not really a doctor and not really capable, please understand that is accusing the school she went to of fraud, and the hospitals she worked at of gross malpractice and really should require some actual proof since we're talking about a crime now - practicing medicine without a license, malpractice, impersonating a doctor. 

[Foghorn Leghorn]

40 minutes ago, ZoloftBlob said:

No longer seeing patients is not the same as no longer being a doctor, nor is it the same as the implied 'not really a doctor at all but bunches of people at a medical school made her a doctor's badge and think it's cute to let someone they don't think is capable actually treat patients because its adorable!' business.

Jen Arnold earned a medical degree despite her handicap. Jen Arnold worked for years as a neonatologist for years at different hospitals. When people claim she's not really a doctor and not really capable, please understand that is accusing the school she went to of fraud, and the hospitals she worked at of gross malpractice and really should require some actual proof since we're talking about a crime now - practicing medicine without a license, malpractice, impersonating a doctor. 

No one said that I can see she is no longer a doctor.....she went from a practicing doctor to a Director of Simulation but still a doctor of course.  

[mythoughtis]

i Think that It is  true that Jenn being realistic wanted a better work life balance. Parents( especially Moms) have wanted that forever. Many have quit their outside paying jobs and stayed home full time.  The fact that Jenn decided to scale back her career doesn’t demean her. The fact that Jenn recognizes that she’s a better fit with the simulator doesn’t mean she didn’t or couldn’t do the clinical work at the time she was in med school.  However, she does say it’s getting harder to do it now.  Every cancer survivor I know says they can’t do some of what they did before. Chemo leaves lasting effects.  

Foghorn- thanks for the link. I hadn’t read that article, now I know why we haven’t seen her with patients lately. Don’t take any  comments about it personally. Those who are upset are upset about people thinking Jen skated by as a medical student, intern, resident.  We are not upset at someone pointing out  she’s changed her physician career path. 

[AZChristian]

Jen did part of her medical training at Johns Hopkins. They are unlikely to accept a student who did not excel, nor would they allow accommodations that would benefit a student if they would compromise patient care.

[toodles]

One of the episodes talked about Jen and medical school.  Sorry, I don't remember which one.  The person on staff that was doing her admissions interview asked her if she thought her size would limit her abilities.  Jen said she would need a step stool and that was about it.

[Libby]

I agree that Jen was more than qualified to care for little, premature, babies. However, before people specialize, they need to meet the qualifications to work on the general population.

My father in law had a heart attack. The man across the street did CPR on him until the paramedics arrived. That big, strong, young man was totally exhausted and soaked through with sweat by the time help arrived. There is no way that Jen could have done that. I would assume that basic CPR is a requirement to become a doctor.

I have to assume that they made allowances for Jen's limitations. I'm not saying it's wrong, just that allowances were probably made.

[ZoloftBlob]

Quote

Jen's medical school definitely made some major exceptions for her due to her size (probably to an unethical point, IMHO -- not all accommodations are "reasonable"),

Libby 0 as long as you aren't calling those accommodations *unethical* I think we're fine. I take offense at the implication that a medical school UNETHICALLY passed along someone not competent to practice medicine.

That Jen received unethical accommodations is a serious charge and it is publically suggesting she is not a real doctor, and should not be allowed to practice medicine. And this isn't an opinion thing - Jen Arnold has a license to practice medicine so in stating her training accommodations were unethical, it stands to reason people who think she got a leg up unethically don't think she's really a doctor at all. And its not just accusing Jen, its accusing the people who taught Jen of unethical behavior, and its accusing Jen's employers of endangering patients lives. 

[Kohola3]

Quote

There is no way that Jen could have done that. I would assume that basic CPR is a requirement to become a doctor.

In my 45 years, much of it in intensive care and ER, I never once had a doctor do CPR.  That's left to the nurses, EMTs, and respiratory therapists.  And even if annually certified, it's not something that you can just jump into if you are not in practice.  Docs do not get involved as they are handling the code and issuing orders for medications and other protocols.

[Libby]

People choose their doctor like everything else that they buy. Some people like men, some people like women, some people like old, some people like young, etc. There are people on this board who would love Jen treating their baby. I personally would not. If my baby got into an emergency situation, I wouldn't want her physical limitations to compromise my baby's safety. I wouldn't want her messing with her stool while my baby was in danger. Other people wouldn't agree. They would want her brains. It's all a matter of preference. I in no way think that Jen shouldn't be a doctor. She just wouldn't be my choice for my baby.

ETA: I am sure that all of the neonantoligists at TCH have great brains. Why would a person want to sacrifice anything when it comes to the safety of their baby? I personally wouldn't make the choice that Jen's brain was that exceptional. 

Edited October 14, 2017 by Libby

[Kid]

19 hours ago, Libby said:

People choose their doctor like everything else that they buy. Some people like men, some people like women, some people like old, some people like young, etc. There are people on this board who would love Jen treating their baby. I personally would not. If my baby got into an emergency situation, I wouldn't want her physical limitations to compromise my baby's safety. I wouldn't want her messing with her stool while my baby was in danger. Other people wouldn't agree. They would want her brains. It's all a matter of preference. I in no way think that Jen shouldn't be a doctor. She just wouldn't be my choice for my baby.

ETA: I am sure that all of the neonantoligists at TCH have great brains. Why would a person want to sacrifice anything when it comes to the safety of their baby? I personally wouldn't make the choice that Jen's brain was that exceptional. 

Personally, I respect your honesty. There are probably many people who feel as you do but would not be honest about it.

I am sure that there are people that have absolutely no problem with choosing her as a doctor and that is OK just as it is OK that you would not do so for the reasons you state.

I suspect she is very good at what she does because she probably had to work twice as hard to prove herself. She also seems to be a perfectionist, type A personality.   Also, she strikes me as the kind of person who would speak up if she encountered a situation that she could not handle because of her physical limitations. I always said that  no one knows everything or can do everything. The person who is dangerous is the person who thinks they do and can. So I always liked people who worked for me who were aware of their limitations and knew  what they did not know. 

Edited October 15, 2017 by Kid

[gonecrackers]

I only caught this from the cake making scene at the icing part; I thought Jen's mom handled them well considering. They only show so much. Both kids were too into the icing. I think I would've promised them licking the bowl after ONLY if they kept hands & mouth off it during the process. The kids are both adorable; Will seems a bit more exhausting to handle, to me anyway.

In general it seems like Jen's mom does well with them in terms of enjoyment & boundaries - from the little I've seen of course.

Zoey & her "I'm the little boss" was too cute. 

Jen & her mom both looked great.

I was a bit upset about the preview of Bill acting up again with the cake smashing at Zoey's party. Poor Zoey was telling them to knock it off - someone has to!

Edited October 14, 2017 by gonecrackers
c;larification

[BitterApple]

I agree that work/life balance was the reason behind Jen's switch to Simulation rather than an inability to practice medicine in the traditional sense. I'm assuming her Director's job is more of an 8-5 M-F deal whereas her neonatologist gig probably required long days, some weekends and periods where she was on call. I think she's competent in either capacity, but felt the need to have a more consistent schedule once the kids came into the picture.

[CousinAmy]

I have seen doctors with disabilities  - including being confined to wheelchairs  - who made it through their training to practice medicine. My mind boggles at each of them getting some kind of not-so-ethical accommodation. I have to assume that med school is rigorous enough, and that schools are scrupulous enough, that very few get a "pass." 

[floridamom]

Don't get me wrong, personally, I like Jen and Bill. I think they're genuinely very nice people and wouldn't mind one bit to have them as my neighbors. Having said that...as a mother myself, I noticed that in Jen's interview segments, she speaks quite eloquently, at a modest pace and calmly. HOWEVER, I have noticed that she consistently raises her pitch when speaking to the children, speaks rather quickly and is uncomfortable conversing with them when she's giving direction to them. It's almost like she's afraid to speak to them. She backs down quickly, gives in to what they're 'doing instead". She says "oh, ok, you're doing that?" and comments similar. Their father speaks in his usual tone and speed, but is just another kid with them. They are trying too hard, IMO, to be their childrens' friends instead of their PARENTS. The children really show them no respect....they treat their parents like they are their equals....and this is on the parents.  I don't enjoy watching this go on over and over.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

9 minutes ago, floridamom said:

Don't get me wrong, personally, I like Jen and Bill. I think they're genuinely very nice people and wouldn't mind one bit to have them as my neighbors. Having said that...as a mother myself, I noticed that in Jen's interview segments, she speaks quite eloquently, at a modest pace and calmly. HOWEVER, I have noticed that she consistently raises her pitch when speaking to the children, speaks rather quickly and is uncomfortable conversing with them when she's giving direction to them. It's almost like she's afraid to speak to them. She backs down quickly, gives in to what they're 'doing instead". She says "oh, ok, you're doing that?" and comments similar. Their father speaks in his usual tone and speed, but is just another kid with them. They are trying too hard, IMO, to be their childrens' friends instead of their PARENTS. The children really show them no respect....they treat their parents like they are their equals....and this is on the parents.  I don't enjoy watching this go on over and over.

Slow clap!!!!  You summed it up well!

[Kohola3]

42 minutes ago, floridamom said:

I don't enjoy watching this go on over and over.

Every parent on earth has critics - half the population will have a "better way" to raise kids than the way their neighbors do. Jen and Bill just open themselves up to criticism by being on television.  That's certainly the expectation when they are on TV for the world to see.

I would say that it's your choice to only watch what you enjoy.  The joy of the remote!

14 hours ago, gonecrackers said:

Zoey & her "I'm the little boss" was too cute. 

Had to laugh out loud at that.  She certainly has opinions!

 

8 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I agree that work/life balance was the reason behind Jen's switch to Simulation rather than an inability to practice medicine in the traditional sense. I'm assuming her Director's job is more of an 8-5 M-F deal whereas her neonatologist gig probably required long days, some weekends and periods where she was on call. I think she's competent in either capacity, but felt the need to have a more consistent schedule once the kids came into the picture.

We saw this on earlier episodes with Jen having 24 hour shifts at the hospital.  That's common at large medical systems that have advanced services.  They have specialists actually on the premises rather than just on call so that treatment for all kinds of problems can be immediate.

[gonecrackers]

2 hours ago, floridamom said:

Their father speaks in his usual tone and speed, but is just another kid with them.

This is the part that irks me the most. He wants to be class clown of the house, or so it seems from the show anyway. I think Jen tries harder but she's so tiny. I can't imagine having kids almost my size & growing bigger than me at such a young age. Bill's antics will wear down Jen if she's the only one really trying to adult with them; he should be manning up for his wife's sake as well.

[Me from ME]

Jen is smaller and lighter than Will and due to whatever parenting issues she might have often backs away from following through with discipline. When they were trying invitro  using her and Bill's DNA I couldn't help wondering how much more difficult it would have been if they had been raising average size children.

[JennyMominFL]

I see some serious prejudice and BS on this thread. That's all I'm going to say.

[Libby]

7 hours ago, gonecrackers said:

This is the part that irks me the most. He wants to be class clown of the house, or so it seems from the show anyway. I think Jen tries harder but she's so tiny. I can't imagine having kids almost my size & growing bigger than me at such a young age. Bill's antics will wear down Jen if she's the only one really trying to adult with them; he should be manning up for his wife's sake as well.

I remember an episode when Jen was in her cancer treatment. She was so sick. Will threw a tantrum because he wanted cake. Jen explained to Will that they didn't have any cake. Poor, sick, Jen was trying to deal with Will's bad behavior alone. Bill was doing the dishes. He didn't do one thing to help his sick wife with Will. He just did the dishes as though nothing was happening. He is useless, in my opinion.

[woodscommaelle]

Those kids were drunk on sugar. ??

 

[woodscommaelle]

On 10/10/2017 at 10:51 PM, BitterApple said:

 

It seemed like Jen's brother was ready to toss everyone out the house by the time the baptism rolled around. I don't understand why it was so difficult to leave on time when there were six adults and only three children. At first I thought it was fake drama for the show, but Jen's brother and his wife seemed genuinely pissed, so maybe not. 

Dude stressed me out.

Zoey’s ‘can I pet him?’ in regards to the baby was so lol funny to me. 

Edited October 16, 2017 by woodscommaelle

[Jellybeans]

14 hours ago, JennyMominFL said:

I see some serious prejudice and BS on this thread. That's all I'm going to say.

I agree.  I have difficulty reading some of the posts, it hurts my heart.  I won’t be be posting much.

[Foghorn Leghorn]

Jen and Bill have a disability they both recogize and use in the opening credits of their show.  To not acknowledge their limitations as a result of that disability would be sticking our heads in the sand so to speak. 

[SunnyBeBe]

On 10/15/2017 at 8:29 AM, floridamom said:

Don't get me wrong, personally, I like Jen and Bill. I think they're genuinely very nice people and wouldn't mind one bit to have them as my neighbors. Having said that...as a mother myself, I noticed that in Jen's interview segments, she speaks quite eloquently, at a modest pace and calmly. HOWEVER, I have noticed that she consistently raises her pitch when speaking to the children, speaks rather quickly and is uncomfortable conversing with them when she's giving direction to them. It's almost like she's afraid to speak to them. She backs down quickly, gives in to what they're 'doing instead". She says "oh, ok, you're doing that?" and comments similar. Their father speaks in his usual tone and speed, but is just another kid with them. They are trying too hard, IMO, to be their childrens' friends instead of their PARENTS. The children really show them no respect....they treat their parents like they are their equals....and this is on the parents.  I don't enjoy watching this go on over and over.

I agree.  I think that it's a fair assessment and I adore Bill and Jen. They are good people.  I just don't agree with their parenting style.   I do think that Jen will insist on some things from the kids though and I suspect that part of her is curtailed for the show for her own reasons.  Probably, so she doesn't look like the heavy, while cool and lenient dad looks more fun.  Just my take on it.  

And as adorable and lovely as the kids can be at times, I find that I enjoyed the show much more before they became the center of focus.  I actually look forward to the scenes without the kids.  I know that TLC thinks that two, screaming, demanding kids making  a total mess out of things is ratings gold, but, I don't.  They encourage this crap with other people's kids too, like the Putman's on Meet The Putman's.  The producers for TLC just don't see things the way I do.  So, I may not be as much of a long time viewer as I want to be.  I won't keep watching something that annoys me.  I hope this show can return with a little more of the spark that I used to like.  

[Kid]

16 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I agree.  I think that it's a fair assessment and I adore Bill and Jen. They are good people.  I just don't agree with their parenting style.   I do think that Jen will insist on some things from the kids though and I suspect that part of her is curtailed for the show for her own reasons.  Probably, so she doesn't look like the heavy, while cool and lenient dad looks more fun.  Just my take on it.  

And as adorable and lovely as the kids can be at times, I find that I enjoyed the show much more before they became the center of focus.  I actually look forward to the scenes without the kids.  I know that TLC thinks that two, screaming, demanding kids making  a total mess out of things is ratings gold, but, I don't.  They encourage this crap with other people's kids too, like the Putman's on Meet The Putman's.  The producers for TLC just don't see things the way I do.  So, I may not be as much of a long time viewer as I want to be.  I won't keep watching something that annoys me.  I hope this show can return with a little more of the spark that I used to like.  

I used to really like this show.  Not so much any more.  Does anyone know what happened to Maggie??  Do they still have her? That is another thing I do not like. The dogs don't seem to be included much anymore.  And next week's episode is another road trip.   I do not like those either.   I would like to hear about the new job and the move to Florida.

[Libby]

2 hours ago, Kid said:

I used to really like this show.  Not so much any more.  Does anyone know what happened to Maggie??  Do they still have her? That is another thing I do not like. The dogs don't seem to be included much anymore.  And next week's episode is another road trip.   I do not like those either.   I would like to hear about the new job and the move to Florida.

They still have Maggie. When they put Rockie in the room with the pad, Bill's brother had Maggie in his arms. I think that they put her in the room with Rockie.