Many viewers may not have made the connection, but financial reporter Melissa Francis, who has been seen on both CNBC and Fox News for years, was once a famous child actor who starred on Little House on the Prairie and several other well-known shows and movies, including the groundbreaking movie of the week about sexual abuse, Something About Amelia.
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Jason Bateman (pitter-patter!) and Missy with Michael Landon
in their roles as orphans that made them household names.
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In her frank memoirs, Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter, Melissa chronicles her life to date piece by painful piece. Her older sister Tiffany was also a child actor, and Missy got her start as a baby just by good (or bad?) luck when a casting director noticed her at one of Tiffany's auditions. Missy's talent at her young age (she could cry convincing tears at the drop of a hat) quickly led to bigger and better roles, until finally landing the part of Cassandra on Little House in the show's twilight years. What followed was a brief few seasons that would make her a great deal of money, provide spectacular adventures (Michael Landon once flew her and Jason Bateman by private jet to the set) and bestow her with a fame she could never shake.
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Melissa eventually decided she wanted to leave acting behind and headed for Harvard and eventually reporting. As Melissa struggles to have a normal life and relationship all while trying to make sense of her bizarre mother and unusual childhood, the story eventually leads to a horrific loss, and a cathartic estrangement.
Not only is Stage Mother a portrait of a dysfunctional childhood in the public eye, it is also one child's story of a mentally ill mother. Her story will not only resonate with famous kids, but with anyone who ever had to live among mental illness.
The following are some important highlights from Stage Mother:
"I had made the mistake of speaking up during one of Mom's stories before and learned that no one but Mom was allowed to talk. Afterward, when we'd gotten in the car, she'd pinched my arm ferociously and said, 'You are never to contradict me in front of another adult ever again. Do you understand me?' The pain shooting through my arm confirmed how serious she was."
"At first, I enjoyed the novelty of being recognized by strangers. Then the attention made me terribly self-conscious. I started to hide my face or turn away when a stranger started to recognize me. If they got up the nerve to ask, 'Are you Cassandra from Little House on the Prairie?' I liked to say no. But I felt guilty when I did this because I knew I was being rude ... all the attention was just too much even though I had recently turned nine years old. I was still a kid, and it was an invasion.
"Little House on the Prairie had been out of the primetime lineup for almost three years, but the fervor around the show had yet to die down. It still ran every day in reruns ... You could always tell when they'd gotten to my years, because more people would stop me on the street than usual."
"'Are you asking if I spend my free time driving her to interviews and sitting on the set all day while she works and becomes a star and I'm not paid a dime? Do I deal with her agent and contracts, buy her clothes and pay for her haircuts so she can work and have a successful career? Am I the only one protecting her on the set, and looking out for her interests, all for free? Do I do these things for her while people call me names and treat me like a hanger-on while I'm on the set? And she becomes rich and famous? If that's what you mean by a Stage Mother, then yes, I am that.'"
"I'd realized by now that Mom was controlling every dime that came in .... and doled it out as if it were hers. I'd seen her write checks out of the account that was supposed to be my trust fund."
"'You just need to keep [Mom] happy. It's the only way to survive.'"
"'Have you noticed that Mom has never had a job in your lifetime?' he cracked ....'Yes, in fact, I have noticed that. She always said she would scrub floors to take care of us if need be, but I don't think I ever saw her clean a floor, or much of anything else, the whole time I was growing up.' .... Dad laughed too, welcoming a break in the continuing flow of bad news. 'Right, well, to be fair, she drove you to all those auditions .... She's not qualified to do anything now. She didn't go to college. Who would hire her?' .... 'So she can't work as a receptionist at a doctor's office? She can't work in retail? She can't work at Nordstroms? She can't file at some office? I don't buy it.... I've worked my whole entire life .... From day one. In commercials, at restaurants. I worked in the kitchen at my dorm when she said she wouldn't give me money so I could be a summer intern for the Today show .... I have never not worked. In my whole, entire life.'"
"The endlessness of my love for my son was matched only by the enormity of the love I later felt for his little brother when he arrived. Those boys make it impossible for me to understand my mother."
Melissa's book Diary of a Stage Mother's Daughter can be found on Amazon.
500 sediments (sic) from readers:
«Oldest ‹Older 1 – 200 of 500 Newer› Newest»It broke my heart reading the passage about Melissa's frustration over always being the one working while her mom sat back and pretended driving and fussing over her hair for auditions was work. Mady said almost those exact same words, all I've ever known is WORK.
What a sad and compelling story, someone should send Ms. Gosselin a copy. It is a celebration of love and determination that this woman can be the parent to her sons that her mother was never to her.
xxxxxxx__15
@Kateplusmy8 I think your next mom swap should definitely be with @snooki :))
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Next mom swap?? Are there really people out there who think this show was created just for Kate? LOL
Thank you for pushing past the crazy and becoming the self-driven person you are, Ms. Francis. Yours is a story of triumph over wrong. I hope other children in your former position are able to carve normalcy into their
lives and raise their children with deep and unselfish love.
What's even harder for the G kids is that they weren't portraying characters like Missy was. For instance, there are so many articles about Mady being a little Khate and a lot of hatred. It's Mady- not a character. To me, that is more damaging!
You are so right, loathe. Their home was their stage and the stage was their home. Horrible.
Thank you for pushing past the crazy and becoming the self-driven person you are, Ms. Francis.
I don't think Missy Francis reads this blog. :)
Fired Up 4 Kate @MiloandJack 4h
@LEIGHSHAHAN1 Just tryin 2make Kate smile! Good Lord knows she needs reasons 2smile! Gnite Leigh...maybe we will get outta time out soon!
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Has Kate lost her positivity somewhere?
Update on prayer for someone I know. It is a better situation for him today. Thank you all for your prayers!
I read the new post about Melissa Frances. All I could see through out was kate.
I know Melissa's mother had to be with her because she is a minor on set. The producers should pay a salary just for the person who is taking care of the minor actor and put all of the child actors money in trusts till they get of age.
That is horrible that there was no money for Melissa when she wanted to be an intern for the Today Show.
In less than 3 years, Mady and Cara will find out quick that they will have no money set aside for them to buy them a decent car to drive to school and to their friends and their practices.
And most important: THEIR DAD'S HOUSE!
Better get prepared kate.
Heck have no fury like a Teenager Scorned when they find out that their mom spent almost or all of their money in their accounts from working for years on television.
And especially if they have some money in there, kate will not take any out and give to them.
Hmmmmmmm.
Oh my, it's like we're reading the future. With EIGHT count'em EIGHT victims, there will be more parallel stories. My gosh, the excerpts sound like she were describing Khate! What can a child do when they have the misfortune of being raised by a MENTALLY ILL mother? Lots and lots of therapy and speaking about it. This book was probably a huge release for Melissa. The Gs (some of them) will probably read many of these types of autobiographies before writing their own!
Wow, her mom totally Katie. Everything I do is for my kids!!!!!!!! Sure, Skeevie is for the kids, the CFM heels for the kids, Daisy Dukes for the kids, suggestive blanket photos for the kids, sports cars for the kids, and on it goes. As horrid as her bogs are I'm thinking the twins have to be the ones writing them, certainly more 5th grade level then something a person that claims to have a higher education with English as their best subject would be "proud" to put out.
He writing does make me wonder about the private school she apparently went to. Was it one that focused on the Bible or academics? Was she a good student or did she also make Kevin do her homework?
I remain convinced that narcissist mothers are the very worst, most damaging mothers.
I read Melissa's book. Her insight impressed me. She is a survivor.
I think someday there will be a Gosselin share-all book on my Kindle, too.
Thank you for pushing past the crazy and becoming the self-driven person you are, Ms. Francis.
um said... 7
I don't think Missy Francis reads this blog. :)
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Dear um,
Missy Francis is probably savvy enough to have a Google alert set up with her name and her book's title on it. Don't you think her publicist is *scouring* the internet for things written about her new book? I do. No, Ms. Francis probably doesn't read this blog, but she just might be today. And even if not, it's not uncommon to address someone in a general sense even when knowing they themselves will not hear or read the words. It's simply a technique of expression.
You know, the only person I know who says "um" a lot is Kate.... So, um, um, are you Kate?
Wow, her mom totally Katie. Everything I do is for my kids!!!!!!!!
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Yes she is. And the comment that hey I would scrub flours for you if I had to! also struck me.
Kate says the same thing, I'll work at McDonalds if I have to! I'll go back to nursing!
But has she ever done that? Nope. She putters around writing a couple blogs that shouldn't take more than 20 minutes and continues to cash checks, quite probably from the kids' money.
Missy's mom was all talk much like Kate. I will do anything for my kids, everything I do is for my kids. And yet her actual actions were not for her kids. This book is a warning. I do not want to spoil it, but Missy's mom's behavior eventually leads to tragedy. You will have to read it to see.
Missy pretty much said her mom was embezzling money from the family. She actually had a secret account.
Kate says the same thing, I'll work at McDonalds if I have to! I'll go back to nursing!
********
Kate's histrionics that day were over the top. It's like she was high on the attention she was getting and just couldn't rein it in, going further and further into her performance.
I don't know if Jon took funds he shouldn't have, but I do know that Kate used it for more sympathy and really believed that the whole world should stop spinning on its axis because she had a purse full of bills.
I just don't get Kate's belief that her problems are our problems.
Try putting your groceries on a credit card sometime, because hopefully you'll have the funds when the statement comes due.
I read the book and enjoyed it despite its sad story and implications for child actors and this particular family's problems. The true tragedy is Tiffany, more than Missy, who overcame her childhood, learned how to survive on her own and be successful, and made a brave but heart-wrenching decision about her mother.
I don't think any of us can imagine how it would feel to wake up in your "home" every day to see lights and cameras all around. Surreal. To grow up with this from the time you are a baby and then to have it all suddenly taken away? Unimaginable to me. No wonder the kids were crying and upset. Their life as they knew it was gone. Their family was the crew. It is horrible that Jon and Kate did this to them.
Marie
I think one of the important messages is just because one child makes it through such a thing doesn't mean that there was nothing wrong with exploiting them. Every child reacts differently. Some of the Gosselin kids might end up very successful and that's great. Some sadly may not.
Missy had several things going for her that Tiffany did not. Missy was off the charts intelligent and worked hard to get straight A's and get into Harvard. She was very driven, and was willing to work for free distributing mail as long as it was a foot in the door at the Today show. You simply have to have that willingness to start at the very bottom of the bottom if you want such a career. Upon graduation she then worked for pennies at some tiny local news station in Maine. She did it with a good attitude and without complaint. Although she tried drugs and alcohol, Missy did not fall into the destructive trap of addiction.
Unfortunately Tiffany couldn't make the same grades, barely managed to get through a second rate law school and then couldn't keep a job, and had serious drug issues. In some ways perhaps it was harder for Tiffany, although the oldest, always in her famous sister's shadow.
The kids are all old enough to start to understand their childhood was not normal. I think this is an important time, because they're all crossing the bridge to the uncertain teen years, and how they feel now could have a large bearing on how they handle their teens. If they do not emotionally process their time in the public eye and on camera, I fear it could be a destructive time ahead. I hope they feel happy, stable, loved and have processed in a healthy manner their bizarre childhood.
Kate is a slag said... 12
I remain convinced that narcissist mothers are the very worst, most damaging mothers.
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I agree they can be. I think one of the scarriest things about them is their ability to fool outsiders who either don't know or understand narcissism or don't want to believe it.
To an outsider looking in, Missy's mom was everything a mother should be. Why, she supported Missy's career (the acting part of it, not anything else Missy actually WANTED to do), she provided her a wonderful home (they had a large house in the beautiful suburbs of Westlake they couldn't afford and eventually lost when Missy was grown), she was involved in her schooling and activities, she drove her everywhere, bought her the nicest clothes, let her dip into her money to buy things like a BMW. And yet emotionally, she was nothing but a black hole. She went through the motions of a good parent with none of the substance.
It is so easy for a narcissistic mother to say, who me, never! Why, look at all I do for my children! How dare you suggest otherwise, you are a nasty, unhappy bully who just wants to cut down a lovely mother doing the best she can.
Unfortunately I've noticed in following this saga narcissists can be very demonstrative in terms of the tangibles of childhood. The sports and music and house and pool and the best agents and best auditions and the best clothes, cars and haircuts. Oh, they always provide that. And they talk a big talk about how great their kids are (while behind the scenes just like Missy's mom telling them they don't measure up in this way, that way, and that way too) But they are utterly incapable of stopping for five minutes, resting their chin on their hands, looking their child in the eye and just for five minutes listening to only them, fully present emotionally.
Kinda funny that no one is pestering Kate about her surprise from this past Sunday. No one's begging for info about it. Boring.
She's an annoying tease and even her fans are just sort of ignoring it at this point. Even they have their limits.
Didn't she tease about wantables for like a week and a half then finally was out with it, never to be mentioned again?
No wonder the fans are like, "whatever."
@msgoody2shoes21: @ashymama2 @Truth_Teller201 @Kateplusmy8 If I did as much hating like you and your friends do to Kate NOBODY would want to be around me.
============
Isn't Goody the tweety that spews nothing but hate about Jon? She followed the above tweet with the following....
@msgoody2shoes21: @DetectiveMarple @Kateplusmy8 Real journals my ass. Those journals are about as real as Jon Gosselin paying child support
It's interesting how her mind works. Say one critical word about Kate and you're a hater and a bully but say the same type of thing about Jon and there's nothing wrong with it. I just don't get her.
To the locals here, remember Brenda Heist!!! The mother from Lititz who went missing in 2002.
SHE TURNED UP. She just abandoned her family on her own choosing and lived homeless in Florida. Craziness. I thought she was dead.
They blamed her poor husband for YEARS although I don't think he was ever formally charged. People are JUST unwilling to believe a mother could do something so terrible on her own. He feels vindicated he says.
How sad. So much pressure put on a child- just to placate his (or her) bully parent.
It's not right or fair.
I haven't read Melissa's book yet. I have it on hold at the library, but there's a long waiting list.
In a similar vein, I just read a book called "Barnabas and Company", about the cast members of "Dark Shadows". Denise Nickerson, who was a child star and appeared in various roles on DS and was, most famously, Violet in "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" was interviewed for the book. She had this to say: " 'I decided to quit acting and my parents weren't too happy with that because I'd been their meal ticket for a long time," she said. 'They kicked me out into the street, and I had to find a way to put a roof over my head.'"
"Denise soon learned that all the money she had earned in the past decade had been spent. 'I really wanted to be an attorney. I'd been in the debate lub in high school, and I loved that,' she said years later. but the money was gone. They said "Sorry, Denise, but singing lessons cost a lot of money, and dancing lessons cost a lot of money." Even if it hadcost everything I earned, it was to further me, so I could support them, so they should have put some money aside. I was just a cash cow to them. I was there to support the family. I can't forgive them for that to this day.'" From "Barnabas and Company" by Craig Hamrick and R.J.Jamison. Copyright 2012.
Wonder how many of the G8 will say something similar in the next 10 years or so?
Denise also went on to become a successful adult and avoid most of the pitfalls of early child stardom.
Just to be clear, my comment was in reference to Melissa's story.
BTW- Good post, Administrator.
To the locals here, remember Brenda Heist!!! The mother from Lititz who went missing in 2002.
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She was declared dead three years ago. They interviewed the husband yesterday on our local news. He's remarried. Their one child is a graduate of West Chester, the other is a student there, they got on with their lives. Brenda dropped off her kids one day, hitchhiked with the homeless to Florida where she lived in tents, under bridges, going to restaurants after they closed and ate the food they threw away. There was speculation that she did it because she was in the middle of a divorce and was having problems with housing assistance. She just took off because she didn't know how she was going to raise her kids. She doesn't even look like the same person. She turned herself in to authorities in Florida because of outstanding warrants, and then said she was a missing person. She's going to live with her parents. The kids don't want to see her, at least not yet.
And even if not, it's not uncommon to address someone in a general sense even when knowing they themselves will not hear or read the words. It's simply a technique of expression.
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Of course it is. It's a literary technique that's commonly used. Apparently "um" doesn't know this. It's frequently used in editorial comments. It's doubtful that the President reads each and every one that is written about him, but he's often personally addressed in many of them.
Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 26
To the locals here, remember Brenda Heist!!! The mother from Lititz who went missing in 2002.
SHE TURNED UP. She just abandoned her family on her own choosing and lived homeless in Florida. Craziness. I thought she was dead.
They blamed her poor husband for YEARS although I don't think he was ever formally charged. People are JUST unwilling to believe a mother could do something so terrible on her own. He feels vindicated he says
*************
I don't remember it but saw it on the news this morning. Those poor kids, first grieving for a dead monther now finding out she left them! Talk about abandonment issues! And the husbands lucky not to be in prison!
Thanks for this post Admin. I'm a huge LoTP fan and it's very enlightening, though equally disturbing, to find out about what it was really like for the actors portraying my favourite characters.
I haven't read Ms. Francis' book but what stood out in your post is the following quote...
"The endlessness of my love for my son was matched only by the enormity of the love I later felt for his little brother when he arrived. Those boys make it impossible for me to understand my mother."
That's exactly how I feel and why I finally decided that it was in my best interest, as well as my own family's, to estrange myself from my mother.
I just didn't get her and finally had to admit that no amount of patience or tolerance or enabling (perhaps a combination of all three) on my part would ever change her. I had to admit that she, for lack of a better term, was "broken" and there was nothing I could do about it.
It's been almost 16 years since I've seen or talked to my mother and my kids are now 24 and 17 and I understand her even less.
How can any mother be so cold, so lacking of empathy, compassion and simple caring toward their own children? It confused and hurt me before I had children but once I was a mother it completely baffled me.
I remember once when my children were little and I was feeling particularly overwhelmed. Knowing full well I would get no support from my mother if I reached out, I quietly cried a prayer to God asking him why I would never know a mother's love.
His answer, "But you do, I gave you children."
That small tiny, faint answer flowed into my heart and I bawled my eyes out. I was able to let go of a lot of anger that day and realize that the loss was actually hers not mine.
Sorry for the ramble folks. I blame the Ambien...oh wait, I don't take Ambien...PMS?
:D
It's interesting how her mind works. Say one critical word about Kate and you're a hater and a bully but say the same type of thing about Jon and there's nothing wrong with it. I just don't get her.
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She's out in full force, going after Jon and Robert again...without provocation. She clearly had some serious mental issues going on there.
They just interviewed Brenda Heist's husband again on our local noon news channel. Her husband says that he's angry for his children -- that they had to grow up not knowing why their mother left them.
It looks like Gypsi and some of the sheeple want to try the glow-in-the-dark Mountain Dew experiment. Good luck with that. If you know anything about science, you'd know that mixing Mountain Dew (or any carbonated beverage) with baking soda is not going to make it fluoresce. Glow sticks use chemicals and dye to produce that reaction. Of course, they probably think that the Lunesta butterfly was fed Mountain Dew and baking soda!
I am going to get that book asap. It gives me hope for the Gosselin children that they too can have a future that is brighter, and much happier, than their childhood.
Were laws in place back then to protect child actors' earnings? I wonder if Missy was able to get her money back that her mother stole?
I don't know if I could forgive my mother if she had abandoned me, and was gone for 11 years without a single word.
I remember when Marie Osmond had a mental breakdown some years ago, and just took off and drove up (or down) the west coast. She was overwhelmed and depressed. But I believe she made contact with a family member within one day and returned home, got help, etc. I could easily forgive something like that.
But I can't understand 11 years. Sounds to me like she only re-surfaced because she was on her own. She lived with some guy in a trailer for years - maybe he died or left her, who knows. So only then does she decide she wants to return home.
Chilling: that's all I can say about Melissa's book and her childhood at the hands of a narcissistic "mother" like Khate.
She lived with some guy in a trailer for years - maybe he died or left her, who knows. So only then does she decide she wants to return home.
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That was earlier. Recently she's been living in a tent community run by local social services organizations. She turned herself in because of outstanding arrest warrants in Key Largo. She was tired living off the streets and her health isn't good. She didn't turn herself in because she wants to return home, at least not to her home in Lititz. She's going to live with her brother in Florida, and then with her parents in Texas.
I quietly cried a prayer to God asking him why I would never know a mother's love.
His answer, "But you do, I gave you children."
That small tiny, faint answer flowed into my heart and I bawled my eyes out
*******
And I'm misty just reading about it. You are very inspiring with a strong sense of self preservation.
Her newest bog is a literary joke. I'm pretty bad at grammar and even *I* was catching obvious mistakes. And she says that was her best subject? WOW! Also the timeline doesn't make sense. She says this was a Sat but if you read her Sat tweets in April it doesn't jive. Complete fiction!
Sheri, thank you for your post. (33) As it often happens in life, it came through for me exactly at the very moment I needed to hear what you so have so thoughtfully written.
So, you see, I too, today, was given a small tiny, faint answer and it did flowed into my heart...
Admin, I just googled Brenda Heist's name and found that her husband after 8 years had her declared legally dead and collected on a life insurance policy on her. He is remarried.
Can the insurance money that the insurance company paid out, can they now go after the money?
I think they should not be able to, because it was in good faith. He waited 8 years and then had her declared legally dead.
Just because she popped up all of a sudden because she was tired of living homeless.
Also, a ton of man hours were used to find her. If you are going to leave your family, why not stop by your local police dept. and write out a statement: I am leaving my family, I want to take off, please do not look for me.
You won't get arrested. Sign the paper, get it notarized and leave.
It would save many man hours spent looking for you, your spouse won't be suspected of taking you and killing you or even worse getting charged and going to trial and getting convicted of murder.
About 15 years ago in my county, a mother showed up at CPS and said, hey, I am turning my 3 kids in, giving up my rights and I am leaving. They said, Ok. She signed the termination of parental rights paperwork, got up, her kids were right there and she walked out of the office to meet up with her boyfriend.
The dad got full custody of the kids and was working as a meat cutter. Not long after that, he was leaving work and had the green light and then a car ran the red light and T-boned his car and was badly injured.
People around here rallied around him and the kids. I have often wondered whatever happened to them.
"I had made the mistake of speaking up during one of Mom's stories before and learned that no one but Mom was allowed to talk. Afterward, when we'd gotten in the car, she'd pinched my arm ferociously and said, 'You are never to contradict me in front of another adult ever again. Do you understand me?' The pain shooting through my arm confirmed how serious she was."
I'll bet she pinched her where the bruise wouldn't show too. What's with control-freak mothers and pinching anyway? I guess if they can't verbally get the message through that they're in charge they do it physically.
Admin, from the few brief paragraphs you posted from Melissa's book, I see a lot of similarites between her mother and Kate. I also think it's a preview of the kind of stories we'll be hearing from at least some of the Gosselin kids in the future. Not that everyone here hasn't predicted or expected it for ... how long now?
On another note, the pic Melissa chose of herself for the cover of her book is adorable. Her looks probably made it much easier for her mother to exploit her, sadly.
Oh, Oh, Oh, Grandbaby Boy is here!
This morning at 420am 8lbs. 5oz.
I stayed up all night with my son on FB DM'ing info and we Skyped and I saw and heard him!
He is beautiful! Love those little caps on their head!
Wow, my eyes finally uncrossed after reading Kate's new blog.
Let me save you a few minutes of your life that you'll never get back.
On Sat., Kate and the kids weeded. All day. Oh, they ate, snacked, sang and got toys at the end of the day (Legos and Calico Critters for those of you who didn't pick up on the grift).
Yup, all in lock step, singing "Whistle While You Work", enthusiastically pulling every nefarious weed and thanking Mommy profusely.
Yup, hard work pays off, and by hard work, I don't mean any of you mediocre folks with regular jobs.
Finally, Kate's parents got thrown under the bus once again because they never took her out to get a toy after house chores.
Poor dear.
They just interviewed Brenda Heist's husband again on our local noon news channel. Her husband says that he's angry for his children -- that they had to grow up not knowing why their mother left them.
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I remember when she disappeared and her husband was under an "umbrella of suspicion." The poor guy. We wondered that if he had been arrested and behind bars if she would surface to set him free and admit that he had done nothing to her...or would she have kept quiet and let him go through a trial.
I'll comment about this later, but is anyone surprised by any of this? I have a lot more to say, but I'll save it for now. And please stop blaming Ambien, zanax or many other doctor precribed benzo type of drugs and yes Ambien is very similar to benzos and its withdrawals and long term use of this drug is quite similar and awful to get off of. Despite any addiction to these drugs (which I believe in the case of Kart and her hatred towards Jon and allowing her children to be subjected to these reality shows, and the constant self imposed scrutiny of the general public with no regard to what the short or long term effects will be to her kids is a sign of addiction. ) I've been prescribed Ambien and alprazolam by my physician for almost 10 years. My physician believes you can just cutback and get off the Ambien and wean off both these drugs very fast with little to no side effects. I only know from my own experiences and I've never taken any precribed drugs prior to these toxic drugs being prescribed when I was 50 and others I'm familiar with who have been on these drugs for years, as myself, try to get off and the withdrawals can be hell. I've always believed Kart is not only drinking wine, but takes something to help her cope (i.e., ambien and or some other benzo). Now, look at Clint Eastwood's wife. Does anyone believe she's in extended rehab just for anxiety and depression? As far as Marie Osmond, she went through hell losing her child, but she also has a tremendous support system, remarriage etc. to pull her through this.
She says this was a Sat but if you read her Sat tweets in April it doesn't jive. Complete fiction!
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What doesn't jive? She said "THIS PAST WEEKEND." On Saturday, she tweeted...
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 27 Apr
@angiecallahan4 weeding!!!
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 27 Apr
Woah... What a busy day! I'm sleeping in T minus five minutes (and I'm not even in bed yet lol)!!! Catch you tomorrow!
Sheri said... 33
''..Those boys make it impossible for me to understand my mother."
That's exactly how I feel and why I finally decided that it was in my best interest, as well as my own family's, to estrange myself from my mother.''
~~~~~~
I did the same thing, Sheri. Of six children, 15 grandchildren, and multiple great-grandchildren, when my mother dies ONE was still speaking to her. It was the most healthy thing I ever did...be the first one to 'divorce' my mother.
I did identify with Melissa when she talked about the shocked look in other's eyes when told she hadn't seen or spoken to her Mother in years. Just seeing the 'look' was yet another reminder of how really horrible she was. Melissa said: ''It is so abnormal, it begs an avalanche of uncomfortable questions that even friends are too shocked to ask.'' The kindest response (that I did get fairly often) was it must have been really awful for you to be forced to take that step....and then move on with no questions.
Honestly, typically, I cooked a delicious meal, attacked, delight, kids profusely say 'thank you mommy'
The words around which all blogs posts are written.
Oh, my goodness. I don't know what to make of Kate's latest blog. Is it a reminder to send birthday gifts for her sextuplets (whose birthdays are in TWELVE DAYS!!!), or is it wishful thinking for a tv episode about her kids learning that hard work pays off? It's so disjointed, that I'm not quite sure which it is.
Sheri said...
I remember once when my children were little and I was feeling particularly overwhelmed. Knowing full well I would get no support from my mother if I reached out, I quietly cried a prayer to God asking him why I would never know a mother's love.
His answer, "But you do, I gave you children."
That small tiny, faint answer flowed into my heart and I bawled my eyes out. I was able to let go of a lot of anger that day and realize that the loss was actually hers not mine.
==========
Beautiful! Gave me chills.
I read the latest blog -- first one I've read. Does she always go on and on and on about nothing?
My kids help me with spring and fall cleanup and not because they are promised with a reward. They do it because it's their house, too, and they live here. You don't teach kids that if they do something positive, there will always be a reward at the end for them. Not every act of helpfulness or positivity comes with a reward. Life doesn't work that way, nor should you teach them to expect it.
Kate sees material possessions as the end result. I saw that she did get in a dig about her chores when she was growing up -- "I grew up weeding because it was "my job" and I know from experience that weeding is A LOT more fun with a lollipop in your mouth and frequent popsicle breaks. And, for the record, the toy store was never offered to me, although I always wished it would have been) to keep their mouths happy while their hands weeded! "
That sentence makes absolutely no sense grammatically, but it points out that when growing up she wasn't rewarded for doing a chore even though she had wished it so. Entitlement.
Kate needs to get past her parents' parenting choices. Everything she herself has told us so far are perfectly normal and acceptable parenting techniques. That includes not giving a child a present for helping out with family chores. Just having them do chores to pitch in because that's what family members do, pitch in. I think therapy would help her, I really do. Or could try.
Also, a ton of man hours were used to find her. If you are going to leave your family, why not stop by your local police dept. and write out a statement: I am leaving my family, I want to take off, please do not look for me.
____________
She hadn't planned on leaving. This wasn't premeditated. Apparently she had been sitting in the park crying about her impending divorce and financial problems and was approached by a group of homeless people who were headed to Florida. She just up and joined them...right then and there.
Thanks for sharing the bogus bog, and saving my brain. So big deal, they weeded and she bought them toys. Seriously doubt they did this all day. And poor younger Kate, had to do chores without material rewards. Stop whining about this kind of stuff; your parents did what they needed to do, and at least you knew your grandparents and extended family. To The Stir: are you not embarrassed at all by this awful excuse for writing this woman coughs up each week?
In her bog, Kate first says that she told the kids Friday that they would be doing the weeding Saturday, and then would go to the toy store the next day(Sunday). Yet she then says they went Saturday night.
She also says their birthday was in 12 days, which if it happened on Saturday, their birthday would be in 13 days not 12 days. Was this the fun thing they did on Sunday when she tweeted:
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 28 Apr
Well, today was fun and I think you'll enjoy the results so you'll just have to wait! (I promise it's worth it!)
Good night! :)
Kate also said "We've never attacked this particular project as a family before," yet last year on Mar. 25, she tweeted:
Kate Gosselin
Good day!Busy Sunday here!Church, C&M baked 2 bday cakes, now fam weeding project outside! Then dinner 2 make etc. R U tired? Yeah, me 2!:)
11:19 AM - 25 Mar 12
Her bogs seem more like TV episodes she makes up in her mind. "Gosselin Gardening" and "Fabio's Funeral", would probably have been the titles of the last 2 episodes.
LB -- the Coogan Act took effect in California in 1939, so there were some rules in place when Missy Francis was acting as a child. It was strengthened in 2000, when it was redefined to make it clear that the funds in the account belonged to the child and not to the parent or guardian.
Some years ago there was a case here in Ohio where a man faked his own death and abandoned his wife and minor sons and set up a new life in, I think, Texas. He was finally discovered a number of years later. His wife had received Social Security benefits on behalf of the minor children, and SSA went after him for repayment of the benefits. I don't know if a private insurance company would do something similar.
I guess I must have had a deprived childhood, because my parents didn't take me to the toy store for doing my chores either. Contributing to the family well-being was supposed to be my reward. I did get paid if I wanted to earn extra money and took on jobs that weren't ordinarily my responsibility, but that's all.
lukebandit--Congratulations on the birth of your grandson!
I read the recent blog post and am just amazed at how dumb she thinks everyone is. First, as someone else pointed out, I felt like she was writing an episode of her own show. The drama, detailed meals, times, music and such, times of day...on and on...
I guess some may not know or remember but those who were able to purchase Roberts book, he wrote about a tweet Kate made last year. March of 2012, Kate tweeted that the family was doing a "fun family weeding project". Robert was there to witness the days activities. He stated the kids were weeding and doing yard work all day, complaining that they didn't want to, Kate yelling at them to keep going, no stopping, while Kate "ran" the driveway and sat in the shade.
So, this years blog. Does anyone really believe it happened so happily and thankfully without protest this year? If they went shopping it was so Kate could get their birthday presents. She said so herself. Who has to "work" for their birthday presents? I know of no child on this earth that happily weeds all day on a Saturday, rather than plays. And Mady spent all day inside on homework and then volunteered to weed the patio because Kate's kids are that well behaved...Kate's raises such amazing kids. Those kids are amazing despite her.
That had to be one of the grossest blogs of hers yet. They get more sensational each week, with the lesson of the week at the end. She even managed to belittle the working work and how anyone can do okay work, but hard work comes to the truly exceptional.
Hey Kate, when you tell the truth you don't have to have a good memory. She forgot that this new experiment in family weeding was an activity that she tweeted about last year! Oops!
lukebandit said... 45
Oh, Oh, Oh, Grandbaby Boy is here!
This morning at 420am 8lbs. 5oz.
I stayed up all night with my son on FB DM'ing info and we Skyped and I saw and heard him!
He is beautiful! Love those little caps on their head!
************************************************
Whooooooo Hoooooooooo!!!!!
Congratuations Grandma :o)
Welcome to the world, little angel...
This wonderful event certainly puts things into perspective- Kate's boring, horribly written bog doesn't even come close to your wonderful news.
Kate tweeted Saturday morning that the kids were outside playing--now she says that they were outside weeding. Which is it?
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 27 Apr
Good morning! The sun is shining and the kids are already outside playing! Love the weekend! Can't wait for summer!! 🌻🌞☀
Ally said... 61
I read the recent blog post and am just amazed at how dumb she thinks everyone is. First, as someone else pointed out, I felt like she was writing an episode of her own show. The drama, detailed meals, times, music and such, times of day...on and on...
I guess some may not know or remember but those who were able to purchase Roberts book, he wrote about a tweet Kate made last year. March of 2012, Kate tweeted that the family was doing a "fun family weeding project". Robert was there to witness the days activities. He stated the kids were weeding and doing yard work all day, complaining that they didn't want to, Kate yelling at them to keep going, no stopping, while Kate "ran" the driveway and sat in the shade.
So, this years blog. Does anyone really believe it happened so happily and thankfully without protest this year? If they went shopping it was so Kate could get their birthday presents. She said so herself. Who has to "work" for their birthday presents? I know of no child on this earth that happily weeds all day on a Saturday, rather than plays. And Mady spent all day inside on homework and then volunteered to weed the patio because Kate's kids are that well behaved...Kate's raises such amazing kids. Those kids are amazing despite her.
That had to be one of the grossest blogs of hers yet. They get more sensational each week, with the lesson of the week at the end. She even managed to belittle the working work and how anyone can do okay work, but hard work comes to the truly exceptional.
Hey Kate, when you tell the truth you don't have to have a good memory. She forgot that this new experiment in family weeding was an activity that she tweeted about last year! Oops!
************************************************
Ally, what a coincidence. Kate's latest bog ties in nicely with this blog topic.
Kate's kids were "happily" & "thankfully" weeding for their mother because--
"You just need to keep Mom happy. It's the only way to survive.
Tucker's Mom said... 46
Wow, my eyes finally uncrossed after reading Kate's new blog.
Let me save you a few minutes of your life that you'll never get back.
On Sat., Kate and the kids weeded. All day. Oh, they ate, snacked, sang and got toys at the end of the day (Legos and Calico Critters for those of you who didn't pick up on the grift).
Yup, all in lock step, singing "Whistle While You Work", enthusiastically pulling every nefarious weed and thanking Mommy profusely.
====
Tucker's - I should have heeded your warning and not gone there. Oy.
She would have people believe weeding the yard with her is like winning a trip to Disney World. I realize she's trying to re-invent herself as the patient, loving mother but good grief she went way over the top.
Kate, we've seen the show. We know better. Knock it off.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lukebandit - Congratulations on the new addition to your family!
"Hard work ALWAYS pays off." If only that were true !
What a mixed up 'bog!" Saccharine sweet and full of contradictions. She made sure to mention each child once by name as they merrily and efficiently did the work Lawn Boys usually are called upon to perform.She's such a saint, providing inspirational sayings, music, healthy food, family bonging...and a bribe. Who believes any of this! And how the heck do you weed with a lollipop in your mouth? The comments were mostly negative.
(And why does Kan-do Kate not know what the little grey box is? Did she check in HER manual?)
Lukebandit - congrats on the new baby! A grandchild is the best life has to offer!!!
Watching the Little Couple's adoption episodes...sooooo much better than anything Kate EVER put out on ANY tv show! This couple truly love each other, are smart and seem like amazing people. Kate's twitter is dying and anything she puts out there is in direct pre-emptive strike mode against everything Robert has put in the re-release of his book that Kate has already read.
I don't believe for one tiny bit of second that katie bought her children anything to pay then for weeding. Especially the boys
PA Dutch Mom said:
She hadn't planned on leaving. This wasn't premeditated. Apparently she had been sitting in the park crying about her impending divorce and financial problems and was approached by a group of homeless people who were headed to Florida. She just up and joined them...right then and there.
*****
Fair enough. But what stopped her from picking up a telephone somewhere along the way and calling her ex, to tell him "I've had it, I'm gone and I'm not coming back. But I am alive and safe." Nothing but selfishness.
Hey, if you can't hack being a mom anymore, I'm not crazy about that. But at the very friggin' least, if you decide to cut and run, let someone know, either before or after you do the dirty deed.
Perhaps I sound harsh in my comments about the woman who voluntarily went "missing" for 11 years. I would have more sympathy for her if at least one time during those 11 years, she had let her family know she was alive and doing ok. They had no idea for 11 years what happened - did she get kidnapped, did she get murdered, what happened?
I can understand feeling overwhelmed, wanting to just get away from all your problems. We've probably all had those rough moments. But my goodness, have a least a smidgeon of thought for those you leave behind. Let them know you left under your own power, and don't let them wonder, have horrible thoughts about what might have happened, put your ex under police suspicion, etc. Bleh - I don't wish her ill, but I just can't feel sorry for a person who does something like that.
RE: My "personal" post to Melissa Francis, even though she doesn't read here...
UM put a :) at the end of his/her reply, so I assumed it was all in good fun. But thank you for coming to my defense!
I wrote:
She says this was a Sat but if you read her Sat tweets in April it doesn't jive. Complete fiction!
----------------------------------------
Parent In Lancaster County said... 49
What doesn't jive? She said "THIS PAST WEEKEND." On Saturday, she tweeted...
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 27 Apr
@angiecallahan4 weeding!!!
----------------------------------------
I don't see a weeding comment on her current timeline. I do see this tweet about the kids playing which doesn't match up with what she wrote on her bog about the kids being so eager to start weeding they ran out right after breakfast. It's possible, but not likely, that the kids played before breakfast.
Kate Gosselin@Kateplusmy827 Apr
Good morning! The sun is shining and the kids are already outside playing! Love the weekend! Can't wait for summer!! 🌻🌞☀
"The next morning, I made a delicious breakfast and when the kids were done eating, they asked if they could get started awhile. Sounded good to me, so as I cleaned up inside, they headed outside to start the outdoor cleanup. I joined them a short while later, and, much to my surprise and delight, in the short time it took to clean up the kitchen, they already had two tall piles of weeds picked. This is good."
Fired Up 4 Kate @MiloandJack 1h
@Kateplusmy8 Hey tweeties...look what Kate was up to this past weekend! http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/154948/a_lesson_learned_from_weeding … Excellent writing...felt like I was there!
jeannine smith @jeannine1222 1h
@MiloandJack @kateplusmy8 I read it- loved it!!!!! Amazing mom!!!! Amazing children!!!!
---------------
I fell I need to exclaim!!!!!
Lukebandit....Congrats on the new Grandbaby and your Son's recent graduation!
Hey, I just caught a pretty interesting blunder Kate made in her blogging. In her blog from last week, regarding Fabio's funeral, she stated that they needed to cut through the landscaping fabric in the garden so they could bury the fish. She pointed out that that was good because I would help deter shoka from digging up the fish.
This week, she claimed the weeding project would be HUGE because of the extensive weeds, not the large acreage of gardens. Now I am scratching my head. Why would she have such an extensive weed problem, if there was landscaping fabric placed in the gardens by the landscapers to prevent or minimalize the weeds in her gardens.
Shocking she can't keep up with her own lies. No, not really.
Anonymous @48
"Blaming ambian" is a joke, nothing more, nothing less. Please pick a name if you want to take people to task.
Wave at us if your parents or guardians took you to the toy store as a reward for helping with house/yard work.
My parents smiled and said "Thank you!" and that was plenty reward, as I recall. I may have hated the work while I was starting it, but it seemed to become less arduous as I spent time with it. And I could sit back, review my work and think to myself "Look how much I did! I did well!" THAT was a huge reward all by itself. I hope the Gosselin kids got the same sense of satisfaction and the toy was just an unnecessary cherry on top.
Of course, all this is assuming the blog piece is based on fact... it's hard to know with Kate.
OMG, my parents abused me too. I can't recall ever getting presents for doing my chores. The big old meanies. Have to tell my brother he's doing it wrong too. They have chores and the gift they get is once they are done they have free time to play.
Didn't Katie dearest tell her readers that she shoved all the extra Christmas grifts for the children in some closest to give out through the year. So, I'm not buying she coughed up any real money to purchase gifts for her brood. She just finally gave out the grifts from the closet to them. I wonder if they got water this time in the weeding adventure. And why would she have weeds for them to pull when she's home all damn week to do that stuff?
What a lazy twitch she is.
Ally said... 61.
I guess some may not know or remember but those who were able to purchase Roberts book, he wrote about a tweet Kate made last year. March of 2012, Kate tweeted that the family was doing a "fun family weeding project". Robert was there to witness the days activities. He stated the kids were weeding and doing yard work all day, complaining that they didn't want to, Kate yelling at them to keep going, no stopping, while Kate "ran" the driveway and sat in the shade.
====
Ally I forgot about that entry in Robert's book, thanks for the reminder.
Here it is:
"Good day! Busy Sunday here! Church, C& M baked 2 bday cakes, now fam weeding project outside! Then dinner 2 make etc. R U tired? Yeah, me 2!:)
And on the day that Kate Gosselin Tweeted those happy thoughts, in March of 2012, the reality was that she was screaming at and berating her little children while they worked all day doing yard work for her … while she jogged around the driveway and sat in the shade. She was downright mean as she was screaming at the children to stay away from her car and move faster and to stop fooling around. The kids were crying but weren’t aloud to stop working. Kate wasn’t just yelling at them, she was being mean and degrading, and treating them like they were animals. She should be more careful about who’s standing nearby watching her abusive behavior."
Ally, landscaping lining deters weeds, but doesn't prevent them. What you really need is a thick layer of good mulch.
The lining does help though, but she's got extensive landscaping all around. Yeesh, I wouldn't want to do it! But, that is what she asked for.
Houses don't take care of themselves.
Lukebandit-- Congratulations and blessings to you and your family!
Millicent, some things cut closer than others. It's really understandable to be sickened by a mother who abandoned her family. The collateral damage is huge.
Apparently, the ellipsis [...] is the new exclamation point [!!!] in Katespeak.
@Thechicagomanualofstyle ... plz send Kate a copy!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I have a serious question to ask: Do you think it's possible that some mothers are so deep into their addictions and/or personality disorders that there's no room in their hearts for their children? I know it's almost heresy to suggest a mother doesn't love her own children, but I kind of think it's possible for that to be the case. Maybe more often than we realize.
Kate is a 38 year old woman still bitter about some insignificant slight that wasn't even necessarily a bad parenting decision in the first place. If she had good reason for cutting her parents off I sure haven't heard it yet from her. In fact when she moans about such ridiculous minor things that almost always have to do with her not being spoiled and expected to pull her weight in the family, I get more and more skeptical there is a thing wrong with her parents of any consequence. In fact they sound like good parents who tried their hardest with an impossible child. Try having a mom like Missy Francis's.
Wow, okay, so that blog was complete garbage.
In one episode Jon took the boys golfing? and they were terrified of getting dirty. Terrified. But they are so excited to dig in the dirt with Kate?
It's like it was written by someone who doesn't have kids. If I gathered my kids up and said, hey lets go dig in the dirt, they would be all about it. I wouldn't have to make a big production the night before or bribe them with suckers and toys!
And I thought their pitch together and do the work was a usual thing for their family? Why all the fuss now about weeding?
Whoever said it's a lie cuz she talked about having landscape fabric is right on. I have the stuff in my beds and no weeds. You can't even get a shovel through that stuff. I've tried!
Wake up, the stir! It's nothing but lies lies lies!!!
Fired Up 4 Kate @MiloandJack 10m
@Kateplusmy8 Well, the #DayshiftInPositivity is abt 2check out! Miss you my friend! Whatever U face...remember ur not alone! :)
Fired Up 4 Kate @MiloandJack 8m
U tweets make sure things stay good & upbeat! Will be back later 2night! Let's support single moms working fr home! Esp. one w/8 kids!! :)
-------------------------
Milo sounds like someone sitting vigil with a terminal patient. She's leaving for a while but will be back soon. Everyone carry on the best you can and stay positive for this poor woman.
I think Kate's parents threw their hands up with her when she was still living at home. I imagine it's just as difficult to live with a teen-aged narcissist as it is a 38-year-old narcissist.
According to her brother, Kate was a lazy ass. On the interview from ROL he characterized Kate as “type-A” personality — with a penchant for telling other what to do.
“Kate was always good at delegating,” he said. “When I was younger, I’d help her out, I’d do her chores for her … she would always try to get me to do her share of the chores or part of the chores.”
Sounds like not much has changed.
Wouldn't you love to hear Kevin talk about growing up in the Kreider home? Well, not that Kevin would actually do it, of course. But would his story match Kate's?
I was given a treat for chores once. ONCE. And it for weeding too. My dad had told us we were going to weed the flower garden (all five kids). I HATED weeding. When I was in grade school we used to rent a plot for a vegetable garden and I always resented having to go there and garden instead of playing. Anyway this was Junior High and it was out front of our house. Friends asked us to go to the pool and my dad said in his Mr. Brady way, welll,,, you all promised to help me but it's your choice... So I felt bad and was the only one to stay and help. When we got done he took me to get an ice cream cone. That was my reward not for doing chores but for being thoughtful and staying in the hot sun and helping out. And to this day that is a fond memory for me with my late father who passed away when I was in college.
"Sure, we make occasional "for no reason" trips to the toy store, each with their own money they've saved up over time, and those trips are always VERY exciting, but to me, this trip definitely felt different and I didn't think it had to do with the fact that MOM did the buying"
-----------------------------------------------
No, Kate, the kids did the buying. Kate's writing style is more suitable for a Harlequin romance...and it's pure fiction!
What are kids who are narcissists like? Pretty much the same? I can imagine that was some nightmare raising that child.
Why do we have to support single moms working from home? Huh? It's not the 80s anymore. How about supporting things like kids with cancer or aid to the homeless/camping.
It never crossed my mind growing up you should get a prize for chores. The prize comes when you find you've raised a well adjusted adult with work ethic. Kate's parents tried anyhow.
Is Blogger eating my comments again? Anyone else have problems?
Lukebandit -- I can hear the excitement and pride in your post! CONGRATS to you and your son welcoming the new baby boy to the world.
Haven't read Kate's newest post but people are sayinTSgt is aboit axweeding project. I know she already has a company doing the landscaping so where are all the weeds sprouting up? The only places I could think of are the yard edges meeting the street, from flower/plant pots outside or around the trees, wherever the edge of land ends like the walls of your house, I remember finding them in odd places...
They are probably kids who demand their parents buy them everything they want, don't share, expect compliments and praise, are lazy and bossy, and well, a lot like mini-Kates.
Didn't Kevin also take her punishments for her sometimes, too? What would happen if one of her kids tried to pass off guilt to another kid? Oh wait... I'm seeing a globe in my mind for some reason...
Good grief, just about 24 hours has passed and Milo said she misses Kate! Kate has been silent so far which usually happens as weekend is approaching.
Maybe that's because she doesn't owe you, a complete stranger, an explanation.
&&&
Absolutely. But why keep bringing up perceived slights from her childhood at all then? If she doesn't feel she owes anyone an explanation, then stop bringing them up. Drop it. But if she's going to keep bringing it up time and time again, there are going to be questions why such minor transgressions bother her so much and if those are the only reasons she estranged them.
Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 85
Maybe that's because she doesn't owe you, a complete stranger, an explanation.
*****
You're right, and Kate should stop writing about what the kids did or had to do this weekend (or any day, enough is enough). Instead, she painfully details every minute of Weeding Day in Vaseline-slathered purple prose dissertation of a blog entry, complete with a dig on her Orphan Annie childhood.
It's a hard knock life, kids.
Well Melissa had a good foundation for future TV reporting and I would bet a good bank acct.
These kids who write Mommy Dearest books and then destroy their parent' reputation make me sick.
Would like to know why after Harvard she went back to TV then? Fickle
Why would she have such an extensive weed problem, if there was landscaping fabric placed in the gardens by the landscapers to prevent or minimalize the weeds in her gardens.
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Perhaps because not all the mulch beds were protected by fabric or because weeds do grow through the fabric. I know...going through that right now. Despite the fabric laid down, there are still pesky weeds (and a tree) that are persistent in growing right up through the fabric.
Good catch, though...but I'm sure they did have some weeding to do. How extensive is anyone's guess. She does tend to exaggerate.
Would like to know why after Harvard she went back to TV then? Fickle
&&&
Fickle? She went to Harvard and from day one wanted to be a reporter. She majored in economics I believe because she wanted to do financial reporting and has done so ever since. She was fascinated with the American free market even as a child.
Melissa never claimed she never wanted to be on T.V. Only that it was very hard to be on T.V. as a child. No one goes around campaigning to get adults off T.V., they are adults and can decide for themselves.
And no, she had very little money left. I think she said after an entire childhood of working there was only about 100,000 in the account which is absurd given she worked her whole life. She couldn't figure out how that could possibly be after 18 years sitting on sets. Her mom was taking money from it such that Melissa had to emancipate herself and steal her own checks out of the mailbox and put them in a separate account her mom didn't know about. That's how bad it was.
As for trashing her mom's reputation, her mom deserved every bit of it and this was an important story to tell to help others. Her mom is welcome to share her side of the story. She has chosen not to. Children who expose abuse should never be chastised for trashing reputations. Reputations is the last thing I care about when this kind of crap goes on.
Fired Up 4 Kate @MiloandJack 1h
@Kateplusmy8 Hey tweeties...look what Kate was up to this past weekend! http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/154948/a_lesson_learned_from_weeding … Excellent writing...felt like I was there!
Excellent writing? She sets the bar pretty low, doesn't she? She wishes she was there! Well, as she stated in a tweet...their day will come. One day she will show up at Kate's house and Kate better be ready!
I don't see a weeding comment on her current timeline.
-------------
Check out older tweets on Tweet Tunnel. On April 27, which was this past Saturday when she claimed they were weeding, she tweeted at 9:12:
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 27 Apr
@angiecallahan4 weeding!!! :/
Lukebandit,
Congratulations on your new grand baby! How wonderful!
I was amazed at how much Melissa's mother sounded like Kate! Which makes sense, I guess, if they both have NPD. An identifiable disorder will look similar in different people. That's how it's identified, right? It's all just sad for the children who have to live with the effects. When you have kids of your own you suddenly gain a new perspective. I remember holding my first child in the hospital shortly after he was born. I was overwhelmed with the depth of love I felt for him. All I could say was, "Wow! So THIS is how much my parents love me?!?" I had never truly understood that until that moment. How sad, yet perhaps good, for Melissa to see how sick her mother really was once she became a mother herself.
Admin 82...
You asked what child narcissists are like. Well, the show Teen Mom, and Ms Farrah Abraham. She has been in the news for her DUI and pornographic video, that she tried to release a la Kim K style. If you are unfamiliar with her, read some of the recent news on her. She was on Dr Phil on the 19th of April. Check it out. On you tube. He called her spoiled, entitled and said she would argue with a fence post. She takes no responsibility for her own actions and blames everyone and everything else. There is a new book out, discussing all the behind the scenes with these moms and MTV. She got her production crew to often cry, she tried to fire them, stating they worked for her and many quit on her outright. She is the identical personality of Kate. Creepy. She is out for whatever money she can make. Also, since her reality show ended, she has been in relentless pursuit for another one. She is a loner, no real friends, they can't stand to be around her. She takes no responsibility for her own actions. Always someone else is the problem. Sound familiar.
Count me in saying Brenda Heist could have at least done her family the courtesy of calling if she wanted to leave them.
Not only did she put her kids through hell, but many people thought her husband was a murderer, he even talks about how some of the kids' friends weren't allowed to play with them anymore, and an entire community was scared there might be some sociopath on the loose about to kill them next.
I felt sad for Brenda. She reminded me of Mary Steenburgen, a kind face. I never forgot it. Despite all this I read that the husband said yes I'm angry and no we haven't reached out to her BUT if my kids would like to speak with her that's not a problem for me. Despite everything, he is not going to come between his children and their mother, their parent. She is still their mother. Try marrying a spouse who does THIS to the family, and still restrain yourself from being a parental alienator.
Last year the kids weeded while Kate ran and sat in the shade. Kate knows that is in the book. She is re-writing history.
So, Kate had the kids pick out their own birthday gifts while at the store...thats no fun :( No surprise for their birthday? Just so Kate could take " buy birthday gifts" off of her never ending list?/
Also I wanted to add I find her story that she was crying in the park and some people just HAPPENED to come along just at that moment and took her in out of her situation took her in like a good Samaritan, pretty hard to believe. I would think most people would offer to call her a cab, or call her husband, or a friend, or even 9-1-1, not whisk her AWAY.
I'm not buying that. I think she actively hitchhiked out of there. Stuck her thumb out on the side of the road and hitchhiked.
Fair enough. But what stopped her from picking up a telephone somewhere along the way and calling her ex, to tell him "I've had it, I'm gone and I'm not coming back. But I am alive and safe." Nothing but selfishness.
Hey, if you can't hack being a mom anymore, I'm not crazy about that. But at the very friggin' least, if you decide to cut and run, let someone know, either before or after you do the dirty deed.
+++++++++++++++
He wasn't her ex at that time. They were separated. There was a very long article in our local paper today that gave details that weren't disclosed in various online accounts. Apparently it wasn't because she couldn't hack being a mom anymore, but rather she had just received news that she was denied housing. She had been employed as a bookkeeper and she was worried about not being able to support her children and she had no place to live. She said she thought about her family every day but was too embarrassed to go crawling back. I guess she thought they were better off with the $100,000 insurance money. Her ex-husband said he wonders what will happen with that now that she's alive.
It sounds like she also was afraid of being prosecuted for leaving and was afraid that she might be billed for the man-power that was used in trying to find her. I pity those poor kids...not knowing if their mother was dead or alive.
I don't believe for one tiny bit of second that katie bought her children anything to pay then for weeding. Especially the boys
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So she took a photo of one of the boys standing in front of the toy display and didn't buy them anything?
Admin 78 - I guess it depends on whether you believe Robert's book or not or the other reports that have emerged about Kenton Kreider over the years. Word is, he is very much like Kate. According to Robert, he bullied Kate into having an abortion and covering it up. He went to court and lost an appeal which showed he had been making improvements to his property despite being told by the local township not to until certain requirements were met: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/pa-commonwealth-court/1382868.html
I guess the law didn't apply to him? Sound familiar?
Look, I don't know the Kreiders from Adam. Maybe they are very nice people. But we know Kate is an abusive person and most people don't come by that naturally - it's usually taught. So where did she learn it, would be my question.
Sillimom, I'm not sure what to think since I'm aware of those reports, however sometimes I wonder if Kate could have exaggerated or even lied about her family. The information he was abusive came from people whom Kate had told as I understand it, not from knowing the situation first hand. I can see Kate making up or exaggerating stories of abuse, an abortion, sexual abuse, to garner sympathy or justify estranging them.
We DO know that the grandparents did very kind and normal things like watching the twins for days on end and rallying their church around to give sizable donations. Those reports don't necessarily jive with an angry and abusive man who forced her to have an abortion. And then we have Kate complaining over, frankly, ridiculous things, like not getting a present for doing chores (Newsflash lots of us didn't get a prize for chores, boo-hoo.) When she says things like that, I question how valid her perceived slights really are. Narcissists live in an alternate universe often where their perception of how things happened is not reality. Call it gaslighting, call it re-writing history, but we've certainly seen Kate do this on a regular basis to nearly every single person she encounters. Heck even as we speak she has recently been on a campaign to convince us all the divorce happened in 2011, not 2009. She has said this at least twice now. God knows WHY, I can only speculate she wants to make it seem more fresh and recent to garner more sympathy, but it's just one of hundreds examples of how this woman operates--not in reality.
As for the lawsuit, I don't condemn anyone for being involved in a civil lawsuit. Disputes happen, especially when you are involved in anything complex like property ownership, everyone has their side of the story, and that's what the court is for.
Anyway I think what I'm trying to say is I really don't know WHAT to think of her family and I think Kate's version is highly suspect.
That's the first time I've ever read their court case believe it or not. Never had much interest before. Wow, what a complex land use case that brings up terms I haven't heard since Property. Estoppel! Gee wilikers! :)
As I understand it, basically he was saying look you guys didn't say anything about what we were doing since 1984 and because we assumed you were okay with it you can't turn around and now say it's an issue, especially since you granted several permits since then. This is actually a legal argument that in theory works. Essentially the lower court did not find him credible, but lots of honest people have been found not credible, finding someone not credible is a good way to make sure they don't win on appeal since no one touches credibility.
To me one civil case like that is neither here nor there, especially over a property dispute when property is so complex. It's not like he's involved in a string of lawsuits. In fact if you look at the facts, he had a whole slew of permit requests that were granted. So it's not like he was always trying to get around basic permit requirements. It was a one time thing and he insists there was confusion.
I wasn't there and don't know what happened, but it's hard for me to buy into the idea that this case proves he's just like Kate.
Also I wanted to add I find her story that she was crying in the park and some people just HAPPENED to come along just at that moment and took her in out of her situation took her in like a good Samaritan, pretty hard to believe. I would think most people would offer to call her a cab, or call her husband, or a friend, or even 9-1-1, not whisk her AWAY.
______
I believe it. I know the park where she says she met the homeless people, and it's totally believable. They frequent that park...the township has had trouble in the past with vagrants gathering there, not to mention pedophiles and drug dealers. During the time she disappeared, that park was really a haven for those people. I can easily see how she might have hooked up with someone there.
Fired Up 4 Kate @MiloandJack 2h
@Kateplusmy8 Well, the #DayshiftInPositivity is abt 2check out! Miss you my friend! Whatever U face...remember ur not alone! :)
Trouble in Paradise? Milo misses Kate? How can that be if they are in regular contact with one another -- not only through Twitter?
Those reports don't necessarily jive with an angry and abusive man who forced her to have an abortion
True enough. However, my spouse is oh so loving and charming, when it's a public action that others will see and comment on. He LOVES being seen as the white knight, just trying to take care of the little woman.
You know, that one who either doesn't have a brain, or if she does, it doesn't work right.
Tucker's Mom said... 46
Wow, my eyes finally uncrossed after reading Kate's new blog.
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My eye's cross to when I try to read her blog.
Fired Up 4 Kate @MiloandJack 3h
U tweets make sure things stay good & upbeat! Will be back later 2night! Let's support single moms working fr home! Esp. one w/8 kids!! :)
Expand Reply Retweet Favorite More
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And what is KK job again???
Lukebandit -- Congratulations on your new grandson. Hope you have many pleasurable hours spoiling him rotten ;>) . Dwindle also passes on her congratulations. She's having an issue with blogger at the moment so she can't do it herself.
True enough. However, my spouse is oh so loving and charming, when it's a public action that others will see and comment on. He LOVES being seen as the white knight, just trying to take care of the little woman.
You know, that one who either doesn't have a brain, or if she does, it doesn't work right.
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I agree, which is why I said I don't really know. Nothing really adds up with that family, never has. The truth is somewhere but we may never know it.
Can anyone please explain why these last three or so remaining "haters" continue to stay on Kate's Twitter? Without them, it would be in its death throes. I don't understand...they just keep repeating the same things on a daily basis. Why? What are they getting out of it? The sheeple love a good argument, and they are indulging them. Milo especially enjoys being the victim of taunting because she's claiming she'll withstand anything in her support of Kate.
Improbable Dreams said... 83
''I have a serious question to ask: Do you think it's possible that some mothers are so deep into their addictions and/or personality disorders that there's no room in their hearts for their children? I know it's almost heresy to suggest a mother doesn't love her own children, but I kind of think it's possible for that to be the case. Maybe more often than we realize.''
~~~~~~~
I believe that it is not only possible, but probable, that there are mothers who don't love their children, and we see the evidence around us with the mothers who abuse and/or kill their children. The unloved children of those mothers do what they can to survive...or not. In the book, Melissa managed to make it, while her sister did not.
I believe that KK's actions toward Jon the past few years, and intensifying the last few months, are her determined attempt to achieve total control over the children AND their money.
There were so many times reading the book when Melissa would describe various situations, giving me chills, and I would have to remind myself I was not reading Robert's book about KK. On this blog, we have worried over and over and over about the Gosselin children, for very good reason. The Gosselin children know that they have a father that returns their love, and that may be the thing that helps them the most.
I think Kate must have something unhappy going on. There have been a number of tweets in the past few days seemingly aimed to cheer her up. Mostly from Milo, but 1 or 2 from other tweeters also. IrishFan being one of them.
Don't let someone's stormy life cloud ur course...steadily steer ur ship...have a hopeful heart...possess positive perspective!
U have traveled thru troubled waters b4 so successfully! Stay the course..ur kids happiness/well-being depend on U! :) Gnite!
Just tryin 2make Kate smile! Good Lord knows she needs reasons 2smile! Gnite Leigh...maybe we will get outta time out soon!
Fake friends are no different than shadows, they stick around during your brightest moments, but disappear during your darkest hours.
Well, the #DayshiftInPositivity is abt 2check out! Miss you my friend! Whatever U face...remember ur not alone! :)
U tweets make sure things stay good & upbeat! Will be back later 2night! Let's support single moms working fr home! Esp. one w/8 kids!! :)
Don't let circumstances that you can't control, control your happiness.
Don't let people get to you when they try and knock down your dreams and ambitions. That's why you are successful and happy and they aren't.
It's your life. Don't let others tell you how to live it.
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2303588/The-mother-says-having-children-biggest-regret-life.html
This article got a ton of attention, mostly negative, when a UK mother admitted she regretted having her kids. Warning, I found it very difficult to read.
I understand if you don't want kids, that's fine. But if you don't want children, please don't have them. That's the issue most people had with her and why she got so much flack for it.
So KK still hasn't responded ti Milo yet?
Fired Up 4 Kate @MiloandJack 5h
@jeannine1222 @Kateplusmy8 It WON'T be by accident that the Gosselins turn out 2b 8 smart/hard workin teens soon! All the credit 2MomKate!
And if they do, Jon had absolutely nothing to do with it? She makes me sick.
"So KK still hasn't responded ti Milo yet?"
________________
Nope, and it's going on two weeks. Milo told someone on Twitter to get a life. I think she can get a bit testy when she wants to, or when she's called out on something and has no rebuttal. She can't stand the heat.
And what is KK job again???
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One blog, once a week, plus authoring a cookbook that's going to be a major disappointment in terms of sales.
To me one civil case like that is neither here nor there, especially over a property dispute when property is so complex. It's not like he's involved in a string of lawsuits.
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Admin, I remember when that was happening, and it was a very complex case. The township was not without fault...it was dragging its tails on many of the issues that were confusing. There were so many disputes going on, with what was granted and what was not. To say that Kenton Kreider tried to pull the wool over the township's eyes and do whatever he wanted to do when he wanted to do it just isn't the way things went down.
Look, I don't know the Kreiders from Adam. Maybe they are very nice people. But we know Kate is an abusive person and most people don't come by that naturally - it's usually taught. So where did she learn it, would be my question.
__________________
Two very nice, "normal" upstanding devoted parents can, in fact, produce offspring who are abusive, have mental issues, substance abuse, or land in jail without ever having been taught that behavior.
I agree, sometimes abuse is taught or is genetic, sometimes it just happens for no apparent reason.
Especially if abuse is due to the fact that you are so mentally ill. It may not have a single thing to do with your parents or upbringing. Kevin didn't seem abusive or mentally ill, he seemed like a truly caring man who just wanted the best for his nieces and nephews.
What's up with Milo and her string of platitudes and encouraging tweets? Something's going on...
miloandjack
@Kateplusmy8 Because U love ur kids..U prioritize ur efforts4them no matter what issues or problems! Somehow strength 2get thru another day!
I wanted to add too that I think Kate's abuse is because of her mental illness. Not necessarily anything taught. That does not mean her parents weren't abusive, but it doesn't mean they were either.
I definitely do think things like DV and hitting your kids are things that can be learned behaviors. But it's a different thing when your abuse stems because the receptors in your brain aren't coming together right.
What's up with Milo and her string of platitudes and encouraging tweets? Something's going on...
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It looks to me like she's saying whatever outrageous histrionic thing she can think of to try to get a response. I don't know if there's any more reason for it other than "hey look at me over here!!! yeah it's me, right here!"
I have no word to describe...how poorly written that bog was...it makes me wonder...if her contract says...that the stir...will print whatever she submits...unedited!!!!!!!!
Oh dear Lord please stop my eyes from bleeding!
It looks to me like she's saying whatever outrageous histrionic thing she can think of to try to get a response. I don't know if there's any more reason for it other than "hey look at me over here!!! yeah it's me, right here!"
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It's really pathetic, isn't it? If this isn't textbook Celebrity Worship Syndrome, I don't know what is.
t. To say that Kenton Kreider tried to pull the wool over the township's eyes and do whatever he wanted to do when he wanted to do it just isn't the way things went down.
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You can even tell that from the appeal. The appeal even says they actually satisfied two of the three requirements for estoppel. They ALMOST had it. And the third one, good faith, is really pretty subjective. A judge just has to make that call one way or the other. Who can really say whether something is in good or bad faith for 100% sure. But you don't need 100% in court.
The appeal admits that for FIFTEEN YEARS the town never said a single darn thing about taking issue with their plan not being filed. Many reasonable people would think after 15 years they don't care. But apparently they did.
I was expecting this appeal to be something different since it's always been described as Kreider thumbing his nose at the law. I was surprised to have a completely different perception of it. More like, ok I see his side and so did the court. It's hardly thumbing your nose to apply for and obtain permit after permit after permit for decades or to ALMOST meet the requirements of the legal theory you are asserting, the last one being a very subjective one.
Well, today was fun and I think you'll enjoy the results so you'll just have to wait! (I promise it's worth it!)
This is interesting. Will it be worth it? What defines something that is "worth it"? I can't wait to see the big reveal. Kinda fun thinking about what she thinks is going to make people wet their pants.
And the POS blog. First thing I thought was she planned this out carefully. It was all about the kids picking out their birthday gifts. Nothing more, nothing less. Lazy doofus. Plus she gets her worker bees to do some major dirty work while the queen bee gets to keep her french tips clean. I bet she stood there like a drill sergeant, nibbling on her Bella Bar. And she just happened to have coupons and special promotions with her at the store? How convenient. Smells like the skinflint was in high gear once again cheaping out on the kids but still waiting for that new car she ordered straight from the factory. Hasn't anyone around town seen her tooling around in it yet? And the flowery, exaggerated talk makes me want to honk. She prepared a "delicous" breakfast? And she had to throw in more of the "thank you mommy, thank you!" crap. Her ego is out of control.
Well, today was fun and I think you'll enjoy the results so you'll just have to wait! (I promise it's worth it!)
This is interesting. Will it be worth it? What defines something that is "worth it"? I can't wait to see the big reveal. Kinda fun thinking about what she thinks is going to make people wet their pants.
And the POS blog. First thing I thought was she planned this out carefully. It was all about the kids picking out their birthday gifts. Nothing more, nothing less. Lazy doofus. Plus she gets her worker bees to do some major dirty work while the queen bee gets to keep her french tips clean. I bet she stood there like a drill sergeant, nibbling on her Bella Bar. And she just happened to have coupons and special promotions with her at the store? How convenient. Smells like the skinflint was in high gear once again cheaping out on the kids but still waiting for that new car she ordered straight from the factory. Hasn't anyone around town seen her tooling around in it yet? And the flowery, exaggerated talk makes me want to honk. She prepared a "delicous" breakfast? And she had to throw in more of the "thank you mommy, thank you!" crap. Her ego is out of control.
Admin -- new information surfacing in the Brenda Heist case, if you're interested. Lancasteronline.com
There's also an interview with the woman's daughter, as well as an article on what happens to the insurance money that he received when the courts declared her legally dead.
IF the Kreiders were abusive, and I have nothing to base that on, that can be a learned behavior. The sins of the fathers are visited upon the children kind of thing. That said, there is a mixture of so much that makes we are what we are. Nurture, nature and choice. I think many of Kate's negative traits are by choice. Not all, of course, but many. It seems to work for her, at least in her mind, so why would she want to change it.? She wants it to KEEP working for her so she can continue to live her life the way she wants to.
Congratulations to LukeBandit! Your life will never be the same now that you are a grandma!
Has milo ever commented on The Stir?
Regarding the civil case - Fair points, one and all, and I stand corrected. I only skimmed through the report and it appeared that the Township's position was that, while they acknowledged that they had not followed through with the Kreiders for 15 years, the Kreiders ultimately did understand that what they were doing was not following the initial conditions set out by the Township and chose to move forward. I guess my question would be, if they had already met two of the three requirements, why not just meet the third and be done with it? That would be the ethical thing to do, in my book and certainly a choice I would expect a pastor to make. But that's neither here not there, and as was stated, it's certainly not the best way to gauge someone's character.
Regarding Kenton Kreider - Admin, I understand what you're saying about Kate exaggerating, heaven knows she does that often enough.
The only thing I can say is that Robert was very specific in his book that he had confirmed Kate's upbringing with a sibling. I don't know which sibling spoke to him, as he didn't disclose that (although I suspect it was Kevin), and it's entirely possible he made all of that up. Although if you then allow for the possibility that he made up or exaggerated Kate's childhood traumas, you have to allow then that he made up other parts of the book, but again, that's a whole other kettle of fish.
Again, if you trust Robert's book, then Kenton and Charlene Kreider were parents who did not spare the rod, who raised their children much as Kate is raising hers and who, when a teenage Kate was going through what was likely the beginnings of bi-polar disorder, kicked their daughter out of the house and pressured her to get an abortion because it would be unseemly for a pastor's daughter to be pregnant out of wedlock at such a young age. This is information that was supplied by Kate's sibling.
I don't think, if that is the case, that you can excuse their parenting while criticizing Kate's. But that is just my opinion.
Great discussion, though. :-) Definitely food for thought.
The appeal admits that for FIFTEEN YEARS the town never said a single darn thing about taking issue with their plan not being filed. Many reasonable people would think after 15 years they don't care. But apparently they did.
I was expecting this appeal to be something different since it's always been described as Kreider thumbing his nose at the law. I was surprised to have a completely different perception of it. More like, ok I see his side and so did the court. It's hardly thumbing your nose to apply for and obtain permit after permit after permit for decades or to ALMOST meet the requirements of the legal theory you are asserting, the last one being a very subjective one.
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Bingo. There are two sides to every story, and people just assumed that because of this lawsuit, Kate's father thought he was above the law. That's not what happened. If I remember correctly, the township was very unclear in its requirements and within that group, the right hand didn't know what the left hand was doing. Her father just happened to be caught in the middle.
Although if you then allow for the possibility that he made up or exaggerated Kate's childhood traumas, you have to allow then that he made up other parts of the book, but again, that's a whole other kettle of fish.
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How do you figure if a source is wrong, Robert made up the book? I don't follow that logic.
No, that just means a source could have been wrong, mislead, or exaggerating. Heck I can see Kate going to a sibling and saying dad did this to me he's awful! And they thought it was true and relayed that information as if it were true. At the end of the day only Kate and her father really know what happened between them.
Just because one source gave inaccurate information doesn't mean the book was made up. Robert was very clear about who his sources were. If they were wrong that's not really his fault. There's a difference between saying Kate was abused and saying I was told by reputable insiders that Kate was abused. That's two different things since he never claimed he could verify that information personally. Much like Kitty Kelly's books, when you read them you have to accept most of it is second hand information. I for one think she has said many terribly accurate things, however that doesn't mean that some things might have been wrong. Doesn't mean SHE made anything up, just that she had a bad source or two in the bunch. That's how books like this work and it's a little annoying to see a book that may be 99% accurate dismissed because, oh well look over here at this 1% that was all wrong. Often I think this is just a red herring to try to distract from the other 99% that makes someone look bad.
Permits are a complicated, messy business. There are a lot of politics involved. I bet even some pastors have a pool in their backyard or chickens or a porch deck without the proper permits because they either misunderstood something or no one bothered them about it for years or whatnot. I don't really see a mess with permits as anything like a pastor who say, has an affair or embezzles money. Apples and oranges. He may have seen the greater good in providing an economical campground to the Christian community, and others, over shutting down because there was a permit dispute in which he honestly believed he was right about in the first place. He probably spent thousands defending that suit, arguing estoppel is not something a layman could do or even a new attorney, he I'm sure had to get a reputable and experienced land use or land disputes attorney who probably billed at least several hundred an hour.
He may have felt he DID meet the third requirement. That's certainly what he argued. The judges decided that he did not, and that was their call to make. Obviously he disagreed or he wouldn't have argued otherwise.
LOL yes it is a great discussion.
When I last closed the book on estoppel I thought I would NEVER have to see it again and good riddance!
Hahaha and here it is again back to haunt me.
kicked their daughter out of the house and pressured her to get an abortion because it would be unseemly for a pastor's daughter to be pregnant out of wedlock at such a young age. This is information that was supplied by Kate's sibling.
__________________
Robert wrote that Kevin is one who gave him the information about the alleged abortion?
Thanks Lancaster!
"We're getting several calls from people down in Florida that knew her who want to say she's not being truthful with us," Schofield said.
Ah ha. I knew something about her stupid story didn't ring true.
If her daughter doesn't want to see her that's her right. I don't blame her.
That article about the insurance was good. Explains clearly that since he didn't commit any fraud obtaining it he's in the clear, but they might go after her. That makes perfect sense. This is a classic principle of Mistake of Fact which is a good defense in civil suits. For instance if you bought some stolen property fair and square they likely wouldn't go after you but would go after the person who sold it to you.
I love lancasteronline.com.
I believe it. I know the park where she says she met the homeless people, and it's totally believable. They frequent that park...the township has had trouble in the past with vagrants gathering there, not to mention pedophiles and drug dealers. During the time she disappeared, that park was really a haven for those people. I can easily see how she might have hooked up with someone there.
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PA Dutch, people in Florida are coming forward who knew her saying this woman is absolutely full of it. I don't believe a thing she says at this point.
My oldest daughter is a few years younger than kate, has 5 children, ages 6,5,3, and 1 year old twins. She is a stay at home mom, and eveything she does, is done for those kids. When I was a child, my parents would beat the tar out of me, and called me all kinds of awful names. But things had changed so much when I became a mom, we knew so much more, so when we knew better, we did better. I hate to blame parents for our negative ways, though it is only natural.I never once hit my children, I never,ever called them a name. The way I was raised was not the way I raised my own. Just because our parents did wrong to us, does not mean we have to do the same to our children.Lots never knew any better back then. But we have so much more knowledge since then, so many more support systems. I love my parents, they treat me like a queen now, and have apologized so much. Mom said that sometimes they would lay in bed and cry, because of the way they treated me. I have no compassion for kate, if she was raised with a stronger hand than most. She certainly does not need to parent the same way that she tells us she was raised. Those children of hers have put her on easy street, and she should be kissing their butts every day of her life. All of those 'thank you mommys' she tells us they say to her,(which I just don't believe) well, it should be kate saying 'thank you kids'. Where would she be if she never had those 8 children working for her all of these years? She will never take responsibility for her own actions, but will go to her grave putting the blame on everyone else. She is truly sick, and should seek out help. JMHO.
Kicking a minor child out of the house wouldn't
do much for a pastor's image either.
I couldn't find the post...But I remember the admin posting one about the LHOP kids and saying Melissa Francis grew up well adjusted and went on to have a great career. I responded that Melissa was writing a book and did not come out un-harmed from being a child star. That her mother was just as nasty as Kate.
I guess I'm glad it's getting attention now. The more these actors speak out..maybe something can be done to protect the children who are forced into this "career".
PA Dutch, people in Florida are coming forward who knew her saying this woman is absolutely full of it. I don't believe a thing she says at this point.
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Yes, I know. There was more on our local station. I am just saying that it is totally possible, given the history of the place where she said she met the homeless people, that someone did convince her to just up and leave. At this point, though, her credibility appears to be zilch.
Starz I remember that post, the point of that post was about how the Little House set was child friendly and welcoming and not exploitive, and that everyone DID turn out successful.
Melissa doesn't have any complaints about the Little House set or Michael Landon. Just her mother. She barely even mentions Little House other than she had a great time with the other actresses, the private jet and how she was dismayed Jason Bateman didn't want to hang out with her, and it was too short.
Practically the only negative thing I've ever heard about that set itself is from Allison saying that the petticoats were so hot she once fainted. Otherwise she actually saw that set as her safe haven, nothing bad happened there. At home she was abused by her brother.
Admin (145) said, "Hahaha and here it is again back to haunt me."
=======
It's funny how things like that happen. When I closed the book on the "The Song Of Roland" (Charlemagne fighting the Muslims in Spain) and finished my research paper, I celebrated, knowing I'd never have to look at that thing again. No more Rules of Battle or Vassalage, only to find out several years later that it was part of the curriculum I was to teach. I wondered what I had done to deserve such cruel punishment!
Good post, Prairiemary (150). Thank you for sharing that.
Admin, my statement was:
" I don't know which sibling spoke to him, as he didn't disclose that (although I suspect it was Kevin), and it's entirely possible he made all of that up. "
Looking at it, I understand why it was confusing. It should have probably read:
"I don't know which sibling spoke to him (Robert) , as he (Robert) didn't disclose that...and it's entirely possible that he (Robert) made all of that up."
I was speculating that it was possible that Robert made up the part about having talked to Kate's sibling and thus his comments about Kenton & Charlene Kreider and Kate's upbringing would then be made up as well and if that were the case, then it would call into question other parts of his book. That's all. Hope that makes my train of thought a bit clearer.
Parent in Lancaster - Robert only stated in his book that his information regarding Kate's childhood and upbringing came directly from a sibling. He did not specify if it was Christen, Kendra, Clairissa or Kevin.
I was just speculating that it was likely Kevin, as he seems to have been the most outspoken about calling her out on things in the past.
Completely off topic - Lol - I just realized their naming pattern - Alternating C and K names, for their own initials (C=Charlene, K = Kenton).
Kicking a minor child out of the house wouldn't
do much for a pastor's image either.
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Depending on the community.
I think at the very least Kate's perception she's created around her parents both directly and through sources is suspect.
If the only smoking gun we have about this guy is this lawsuit over permits of all things, I think Kate's story doesn't seem to jive with a pastor who hasn't seem to have gotten into any other trouble, worked two jobs, both as a pastor and running a campground, rallied his congregation around her to donate to the babies and support her, and cared for her children for weeks.
If he were abusive, why allow him to do all that? I think the estrangement could have nothing to do with any slights in her childhood real or imagined, and everything to do with disagreements over the tups, the fame, the rude treatment of volunteers and turning down of cribs, things like that. It's very telling that they were never a part of the show even though we know they were still around at least when they were born. Maybe they felt this path was wrong.
Completely off topic - Lol - I just realized their naming pattern - Alternating C and K names, for their own initials (C=Charlene, K = Kenton).
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Isn't Kate the second oldest? In that case, the alternating doesn't work there!
Admin - I totally agree that the estrangement had nothing to do with an abuse she suffered at their hands and had everything to do with "them not knowing how to help them", i.e. Dad's church didn't give them cash and/or new clothes and cribs. And frankly, I would be upset if my child was that ungrateful too.
Ultimately, only Kate and her siblings know what her childhood was like and that's as it should be. Kenton and Charlene Kreider, to the best of my knowledge, have never sought out publicity and I respect that fact about them.
Admin...
I didn't mean for it to sound like the actors on LHOP hated it. Many of the actors said it was a home a way from home...In that time and age they were given more respect (because of Michael Landon) than any child see's now on the set/stage.
Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 149
I believe it. I know the park where she says she met the homeless people, and it's totally believable. They frequent that park...the township has had trouble in the past with vagrants gathering there, not to mention pedophiles and drug dealers. During the time she disappeared, that park was really a haven for those people. I can easily see how she might have hooked up with someone there.
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PA Dutch, people in Florida are coming forward who knew her saying this woman is absolutely full of it. I don't believe a thing she says at this point
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I want to know how she has money to dye her hair if she's homeless. Does she just use a $99 bottle of bleach?
Lukebandit, congratulations. Let the hugging begin. Thanks for sharing your good news (X2) with us.
Okay, so here are my thoughts on being raised by a NPD Momster. Like several of the other posters (and I think I've stated this here before), I finally cut the ties on the night that I graduated from nursing school. My children were older (13 & 15), and although she hadn't done anything specifically nasty to them - the signs were beginning to appear. She also very rarely babysat them as she refused to, and I didn't want her to anyway. There had always been a strange, jealous undertone with my Mom regarding my relationship with my kids, especially my daughter. She also would play way OTT favorites with my son, who happened to be her only grandson. She was also very fond of telling me to "wait til my good girl (daughter) goes wrong". Which Mom, if you're reading this, never happened. But back to the reason for the permanent estrangement. She told me two hours before I was to receive my first nursing degree that "she wished she'd banged my head into the bath basin and killed me as an infant". More than enough said, see ya laters and good riddance.
I'm going to be honest and tell you guys that over the years while raising my kids, I would sometimes catch myself about to verbally abuse and would correct myself. I never psychologically abused (my mom used the shaming technique as well) or physically abused (hair pulling, whipping with spoon or belt. I also thanked her during that last phone call for teaching me what NOT to do as a parent. She has never apologized and I don't expect her to. I may have considered keeping her at a distance, but still speaking with her on a not-so-regular basis if she had - but I'm not holding my breath. Not because I need or want her in my life, but for my Dad (who had little choice but to stick with the Bully), and to help my brother who will be left with all the decisions regarding their end of life care/days. But even if Kate was abused, we child survivors have so much more information, not to mention therapy (even in book form), to attempt to heal ourselves or alter our own parenting styles. I cut Kate no slack, she had even more opportunities with the best child psychologists and experts at her hands during her golden years basking in the limelight TV years. I realize she was portraying the perfect mom, but she could have sought help very quietly, with a licensed professional on the sly.
Congratulations Luke's Bandit! I also can tell from your comment how happy and proud you are. What a lucky little baby boy to have been born into your family. :)
This is completely off topic, but I was doing a "Stephen King" (as my daughter calls it) yesterday. Which is reading - while walking down rural roads - only I had to up the ante by dragging along my poor geriatric Boxer. "What were you doing?" my daughter asked "trying to kill Tyson?" ;) Anyway, the book was "The C Word" by Lisa Lynch. I also recently started reading her blog Alright Tit. Awesome is all I can say. Lisa was a British magazine editor, author and blogger who died in March at age 33 from breast cancer. If you want to read some fantastic, grammatically correct sentences (she prided herself on that!) and both laugh and cry in the space of a few paragraphs - check her blog out. And I do realize I just totally botched that last sentence up, heck I've botched this whole entry up. But I have an excuse! Nursing school and charting class put an end to my mediocre grammar skills once and for all ;)
Tweet-le De Tweet-le DUMB said... 75
Fired Up 4 Kate @MiloandJack 1h
@Kateplusmy8 Hey tweeties...look what Kate was up to this past weekend! http://thestir.cafemom.com/big_kid/154948/a_lesson_learned_from_weeding … Excellent writing...felt like I was there!
jeannine smith @jeannine1222 1h
@MiloandJack @kateplusmy8 I read it- loved it!!!!! Amazing mom!!!! Amazing children!!!!
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I fell I need to exclaim!!!!!
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Can you imagine if these people actually talked in real life the way they tweet? I picture them yelling all day.
"Honey!!!! You're home!!!! I have a pie in the oven!!!! It's apple!!!!
Isn't Kate the second oldest? In that case, the alternating doesn't work there!
====
No, she's the middle child, the forgotten one. Invisible. Poor Kate. Nobody cared about her. waaa, waaa.
Kate has a rolodex of excuses for her abberant behavior. Her parents didn't escape it either. I've never seen anyone who plays the blame game as well as she does.
I think that's Kate's problem is she lost any credibility she may have had long ago. We've seen her versions of events and her versions of how people are, and they vary drastically from what we can see with our own eyes. The problem is even if one out of 10 of her sob stories are true, it's very hard to believe it since so much of what she says is not true, or at least her bizarre reality that no one else perceives the same. If her dad were one of the only people she ever took issue with, it would be a lot easier to believe there were some merit to what she's implying. But in Kate's world, 90% of people are out to get her.
Thank you to everyone who has shared their stories of narcissism now and in the past. Everyone sounds so brave and determined to be better than that, to rise above it.
I've always thought that is one of the few good things that has come out of this mess, it's helped people to process their own history.
Poor, poor Kate.
She had to walk to school, uphill both ways, with aluminum foil for shoes, in 10 feet of snow, 5 miles one way. It was always 90 below zero, or 110 degrees. It rained or snowed every day.
They never let her in the house. She had to sleep in the back of the pick-up, no cover on it, with a piece of cardboard for a blanket. She only got 1 candle a month to do homework with. She had to find soft rocks to write with.
She had to chop holes in the lake ice for drinking water. She had to bathe in the lake, no soap. Dried herself with leaves. She only had nuts and seeds to eat. They beat her twice a day for no reason. Sometimes with a belt.
They made her carry the other kids on her back to school. As there got to be more kids she had to make two trips each day. She had to do their homework besides her own.
And they NEVER took her to the toy store. She had to make do with a blade of grass and a leaf.
Poor, poor Kate.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/miwaramone/8701464259/in/explore-2013-05-02
For those who love beautiful photos of food and breakfast, here's one on Flickr's explore today (the best of the best photos each day on Flickr). It's a rare example of when an aerial shot of food really works (hellllo down there!!!).
Looks much like our brunch from last weekend! :)
Mel said... 169
Poor, poor Kate.
____________________
Mel - I think you just wrote Kate's next blog.
** Mel - I think you just wrote Kate's next blog.**
Not enough exclamation marks. :-)
Oh Mel, that was too funny. Poor, poor Kate. Life through the eyes of a self-centered soul. Thanks for a good morning laugh.
Kate broke her twitter silence and tweeted twice this morning. One tweet was about the tups birthday coming up, and the other one was about her Stir blog(which sounded like an afterthought).
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 2h
Good morning! I can't believe it! Only 7 days til my 6 turn 9!!! Where has the time gone? #willalwaysbemybabies
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 1h
Oh, and have you read about our weeding adventure? Go here to read it...
The hashtag in the first tweet is exactly how Kate appears to think of the them and treat them. They're the "littles", the "babies" who talk and act like toddlers.
Of course, she had to remind everyone that their birthday is only 9 days away. Is she going to do a daily countdown on twitter?
Congratulations Lukebandit. What a good sized boy!
Prairiemary, love your post. I commend you for never being bitter and resentful towards your parents. What I loved is that they apologized to you and saw the error of their ways. You are very lucky. What is interesting is sometimes children raise their own kids the way they were raised and some do the complete opposite because they hated the way they were raised. I have never been able to figure out why this occurs. I think it's the resilient kid syndrome or whatever that is called. I was like you in every way except my mother did not apologize until I forced her in to a room after I'd had my own children and confronted her on everything she did wrong while I was growing up (being neglectful, was never there for me....ever..never told me she loved me, never showed any physical affection towards me, the list is endless).
Fortunately, my mom changed for the better when she got older like some people just do as they mature but the problem was she had left me with shit to deal with because of her narcissism. When my kids were young, I always kept this thought in the back of my mind. Everything I do now will come back to me later in life if it's incorrect and selfish. What goes around, comes around.
She had to walk to school, uphill both ways, with aluminum foil for shoes, in 10 feet of snow, 5 miles one way. It was always 90 below zero, or 110 degrees. It rained or snowed every day.
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The way my grandparents told the story, it was burlap bags tied around their legs to protect them from the snow and the wind. Thing is, theirs was a true story.
Sorry, in my previous post that should be "7"days away. She missed her chance yesterday to use the number 8-she's slipping.
I just to another look at her bog. Yeah, I know I'm a glutton for punishment. She used the phrase "hard work ALWAYS pays off" three times!!! First 2 times it was bolded, the third time it was capitalized. "Hard work" was used 6 times.
Then there's this gem of a sentence:
"Hard work is hard and anyone can quit and settle for 'okay' but doing your best takes hard work!"
Kate, when have you ever done "hard work"? Yes, it does pay off--when your children do the "hard work", you're the one that gets the pay off.
I saw this tweet on Kate's timeline yesterday. It made me laugh, but if you think of it, it really is sad.
@The_Stir @Kateplusmy8 I can just hear the iPod music now, kids singing: 🎶 "It's a hard knock life for us, it's a hard knock life for us!" 🎶
I think that's Kate's problem is she lost any credibility she may have had long ago. We've seen her versions of events and her versions of how people are, and they vary drastically from what we can see with our own eyes.
====
A good example of that was watching the interaction with Tony when he tried to teach her to dance. She blamed HIM for not knowing how she learns. WTF? Her version: "he didn't know how to teach me."
Her stint on DWTS sort of encapsulated how she gets through life. She wants something, she goes after it and if it doesn't come easy to her she puts the onus on anyone but herself.
Tony reacted by saying I quit, which is exactly how you have to deal with a narcissist. You have to walk away or they'll drive you nuts with their inane reasoning. If you don't get away from them you'll get sucked into shouldering the blame for everything that doesn't work out.
That's probably what happened with her parents too. They had to just give up trying to reason with her and let her go her own way.
Jon gave it ten years. Beth didn't last long, Ashley lasted a little longer. Jamie's gone. Who am I forgetting?
She has a battlefield of wounded soldiers left behind and it's all their fault according to her.
And they NEVER took her to the toy store. She had to make do with a blade of grass and a leaf.
Poor, poor Kate.
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LOL Mel! I hear the violins playing in the background.
Kate's bog post is entertaining if ...
you imagine her as Maria twirling on a mountaintop and the Von Trapp children surrounding her are pulling weeds.
"Oops Collin sweetie, you accidentally pulled an Edelweiss plant."
Of course, she had to remind everyone that their birthday is only 9 days away. Is she going to do a daily countdown on twitter?
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That was probably to remind the fans that if they got the gifts in the mail now and used USPS Priority shipping, the packages would arrive in time for their birthdays.
I just noticed on Twitter that a girl just mentioned her first celebrity sighting of Kate Gosselin and her bodyguard. It looks like she is from KY. Is she at the Kentucky Derby?
E**** G*** @e*********y 25m
First celebrity sighting: Kate Gosselin and her bodyguard. #score
Looks like Kate is at the Derby...
This girl is from Kentucky (as well as goes to the UofK) and is home for derby weekend.
Twit, 64 said...
Kate tweeted Saturday morning that the kids were outside playing--now she says that they were outside weeding. Which is it?
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 27 Apr
Good morning! The sun is shining and the kids are already outside playing! Love the weekend! Can't wait for summer!! ����☀
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If you look at her tweets on the 27th, which was Saturday when she said that they weeded, someone tweeted:
angiecallahan4 @Kateplusmy8 What r your plains for today?
She replied:
@Kateplusmy8 27 Apr
@angiecallahan4 weeding!!!
Why won't she ever tweet about anything interesting like the Derby??
Milo continues her "positivity" and encouragement, trying to get a tweet out of Kate. What's it been -- two weeks since Kate tweeted her?
miloandjack
@Kateplusmy8 @iAmTheWiseOne "Life is tough, but you must be tougher." Thank God ur the strong woman U are 2take care of those #ForeverBabies
miloandjack
@Kateplusmy8 @iAmTheWiseOne "A false friend and a shadow attend only when the sun shines." Here for you Kate...#RainOrShine :)
Kate is a twit said... 178
Then there's this gem of a sentence:
"Hard work is hard and anyone can quit and settle for 'okay' but doing your best takes hard work!"
_____________________________
Thank goodness she explained that "Hard work" is "hard." Who knew?
prairiemary: beautiful post
lukebandit: congratulations!
To Mel (#169): AWESOME POST!
I think she doesn't tweet about this stuff because then her tweety friends will realize that she's not as needy as they portray her to be. And that she has time for other people but not for the mediocre tweet-friends.
Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 184
Why won't she ever tweet about anything interesting like the Derby??
It doesn't jibe with the image (homespun, chief cook & bottle-washer) she's trying to convey.
Can't wait to see her hat.
Another question: Why on earth does she need to employ (??) purseboy for her stint at the Kentucky Derby?
Realitytvkids.com (Administrator) said... 186
Why won't she ever tweet about anything interesting like the Derby??
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Because what interests her and what interests you are two different things? I couldn't care less about the Derby, but I wouldn't thumb my nose at someone tweeting about it if that's their thing.
Berks Neighbor said... 183
E**** G*** @e*********y 25m
First celebrity sighting: Kate Gosselin and her bodyguard. #score
Looks like Kate is at the Derby...
This girl is from Kentucky (as well as goes to the UofK) and is home for derby weekend.
************************************************
And Kate's "fanatics" are concerned/worried when she doesn't Twitter?
Kate the finagler is doing just fine.
Her sheep need to take a tip from the little girl in this Youtube video:
Worry about yourself!
http://youtu.be/4A6Bu96ALOw
Looks like Kate is at the Derby...
This girl is from Kentucky (as well as goes to the UofK) and is home for derby weekend.
______________________________
Is this the BIG SURPRISE that will be worth the wait? ;)
She can't tweet about going to the derby for "security reasons". Remember, when she went to Vegas last year for her birthday? One of her tweeties explained why and Kate agreed.
RealZiggyFlo @RealZiggyFlo 30 Mar
@acemme @Kateplusmy8 Was ample media on the opening. People have learned 2 help Kate stay under radar until she gets where's she's going.
Kate Gosselin @Kateplusmy8 30 Mar
@RealZiggyFlo yep. You're correct. Important for my safety. :)
So when the word gets out, all her tweeties, especially Milo, will tell her "good for you girl!! You deserve it!! You work sooooo hard, it's about time you got a break!"
So KK and Steve might be at the derby this year.
SO who's protecting the kids and who paid for the trip and who paid for Steve.
Anonymous, she won't because it doesn't jive with her hard working struggling single mom persona. And she's busy enjoying Steve.
If she has been to the derby twice now, it obviously interests her. Every other celebrity who goes to fun events tweets about it, if they use twitter. She retweets platitudes all day.
iAm Wise @iAmTheWiseOne 1 May
It's your life. Don't let others tell you how to live it.
Retweeted by Kate Gosselin
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Okay then stop putting your life on display.
Her sheep won't mind that she's at the derby and they won't mind that she left the kids.
I just hope that the kids are with Jon and not some sitter.
So when the word gets out, all her tweeties, especially Milo, will tell her "good for you girl!! You deserve it!! You work sooooo hard, it's about time you got a break!"
__________________
But if Milo and Kate are closer than two peas in a pod, wouldn't she have known about this and teased that something big is coming and Kate should enjoy her time away? Why would Milo be tweeting platitudes like Kate is going through some really rough times and needs encouragement if she knew that Kate was planning a fun time away with her bodyguard?
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