Matt and Caryn

[Jeanne222]

3 hours ago, LilyD said:

I don’t think it’s fair to put most of the blame for raising lazy and entitled kids on Amy. Matt was their dad, he was home a lot and could have been way more hands on when raising them. He didn’t. He was too busy being Matt and transforming the farm into his own dream-playground. He is just as responsible for bringing those spoilt kids into the big world as Amy. 

I respectfully disagree. When you have the time go back to the seasons when the boys were teens. Matt tried but he was constantly shut down by Amy.

To keep the peace he would walk away from her brutal words. 

He was in the office to avoid Amy’s bitter tongue. 

Sad state of affairs. 

[floridamom]

From what I am reading here it looks like Amy shut down Matt in front of the children when he corrected them. If she did not agree with him, she let him know in their presence. This is not a good thing to do in front of the kids. They then know who has the "power". They see their parents divided where they are concerned. It never works out right. She should have talked to him in private about it. She was not really a good mother, IMO. Yes, she hosted play dates, drove them all around town but did not instill in them good personal habits. Sad to think about. It's a miracle that Molly saw through this and is a happy, independent adult.

[readheaded]

On 7/21/2022 at 6:50 PM, LilyD said:

I fully agree with you here @SunnyBeBe. I might add that Matt and Amy were not equals in their relationship. And that definitely goes for stuff like business and intellect. I think Matt found in Caryn someone who was able to understand him, with similar interests and a certain level of intellect that Amy did not have.  A relationship based on mutual understanding, respect, interests and intellect can be very rewarding.

As for physical intimacy; I just do not want to know! Not about this couple nor any of my close friends for that matter. Something about too much information...😉

I'd say it wasn't intellect so much as the ability to manipulate and gaslight.

12 hours ago, floridamom said:

From what I am reading here it looks like Amy shut down Matt in front of the children when he corrected them. If she did not agree with him, she let him know in their presence. This is not a good thing to do in front of the kids. They then know who has the "power". They see their parents divided where they are concerned. It never works out right. She should have talked to him in private about it. She was not really a good mother, IMO. Yes, she hosted play dates, drove them all around town but did not instill in them good personal habits. Sad to think about. It's a miracle that Molly saw through this and is a happy, independent adult.

Funny that the woman who isn't a good mother is the parent who isn't estranged from their kids.

[Redrum]

2 minutes ago, readheaded said:

Funny that the woman who isn't a good mother is the parent who isn't estranged from their kids.

Even though she's the parent who doesn't own all the property they selfishly lust for and want for free.

[BAForever]

Relatively new to this sh******. Was a little familiar with their story, knew they had divorced after 4 kids and years of marriage. After watching most of S6, it is incredibly obvious how miserable they are married. Matt doesn't want to parent, he wants blind obedience and wants others to read his mind. Amy is a slob and doesn't discipline or hold kids accountable. They barely can carry a civil conversation (twins are 18 the season I'm watching)

Another reality show that starts off with a family who later implodes.

Back on thread topic, hopefully their new partners will make them happier.

[SunnyBeBe]

There can be parental alienation, even when the parents still live together.  

[LilyD]

On 7/23/2022 at 1:22 AM, Jeanne222 said:

I respectfully disagree. When you have the time go back to the seasons when the boys were teens. Matt tried but he was constantly shut down by Amy.

I found your reaction quite intriguing. I guess it all depends on how you interpret what’s going on. Yes, Amy seemed to disagree with Matt a lot, doing things her way. I fully agree with that. But I can’t help feeling this exactly mirrored Matt’s behaviour. He’s pretty good at ignoring others too and have things his way.

Over the years, we’ve seen a pretty dominant Matt and I am 100% sure he could have easily “crushed” Amy and her parenting ‘skills’ but he simply chose not to. I think @BAForever put it brilliantly when saying he didn’t want to parent, just the obedience. When that proved hard, he literally walked out, which is typically Matt too; abandon ship when enterprises prove too difficult or lost its appeal.

[BAForever]

12 minutes ago, LilyD said:

I found your reaction quite intriguing. I guess it all depends on how you interpret what’s going on. Yes, Amy seemed to disagree with Matt a lot, doing things her way. I fully agree with that. But I can’t help feeling this exactly mirrored Matt’s behaviour. He’s pretty good at ignoring others too and have things his way.

Over the years, we’ve seen a pretty dominant Matt and I am 100% sure he could have easily “crushed” Amy and her parenting ‘skills’ but he simply chose not to. I think @BAForever put it brilliantly when saying he didn’t want to parent, just the obedience. When that proved hard, he literally walked out, which is typically Matt too; abandon ship when enterprises prove too difficult or lost its appeal.

Thanks LilyD. My perspective may be skewed as I'm binge watching. Between summer vaca, the heat and a covid scare, have had a lot of free time recently. Kind of sad I missed this show in its heyday, so much to snark on.

[Jeanne222]

1 hour ago, LilyD said:

I found your reaction quite intriguing. I guess it all depends on how you interpret what’s going on. Yes, Amy seemed to disagree with Matt a lot, doing things her way. I fully agree with that. But I can’t help feeling this exactly mirrored Matt’s behaviour. He’s pretty good at ignoring others too and have things his way.

Over the years, we’ve seen a pretty dominant Matt and I am 100% sure he could have easily “crushed” Amy and her parenting ‘skills’ but he simply chose not to. I think @BAForever put it brilliantly when saying he didn’t want to parent, just the obedience. When that proved hard, he literally walked out, which is typically Matt too; abandon ship when enterprises prove too difficult or lost its appeal.

I often wonder how Matt might have parented with a partner like Caryn?

Neither of their boys turned out well with the partners they had but maybe things would have been better with a more compatible partner.

None of them were happy and none of them were doing their best toward the kids due to their own conflicts. 

[Redrum]

1 hour ago, LilyD said:

Over the years, we’ve seen a pretty dominant Matt and I am 100% sure he could have easily “crushed” Amy and her parenting ‘skills’ but he simply chose not to. I think @BAForever put it brilliantly when saying he didn’t want to parent, just the obedience. When that proved hard, he literally walked out, which is typically Matt too; abandon ship when enterprises prove too difficult or lost its appeal.

I have to agree with you guys. The kids weren't little adults whose paychecks he could withhold, and he wasn't really interested in parenting so he walked away. As long as the kids did amusing things on camera, he had no problem letting everything else go. 

It also lets him rely on misogyny to get out of being blamed. "Amy ruled the house, I couldn't interfer, I'm just the dad who was making the money but day one we made the rule I will make the money and she will raise the kids and if the kids suck, well... we divided our lives to where all I was responsible for was making the money.... It's all Amy's fault, I mean, I *was making money*"

Agree that if Matt wanted to bother raising his kids, he would have. He just didn't want to bother. 

[SunnyBeBe]

27 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

I often wonder how Matt might have parented with a partner like Caryn?

Neither of their boys turned out well with the partners they had but maybe things would have been better with a more compatible partner.

None of them were happy and none of them were doing their best toward the kids due to their own conflicts. 

What amazed me is how Matt was always saying what a great mom Amy was…..lol.  He must not have watched the show. 

[Jeanne222]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

What amazed me is how Matt was always saying what a great mom Amy was…..lol.  He must not have watched the show. 

I think Amy loved her children.  Her fault was that she didn't raise them right.

They never learned to study, clean, behave, have manners.  They just grew up and here we are!

[Redrum]

My small disagreement is that Matt's obligation to parent didn't end after the sperm joined the egg. He walked away from disciplining the kids and look at the end result. They didn't divorce until the youngest was fifteen so its not like he didn't have access. He just didn't bother.

Just to be clear, Amy shares equal blame. But she wasn't a single mom and Matt has shown again and again that if he really wants his way over something he gets his way. I just don't think raising the kids was ever a priority for him.

Edited July 27, 2022 by Redrum

[LilyD]

Oh I absolutely believe she loved and still loves her kids. And I also believe she started out with the best intentions. The sad thing about raising kids is that you won't know if you did it right until they've grown up. My mom always said "Kids don't come with a manual, you need to figure things out. Sometimes you'll get it right and sometimes you're terribly wrong."

[SunnyBeBe]

Matt was generous with his comments about Amy’s parenting skills, but I suppose he was focusing on the positive things.  Amy does have some good traits, though.  She can be charming and amiable at times.  She seems to be thoughtful about certain people, such as the grandkids.  And, at times she’s pretty funny.  I’ll leave it at that.  Lol

[Dibs]

On 7/22/2022 at 7:22 PM, Jeanne222 said:

I respectfully disagree. When you have the time go back to the seasons when the boys were teens. Matt tried but he was constantly shut down by Amy.

To keep the peace he would walk away from her brutal words. 

He was in the office to avoid Amy’s bitter tongue. 

Sad state of affairs. 

Absolutely.  If you can't watch full reruns (I can't), at least Google the playlists of 2-3 minute clips viewable on YouTube; it's quite eye-opening.

Amy SAYS in one of them that her parents were quite strict, and she vowed that when SHE became a parent, SHE would allow them to do whatever they wanted.

No mention of any husband/father or his wishes there.

There are MANY instances of Matt complaining about the noise and destruction, attempting to discipline and correct the boys, and either being shut down by Amy or completely ignored by them because by then Amy had totally undermined his authority.  It was made perfectly clear that Matt ran the farm and Amy raised the kids.  Could he have devoted his last bit of energy to trying to override Amy?  I suppose one could theorize that he could have, but it would have been futile and that wouldn't have left much for providing for the family.

Matt stated that Karen Thomas was overseeing repairs to the farmhouse and attractions while she rented there and, since she just vacated in the most recent episodes, presumably those renovations (which, like everything else, have only gone up in price recently) would've been fresh in Matt's mind along with the inevitable sting of disappointment that his boys never learned to respect things.

I wasn't "shocked" that punched walls, broken windows, splintered door jams, and torn up flooring (Jacob used to enjoy rollerblading on it while Amy asked him to "please" not do that then ignored him as he continued to) annoyed him.

He was also correct that he never could have retired if Zach had taken it over.  Zach can't procure his own mower without dad bailing him out or build a simple sandbox without realtor Chris coming to the rescue with his carpentry skills...

Nothing but mad admiration for Matt, and I wish him a stress-free retirement!

[Redrum]

6 hours ago, Dibs said:

Could he have devoted his last bit of energy to trying to override Amy?  I suppose one could theorize that he could have, but it would have been futile and that wouldn't have left much for providing for the family.

He wasn't dying and when it was time for fun, his energy seemed to be just fine. He'll override Amy on spending money on auction cars that he wants (the mercedes) but override her on disciplining the kids? He's dying and his energy is too precious and needed for more and more material goods to spare for the children. 

Frankly Matt would have much better kids if he made the judgement call that the family's material need for the trappings of wealth weren't more important than actually raising his children with some discipline. Sure, maybe he wouldn't gleefully be sitting on his amassed properties plotting how he's going to spend that potential 4 million.... but maybe he'd have responsible adult children who want to spend time with him for more than the money.

*I also note that Matt has never had one hesitation over expanding his precious life energy to get the farm. The farm, not his children. He made the choice of what was important to him. 

[PrincessPurrsALot]

If you've made your point, move on.  This is the Matt and Caryn thread.  It is not the who is better, Matt or Amy thread.  

[Redrum]

Sad news

https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/5907073/matt-roloff-dad-ronald-dead-family-farm-last-words/

[65mickey]

RIP Papa Roloff. 

[ginger90]

A Sad week for the Roloff Family.. my dad… affectionately known as “papa” to his 10 grandchildren and his 10 great grandkids peacefully went home to be with his Lord and Savior yesterday evening.   Ron was an amazing Husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather  and inspiration to many. He literally loved people and anyone who ever came in contact with him knows that!   His love for Jesus was so evident throughout his entire life and certainly in his final hours.  With his “special love of his life (since grade school) his wife of 63 years “Huny” right by his side … many of us were with him reading his favorite Bible Verses—. I would list one but he had so many favorites!   Sone of his last words to me were telling me how proud he was of the things I had accomplished… then he quoted…..”My Father’s house has many rooms; Jesus said.. I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. (John 14:2-3)”.  

What a man and a life well lived!  
thanks  to all the grandchildren that were able to race to his bedside and hold his hands with mom and I in his final moments here on earth!!  love love to all! 

[65mickey]

I remember when Matt's parents would come on the show for the holidays. Will miss seeing Papa Roloff. May he rest in peace. I am sure that he was proud of everything that Matt accomplished. Matt's parents were probably very supportive of him in everything that he dreamed of. 

[Dibs]

Color me shocked that Matt's dad passed away; had he been ill?  I know Matt mentioned his mother's recent illnesses and their relocation to the same retirement community where M&C as well as Caryn's parents live, but his dad seemed to be in the best of health and spirits!  He ably raised two confident, successful sons with devastating disabilities (doesn't Matt's brother Sam, the artist, have the same form of dwarfism? and another brother who passed, Joshua, had a heart condition) and was always there to lend help and support.  What a loss for the entire family! 

[ginger90]

18 minutes ago, Dibs said:

doesn't Matt's brother Sam, the artist, have the same form of dwarfism?

Yes he does.

They also have a sister.

[Redrum]

1 hour ago, Dibs said:

had he been ill? 

Yes, at about the same time his mom had the issues, he mentioned his dad had blood cancer and was undergoing treatment. This was summer time last year. Its a shame.

[LilyD]

3 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Yes he does.

They also have a sister.

I didn’t know this. The fact that his brother also has this rare form of dwarfism implies that Matt’s parents were both carriers* of diastrophic dysplasia and that it wasn’t a spontaneous mutation that developed during pregnancy. And they very likely didn’t know until after the birth of two sons with this very specific form of dwarfism.

[Jeanne222]

6 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Yes he does.

They also have a sister.

Is the sister also a dwarf?  I’m sure we’ve seen them on the show over the years. 

They pretty much never included family members on either side!

[ginger90]

3 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

Is the sister also a dwarf?

No, she isn’t.

[Redrum]

3 minutes ago, Jeanne222 said:

Is the sister also a dwarf?  I’m sure we’ve seen them on the show over the years. 

She's not a dwarf. She was in the early season two Thanksgiving episode and looks like Molly.

There were four kids. Ruth, average height, no serious health issues, Matt, dwarfism, Joshua, severe congenital heart issues, and Sam, dwarfism

[SunnyBeBe]

I’m sorry to read about Matt’s dad passing away.  He seemed to be a very kind person, based on everything I saw about him over the years.  It must be very painful to lose a parent.  I just can’t imagine difficult it would be.  

[65mickey]

9 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Is the sister also a dwarf?  I’m sure we’ve seen them on the show over the years. 

They pretty much never included family members on either side!

They were on in the earlier seasons. Both sides of the family were on from time to time but I guess more often Matt's parents. But I remember seeing Amy with her sisters and parents. 

[BAForever]

10 hours ago, 65mickey said:

They were on in the earlier seasons. Both sides of the family were on from time to time but I guess more often Matt's parents. But I remember seeing Amy with her sisters and parents. 

I'm on S2, and both sides just came for Thanksgiving. Matt  had some huge table made. Plus did house renovation 3 days before 30 people showed. Plus Amy met sisters in SF, I remember them on a cable car. Plus sisters and younger brother on some boondoggle. Sisters seem really nice. 

[babyhouseman]

49 minutes ago, BAForever said:

I'm on S2, and both sides just came for Thanksgiving. Matt  had some huge table made. Plus did house renovation 3 days before 30 people showed. Plus Amy met sisters in SF, I remember them on a cable car. Plus sisters and younger brother on some boondoggle. Sisters seem really nice. 

I thought Amy's brother looked like Jeremy.

[Dibs]

On 8/3/2022 at 6:26 PM, babyhouseman said:

I thought Amy's brother looked like Jeremy.

He really does.  I don't have even the foggiest recollection of what her sisters look (or looked; one passed away) like, but I think Amy takes after her father -- in more ways than one.  It was nice to see both sides of the family coming together for the holidays in the early years.  Huny and Pop were always rays of sunshine (in contrast to Amy's father and to a lesser degree mother) who seemed to really walk the walk.

The previous hilarious forum, Previously TV, used to reference "Amy's drunk dad."

That always gave me a chuckle!

[Absolom]

Has anyone seen any movement on the farm property?  Any offers?  

[ginger90]

5 minutes ago, Absolom said:

Has anyone seen any movement on the farm property?  Any offers?  

The asking price hasn’t changed. It’s still listed as “active “. As far as offers, not a clue.

[Redrum]

Yeah we're at day 95 of the listing. It's clearly not going to be a quick sale at this point. 

[LilyD]

Not sure about the current situation in the States, but where I live here in this part of Europe, we’re over the top when it comes to the madness on the housing market. Houses still sell fairly easy but usually no longer within a week or so and definitely no longer for tens of thousands over the asking price. There are several things playing out here like a major gas crisis. There are several reasons for this, like the quickly rising interest on mortgages. 
The situation in Oregon may be different though. And as we discussed, Roloff farm isn’t a house for everyone due to its price, history and probably upkeep/maintenance.

Edited August 18, 2022 by LilyD
Edited because of a possible political reference

[Jeanne222]

Anybody following the show might remember Zack peeing in the corner because he was too lazy to go to the bathroom.

That might make a few buyers hesitate on making an offer.

It's things like that Matt has to contend with.  He acquired the land and house but also the problems.

I wonder how Matt likes having Jeremy in his back yard.  Somebody mentioned another property in the same area for sale.  I wonder if Zack wishes he had waited and bought close to his family instead of so far away.

[Absolom]

The housing market has definitely cooled.  There is house near me that is now at the end of month 2 on the market.  Interest rates are up and over 50% of people have decided to live as if the pandemic is over whether it is or not.  

I would expect that the weird additions, the farm buildings and parking lot that are still there, plus the deteriorating "attractions" along with the out of the ballpark price tag are causing most potential buyers to look for a more standard and easier to modify to suit them property.  There are some available in that area.  If I had $4M, I'd certainly be looking into spending it on something else.  The property was customized to Matt, pumpkin season, and producing the TLC show.  It would take hundreds of thousands to rehabilitate into a purely family home and property. 

[Redrum]

2 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

Anybody following the show might remember Zack peeing in the corner because he was too lazy to go to the bathroom.

Which isn't actually what happened - on the show, 16 year old Zach was describing how as a much younger child, he peed on the floor because he was scared of the dark and walking in the dark hallway. Zach peeing on the floor because he was too lazy to go to the bathroom never was shown or discussed on the show. (Its season 3, episode 19 - Room For Improvement, and it is specifically stated that Zach was in second grade and was afraid of the dark. There's also lots of girlfriend drama and Matt paying the boys friends to clean their room).

2 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

That might make a few buyers hesitate on making an offer.

It's things like that Matt has to contend with.  He acquired the land and house but also the problems.

If Matt hasn't had urine from 26 years ago cleaned up at this point, then he's definetely part of the problem. Personally I think potential buyers might not be thrilled with recent episodes where the owner and his lover discussed how dated the place is. Or with how the current owner is planning to build an earth berm to ruin the views from their potential new house. 

2 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

I wonder how Matt likes having Jeremy in his back yard. 

I wonder if Matt ever sees the family in his back yard. The last time Jeremy's kids were shown on Matt's instagram was 31 weeks ago. There's no pictures of Matt on Audrey's insta visiting the kids. I've been pretty convinced for some time that Matt only sees the grandkids when the grandkids are brought to him. There's certainly no special projects and play areas for the non tv grandchildren.

1 hour ago, Absolom said:

The housing market has definitely cooled.  There is house near me that is now at the end of month 2 on the market.  Interest rates are up and over 50% of people have decided to live as if the pandemic is over whether it is or not.  

Same in my neck of the woods - prices are not going up and there's been property hanging on the market now.

1 hour ago, Absolom said:

I would expect that the weird additions, the farm buildings and parking lot that are still there, plus the deteriorating "attractions" along with the out of the ballpark price tag are causing most potential buyers to look for a more standard and easier to modify to suit them property.  There are some available in that area.  If I had $4M, I'd certainly be looking into spending it on something else.  The property was customized to Matt, pumpkin season, and producing the TLC show.  It would take hundreds of thousands to rehabilitate into a purely family home and property. 

You're hitting the nail on the head, Absolom. It's a nice property, don't get me wrong, but for four million, there's a lot of work that needs to be done to deal with issues. If you're not planning to run an opposing cut rate fall festival carnival, most of the whimsical features are just dilapidated shacks. It's.... nice? That there's a tv studio in the barn but.... gotta be honest "a tv studio" is not on my "needs to have" list. And remember, most of the structures being sold are the ones the county wasn't letting Matt allow people into.

And honestly anyone watching the show would realize Matt would be a terrible neighbor... especially if your plans did include running your own cut rate fall carnival in opposition to his.

Edited August 18, 2022 by Redrum

[LilyD]

On 8/18/2022 at 7:17 PM, Jeanne222 said:

I wonder if Zack wishes he had waited and bought close to his family instead of so far away.

Well, considering the odd family dynamics, I’d say he’s probably happy to be a bit further out! 

[Redrum]

Quote

My bolding...and I agree.  She also loves being a "reality star," whether being called a home- wrecker or not.   I don't believe the sweet persona we see on the show ... and no matter how kind and calm she is currently, years of LIVING WITH MATT will wear her down.  Hope she inserts herself in Matt's decision about his Will as much as he did about the sale of the farm (part of it).  She'll stroll (hike) away with everything.

I think the "who the fuck does that" showed the sweet persona dropping. But yes, being besties with Chris and Amy is pretty clearly a necessary chore for both her and Matt.

I am just questioning whether there will be all that much to walk away with. We're on day 109 of the big house being for sale. Matt was all pissy about Amy's wedding holding up his new mcmansion but its an actual year later and aside from the ugly garage, there's been nothing done on the new place. The new place that he's been whining about for almost five years at this point. I'm beginning to think Matt simply can't afford his big barbie dream house unless he gets that four million dollars. I genuinely don't think anyone - Caryn, the kids - are looking at a windfall when Matt dies. 

[Back Atcha]

3 hours ago, Redrum said:

I genuinely don't think anyone - Caryn, the kids - are looking at a windfall when Matt dies. 

The kids have probably deciphered the writing on the wall.  Let's hope Caryn (even though I don't respect her) doesn't end up taking physical care of Matt AND having to support him financially too.  

[Redrum]

43 minutes ago, Back Atcha said:

The kids have probably deciphered the writing on the wall.  Let's hope Caryn (even though I don't respect her) doesn't end up taking physical care of Matt AND having to support him financially too.  

To be fair I don't see Matt supporting Caryn physically or financially if she were to take ill.... 

[Back Atcha]

4 minutes ago, Redrum said:

49 minutes ago, Back Atcha said:

The kids have probably deciphered the writing on the wall.  Let's hope Caryn (even though I don't respect her) doesn't end up taking physical care of Matt AND having to support him financially too.  

To be fair I don't see Matt supporting Caryn physically or financially if she were to take ill.... 

You're SO RIGHT!   

The only way Caryn will get any of Matt's assets is if he were convinced to include her in his Will (if they don't marry).  I can actually see the producers of TLC playing on (and on and on) Matt's ego...to "have a beautiful" wedding on the show.

Edited August 30, 2022 by Back Atcha

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Discuss the people on TV, not your fellow posters.  If you find someone's comments harsh, you can counter with your own without implying the poster you disagreed with is a terrible person.

[Endora]

23 hours ago, Redrum said:

I think the "who the fuck does that" showed the sweet persona dropping.

I don’t know anyone sweet or not that hasn’t gotten  angry and let some cuss words fly, even Amy at that Thanksgiving dinner where she cussed at Matt.

23 hours ago, Redrum said:

Matt was all pissy about Amy's wedding holding up his new mcmansion

I don’t recall him being annoyed, what episode did we see him acting “pissy”.  I think he went out of his way to be accommodating and making sure the farm looked nice.

[Redrum]

Today the house is four months on the market. I'm curious to see what Matt does if it continues to linger. 

[Ms.Lulu]

Similar properties in that area seem to be taking a year to sell. I'd expect Matt or his realtor is aware of that and probably will make a pricing adjustment in 3 months.