Jon and Kate Gosselin are under investigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor for possibly violating child labor laws by allowing their eight children on camera 40 weeks out of the year. US Weekly confirmed the investigation with the Department of Labor, who said that they’re responding to a complaint about the Gosselins. Earlier today Bonnie Fuller, who just happens to be US Weekly’s editor, posted a convincing editorial on this issue to the Huffington Post . I wonder who made a report to the Department of Labor, and how did US Weekly find out about it? Here are some of the more convincing segments from Fuller’s editorial in The Huffington Post. She calls it child abuse and the article is titled “Jon & Kate Plus 8: The Most Abusive Celebrity Parents Ever?”
Have Jon and Kate Gosselin invented a new form of 21st century child abuse? I’d say so. Come on — would you allow cameras to be following your kids every single move on 40 episodes a year of national TV?
There’s only 52 weeks in the calendar. That means these kids barely catch a break, i.e. a few days without camera crews camping inside their home.
t’s a real life “Truman Show” with eight voiceless victims instead of just one.
I’m not saying that children should never be on TV or in show business. There’s a long cultural history of showbiz kids dating back to vaudeville days through infamous child stars: Judy Garland, Mickey Rooney, Jay North of Dennis the Menace, Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, Christina Aguilera and all the other Mouseketeers, the Olsen twins, Jodi Foster, Sarah Jessica Parker, Brooke Shields, Danny Bonaduce and the Partridge Family members, the Brady Bunch, and now Miley Cyrus, Selena Gomez and on and on.
Yes, some of these young stars were terribly exploited Judy Garland-style and grew up to crash and burn. But others went on to perfectly successful adult lives and careers. Being young, talented and pushed into in the public spotlight is not necessarily a recipe for exploitative disaster.
But, kids on movie and professional TV sets are subject to child labor laws. Children in reality shows are NOT, a point made forcefully by the Gosselin 8’s Aunt Jodi and Uncle Kevin Krieder, Kate Gosselin’s brother and sister-in-law who’ve been busy blogging, and then blabbing, about how vile the Gosselins are, especially Kate, to celebrity newsweeklies and on CBS’s “Early Show.”
[From The Huffington Post]
Kate’s brother and sister-in-law brought up a good point that no one is advocating for the children and it needs to be considered. Children are working when they’re being filmed for a reality show. I disagree that they’re just living their lives and the cameras happen to be there. Their lives are being shaped and changed to fit into a show. These kids are affected by the constant surveillance and the invasion of their privacy. They know what’s going on. There’s also the issue of how they’re going to feel years down the road when they look back and question their childhood.
Earlier today I mentioned Star’s article about the affect the Gosselin’s breakup is having on their children. It’s a sad story and one that shows that these kids shouldn’t have to go through all this under the spotlight. Star related an anecdote about how Jon’s 8 year-old daughter freaked out on camera and clung to him when he tried to leave. The footage was too upsetting and TLC chose not to air it:
8-year-old Mady had a meltdown as Jon tried to leave the house to run errands. “She grabbed onto his leg and wouldn’t let go,” an insider tells Star. “She screamed that she didn’t want Jon to leave her, that she didn’t want to stay with her mom.”
TLC’s cameras caught the whole sad scene, but viewers will never see it. “When executives at the network saw the footage, they were very disturbed,” an insider reveals. “No one wants to see a child react that way toward her mother.”
[From Star Magazine, print edition, June 8, 2009]
Of course Star is painting Kate as the evil one, but this anecdote really shows how much the kids are bothered by their parents’ breakup and don’t want to lose their dad. It’s hard enough to go have to see your parents get divorced. These poor kids are also going have to deal with the fact that some of their most difficult memories will always be available for the whole world to watch. Whatever happens with this investigation, I hope that there are some laws passed to protect kids on reality shows. Maybe Octomom’s show will end up getting shelved as a result.
agh, i can’t stand people who jump on a bandwagon to kick someone when they are down… why didn’t they file this report before? it’s kind of sick how we love to bash people into a bloody pulp before we’re satisfied… and apparently, even close relatives are no better :/
Why do I think Gloria Alread is involved in this b.s. somewhere? These kids have been on camera for years and nobody ever cared until the marriage got into trouble and all of a sudden everybody’s worrying about these kids. Or just using them for their own brand of publicity whoring.
I think that both Jon and Kate are monsters. It appears that they are all about the money. If that story is true (the leg-clinging incident), how awful is that? Wouldn’t anyone just turn off the camera and be done with it? The fact that the authorities are investigating is the best news I’ve heard all day….
Sad to have seen these children filmed 24/7. Looking at the photo of mom with the children, not one is smiling.
yes, Diana, but aren’t they all dressed nicely? in matching designer duds? and Kate with her big old sunglasses and expensive (albeit ugly) haircut? that’s what it’s all about! they don’t care about smiles, it’s about dollars.
Numerous people have been pushing for the Gosselins to be investigated for at least a year. Paul Peterson (Donna Reed show) of “A Minor Consideration” wrote a very public letter last year on the situation… http://www.minorcon.org/toc.html.. he’s also talking about why OctoMom’s show will never be filmed in California. Just because the mainstream media is finally waking up due to the divorce drama, doesn’t mean that others haven’t noticed the problem for some time.
Jon’s lawyer better subpoena TLC for all shot footage for his custody case before they destroy it.
There were plenty of ppl that have been saying for years that these kids should not be doing this show….only now are the people in a position to do anything listening. The older girl has been miserable for years, her acting out is evidence of that. It is about time someone stepped in and put a stop to this!
Are they going to investigate the Duggars(18 kids) family of 12, Little people,big world and all the other fanilies with shows on TLC
The reason this is being brought up now is because of the announcement that the show will airing twice as many episodes as last season, which means at least – AT LEAST – twice as much time in front of the the camera for these children.
40 episodes in a 52 week calendar year?
30 minute television stints that are filmed using scripted material need about 3-5 hours of filmed work.
30 minute episodes of “reality” television requires roughly 5-8 hours of filmed work.
I’m not certain what the laws are in PA, but here, a child can’t work for more than 2-3 hours a day at a certain age. It’s why when children are cast in roles, it’s usually done for one character and the role itself is played by twins or look-a-likes.
When the show first came out, the episodes had been pieced together from several days worth of shooting over long periods of time. There were only a few episodes, which meant that the kids were in front of the camera far less than they are now, and now that the parents are too involved in their own personal squabbles with each other, and they’ve successfully alienated everyone in their family, there’s no one to advocate for the children, which is the saddest part of this story.
Isnt it a little LATE to be filing this report?
Oh, and I’d like to comment on that first picture, with Kate holding on to two of her kids while her older girls carry her purse and hold the hands of three of the others. First of all, why is Leah (I’m guessing that’s her because she’s always the one neglected the most by Kate) left to dawdle behind everyone else? No one is holding her hand…in a parking lot. I’ve got four kids and there’s no way in heck I’d let that happen. Ever!
Also, why is she making the two oldest watch after the younger ones in a parking lot? 8 year olds aren’t old enough to be responsible for themselves, much less 5 year olds. If something happened to the younger ones, you can be sure that Kate would lay the blame on the girls, and that’s wrong.
My heart hurts for those babies. They need a mom. Not a mother, a MOM, because right now, all they’ve got is some glorified babysitter who’s too busy getting fake and baked to really give a damn about what her famewhoring is doing to her kids.
To everyone who says why now and not earlier or it’s too late, IT IS NEVER TOO LATE TO RIGHT A WRONG!
i think they should be investigated. all too often, our legal system is slower than changes in technology, Tv, and the internet. this is one of those times. reality tv is a new phenomenon and brandnew as it pertains to child labor laws, and it dont think it is a bad thing if some sort of precedent was set as the result of these parents.
I’m sad to see the kids caught in the middle of what should be private issues. It’s awful that they have to have their most difficult family matters displayed for the world to see. I hope that the fallout isn’t too traumatic for them. I hope that Jon/Kate make a responsible decision for what is best for their family and consider all the possible ramifications.
That said Daisyfly, your comments are a little much. Your whole post sounds like something directly out of the tabloids. Like the pictures that show a celebrity couple speaking to each other with furrowed brows but the caption tells us that they are on the verge of a breakup.
Leah (who you can’t even identify) is neglected based on what? Based on paparazzi photos taken from an angle where you can’t even see the whole picture?
From what it looks like, Kate is holding hands of 2 kids and one of those kids (the girl on Kate’s left)looks to be holding the hand of the other girl.
Furthermore, you say you would never let your 4 children walk in a parking lot without holding hands. Yet YOU only have 2 hands. So presumably, your older children would help hold hands with the little ones. I hope that’s the case because by your standards, anything else is akin to child abuse.
When the older Gosselins hold hands of the younger ones, it’s somehow identified as indentured service? Please tell me how the simple act of an 8-year old holding hands with a sibling somehow makes them responsible for their overall well-being. And your assumptions about what Kate would do if something happened to the younger ones is baseless and ridiculous.
I don’t think there is a (sane) mother out there who would want their parenting scrutinized and displayed for the world to see the way it is with the Gosselins, but who knows, maybe you’re the exception. I’ll make a note to hold you up as the bastion of parenting. When’s YOUR book coming out?
Kate may run things like a drill sargent at times but to keep that many kids under control, she does a good job of it. And who filed the complaint? I wouldn’t doubt it’s her sour grapes brother and his wife wanting their 15 minutes of fame. The kids seem to have more fun than anything, all those fun and educational outings they go on.
Get over yourself daisyfly. Kate runs a tight ship when she’s out with those kids. They mind her very well and she watches them like a pit bull. And you’re complaining because the older one is holding the hand of the younger one….oh please…
TLC in their statement said that they have cooperating with the Dept of Labor for some time now. This investigations did not just start, it has been ongoing and we are just hearing about it.
Put yourself in these kids places – I remember when my parents split and I sat in a rocker for 2 days crying for my father. I’m certainly glad that I didn’t have to deal with a camera in my face.
Marital problems are always the hardest on the kids and I am grateful that someone took an interest to protect them so maybe they can deal with all the emotional crap on their own. I am really surprised that neither parent cared enough about these kids well-being to ensure that emotional well-being was their #1 priority.
Again, I cannot imagine being a little kid crying for your father or mother not to leave and having a camera and sound crew trying to capture the moment for TV…is this really the reality any of us wants or needs to see.
I stopped watching a season and a half ago when things changed and you could see that everything shifted from being about the kids to being about the money and the “lifestyle”.
TLC needs to do the right thing by the children and pull the plug.
Amanda, your math is off. I have two hands yet my two oldest would hold the hands of the younger two…while I do what? Pretty up my hair?
I have four children – two of whom I carry while my older two ( 10 and 8 ) walk directly in front of me and to my left at all times. Does that sound militant? Of course, but it’s the safest method while in a parking lot.
As for knowing about the neglect, have you even watched that show? The child is ignored constantly. She’s the younger version of Mady. In a family of 8, I’m certain that there’s going to be issues with giving each child personal time, but when you go out of your way to ostracize a child and segregate them using the excuse of “she likes it in the basement” – yes, it’s always better to let a 3 year old sleep in a basement while everyone else sleep two floors above her – is just neglectful and lazy parenting.
Also, you said that you don’t think that there’s a “sane” mother out there who wants to have her parenting scrutinized the way that Kate’s is. Does this mean that you deem Kate as INsane? She put her parenting skills out there for the country and the world to see by inviting the camera crews into her home. For goodness sake, even her dipstick husband thought it was time to end the show and she didn’t. Why?
Lastly, I’m glad that what I said hit you so personally that you felt such a reaction was necessary. I mean hey, what better way to avoid the issue than by throwing out attacks towards the commenter, but if that’s how you roll.
BTW, my book will be titled “How to get people to throw out lame comments like ‘When’s YOUR book coming out?’ on a Celebrity Blog”
daisyfly, your standards are a little ridiculously rigid…
Actually, there have been people saying this is wrong for a long time, at least since after their first specials and it became obvious that this was going to be a weekly show, with seasons and a whole series.
A special every now and then to update people on how the kids are is one thing. The McCougheys (sp?) do a Family Circle photo spread and interview once a year near their multiple’s birthday.
But to have a permanent film crew in the house (they actually set up permanent fixtures in the house to make it easier, both in the old house and in the new one) and to film these kids for so many hours of their lives is just wrong.
I’m glad to hear someone is finally looking into this. Children should not have their private lives splashed all over a TV show.
Sonia, I think all those shows highlighting the private lives of kids should be off the air. It’s a violation of their privacy and they are too young to consent to this. If adults want to make fools of themselves on reality TV shows, they can have at it. But they don’t have any right to violate their children’s privacy this way.
A couple of my friends and I have simply stopped watching TLC. Not that it will make a dent in the ratings. But I think we need to stop tuning in and gawking for the network executives to really wake up and pay attention. We also need to stop buying anything affiliated with “Jon and Kate plus Eight”… not just their books, but also the companies (Gap, Gymboree, Giant Supermarket, among the many) that give them freebies, and ANYTHING with their faces and names on them.
I find it horrific that they’re signed up for FORTY episodes this fifth season. Fighting or not, divorcing or not, they are living extremely well during these recession times… and smiling, at least, whenever they go to the bank.
i agree about the camera crew being in the house… i’d hate it if i were in that situation… i really do feel sorry for those kids… but why now? why when they already have so much to deal with? i do hope their show gets cancelled though…
Alright Daisyfly…so short of actually carrying her 6 five-year olds, what is Kate actually supposed to do? Please enlighten us all with how she is to safely direct her kids through a parking lot (not across the LA freeway, mind you) without you calling into question her treatment of the older girls? Because it looks to me like she’s running a pretty tight ship there.
You should look into the story of the quintuplets in Quebec. They were exhibited like a sideshow and all their lives never quite recovered; some were destroyed by it.
I still haven’t gotten over the fact that the initial contract was for 8-episode seasons, and they agreed to up it to 40. I understand that initially they needed the extra money for the huge brood, but clearly at some point it became about getting all the money and freebies they could, riding the gravy train as far as it would go, and not about what they all needed, financially or otherwise.
40 episodes times $75,000 an episode equals $3,000,000.
By the way, that’s about how many episodes they did last season, when the kids were four and six.
40 episodes also equals hundreds of hours of filming, because a lot of what they tape doesn’t even get into the episode.
I think some of you are missing the point. WHO CARES WHO FILED THE COMPLAINT?! Let’s just be glad it’s actually in motion and that measures are being taken to protect those kids. I don’t know why people care about stupid insignificant details and finger-pointing when 8 lives are at stake. This would be illegal in CA or NY if the show were filmed there, just ask OctoMom who is being sued by the state for doing the same thing. All other states should catch up with this and all TV families should be dragged through the court for this rediculousness. Kids have a right to protection and privacy and never asked for this.
That said, Amen to the folks who have stopped watching TLC altogether. It’s about time someone stops making excuses and starts taking responsibility for the crap they are watching and what it’s costing the people involved.
With everything they get free, and the money they’re making per episode, it’s very disheartening to see them all dressed exactly alike; there is no room for creativity in what they’re wearing there. No smiles, either. This is where Kate could take a cue from Katie – as in Tom’s wife – to let her children show some imagination and fun.
And reading that she “lets” one of her young children sleep in the basement when everyone else is two floors above is just horrendous. What if she were in need of dire assistance in the middle of the night? No one would hear her cries for help. That’s disgusting.
Zoe, I completely agree with you!
The Dionne Quintuplets were in a totally different situation to the kids on this show. The quintuplets were taken away from their parents and put into what was essentially a cage where people would watch them like they were in a zoo. There is no comparison between these kids on a reality tv show and the literal caged life the Dionne quintuplets were forced to lead.
I think for any of the people who think that these kids are just living their lives and not performing (to some extent) the constantly matching outfits give the answer. It is highly unlikely that two 8 year olds would choose to dress alike every day…or every time they are seen out. Even 5 years olds would want to choose their own clothes and not constantly dress to perform for the cameras.
No, dressing children alike is not child abuse before this gets blown out of proportion but it certainly indicates that the family is performing for cameras and not just living their lives.
@daisyfly, Sorry, don’t mean to nitpick but it wasn’t Leah that slept in the basement, it was Alexis. Supposedly by choice and they were only one floor above her, but still creepy none the less. And the little one in the back in the pictue is Kate’s precious Hannah. Definitely not a sign of neglect, I’m willing to bet she gets the most attention out of all the kids combined. I do agree with some of your other points, though.
Think about all the freaky creepy people out there. Now, would you actually put all your kids on TV for most of their young lives, would you autograph and sell photographs of them for strangers? Would you detail your every move and their every move for all those strangers out there watching?
Really?
Because if you would, I’d call you a bad parent. Which is what I call these two.
Now because they are so well-known AND because there ARE creeps out there, they have to have security with them everywhere they go. And of course, the cameras! Always the cameras.
That’s no kind of life for a kid. Parents have a lot of responsibilities to their kids and one of them is to protect their privacy and emotional well-being. This couple is doing neither of those things and never has.
Can you imagine the next episodes where people get to watch the kids in all their agony at finding out their family is busting up? Great ratings! Watch the kids cry! Watch them beg mommy and daddy to stay together! Watch them fall apart! Yay!
Hey, $75,000 an episode, yo. Buys a lot of tanning sessions and fancy cars, you know?
These people make me sick.
I agree that the laws need to catch up with reality shows in terms of child labor. The Gosselins are making horrible decisions about their children for their own gain. Who knows that anything is really in the bank for the kids? I believe in California, the kids are legally required to get a certain percentage of their own earnings (the famous Jackie Coogan laws). Is this true of kids on reality shows? Of course, the money is the least of it (for the kids, at least). Unfortunately, for the parents, it’s all about the money.
I’ve never watched this show, can someone fill me in? I get that it’s a reality show about a large family, but what makes them worth filming? Are the parents famous for something? This isn’t a sarcastic question, I’m really wondering why they’re talked about.
Oh, man, I bet Kate’s furious over the this investigation.
nom de plume: Yes, I’m sure it doesn’t add to the trauma when your own parents exploit you in this way and then their marriage breaks up (for which all kids blame themselves anyway). Nothing upsetting there.
My point was about being raised so abnormally, like sideshow creatures, for years on end, and being merchandised like Disney characters. (There was quints paraphernalia, too.) That your parents would do that to you long past the point where it’s positive for you and the rest of the family makes it worse, not better.
From the Wiki Dionne sisters page (and it was Ontario, not Quebec, sorry) — tell me it doesn’t give you the creeps, and then assess what it’s like for any child to go through this kind of life, even with parental consent and enthusiasm:
Across the road from their birthplace, the Dafoe Hospital and Nursery was built for the five girls and their new caregivers. … The compound had an outdoor playground designed to be a public observation area. It was surrounded by a covered arcade that allowed tourists to observe the sisters behind one-way screens. The facility was funded by a Red Cross fundraiser. It was a nine-room nursery with a staff house nearby. The staff house held the three nurses and the three policemen in charge of guarding them. A housekeeper and two maids lived in the main building with the quintuplets. The buildings were surrounded by a seven foot barbed wire fence. The sisters were brought to play there for 30 minutes two or three times a day. They were constantly being tested, studied, and examined with tedious records taken of everything. …
Approximately 6,000 people per day visited the observation gallery that surrounded an outdoor playground to view the Dionne sisters. Ample parking was provided and close to three million people walked through the gallery between 1936 and 1943. Oliva Dionne ran a souvenir shop and a concession store opposite the nursery and the area acquired the moniker of “Quintland”. The souvenirs invariably pictured the five sisters. There were spoons, cups, plates, plaques, candy bars, books, postcards, dolls, and much more at this shop. Oliva Dionne also sold stones from the Dionne farm for $0.50 that were supposed to have some magical power of fertility. They sold autographs and framed photographs. Midwives, Madam LeGros and Madame LeBelle opened up their own souvenir and dining stand. In 1934, the Quintuplets brought in about $1 million, and they attracted in total about $51 million of tourist revenue to Ontario. Quintland became Ontario’s biggest tourist attraction of the era, at the time surpassing the Canadian side of Niagara Falls. … The sisters, and their likenesses and images … were used to publicize commercial products such as
Karo corn syrup and Quaker Oats among many of other popular brands. They increased the sales of condensed milk, toothpaste, disinfectant, and many other products through their promotions. …
The quintuplets became emotionally closest to their sister, Pauline. While the parents sought to integrate the quintuplets into the family, the sisters frequently traveled to perform at various functions, still all dressed the same, and the parents often treated them at home as a five-part unit. They were sometimes denied privileges the other children received, received a heavier share of the house and farmwork, and were often dressed alike. …
The Quintuplets left the family home upon turning 18 years old and had little contact with their parents thereafter.
I just found out that some friends of my 10yo daughter watch this show and love it-which might have been OK at one time, but now the show takes a darker turn every day.
I’m glad SOMEONE is looking into this mess. I feel for the children’s plight… and only the children. The adults got to ‘pick’ their choices in life whereas the kids only get the choice of sucking it up or crying in front of the cameras. I’ve always heard “it’s better late than never”.
Interesting story about the quints, Ally. I’d never heard of such a thing.
I bet these allegations are killing Kate. Not because of the fact that actual child abuse or neglect allegations are being brought against her but because her money-making scheme may all be brought to an end and she may have to go back to an actual job where everyone will hate her just like they do now.
I sure wouldn’t want to work with a witch like that.
Daisyfly – your comments are ridiculous! Do you see 10 pairs of arms on Kate? Atleast they are all safely holing on to someone. As for your Leah comment; I watched that exact episode and Leah is holding the hand of her sister and they were all happy during that outing. Jeez, I could see if they were all allowed to run freely in a parking lot which is highly dangerous but c’mon already! I bet that if you won a million dollars and they delivered it to your driveway, you would complain that its in the way of parking cars! Your just a nit picker!
I agree with DaisyFly. And if Kate starts taking parenting tips from Kat(i)e Cruise I think it’ll be time to take the kiddos away
Hell, give me the Duggars any day. They work and they’ve spent a lot of time teaching their kids about responsibility and the importance of family. They care about each other, all 100 of them. You don’t see them out shopping, taking expensive vacations, and generally basking in the glory of being on TV. Weird as they seem to be with their mission to populate the world, they do at least keep it real. Compared to the Gosselins, the Duggars are extremely low key even while being on television. Plus, they actually care about each other, unlike the Jon & Kate bunch.
Daisyfly- I noticed that about Leah too. Seems like Kate likes Alexis and Joel the best. They also make the one with glasses (colin?) feel inferior all the time. he’s such a sweet little boy too.
I heard Jim Bob Duggar and his daughter in law… Nevermind see next weeks’s Star magazine for full seedy story
Oh, those poor kiddos. 🙁 The whole thing is just plain sad.
Wow, so much hatred and attacks not against Kate, but toward the other posters! Come on you guys, there is really nothing to disagree about. It is not right for kids to be on film for 40 episodes in a year. Period. And it is being investigated, and we should all hope that the results will be in the best interests of the children.
Kate is abusive to her husband and she does glare at her them…I see her (on the show) yanking the children by the arm when they were small.
I seldom watch that show and heck yes those children are exploited. Jon and Kate need to go back to work and stop using their children to build their bank account.
I hope to see all of those children going to college with no loans. These two are horrid parents. Gloria Allred is there for exploited children in lots of cases, I for one am happy somone is concerned for children of individuals who had no business birthing 6,7, and 8 children at once. You are able to reduce the amount of children you have in the very beginning. Selfish people have more than 2 at a time. Children are not placed on earth to be a mother and father’s friends or showpieces.when you first find out after fertility treatments. At least the Goslin children love their Father, because their mother is a very poor parent. Jodi is great with those kids, if asked those kids would say they love Jodi and like to stay with her anytime.
The Goslin parents need to stop the selfish behavior and think of the kids first.
I know no one will agree after all this just my lousy opinion.
Perhaps it is time the freebees end. They gave Kate a $1,000.00 gift card at some childrens chain because she used to clean out the racks and leave without saying thank you. My friend has witnessed this as she works at the shop.
Is being filmed living your daily life really considered child slave labour? I mean really…they are eating, playing, going to school, etc. They would be doing all of that anyway. People always need to blow things WAY out of proportion!
wow, i knew a little about the dionne quints but had never read the wiki page about them…
from 1936-1943 close to 3 million people saw them at the “exhibit”…the gosselins had 9 MILLION viewers on ONE EPISODE of their show…
they sold souveniers from the dionne exhibit with the kids faces on stuff…the gosselins have 2 (working on a 3rd) books out, one of which is basically a picture book of their kids, they charge $20 for an autographed picture of the family at speaking engagements, kate is working on a clothing line for wal-mart…this family is a brand now…sick.
the dionne quints lived in a building that people would walk through & gawk at them…well, damn! we dont even have to leave the comfort of out couches to watch the gosselin trainwreck!
for someone who said the dionnes are nothing like the gosselins…i think you need to think again. these kids are going to be scarred from this. i can bet that at least mady will be writting her tell-all when she turns 18, and some of them wont want their mom or dad in their life after that. its sick.
oh yeah, i agree with both daisyfly & RAN…both good comments!
Krisha.7 – The problem is that the cameras are there to shoot everything about the children’s lives. I heard there was an episode of the kids being potty trained and the cameras were there to capture the scene, while Kate took pictures of her kids’ poop. How is seeing children poop wonderful? Do you think the sextuplets would enjoy the teasing they might get from their classmates about them having pictures of their poop?
Maddy, one of the twins, has shown frustration time and again, putting her hand on the camera to block it from filming and putting a sign on her door: “No cameras allowed”. Yeah, the kids do what children do at their age, but if I were a mother, I would not want a camera filming my children while they cry and go potty. These things should be kept private.
How exciting is it to see children cry and being scolded? How fun is it to watch Jon and Kate’s marriage fall apart and their kids try to make sense of what is happening? I saw a clip of one of the Gosselin kids telling Jon, “Don’t go away again, Daddy.” in the season premiere. The kids’ sadness are available for all the world to see. It’s not natural to still watch as a family struggles and the marriage dissolve. It is obvious that Jon and Kate are unhappy with each other, and if they had enough sense and love for their kids they would stop the show. It’s kinda sickening, since the kids didn’t have a choice whether they wanted to be sold out for public scrutiny.
Yes, in the long run they would be able to go to College with the money from the show. But how fun would it be to have all the luxuries if their family is broken apart and the children are emotionally damaged by all the negativity the show is generating?
To add to the info on the Dionne quints, they were finally returned to their parents and years later the girls spoke of sexual abuse at the hands of their father. One quint had epilepsy and had entered an order to become a nun. She asked her matron not to leave her as she napped, and the woman did. The girl had an epileptic seizure and died in her bed. I believe she was 18 at the time. And ironically, the state took the children away in the first place because they said the parents couldn’t take care of the girls properly. Really tragic.
If Jon and Kate are under investigation by the Pennsylvania Department of Labor for possibly violating child labor laws, why don’t other states start doing doing similar investigations?? There are miniors on Little People Big World, Table for 12, Or 18 Kids and counting. Why are the states where these shows are filled not doing similar investigations??
Caught an episode of 18 Kids and Counting over the weekend, have watched Little People Big World and Table of 12 and the key seems to be adults and children have respect for each other. They also work together as a family. The Dugger’s may have a lot of children and a grandchild on its way but they take care of themselves and aren’t looking for handouts that I have noticed. While watching 18 Kids and Counting this weekend I paid attention to how often the little ones were on camera and it wasn’t often. During the premier of the 5th season of Jon & Kate Plus 8 the kids made reference to the photographers more than once and one of the little girls kept looking over toward them with a worried look on her adorable face. That isn’t healthy. The kids are old enough to be very aware of what is going on around them even if they don’t fully understand the why of it all. That Kate has such a cavalier attitude about it is disturbing. That Jon showed up in a fancy little sporty car shows that he too has let the money and fame grab hold of him as it has Kate. Hopefully they BOTH wake up before it is too late.
It’s all so very sad. At the first “hint” of any problems with the children most parents would have pulled from the show. The fact that these parents choose to continue is a reflection of what exactly their priority is – money and fame. It’s the very reason some people just shouldn’t have kids.
The kids do seem to be well behaved but Jodie has her hands full with them. Did anyone find out who knocked the hole in her wall? And Kate did not bother to know the kids lied to Jodie to get the gum, Kate quickly jumped on Jodie. Jon tried to tell Kate he would rather work and being a stay-at-home dad was not for him.
I felt sorry for Jodie when Kate and Jon left Jodie with a house full of sick kids so he could get his hair transplant.
While I do not know what the current child labor laws are in Pennsylvania, I do know this: because of the rapid progression of society there is often no current law on the books to cover a specific situation. The concept of reality TV shows, especially those featuring children, is a relatively new one. The state and/or Federal legislatures have to pass laws which address the number of hours a child in this type of show can appear before the camera. TLC has made statements saying no child labor laws were violated, but I am sure Pennsylvania has no child labor laws dealing with children being on reality TV shows. This is not something the state legislature could have foreseen when the laws were passed. The legal system has to catch up with society.
KATE DOES NOT NEED A 2 MILLION DOLLAR HOUSE FOR THOSE KIDS!, ALL THESE TRIPS SHE TAKES THEM ON EVERY WEEK WOULD FEED AND CLOTH THEM FOR 3 YEARS!, SHE IS MAKING THSES KIDS SPOILED BRATS!SHE SAID SHE COULDN’T RAISE THEM ON A NURSES PAY!?, WHAT IF A REALITY SHOW WASN’T HERE FOR HER!?, SHE WOULD BE IN THE SAME NORMAL HOUSE AND WORKING A NORMAL JOB, AND RAISING HOPEFULLY NORMAL KIDS! I CAN’T STAND HER!, HER KIDS ARE STARTING TO ACT JUST L;IKE HER!