S14.E03/E04: This is How a Dude Does It!/I'm a Real Pirate!

[PrincessPurrsALot]

Quote

Jen is recovering from surgery amidst the business of everyday life in the family. Bill and Will prepare for a Derby Contest which is great father/son bonding but the pressure is on to win! Jen isn't able to participate so she and Zoey take a spa day.

Original air date 2019.08.13

Note: Changing the number to match what TLC has now issued.  TLC, masters of confusion! 

[Emmeline]

Between Will telling Bill not to say the word “shower” in front of the camera man and Zoe telling the nativity story, this episode had me laughing.  It also had me crying seeing the children in the cancer ward.  

Edited August 14, 2019 by Emmeline

[bichonblitz]

I just love the new calmer, less uptight Jenn. Can't believe she let go of the control and actually let Bill handle some of the birthday responsibility. Good for her! That little scene with her and Zoey getting their at home mani's and pedi's was adorable. Poor Jen sure is a mess in the kitchen. Can't even heat up soup from the can right! That was funny and she laughed about it, too. Will winding up in the "adult" section of the costume store was also funny.

All in all, a good episode but I can't for the life of me understand why they stretch each episode in to two hours. They should be no more than one hour each week. 

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, bichonblitz said:

I just love the new calmer, less uptight Jenn. Can't believe she let go of the control and actually let Bill handle some of the birthday responsibility. Good for her! That little scene with her and Zoey getting their at home mani's and pedi's was adorable. Poor Jen sure is a mess in the kitchen. Can't even heat up soup from the can right! That was funny and she laughed about it, too. Will winding up in the "adult" section of the costume store was also funny.

All in all, a good episode but I can't for the life of me understand why they stretch each episode in to two hours. They should be no more than one hour each week. 

I loved the episode but yes 2 hours is too long.

[BitterApple]

I enjoyed the content as well, but I agree they need to cut the footage down to one hour. 

Edited August 14, 2019 by BitterApple

[sATL]

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I loved the episode but yes 2 hours is too long.

Isn't TLC missing another show that would have also aired on Tuesday night? Seems like there is a show not airing  , and/or hasn't aired in a while.

[SunnyBeBe]

I thought that this week was much better.  It was nice to see how Will relates to his peers. His friends were so affectionate with him.  I caught the little hugs from them on his birthday.  This says that he's a good guy with his buddies. Not sure if they were all friends or maybe cousins.  He looks up to his dad and seems to really listen about some things. That's impressive.  This may be the last year for the themed birthday party for him. 

I thought that Zoey was impressive at her dance class. She seems to be a natural and loves performing.  I wonder if she likes gymnastics.  Being independent is nice, but, I do think that she may need to be reminded at times that her parents input is not to be brushed off so quickly.  Makes me wonder if she ever gets overruled.  lol Certainly, her parents have ideas that are better than hers sometimes.  When Zoey snaps, Jen almost apologizes for speaking.  I hope we see less of that moving forward.  

Bill's dad is so funny.  The party seemed to go over well, though, I was cringing over some safety concerns, but, I won't dwell on that. 

I noticed that the little girl shown in the cancer wing did pass away.  What dept did Jen say that she was working in at that hospital?  

Edited August 14, 2019 by SunnyBeBe

[Libby]

I thought that Jen handled the conversation with Zoey about the orphanage perfectly. At first she tried to avoid the word orphanage. She kept calling it a house. However, when Zoey kept pressing, Jen just matter of factly told her the truth. I liked how she put a positive spin on it by talking about the great nannies that took care of the children in the orphanage.

[libgirl2]

12 minutes ago, Libby said:

I thought that Jen handled the conversation with Zoey about the orphanage perfectly. At first she tried to avoid the word orphanage. She kept calling it a house. However, when Zoey kept pressing, Jen just matter of factly told her the truth. I liked how she put a positive spin on it by talking about the great nannies that took care of the children in the orphanage.

I was impressed how she handled it too. The last thing you want is the child to think they were unwanted. She told the truth but as you say put a positive spin on it. Zoey is smart, she asked the right questions. 

[BitterApple]

2 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

Bill's dad is so funny.  The party seemed to go over well, though, I was cringing over some safety concerns, but, I won't dwell on that. 

I was kind of shocked they didn't require the kids to wear life jackets. 

I thought the party, Bollywood class and pine box derby were fun, although if I were that nail tech, I would've been annoyed to work on a kid whose hands were extra germy from a bad head cold. Hopefully the producers warned her in advance.

I'd never heard of that race car driver before, but he was really cute and nice. I was sad to see that one little girl had died at the end.

[Patricia07]

I was a little shocked about Jen with the soup. I thought "that can't be Campbell's. EVERYONE knows you have to add some water to that". But it was. Jen doesn't read instructions if she's not sure?? She couldn't tell it was too thick? Even Zoey knew. 

[SongbirdHollow]

1 hour ago, SunnyBeBe said:

I thought that this week was much better.  It was nice to see how Will relates to his peers. His friends were so affectionate with him.  I caught the little hugs from them on his birthday.  This says that he's a good guy with his buddies. Not sure if they were all friends or maybe cousins.  He looks up to his dad and seems to really listen about some things. That's impressive.  This may be the last year for the themed birthday party for him. 

I thought that Zoey was impressive at her dance class. She seems to be a natural and loves performing.  I wonder if she likes gymnastics.  Being independent is nice, but, I do think that she may need to be reminded at times that her parents input is not to be brushed off so quickly.  Makes me wonder if she ever gets overruled.  lol Certainly, her parents have ideas that are better than hers sometimes.  When Zoey snaps, Jen almost apologizes for speaking.  I hope we see less of that moving forward.  

Bill's dad is so funny.  The party seemed to go over well, though, I was cringing over some safety concerns, but, I won't dwell on that. 

I noticed that the little girl shown in the cancer wing did pass away.  What dept did Jen say that she was working in at that hospital?  

Jen is a neonatologist by training but heads up the Simulation Center.

[libgirl2]

20 minutes ago, Patricia07 said:

I was a little shocked about Jen with the soup. I thought "that can't be Campbell's. EVERYONE knows you have to add some water to that". But it was. Jen doesn't read instructions if she's not sure?? She couldn't tell it was too thick? Even Zoey knew. 

Zoey's reaction when she first tried the soup was funny. 

[PradaKitty]

Jen needs to approach cooking like chemistry - read all of the directions and have precise measurements. I think with her pre med and medical schooling that this would make sense to her.

i lived Will in his Cub Scout uniform! He’s so adorable and was soooo proud to have a trophy! (Also he gets that winning isn’t everything, which is great.)

[libgirl2]

2 minutes ago, PradaKitty said:

Jen needs to approach cooking like chemistry - read all of the directions and have precise measurements. I think with her pre med and medical schooling that this would make sense to her.

i lived Will in his Cub Scout uniform! He’s so adorable and was soooo proud to have a trophy! (Also he gets that winning isn’t everything, which is great.)

That impressed me quite a bit. When my son did that race, he cried that he lost. My son is pretty easy going but he always took losing very hard. 

[RebeccatheWriter]

Zoey is a cutie. I think that she gets such a positive reaction from her one liners that it is turning her into a one woman stand up act. I was quite impressed with her matter of fact way of processing her early life. My daughters were both born in Taiwan and spent several months (separately) in orphanages there. They both have had similar reactions to the idea that they didn't live with me from the start. They will ask more as they get older, but for now they both simply know they lived in a home with other babies and nannies. I got on a plane to come get them and bring them home with me. For such an antisocial thing at first, Zoey has opened up a lot. She also seemed to have a good grasp of early reading and recognizing words rather than some kids her age who are still making up things they think are on the page and hoping for the best. I loved her dancing.

Will was adorable in his uniform. I have a cousin whose son is a scout and loves the derby. It was fun to watch him enjoy the process of building and the actual race. His little face is getting so much more mature looking than before. I was glad that they did not try to foist Zoey on Bill to take to the derby too (though that was helped by her being sick). I think it is a good thing for Will and Zoey to have some one on one time with their parents where they are each the center of attention instead of competing for it. 

While I'm a pretty good cook, I've never made Campbell's soup before. I think the only time I ever bought it was when they were giving away special bowls with so many purchases. I think I donated it all to a food drive and kept the bowls. I probably would have pulled a Jen too and not added the water. 

[hisbunkie]

2 hours ago, Patricia07 said:

I was a little shocked about Jen with the soup. I thought "that can't be Campbell's. EVERYONE knows you have to add some water to that". But it was. Jen doesn't read instructions if she's not sure?? She couldn't tell it was too thick? Even Zoey knew. 

That made me smile. My dad did not know about putting water in condensed soup. When we were old enough to notice and bring it up to his attention, he would tell us ,”water in soup is for poor people “.  

[sATL]

It's one thing to be a not-so good cook, but still  honestly  keep trying to get better and learn from mistakes.

its another thing   to  be kinda boastful about being a non- cook, by not following  recipes, directions, YouTube,  calling a relative,  etc.

What did Jen do prior  to Bill -eat out all of the time, every meal? bought  the full meal plan in college & med school ? It's funny when  I go do the Dr and we discuss eating out, preparing  meals, knowing the Ingredients, etc-  doesn't Jen do the same with her patients /staff?

Edited August 14, 2019 by sATL

[BigBingerBro]

13 minutes ago, sATL said:

doesn't Jen do the same with her patients /staff?

Her patients are mostly preemies.

[ellenr33]

Thank god these kids behavior has gotten better! I have noticed that Bill and Jen have worked really hard with making these kids use manners! I went on this pirate ship when I was 8 years old and had a blast! 

[ehall1052]

It appears that they have separated some areas in their new home to be “no filming zones” (I don’t blame them). We see all the action in their kitchen and sitting room. I see some sliding barn-door looking things that look like they go into the real living room. 

[Absolom]

Tuesday ratings:  1.323 M viewers and a .26 rating.

Edited August 15, 2019 by Absolom
Double posted.

[Honey]

8 hours ago, RebeccatheWriter said:

Zoey is a cutie. I think that she gets such a positive reaction from her one liners that it is turning her into a one woman stand up act. I was quite impressed with her matter of fact way of processing her early life. My daughters were both born in Taiwan and spent several months (separately) in orphanages there. They both have had similar reactions to the idea that they didn't live with me from the start. They will ask more as they get older, but for now they both simply know they lived in a home with other babies and nannies. I got on a plane to come get them and bring them home with me. For such an antisocial thing at first, Zoey has opened up a lot. She also seemed to have a good grasp of early reading and recognizing words rather than some kids her age who are still making up things they think are on the page and hoping for the best. I loved her dancing.

Will was adorable in his uniform. I have a cousin whose son is a scout and loves the derby. It was fun to watch him enjoy the process of building and the actual race. His little face is getting so much more mature looking than before. I was glad that they did not try to foist Zoey on Bill to take to the derby too (though that was helped by her being sick). I think it is a good thing for Will and Zoey to have some one on one time with their parents where they are each the center of attention instead of competing for it. 

While I'm a pretty good cook, I've never made Campbell's soup before. I think the only time I ever bought it was when they were giving away special bowls with so many purchases. I think I donated it all to a food drive and kept the bowls. I probably would have pulled a Jen too and not added the water. 

Zoey will be 8 on September 22.  At almost 8 years old, she should be reading very well by now.  I love how Will and Zoey get along.  They pick on each other in their TH, but you can see the love.  I like the new Jen too, even their house is more relaxed.  Not perfect, with everything in its place, it looks like someone actually lives there.  The kids are very well behaved.  I can remember when people thought that Will was going to grow up to be a brat.  They were wrong.  Whatever parenting style Bill and Jen used was the right one.  I laughed when Bill told Jen that Will may need therapy, after his visit to the naughty halloween store.  Bill and Jen are polar opposites, but they compliment each other perfectly.

I disagree with posters who want the show cut back to 1 hour.  I would watch this show for 4 hours if possible.  There is so much crap on reality TV, and I admit I watch nearly all of it, but sometimes it's nice to watch a loving family with no fights, sex, or made up drama.

[tomorrowgirl]

Regarding the length of the program, the TLC schedule shows that the episodes will only be 1 hour in the future.  At least through the next 2 weeks, which is as far as the schedule goes.

[libgirl2]

11 hours ago, Honey said:

Zoey will be 8 on September 22.  At almost 8 years old, she should be reading very well by now.  I love how Will and Zoey get along.  They pick on each other in their TH, but you can see the love.  I like the new Jen too, even their house is more relaxed.  Not perfect, with everything in its place, it looks like someone actually lives there.  The kids are very well behaved.  I can remember when people thought that Will was going to grow up to be a brat.  They were wrong.  Whatever parenting style Bill and Jen used was the right one.  I laughed when Bill told Jen that Will may need therapy, after his visit to the naughty halloween store.  Bill and Jen are polar opposites, but they compliment each other perfectly.

I disagree with posters who want the show cut back to 1 hour.  I would watch this show for 4 hours if possible.  There is so much crap on reality TV, and I admit I watch nearly all of it, but sometimes it's nice to watch a loving family with no fights, sex, or made up drama.

That was hysterical! 

[Libby]

11 hours ago, Honey said:

The kids are very well behaved.  I can remember when people thought that Will was going to grow up to be a brat.  They were wrong.  Whatever parenting style Bill and Jen used was the right one.

I think that the children were well behaved in this episode, but I don't think that they were well behaved in the first episode. They definitely weren't well behaved in past seasons. I will see how their behavior unfolds throughout the rest of the season before I form an opinion. I don't think that the no discipline style and spoiling children with gifts is the right approach to parenting no matter how things turn out.

[Honey]

21 hours ago, Libby said:

I think that the children were well behaved in this episode, but I don't think that they were well behaved in the first episode. They definitely weren't well behaved in past seasons. I will see how their behavior unfolds throughout the rest of the season before I form an opinion. I don't think that the no discipline style and spoiling children with gifts is the right approach to parenting no matter how things turn out.

Could you refresh my memory and remind me what they did that would be considered bad behavior?  I know that they got a couple extra presents before Christmas, but their Mom was in the hospital after major surgery, and they weren't even allowed to visit her, so I cut them a little slack on that one.  What were the things that bothered you?

I just rewatched the episode, and I have a question on a different topic.  The night before surgery they ate at an Italian restaurant, and Jen ate and drank a glass of wine.  Isn't it usual to fast the night before surgery?

Edited August 16, 2019 by Honey

[ginger90]

1 hour ago, Honey said:

Isn't it usual to fast the night before surgery?

Normally, after midnight.

[winsomeone]

I think the kids may be able to walk on water too?

[Libby]

5 hours ago, Honey said:

Could you refresh my memory and remind me what they did that would be considered bad behavior?  I know that they got a couple extra presents before Christmas, but their Mom was in the hospital after major surgery, and they weren't even allowed to visit her, so I cut them a little slack on that one.  What were the things that bothered you?

I was mainly thinking of Will asking for the second toy and Bill saying yes even though it was the week before Christmas and they got a toy the day before.

I agree with you that the children seem better behaved so far this season. However, since we've seen 5 seasons of bad behavior and 2 episodes of improved behavior, I think it's premature to declare that the children are very well behaved and Bill and Jen were right all along.

Edited August 16, 2019 by Libby

[AZChristian]

4 hours ago, Honey said:

I just rewatched the episode, and I have a question on a different topic.  The night before surgery they ate at an Italian restaurant, and Jen ate and drank a glass of wine.  Isn't it usual to fast the night before surgery?

Any time I've had surgery, I was told to avoid alcoholic beverages for 24 hours before surgery.

[ellenr33]

Its hard for me to judge these kids who grow up on reality TV. I remember being a kid and I definitely back talked sometimes and broke rules. I found potty humor funny, there are definitely pictures where I look back and question what I was wearing and knew my awkward phase. There are definitely times where I threw a fit because I didn't get what I wanted!  I have to remember that they are just kids and I hope that this show isn't detrimental to their futures. I do know that from what I can tell Jen and Bill really try to be good parents.  I love that they still try to let them explore there cultures and have definitely improved in forcing them to say please and thank you! I also noticed in this episode that Will kept repeating back that if I lose that it's okay and I definitely love that he is learning how to lose gracefully. 

[Libby]

I had a thought about the car race. Bill told Jen that Will got a trophy for coming in third in his first race. If there are 4 kids competing in each race and the top 3 get a trophy, that seems pretty harsh on the poor kid who comes in 4th. It's not so bad not winning if there are other kids that don't win too. It's got to hurt to be the one and only kid that doesn't win a prize in each race.

I'm not one of those people that think that win or lose everyone should get a trophy. I think that maybe they should have more kids compete in each race so that one kid is not singled out as the loser. If 6 kids competed, 3 would not get a trophy. I think that that would be better.

Edited August 16, 2019 by Libby

[Honey]

3 hours ago, Libby said:

I had a thought about the car race. Bill told Jen that Will got a trophy for coming in third in his first race. If there are 4 kids competing in each race and the top 3 get a trophy, that seems pretty harsh on the poor kid who comes in 4th. It's not so bad not winning if there are other kids that don't win too. It's got to hurt to be the one and only kid that doesn't win a prize in each race.

I'm not one of those people that think that win or lose everyone should get a trophy. I think that maybe they should have more kids compete in each race so that one kid is not singled out as the loser. If 6 kids competed, 3 would not get a trophy. I think that that would be better.

Maybe he got a 4th place trophy, and we just don't know about it.  I agree with you, if they're going to give out that many trophies then give one to every kid.  Otherwise, first place only.

ETA: I was just thinking.  Did Bill say that the winner of each heat then raced the winner of the next, and so on?  So it ultimately came down to one 1st, one 2nd, and one 3rd.  I could be totally misremembering that however.  Lol

Edited August 16, 2019 by Honey

[Kid]

I love how the dogs are staying close to Jen on the couch.  You can always depend on your dogs. ❤️

[Kid]

It is so nice to see that Will has returned to being the delightful person that he was when he was younger.  He has matured, he is always smiling, and they seem to be raising him to NOT turn out to be an entitled shit.  That is a good thing, as Martha would say.

He was just adorable when he got the third-place trophy. Especially, hugging his dad.

[Vickismom]

I really enjoyed this episode and noticed that the kids acted a little less "spoiled."  This past January was also my son's first time participating in the Pinewood Derby, so that was very cute for me to see.  Loved Will in his uniform.  All the boys always look so cute in their class A uniforms.  My son has said the same thing as Will about tucking in his shirt; pretty much don't tuck it in cuz it'll get untucked very quickly.  I love how even before the race, Will said it's ok if he doesn't win because it's a race and it's for fun.  I loved his attitude.  

[RebeccatheWriter]

 

 

 

 

On 8/14/2019 at 10:12 PM, Honey said:

Zoey will be 8 on September 22.  At almost 8 years old, she should be reading very well by now. 

Yes, she should be and is. I was commenting that she was (in the brief clip of time) honestly exploring the words on the page and not just going based off memory and sight words. That was good to see, as I have been around a lot of children her age who are still not fully grasping connections between the words we say and the words we read. 

[libgirl2]

On 8/16/2019 at 10:49 AM, AZChristian said:

Any time I've had surgery, I was told to avoid alcoholic beverages for 24 hours before surgery.

I wasn't allowed anything for 4 days except what I got thru the IV. It was intestinal surgery so maybe that is why. 

[Gramto6]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I wasn't allowed anything for 4 days except what I got thru the IV. It was intestinal surgery so maybe that is why. 

I just had surgery in June and was told no alcohol 24 hours before. Mine was a Parotid tumor (benign). You're right it is probably the type of surgery that sets the time alcohol free.

[Absolom]

When I had major abdominal surgery last year no one mentioned alcohol.  I had a list of meds and supplements and what day/hour before to stop.  Maybe they thought I was too sick to even think of drinking alcohol?  Maybe it depends on the surgeon or the surgery?  Surely Jen would know or know to ask if it were important.  

Edited August 21, 2019 by Absolom

[Lady Lucy]

When I had open heart surgery, I could eat or drink anything until midnight.  I had a big Italian dinner with wine (like Jen!)  

I'm loving this season.  The kids are doing well and are fun to watch.  I'm glad Jen's doing well after her surgery.  

[Kohola3]

Producer to Will: "You're getting older".

Zoey: "He's not dying".

Kid cracks me up.

[Dibs]

Bumping up!  I watched the reruns last night and was very surprised to see "The Little Couple" pop up again on my screen.  Does this mean they're considering another appearance on TLC?  At any rate, I agree the kids were much better behaved this last season that in previous ones, but then they're 9 and 8 here and should be calming down by now.  Will seems crazy about Zoey, and Zoey is a real comical little character!  She should be on TV, as the saying goes.  Along with the two dogs, they seem to have a very happy and loving little family and big home.  Jen seems to prefer work to motherhood and the domestic life, but that's okay; Bill seems content to be the SAH "Mr. Mom," and - thanks to Jen's job and TLC - they can afford to hire any help they could possibly need.  Even Jen's giggling has calmed down in this season!

Edited September 20 by Dibs

[ginger90]

5 minutes ago, Dibs said:

Does this mean they're considering another appearance on TLC? 

No idea but TLC has been doing throwback Thursday reruns.

[Dibs]

37 minutes ago, ginger90 said:

No idea but TLC has been doing throwback Thursday reruns.

That's probably it.  I heard they replayed "J&K+8," too (I missed that, unfortunately), and we know there are no plans to bring them back!  I'm sure the Arnold-Kleins have no desire to return to TLC, and they certainly don't need the money!  They fulfilled the purpose of showing (as LPBW also did) that disabled people can lead happy, satisfying, and even wildly successful lives.

Edited September 20 by Dibs

[Quof]

6 hours ago, Dibs said:

I'm sure the Arnold-Kleins have no desire to return to TLC,

Their social media shows they very much want to return to tv, including videos of the kids pleading to be back in the spotlight.   That attention seeking behaviour is one of the reasons those children need to live a normal life.   

[ginger90]

2 hours ago, Quof said:

Their social media shows they very much want to return to tv, including videos of the kids pleading to be back in the spotlight.   That attention seeking behaviour is one of the reasons those children need to live a normal life.   

I agree, I’ve seen those videos.

[Gramto6]

I don't do any SM other than a couple of forums so I haven't seen any of the videos mentioned above. I did see this episode again last night and thought how much calmer everyone was and settled into a seemingly happy/fairly normal life.

I too wondered if they might be coming back but hearing of those videos, I think the kids would be better served to stay off TV and just live their lives in the real world.

I'll have to pay more attention on Thursdays to see what TLC is showing!

[Absolom]

Those two children do not ever need to be on TV again.  They need privacy and and an orderly home and life and to know what real, normal life is.