I can’t begin to imagine what life would be like with 8 children, much less two sets of multiples, and then to have all of it captured on tape and broadcast for the world to see. I feel bad for the Gosselin family, the stars of the reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8.”. I feel bad for Jon who has endured the nagging and semi-verbal abuse of his wife for years. But all of the weight doesn’t fall on Kate, either. She nags him for a reason. His passive nature doesn’t make him an angel. From the onset of the show you could see how this situation was a recipe for disaster. 

Mostly, I feel for the kids. Marital discord, and even worse, divorce, can cause temporary or permanent trauma to any child, but to have it all recorded and played out on TV is even more heartbreaking. Unless you live under a rock, you probably have an opinion about the show and the controversy it has stirred up.

Some people think the recent drama in the news is only a ploy to boost ratings. Others think it’s exploitive and a form of child abuse. I find it fascinating that it’s so fascinating to everyone (myself included). I think Jon and Kate have become the first family of reality TV. To which other “normal” family have we been given such a bird’s-eye view into their lives? We see their birthday parties and their trips. We see their everyday struggles and their discussions over dinner. They could be any one of us. When we see family members and friends go through hard times it pains us and makes us evaluate how vulnerable we are to divorce or personal crisis. It makes us wonder where our weaknesses exist and if we put too many big problems on the backburner for happiness now. What price will we pay later?

I remember that when Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston broke up I saw people interviewed on TV who expressed their grief of the breakup by crying. I had friends who actually became teary about the news. It was as if one of their family members was experiencing the split. I think Jon and Kate are just an extension of the typical American family and we all want to insert our opinions because it’s personal to us on some level. We want to see them hang on and overcome the same way we want our best friend or our brother to make it through the rough patches.

Question: What is your view of the “Jon & Kate Plus 8” drama?