I’ve watched “Jon & Kate Plus Eight” off and on for the past few years and like a lot of people, find myself intrigued by their story. I saw the season premiere this year and haven’t watched it again until last night when they announced they would be separating.
Like most viewers, I wasn’t completely surprised but at the same time, very saddened by the whole situation. Like most bummers that happen in life, there are always lessons to be learned. Here are some I gathered…
Disclaimer – I am no relationship wizard/expert/guru. I’m not perfect in any way and am not throwing stones at all. Just making observations about the situation.
- Your Attention = Where You’re Successful – Time and time again, Jon and Kate talked about how they were in all this for their kids. As a result, they are good parents with a bad marriage. You can be successful in life when you really focus on something and work at it, but you have to make sure you’re focusing on the right thing. In addition, don’t develop “tunnel vision” where one aspect of your life is incredible, but the rest of your world sucks.
- Actions Speak Louder Than Words – Don’t tell me what matters to you. Show me. If you tell me one of your top priorities is school, but you never study and you continue to blow off your classes, your words mean nothing.
- No One Is Immune – Even as recently as a year ago, Jon and Kate renewed their vows and committed to one another for life. And now here they are. There are a lot of couples and people out there that will do things you’d never expect them to do. There are couples you don’t expect to get divorced. There are individuals you don’t expect to make horrible, life-altering decisions. But we all make mistakes, and no one is immune. While I have zero intention or desire to ever split up from my wife, we’re no different than any other couple. If you ever think you’re immune or it couldn’t happen to you, you’ve got your naive head in the sand.
My personal opinion is that one of the best things I can do to be a good father to my daughters is to be a good husband to their mother. How I treat her and love her will speak volumes to my children about the kind of person their daddy is.
It’s a sad story, but I wish nothing but the best for the Gosselin family.
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3 Comments
Great post. I think your comment of modeling a positive, loving relationship is dead on.
Thank you for your work.
Good post, Grant. You are absolutely correct about loving your children by loving your wife. It is one of the best gifts you can give your children.
You’re 100% right about the best way to be a good father to your kids is to be a good husband to their mother. That is one of the best ways to show your kids how good of a person you are. Growing up in a family where my father wasn’t always the greatest role model when it came to respect for my mother, it has changed my views of my father to be negative and not-so-always-caring. Good Job in the work you do and keep it up! I have seen you speak and you’re a great role model for both teens and adults. <3