By Anya
A few of us were talking recently about this week’s Gosselin developments and the nasty tabloid rumors swirling around the blogosphere. One of us suggested (jokingly, although I think the sentiment was based on real empathy for Kate’s predicament) designing and wearing a “Give Kate a Break” t-shirt. I liked the idea and suggested we could make this the title of our next Gosselin Chatter blog post.
For those of us who really do care about the Gosselin children (and I think there are people on both sides of the ‘Should the Show Continue?’ debate that fall into this category), this has been a sad week. I personally do not know what portion of the buzz is factual and what isn’t. I do believe that the children themselves are increasingly being brought into the media firestorm and that is deeply disturbing. I almost long for the days when we focused on why Aunt Jodi wasn’t on the show anymore, which party was responsible for the Gosselin divorce and did Kate enhance her bust? Hey, I’d settle for discussing Cupcake Gate again! The latest news leads us in a direction I’m not sure I want to go. I know many will say that Jon & Kate signed away the children’s privacy a long time ago and we can’t pick and choose what we discuss in regards to their lives. Obviously, I disagree.
It goes without saying that we can’t rely on the gossip and tabloid sites and magazines to demonstrate good judgment and/or consideration as to what they publish and what they don’t. Just this week, the National Enquirer is speculating on which twin Jolie-Pitt twin has Down Syndrome. As an aside, it is good to take a moment to remember that Kate isn’t the only celebrity to undergo this level of scrutiny from the tabloid press. That is to be expected – these ventures are in it for the money and the more hits and magazine sales the better. If people (children) are hurt in the process, that is the price of fame – or so some will say. The Gosselin blogging world is a whole other story and ruminations on these creatures should probably be saved for another day lest this piece turn into a screed.
We can only really control our own responses and what we choose to the put Out There. As much as we argue, decry, shout and stomp our feet, we are not going really going to change anyone’s mind on this subject. At a certain point, I wonder if it is time to hang it up. Doing so doesn’t mean we don’t have admiration for Kate’s strength or that we don’t care about the family anymore, but there is something to be said for not contributing to the frenzy. Personally, I’ll have to give that some more thought and see what unfolds over the coming weeks.
I started blogging about Jon and Kate and their eight beautiful, intelligent children nearly 2 ½ years ago. While I haven’t changed my mind on many/most issues surrounding the family and the filming (surprise!?), there have been some intelligent and respectful posters from the other side that have made me question and rethink thoughts and beliefs on issues related to the family.
That said, I have believed from the beginning and still believe that both Jon and Kate may be flawed (as we all are), but they also have positive characteristics that hopefully their children will emulate. They both love their children. They both want the best for their children. Despite setbacks and challenges, I see no reason to overstate the direness of situation. Unlike the doomsday predictors (who seem a little too invested in everything eventually going downhill for the family – especially Kate), I keep a hopeful attitude. While there may not be a Gosselin show in the future, I hope to hear in 5, 10, 15 years that the entire family is prospering.
Call me a Sheeple, but I don’t think that is out of the question.
Anya, I agree with much of what you say, and I’ve had many of the same concerns. Nevertheless, after a lot of thought, I think it is important that we DON’T leave the field to the haters. I firmly believe that they are so consumed with their hatred that it feeds on itself. I don’t believe we’ll ever have any impact on them. What we can have impact on are people whose minds are still open and need to see that the haters are not undisputed. Also, while I hope Kate doesn’t read the blogs, for her own peace of mind, I’m sure there are people close to her to monitor them for security reasons. I think they need to know and, if they feel it appropriate, tell her that the haters don’t speak for anyone but themselves.
I agree PeggyP. If we stop expressing our support of Kate the haters will believe we think like they do. IMO, their goal is to convince everyone that Kate is so horrible. What they don’t realize is that their behavior is far worse than anything Kate has done.
I think Jon loves his children but I think his need to hurt Kate is far greater. His twitter rant saying the kids have emotional and behavioural problems as well as the In Touch Weekly article convince me of this. The source quotes Jon so, IMO, that proves he is behind the disgusting story about the kids. These are not actions of a loving father.
I would rather support the good I see in people and watch it grow than bash them into subjection of my way of doing things. Isn’t that what we did with our children? Help them build on the beautiful goodness we all should have inside? How awful for a mother who needs to focus on her 8 children to be distracted by such ugly and vengeful attacks. The tone of the last week and the celebratory attitude because some think they have dealt Kate the final blow certainly gives me pause.
When I went looking for info on Sarah Palins Alaska I found this blurb
“With all that acreage available, the Palins make it clear they’re irked that writer Joe McGinniss is living right next door.
McGinniss, the best-selling author of books such as The Selling of the President and Fatal Vision, is never mentioned by name, and his face is blurred as the camera catches a glimpse of him over the fence.
Looks like Sarah and Kate have more to talk about than we thought!
Unlike the doomsday predictors (who seem a little too invested in everything eventually going downhill for the family – especially Kate), I keep a hopeful attitude. While there may not be a Gosselin show in the future, I hope to hear in 5, 10, 15 years that the entire family is prospering.
Nicely said Anya. The prediction of doom for these children gets to me. The screamers made up stuff for so long that when they get a hold of some real problem, they are sure they are right. I have been repeatedly shocked at how they are willing to view things. When I saw the video of the children crying in the van at the gate, it never occurred to me that it would be immediately used to fit their agenda that kids are terrified of Kate. They’ve said it so long, that they just accept it as a fact.
I’ve seen so many horrible things written about Kate. Not out of concern for the kids. It’s for whatever thrill they get out of their hate groups. The one who hates the most is the winner! Kate’s had to withstand way too much from the hate groups and the ones that have used her name for their own attention. GWOP and other blogs, Julie, Jodi, Kevin, P. Peterson, and Murt. They’ve fed the media frenzy which is what they complain about. It’s gone on too long. Kate is not deserving of this hatred. It’s a shame there’s people out there enjoying all the cruel things they say and read about her.
I don’t think it’s out of the question that this family will prosper. Barring normal life stuff, I think these children have a bright and happy future in front of them.
Unlike the doomsday predictors (who seem a little too invested in everything eventually going downhill for the family – especially Kate), I keep a hopeful attitude. While there may not be a Gosselin show in the future, I hope to hear in 5, 10, 15 years that the entire family is prospering.
Pattypie says Amen!
Baaa!!! (That’s another sheeple agreeing with you.) 🙂
My kids laugh so hard when I tell them that people call me that and what it means. My son said “well isn’t the fact that you like the show when people tell you that you shouldn’t kinda contradict that statement? They should see the pictures of you with pink hair and a leather jacket before it was cool.” Smart boy. I think I’ll keep him.
He also said that a couple of the lines in P!nk’s new song makes him think of me when ever he hears it ” Raise your hand if you are wrong in all the right ways” & ” If you’re too school for cool.” LOL I love that kid.
I am an unashamed Kate supporter. I only had two children but I raised them basically alone…..their father was still physically there, but basically absent from their lives, if you know what I mean. I have always appreciated her style of parenting. My kids (and Kate’s kids) always knew who was in charge and that’s very important for kids. Too many children these days are brought up without knowing who is in charge…often the children themselves are in charge and that is not a good situation. Kate’s children have been taught responsibility and consequences, just as mine were. No, I never beat my children, but I did not hesitate to correct them, either. IF Kate’s kids are acting up now we need to think of who else in their family has been acting up….good(?) ole dad, that’s who.
I continues to boggle my mind the way the anti-Kate people seem to let Jon have a pass on any and all of his behavior. They say all these horrible things about Kate and yet she’s given the kids the stability they need and what has Jon given them?? When he was still in the home he obviously had his own agenda, he only helped with the children when he was forced to, etc. How many times did we see him get angry and grab a kid by the arm and slam them down on the ‘naughty spot’??…time and time again….what do those anti-Kate people think of that??…my feeling is, they have never watched the show enough to see that, they are just chiming in to hate Kate because they have no thoughts of their own. Now we see him during his visitations……and what’s he doing?? He’s on his cell phone or texting or tweeting….probably reporting to the paps so he can make a few bucks again. He allows his ‘flavor of the month’ girlfriend to do anything to make life difficult for the mother of his children…and say God only knows how many horrible things within the kids’ hearing…..he doesn’t care about the kids, he’s just wanting to hurt Kate any way he can and to h*** with what it does to the kids. There is no stability to a bachelor pad with one bedroom. There is no stability to a father who will not find a job to help support those children. Children need stability to feel safe. If they do not feel safe, they will act up.
I personally do not believe any of the lies that are out there at this point. They always come up with the worst things around the time there are shows airing or about to air. I do think it’s to the point now where Kate and her attorney’s are going to have to make some kind of movement….when the children get dragged in…..it’s time. Personally I hope Jon’s recent relative silence means he’s sitting in a cell somewhere. I know that sounds mean, but I’m doing giving him the benefit of the doubt…..been burned too many times.
Despite setbacks and challenges, I see no reason to overstate the direness of situation. -Anya@IW
Me neither, Anya! I wouldn’t have made all the same decisions Kate has- but then I am not living her life. I don’t have 6 babies the same age.
I want a Give Kate a Break T-shirt!
One of the reasons this hate against Kate grabbed hold in the first place is that there was a significant gap of time between when the lies began with the first hateful posts about the family from the Reading Eagle columnist/Julie & Jodi/GWOP’s vendetta against Kate and the point at which the first public rebuttals to their lies were published. As people didn’t see any dispute of these initial slurs for a significant amount of time after the slurs were published, many people assumed that the ugliness they read was truth since they had no other viewpoints to consider. Also, as anyone who has had an inaccurate or falsified article published about them and a subsequent correction or retraction published later can verify, the truth never seems to catch up to the falsehood. The rise of the internet has made this dilemma so much worse. The lies remain accessible forever, and far too many people believe that, if it’s on the internet, it must be true.
To stop fighting against the lies is to let the unscrupulous haters win because this IS how evil wins. Evil wins by beating down good until good people, being concerned with doing the right thing, question if their fight makes things worse, get worn down from the fight, and withdraw from the field. That’s how the ROL comment section got taken over, at least on Gosselin matters, by the crazies.
The more ground the good gains and the evil loses, the more intensified the evil needs to ramp up to in order to even hold onto what ground they’ve seized. When evil is ramped up with desperation, it’s a clear sign good is gaining ground. The allegations about Kate and/or the kids are getting more bizarre and more intense. I saw an video online that identified by name the children allegedly expelled and showed their photos. The person who started this vile story deserves a whole new circle of hell at the very bottom for targeting the children in order to harm their mother. Regardless of the facts of the story, the “source’s” intent is clearly malicious. Any legitimate concerns about the children’s welfare can and have been addressed in family court.
We all get worn down from time to time and need a bit of a break, a encouragement from a friend to not give up to keep the good fight going in those times.
As the saying so rightly goes, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men [and imperfect women] to do nothing”
You’ve got a smart boy, Craftymom, lol.
PeggyP you make a very good strong case for explaining why some of us defend a complete stranger on the Internet.
After visisting a cancer ward today and seeing several Mother’s fight for their lives to see their children grow up, makes me wonder why anyone in this world would want to put Kate down for doing the best she can alone in raising her children. If one hater had to change places with Kate for one day,and if they really told the truth, they would not be able to handle her responsibilities.
I still stand on my statement before, TLC, why are you doing this to Kate and her children. It’s time you stand up, issue a statement in your support for this family. You have become the enemy in the fight for Kates right to have a show. I am more disappointed in the network, because Kate and her family was such a cute show, doing exciting things, travel and having such a great time. TLC has made huge profits from the show and the G’s in general. Maybe they should also contribute 15% of their earnings to the childrens accounts also.
I just can’t understand how people can have so much hate for someone they most likely will never meet. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. How do they have so much time to research and twist the truth so much about a complete stranger? I’ve always been a Kate supporter, I don’t agree with all of her decisions but then I’m not living her life.
When I watch Kate and the kids on TV I see a Mom who is trying her very best to keep everything together. I’ve never seen anything even remotely close to abuse.
The haters want Kate to work a regular job but on the other hand they want her to spend more time with the kids. It can’t be both ways.
I really hope she never reads any of those hate sites.
I always hate to hear people bashing another person’s parenting style. Most parents just do the best they know how & different children respond better to certain parenting techniques than others.
We all have trials & tribulations in our lives. Hope everyone comes out on the better side.
You know, I do not hate Kate but sometimes I do not understand her. I watched the show for years and liked it but it changed for me in the last year as Kate changed. I still stayed a fan and adored the kids, but it ended for me with Kate when she posed in the bikini on People. I could not understand where she was going with that in relation to the family show. Sorry but that is just my feeling.I am sure she was thrilled to have her body back in great shape but it revealed a complete lack of modesty that was more than a little unnerving. Was that really necessary? I just can’t put my finger on it. Can anyone see my point?
Brenda,
I guess that is a personal decision. For me, I said more power to her. I like Valerie Bertinelli and it did not change my opinion on her at all when she posed. I only wish it would have motivated me to exercise more. 😉
I agree totally with the sentiment you express when you say “While there may not be a Gosselin show in the future, I hope to hear in 5, 10, 15 years that the entire family is prospering.” Without casting blame, I hope that both parents do whatever it takes to come together to make sure that happens. At this point, it seems to me that the only way this can take place is if every adult directly involved takes several steps back from the drama and cocoons the children in privacy and support. This will require not giving the media what it seeks in terms of information and opportunity. It will also require that private, family business not be discussed in public. I don’t think that it will mean that Kate must necessarily give up her pursuit of an entertainment career but her goal should no longer involve the children. If changes in lifestyle need to be made (and there is no certainty that they would) then so be it and they would not be the only family needing to make changes in order to accommodate to changing circumstances these days. The Gosselin children might welcome the day that their parents said enough is enough and the circus must stop. Maybe that way they would survive and thrive.
If Kate continues in TV alone, what about, you would say she has to leave her kids with a nanny to film. Kate will never win until she locks herself in her own home and withers away. Mean while Jon can bar hop all night, smike and and say he wants Kate off TV. Well, if he is hanging in the bars all night, he is not with his kids either. Just saying——–.
Snickers
I do believe that Kate can not win and many people will not ” Give Kate A Break.”
I did see that People came out with story and said they confirmed it. Kate said it was a private matter and it was exaggerated.
Pam, I understand (and agree with you) that the kids should be left alone. However, I hope you will allow me to say this. (This is not meant to bash Kate or Jon at all) We just had a kindergartener at my kids’ school expelled (and let me say that this has happened to a family member twice as well with my cousin’s son that has ODD), and the consensus was pretty much that his parents must not be doing their job. It doesn’t matter if the kids are on tv or not, it’s still pretty shocking that a child so young can get in that much trouble.
I hope one of Kate’s breaks comes in the form of Jon being able to offer Kate financial support to help relieve the pressure off her. If not, I hope this encourages him to be an active hands-on parent who is present for the kids when she needs to work. I hope for the sake of the kids this can all get worked out. Like whataboutthekids said, I hope we hear in 5 years that the family is doing well.
Hi Sue
I did not write this one. Anya did. However, I don’t disagree with you. I too think the parents are not blameless most times when a child’s behavior necessitates expulsion. There are of course exceptions to this and I am thinking about children who have severe underlying psychological disorders.
Sue, I am surprised to hear the word “expelled” applied to a kindergarten student. It is just ridiculous, IMO. That goes for “kicked out” as well. I truly doubt this is the school’s teminology, at least I hope not.
I think this is more the “perception” by the close source of Jon who is neither sophisticated enough to understand, nor cares to be. It makes me sad for the kids.
I know parents are blamed when they shouldn’t be.
I know divorce is stressful on kids- and they all react differently.
I know an hour commute is fine for my kids, but not for everyone’s.
I also know that different schools have vastly different tolerances for what they feel they can handle.
I know homeschooling is often the very best option.
It’s about finding a fit- and why I am such a huge advocate for more school choice. I think it makes all schools- especially public schools- better. It helps alleviate the pressure on public schools. Yada, yada, yada, I could be on my soapbox about this all day. I’ll try to make my point, lol: there is more than one reason why children may not be in the same school as their siblings. It isn’t always because the kids or parents have failed- sometimes the school hasn’t been able to provide the right program.
I believe firmly that we can’t help what other people think, and shouldn’t make our private decisions based on it.
Brenda, I read your comment and will say that of course I can understand why something like a bikini cover would turn you off. Everyone is different.
I understand why Kate, on the original, sweet version of J&K+8 turned some people off. Everyone is different.
I understand why people say they would NEVER have a reality show with their kids. Different strokes for different folks.
What I don’t understand is the hate-filled blogging, letters to sponsors and churches, accusations of child abuse, diagnosing of mental illness, fantasizing about how one would handle a run-in with Kate, “loathing” her, equating the show with child exploitation then using a tip jar/google ads on the Gosselin hate-blog, accusing her (and her bodyguard!) of cheating, selling private stories about the family, stalking them as they go about their business for hits on a blog, harrassing her at a book signing to the point of having to be escorted out, selling nasty t-shirts about her, attacking her fans, calling fans pedophiles, etc.
I just. don’t. understand. it.
I have worked in the educational system for 21 years and although the majority of my experience was in secondary school (mostly high school) my last five years were working as a Resource Nurse in a supervisory position. All of this was working for a public school system although we were required to provide assessment services to the private schools children if the parents requested it.
Part of our expulsion process in the school district that I worked in required a School Nurse (in my state a School Nurse must be a Registered Nurse with a School Nurse credential – which is about an additional 30 units post graduate)to do an assessment prior to expulsion. We also sit on the Expulsion board.
Our district has about 700,000 students. In my five years I never experienced dealing with a Kindergarten student being expelled. I agree with Ann. They were probably told that the school was not the right fit for the children and I also wonder if having all six children in the same school is the right decision. Not mine to make.
That being said, I still do think that if a child has been asked to leave a school, there are some issues to deal with.
Jill Scott “Hate On Me”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qw3Z8Oa7E3Y
Just a little ATTITUDE to put some stuff in our Saturday strut !
I have a teenage son who is autistic. I knew of kids “expelled” from preschool though of course it wasn’t termed that way. Kids were asked to leave because the school could not meet their needs. Sometimes the problems related to issues with parenting though often it related to a childs underlying condition.
Public schools can not expel special needs students without providing an alternative educational program for them. From my experience, public schools tend to avoid this option because often the school district ends up paying the tuition for a special school. My son has had a 1:1 aide (similar to a “monitor” I assume) from pre-school through present. It is still cheaper for the school district to pay for that then to send him to a private school.
We have no idea why two of the Gosselin children were asked to leave the private school the others continue to attend. I imagine it has to do with the fit between the two kids involved and the school. If the school had a problem with Kate, I imagine all the kids would be asked to leave. There is no requirement saying that particular school has to keep any of the Gosselin children.
My issue is with the assumption that Kate’s parenting or the filming is the problem. Many kids have problems following a divorce and these two children could have had issues based just on that. However, the hate Kate industry will dismiss that possibility completely.
ITA Paige.
Also, 6 of the children, including 2/3 of the 6, are still going to that school.
I have a relative who runs an independent school and the interview process is a very important part of the selection process. Sometimes, it simply becomes clear, either then or later, that a particular child and the school are not good fits for each other.
I grew up in a very small rural school district in which members of my family were in important positions and all of my siblings were students. One of my siblings decided and persuaded our parents to send the sibling for a couple of years to a private boarding school several hours away from where we lived. The sibling had some struggles with school, though very bright. The sibling might well have been diagnosed with learning disabilities if born much later. The sibling wanted and needed a more structured environment than our district could provide and, although the sibling only hinted at this, somewhere where no one knew anyone else in the family and wasn’t constantly comparing the sibling’s school performance unfavorably to their’s. After a couple of years away, the sibling chose to return and graduate from our high school but never expressed any regret at the time away.
I think it has to be particularly hard for higher order multiples to transition out to a larger environment and breaking up the unit to some extent.
Pam, I agree w. the 6 children, in the same grade, in the same school. While convenient, undoubtedly it was well-discussed before all 8 were accepted – that it could be tried, yet knowing it might be ‘a virtual mission impossible’. (In both public & private schools I am most familiar w., schools prefer to have twins separated in different homerooms.) As well as everyone else has stated, not even the best of schools…& Lancaster is one of them, does nor has to keep a student that does not fit into their school. They make decisions based on what is in the best interest of each child. Personally, I don’t think what we’ve heard rumored is close to what exists. The Gosselins aren’t the first, nor the last to be asked to pull a child out. “Expelled” is not the language used for a 6 yr. old. One can imagine how difficult a time it is to meet all the needs even behind closed doors at home for each child. (We’ve seen that in the programs.) Both Kate & Jon have acknowledged issues…whether it is dealing w. divorce, normal sibling rivalry, or just the reality that alternative schools have been determined to be worth investigating. Whoever unearthed this information, I hope is suffering consequence. IT IS NO ONE’s BUSINESS but Kate & Jon’s.
But in my usual snark…Jon & Ellen took what they knew & used it for purposes that feed a very hateful crowd, who never disappoint in not knowing the kindness that these children deserve – to be kept OUT of their ugly discourse.
I have had a long standing relationship with the private school situation. No way is this story right by what is being reported. Maybe Kate removed her children from the classroom. The story sounds so much better whoever leaked this to say the were expelled.
I smell a rat, one that is wanting her name in headlines in LA. Well, she could have just gone on with her life, but she knew she would never make it unless she could gossip her way there. If my theory is right, it will come out. I guess she never learned anything from her parents. I was always told it was never fair for an adult to pick on a kid. She is young, but this is so wrong, and she should know better. I hope Kate finds out who did this to her children.
Snickers
I am a little confused
I’ve said it lots of times before. We should be supporting Kate, not trying to destroy her. I’m sure the hate mongers will get what’s coming to them, I’m just sorry I won’t be able to witness it firsthand.
I can’t imagine the lonliness and isolation that Kate must feel at times having to deal with this all on her own. But I also believe the majority of it comes from Jon and Ellen.
Pam, my comments probably aren’t going to thoroughly explained as the should be because I really should be working on my Photoshop project for a class that ends tomorrow (I added another class that focused more on PS for photography. My other class is longer and more art based.) If I miss something or it doesn’t come through clearly, I am going to apologize in advance.
When I made the comment about the talking about the rumors of the kids, I was referring to the previous topic, where you said that IW wasn’t going to speculate on the rumors re: kids. I addressed it here because I know (and agree) that is the overall policy here, but since I was commenting a little on it, I just didn’t want you to think I was going to bring up something in a direction you (the collective IW) didn’t want to go. If Anya wrote that one too, sorry Anya! I didn’t mean to mix you guys up.
Re the kindergartener: I have a neighbor who works at the school who told me about it. I’m pretty sure he was expelled but I don’t remember the specifics. I also heard it from my son’s friends mother how volunteers in the school. I believe he had serious behavioral issues so there could be underlying causes there. I know the teacher was relieved to have him go.
I agree that there are times when the children have issues beyond their control that cause them to act out beyond a parents control. I wanted to put that in my original post but every time i tried it, what I wrote sounded really awkward.
As I mentioned though, I have a cousin (actually his son) who has ODD, and when he left school in kindergarten they did say he was expelled and made it clear he was not welcomed back. Unfortunately, none of the adults in his life are equipped to deal with him, and his mother (who has primary custody) continues to make choices that isn’t necessarily in his best interest. She stopped giving him medication because she claimed it wasn’t working. She took him out of his special school in 3rd grade because it was more convenient for her to try main stream schooling again because his special school was too far way, and his older sisters (who moved on to HS) could no longer help him in the morning. (They could if he went to the mainstream school.) Unfortunately, he was not only expelled again, but again the police were called to contain the situation.
Re: Kate. The part I find puzzling is that she confirmed it to People magazine, and didn’t contradict that they were expelled. I can understand her reason to keep it quiet, but I would think she would want to correct that information if it was wrong.
Ann, I agree with you. I wish there were more school options for kids that are different as well.
Pam——-I think the problem lies with Jon’s gf. She was on FB a few months ago, talking about fame. I think she is the rat. Jon uses people, but by the time they figure it out, the gf’s are selling their stories and Jon is moving on to the next one. As long as Jon can be a victim, his game will continue. He blames Kate for everything, but why can’t Jon find a job, a stable relationship, a decent home for his children? It’s easier to be the poor me attitude.
Quite frankly, I think it was a huge error for People Magazine to put the names of the 2 Gosselins out there. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A SCHOOL like Lancaster…or for that matter, any school releasing such information…ABOUT 2 kindergarten children? While I have some respect for what was put in quotes in the article…somehow the fact they’d checked w. TLC makes me wonder if anyone actually understands the difference between expelled, withdrawn, seeking independent testing as a result of behavior &/or an inability to just be able to do the class studies. (NONE of this IS NEWS TLC would be privy to?)
AGAIN, I am not quite sure why it is anyone’s business? (Snickers, I could not agree w. you more!)
Peggy and others, thanks for your thoughts on the wisdom of continuing to blog about Kate and the Gosselin children. I sense I’m not the only one struggling with this. At one point I thought not addressing rumors involving the children was the way to go, but true to form, those with an agenda to take down Kate cannot resist an opportunity to crow and assign all the blame for this situation to Kate. I totally understand why people continue to speak up for Kate and I’m glad they do. It makes me incredibly sad to see this story all over every entertainment site, Twitter, etc. Everyone has an opinion, although only a select few know the real circumstances of the situation.
I can only hope that whoever leaked this information and some of the other rumors is having second thoughts. Is THIS really the outcome they wanted?
Craftymom, your son is credit to you. Not surprised he has such a mature and balanced attitude.
Ann and others – I appreciate the perspective you offered about the school perhaps not being the right fit. I hadn’t really considered from this angle before. It is understandable why Kate would want her children to attend the same school and this school has an excellent academic reputation. That said, it stands to reason that this might not be the best fit for all six of the sextuplets.
Ann and Snickers, I agree with you re the source… I also have also have never heard of an independent school releasing such private information about a student…NEVER… Having lived in DC for many years, there have been many scandalous newspaper stories involving older children of high up officials in trouble for one reason or another. The school seldom comments even about high school students and I feel confident that an official from LCD did not make any statements to the press about the Gosselins. This is a personal situation for the family and school to deal with. All schools do not fit all children and decisions to change schools mid year are not unheard of. “Expelled” is a term that never should have been introduced in this situation. Kindergarten children are not expelled. I hope the haters are happy to know that they have labeled two children for life. Such child advocates they are! They have done nothing but bring harm to these children all in their neverending quest to destroy Kate. I am angry and frustrated by all of this and wish there was something that could be done in a positive way to help!
I actually meant to address that to HB and Snickers…
Anya and others- I think that having 6 kids in the same grade might be overwhelming for the school. I have no idea how many classes of each grade they have- but it stands to reason it isn’t 6. She may need to split them up. It’s really an unusual situation. Oddly, it is just such situations that a mother of sextuplets must negotiate that led to the opportunity for the family to have a show. It’s the show that pays for their tuition. I am interested in schools and will be interested to see if they return, try another school, or stick with homeschooling. I know there are competent professionals who will help with the decision.
Jon seriously needs to get something for himself to make himself feel like he is contributing. It can’t be good for him to be perceived as mooching off his girlfriend, and we all know her advice blog and Internet career isn’t generating enough cash to be called a creer. I (jokingly) asked my husband to consider hiring him in IT after he was telling me about an IT issue he’s been dealing with. But I really do wish the best for Jon- and the best would be a decent career, IMO.
No problem, Judy.
Snickers, I am confused, too. I’m not sure what school you mean?
I have never seen Ellen’s FB page. I think you have to “friend” her and, having been blocked from her twitter, I didn’t bother. What did Ellen write about fame on her FB page?
Sue, I am sorry they used the word “expelled.” I believe you, though. I seriously wish I could help the little guy you described. The research has all been done for how to help him learn, graduate, and contribute to society. It’s hard work, so I hope someone gives him help. Good luck with your project. Are you pursuing a degree?
I stopped reading the hate sites a long time ago, most of the stuff they post is disgusting. I hope Kate knows that there are people who support her, I wouldn’t make some of the choices she had made but I’m not trying to raise 8 kids alone like she is. I think she is doing the absolute best she can. In my opinion, everything she has done, every decision she has made has been for those kids.
Finding the right teacher(s) and a school for children with challenges (I’m avoiding the term “special needs” because that too often is used as a modern euphemism for conditions like Down Syndrome). Those challenges can be physical and/or intellectual and/or emotional. Too many schools are teaching for the test and, quite frankly, I can’t really blame them with the obsession of so many with test scores on standardized tests as a measure of success or failure for teachers and schools. Students who require more individual emphasis are often not all that welcome.
I can speak with some feeling on that because there are children in my family with learning disabilities. Our family includes a lot of educators and knowledge of the appropriate law and even with that support it was an often exhausting struggle for their parents to get them what they needed to learn. I also am not in a position to be accused of sour grapes. I may be a total klutz physically, but I’m REALLY good at standardized tests. I used to joke that, while some people are born with a silver spoon in their mouths, I was born with a No. 2 pencil in my hand. I have a niece like that too, although she’s MUCH better coordinated than I am fortunately. Schools want kids like my niece and me even though we don’t need much from teachers and schools except to not discourage us or otherwise get in our way.
My feeling is that there are many roads to learning and the children who can’t take the superhighway but need alternate routes deserve as much priority as the ones who bump up the average test scores.
I have another young family member who, while she has no trouble learning, has always, even as a baby, been very reserved. Fortunately, her parents found the perfect school for her and she is not only learning intellectually but she is blossoming as a personality. I doubt she’ll ever be an extrovert, but she’s so much more socially confident now that it’s heartwarming to see. I wish I’d been in a school like that when I was her age.
Also, when one is part of a large family, even if you aren’t in the same grade with any of them, you are constantly judged by being compared to your relatives (and, in my case, that included being compared to my parents who were educators in the same district). I can’t even imagine what it’s like being in the same grade with one of them. It was bad enough having my mother as a my teacher in a subject in middle school (I got an A but I never worked harder; there’s no excuse for slacking off on your homework at night when one of your teachers is there).
Sorry to ramble on, but, as you can tell, I feel VERY strongly about this subject. I also agree that the children NEVER should have been named.
Ann, when Ellen first came on the scene with Jon, her friends and her were telling things on FB , and she wanted fame. Comments were made from her friends why would she want JOn as she had a gf??? Of course people posting stuff is just gossip, no I don’t know if any of it is true. I know people who friended her before things got out of control and Ellen was not received in the public for how she was handling things with the G kids. Then she went private or what ever she did.
The Saturday CBS Early Show interviewed the reporter from In Touch that first reported on the “Expulsion” story.
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7054http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7054339n339n
Ahh, Pam, if this is true according to what Jon has said, these kids are in for years of abuse from their own Father selling them out for money. I hope Ellen is proud of herself for allowing Jon to do this. She is not a Mother and has no idea how hurtful this will be for the children as they get older. She could have told Jon, never do you do this, but I think she encouraged Jon to make Kate look bad. Ellen wants the spotlight, and as I said before here’s your rat.
I am saying prayers for Kate and her whole family. We as women need to stand with Kate.
I pray for a court of law to finally do something about Jon. He has been pampered to the point of disgust in my book.
I’ve been reading all of your comments with much interest. I am so saddened by all of this that I just can’t bring myself to type a lot about it right now (still). BUT, I do want to mention that there are laws that prohibit the release of information by schools. So if someone from the school IS confirming this to the media, then Kate AND Jon have grounds for a serious lawsuit.
I just watched the CBS clip, to me it sounds like the “source” may be Jon. He needs to keep his mouth shut.
Is anyone watching Sarah Palin’s Alaska tonight? I did put a thread up under Reality TV for it is you are.
Also, we have a contest that started today and we are giving away two $25 gift cards to Target. You can find it here https://imperfectwomen.com/refer-a-friend-target-gift-card-giveaway/
According to Jon, who has no job, no place for the kids to have beds, smoking and drinking in bars at night, sitting on a couch all day on twitter.
Looks like the reporter has some very nice things to say about Kate. If you listen to her her interview, Jon was being called out by her. I know the school did not release any info, they are smarter than that, but good ole Jon stepped right up in his pile of crap again.
CBS news
Seems Jon is the source- she slips and says, “according to Jon.” Ugh!
I agree with you stxmom. In the In Touch article the source also quotes Jon. I wish the In Touch reporter would have included all the nice things she said about Kate in the CBS interview in her article. I think it was wrong to name the kids. I hope Jon realizes in his quest to hurt Kate it is the kids who will suffer the most.
I agree, snickers. The piece is pro-filming and pro-Kate. She seems to conclude that Kate should film- make hay while the sun shines. She acknowledges the “source” is probably making everything sound worse than it is. She acknowledges OTHER REASONS for the school issue besides filming including the divorce and trying to find one’s identity as a sextuplet.
PeggyP, I could have written your comment #43 myself! I was also born with two sharpened No. 2 pencils in my fist. I LOVED standardized test week. My 2 older kids did not like it, sniff, but the youngest is just like me.
Nevertheless, I work with and advocate for children with challenges. (I’m a child advocate in real life! I don’t play one on the Internet!)
Thanks for the follow-up snickers. This latest about Jon doesn’t make Ellen look very good either, IMO.
Here’s what I don’t understand about Jon: Why would he say anything to a tabloid? He already tweeted his position. If he thought it was Ok, 1st Amendment and all, why not just tweet about the school issue with his own name on what he feels? I wouldn’t support that- but I sure would have more respect for that than this. He is an anonymous source about his own children’s school record??? What is he thinking? 6 of his other kids still go there.
The school is now in the spotlight. People have questioned whether a staff member or parent leaked this.. Yeah- a parent…the KIDS’ parent! How nervy of him to let others be accused.
Can’t he just stand behind up for himself and say what he feels? Why does he have to use a tabloid? Why can’t he use his name?
I wish Jon would come out and speak up about this issue. Not about the story itself but whether he is the souce or not. Twitter away Jon. The world is waiting. Or at least the Gosselin blogging world. 😉
I agree Ann, Jon has now put his other children in harms way in the school they attend. This will surely affect how they are received there also. Shame on any Father who would let the public think a staff member leaked the info!! I hope the school family embraces this family even more.
Jon has nothing to offer his children, so for money he sells their private issues. It’s time the court takes care of the problem this family has, JON!!!
I did start a new post with the video interview in Gosselin Chatter.
I smell Jon behind this. I agree a private school would not leak information. I do feel bad that the two were expelled… and that home schooling is probably best for them. What about Kate not feeding them properly? Isn’t this a big issue on the hate site? Something smells fishy. I’m sure that the children do have issues but what child doesn’t. Best hopes for all the children.