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A realistic look at the Jon and Kate drama
14-Jun-2009
Written by: Ted Simmons
Where did these two really go wrong?
This past week saw the 10th anniversary of Jon and Kate Gosselin, and an otherwise momentous milestone was dampened by the fact that the two spent the day away from each other. The stars of TLC’s “Jon & Kate Plus 8” had just renewed their vows a year later, so what happened to the love birds anyways?
Well the answer is both simple and complex. The simple part points to alleged infidelity by Jon, who has been spotted more than once with strange women by his side. But the complex answer is far more telling.
“Jon & Kate Plus 8” debuted on April 23, 2007. The reality program followed the two Pennsylvanian parents as they tried to manage their eight children — one set of sextuplets and one set of fraternal twins. What joy it is to watch other people’s manic lives, finding solace in their frenzy and knowing someone else’s children put an equal or greater strain on them.
But the greatest strain seems to be between the two Gosselin parents. Not that any of us have even been pitched a reality show about our lives, but imagine the way things would change. Imagine how pumping your gas would change, how brushing your teeth would change, how the love you professed for your soul mate at the altar would change.
Not that these things are guaranteed. Surely some routines and feelings are everlasting; they won’t be shaken no matter what. But televising your life to millions and sacrificing your anonymity would certainly change the chemistry of one’s everyday life. The next innocent flirtation at a bar may lead to your scandalous picture plastered all over the Web. The next time you’re going through a rough patch in your relationship/life/job, you now have the whole world as your psychiatrist.
If hindsight is 20/20, and I suspect it is, then it seems Jon and Kate Gosselin had a choice between fame and fortune or obscurity and happiness. And not that having eight children would give you a normal life, but keeping that life off television would make it less abnormal, no?
The most saddening part of this whole ordeal is the lack of sympathy shown toward the two struggling parents. We’re all so quick to point fingers and make accusations. He never should have posed for that picture. She never should have been so cruel to him. But how upsetting it is to see a couple, one with a sizeable family mind you, on the brink of separation.
I wish the best of luck to the entire Gosselin family and hope they get through this tough time. I just can’t help but think how things would be different if they had never brought their lives into the homes of millions of Americans. Maybe they would be together on their 10th anniversary, and maybe they would be cruising towards their eleventh.
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