Yet Another Blogger on Jon & Kate
It’s not very often I talk about the entertainment world, but I’ve been wanting to post something about the whole “Jon & Kate” fiasco since June, when they aired news of their divorce for the world to see. I actually woke up early enough to get my Facebook gaming out of the way, so I figured what the hell; I’ll throw my two cents into the mix as well.
First off, don’t get me wrong — I was never a huge fan of the show. The missus watched it pretty regularly, catching it whenever she could, and I’d watch along if I didn’t have anything better to do. I had a lot of respect for the Gosselins, as I doubt my wife and I would be able to easily handle one kid, let alone eight of them. But a fan? Not really.
And, as much as I hate to admit it, I have to: I was (and to a lesser degree, still am) wrapped up in all the drama that came out of their separation. I mean, here’s this couple who impressed me by being able to keep their marriage going in spite of having tv cameras hovering over them and their large number of children 24/7, and suddenly everything’s falling apart. Yeah, it’s the same side of me who likes to rubberneck at accidents and gawks when an ambulance is parked down the road. I’m not proud of that side, but I’m not going to deny it.
Anyways…
I have no problems with them getting a divorce, per se. I know as well as anyone that people change over time, and sometimes a marriage just doesn’t work out — even under “normal” circumstances. And I’m not a very firm believer in the whole “stay together for the kids” philosophy. If you can maintain a loving front, then it’s great, but the kids would be better off with single parents, or parents who find someone that they can love, rather than sitting around in their bedroom trying to drown out their parents’ arguing.
That said, I think they could have handled it much better than they did. I’m sure the public doesn’t know the whole story, but it sure’s to hell doesn’t seem like they tried very hard to work things out.
First off, kill the show, or at least put it on hiatus. Yeah, it’s the breadwinner and the key to their current lifestyle, but having production crews around all the time and constantly being in the public eye has to be hell on your life. Take a break from it, take some time together to reconnect in the marriage. Even if it means hiring a nanny and going on a vacation for a week or two without the kids. Get that up to specs, then think about getting back into the swing of things.
If that didn’t work, get some counseling. It’s not terribly expensive, and if you find a good counselor, then every dime you spend is well worth it in the long run. I’m not sure what the divorce laws are in Pennsylvania, but I believe there’s at least a handful of states out there where counseling is required before a divorce. And I’m pretty sure they didn’t try that; at least, I didn’t hear anything on the few gossip shows I catch and in the entertainment sections of the news sites I occasionally read, and I’m pretty sure that would have made some kind of headlines: “Reality Stars Jon & Kate Seek Counseling; is Their Marriage in Trouble? Film at 11.”
And if they made an honest effort to work it out — or even just fake it for the public eye — then hell, get the divorce. Life goes on. But they didn’t even take a break (unless you count the off-season) until after they publicly announced their divorce on television.
It’s a shame they didn’t handle their revenue from the show better, or else they could have just come out and said “Hey, things aren’t working out with the family life here, so we’re calling the show off for a while.” It’s not unprecedented — remember Ozzy Osbourne’s show? They killed it because it was stressing out their family too much. That’s a family that’s at least somewhat used to being in the limelight — Ozzy is, at least — and they couldn’t hack it. How much stress could it be on a “normal” couple raising eight children?
So, instead of putting the money away for a rainy day, or even just for the kids’ future, they’re out getting tummy tucks and hair plugs, and when things start to get rough in their marriage, they bail.
Anyways…
I need to start getting ready for work; just had to get that off my chest. Catch you on the flip side.
–Matt
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