I keep an auditory memory file somewhere in the depths of my brain that categorizes and defines the squealing, crying, yelling, shrieking calls of my offspring, kind of like those marine biologists who claim they know all the whale songs by heart. This particular squeal that assaulted the hearing sensibilities of my neighbor and me pegged somewhere around the "Biting Victim" range.
"HEYYY!!!!" I gently called in my soft mommy scream. "HHEEEYYYYYY!!!" "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON UP THERE?!?!?!?""
"It's okay. It's just Aiden," called a kid voice.
Aiden?
Aiden? We don't have an Aiden. My neighbor doesn't have an Aiden. Who's Aiden?
"AIDEN? WHO'S AIDEN??!!??~~"
"From Jon and Kate Plus 8. We're watching it on tv..."
Oh.....
So I just want to make sure I have this straight. I'm now also having to deal with the bickering and biting and resultant squealing of Jon and Kate's brood along with my own. Okay.
And riddle me this, Gentle Readers. I have eight children. My children are living in a family of eight. We have the same messes, similar challenges, same general chaos. Why, oh why, would my children find viewing other children in the same situation soooooo fascinating? It concerns me. What kind of voyeurism is this?
Okay, that was snarky...but funny.....
Hi Octamom. That is funny.We like Jon and Kate here. I don't know what it is, but there's something about watching the private lives of other families that hooks us. Kind of like reading Octamom....
ReplyDeleteIt's inevitably true that we're attracted to what we know! Can't blame your kids... And it's only voyeurism if what they're watching is "wrong" - so I definitely wouldn't classify it as such!
ReplyDeleteBest wishes with your clan of 16 :)
I have never seen that show I have heard of it though.I don't care how you handle your kids just the idea of still being sane after having 8 kids is enough to want to be your bff...lol I give you massive props to still be able to function.I only have two and feel like I am going out of my mind at times.
ReplyDeleteP.S. I will be heading to the store later to get my TP so the game will be on!!!!!!hahahaha
I am grinning!!!! My kids love shows about big families "kids by the Dozen" The Duggers.... Jon and Kate plus 8.... Maybe they find comfort in seeing something they can relate to...
ReplyDeleteWe live in a one story house and once watching the Duggars one of my kids asked me, if we ever have a big family can we get an upstairs.. (and to think I thought we did have a big family) lol I suppose perspective is everything
Hahaha... Love that show! Funny, you need to pict yourselves to ABC and see what happens...
ReplyDeleteIt's funny you blogged on this b/c I always wondered what other mothers of large families thought of the gosslin family. I guess my question would be is it really that stressful to live with large families?
ReplyDeletethat funny. look at us mommies! Some of us are fascinated with watching other mommies go through the same stuff too:-)
ReplyDeleteYou crack me up!
ReplyDeleteOnly having two children, I'm fascinated and awestruck by large families. When we watch the shows that feature 8+ kids, SS#1 pretty much watches with his jaw on the floor. That being said, there is something ironic about your 8 watching the Gosselin 8...
ReplyDeletecute post!!
ReplyDeleteJust remember she's got cameras on her. And it's edited. And those cameras aren't there 24/7. It is fasinating watching large families...I came from a famliy of 4, we have a family of 4. Can I come video y'all? I'll bring my Dyson????
ReplyDeleteOh, too funny! When I tell people I have 7 kids, they always say : "Oh, like that show, Jon and Kate plus eight?" To which I reply : "I have no idea, we don't have cable nor satellite." To which I get a weird alien-from-outerspace type look.
ReplyDeleteAnd then I think to myself : Why oh why would I want to watch other people with 8 kids handle their life better than I probably do? It'll make me feel inferior and a bad Mom.
In the end, it is a TV show, not really their real lives, stuff can get edited, blow out of proportion, made to look better...I'd rather look at my kids, they are much cuter. ;) {no bias in that statement, heehee}
I am so out of it. I wasn't wondering who's Aiden. I was wondering why you were typing one of your children's names in a blog.
ReplyDeleteI think there would some sort of warp in the fabric of time if your children were watching that tv show and the Gosselin's kids were reading a blog about themselves being watched by your kids all at the same time. It would be like looking at a reflection of a reflection in a mirror. Eventually, it all would have to cave in on itself. :-)
Ha! I ask my 15yo daughter the same thing. She likes the show. I say, "Isn't OUR chaos ENOUGH?!" Personally, I can't abide those shows. Those large families are NUTS! ;o)
ReplyDeleteLaughing! Maybe they want you to see how organized Kate is? ;) I've been away from the computer becoming a grandma - glad to be back and see your humor
ReplyDeleteKathy
http://www.kathalog.com/
I spent a week in a hotel where I got to see this Jon&Kate plus 8. And some of the Dugger family too. I couldn't decide which I liked/disliked better. The Duggers seem impossibly calm. Jon & Kate's show got on my nerves after awhile with the yelling and hollering and the way she put her hubby down in public. My kids liked watching it, though. Which I thought was weird. Just as long as they don't start adopting their antics. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's like they're looking in a mirror. They're probably just thinking how lucky they are to have you and each other. Yeah, that must be it :)
ReplyDeleteHow funny. I love that show!
ReplyDeleteYou have a soft mommy scream too? I thought is was only me.
ReplyDeleteI've never seen Jon and Kate Plus 8, but I have heard great things about it. I'll have to check it out.
(I need to check what I write before I click Post Comment. Sorry for the "is.")
ReplyDeleteSounds like my home--we get added kiddos in our home all the time. They are merely pretend--but tell that to my children that insist they are present! :)
ReplyDeleteHahaha! That just cracks me up. Too funny.
ReplyDeleteYour kids probably watch the show for the same reason that my kids come home from church and play "church," or home from the the family Christmas party to play "family Christmas party."
ReplyDeleteAnd if you figure that reason, please let me know. I am baffled.
So, you have the capacity of having 16 children in your home when you count Jon and Kate's 8. My daughter (1 of 1 hee hee) loves to watch that show. She simply adores young children and loves to see what they're up to.
ReplyDelete*giggles* Too funny! Maybe it's just that they find common ground with those kids? (I've never seen Jon & Kate Plus 8... sorry. lol Comes from not having "real" tv.)
ReplyDeleteAnd I just love how we Mommy's can tell (almost) instantly what sort of scream we're hearing. People without children just never believe it! lol
That's adorable, it's like they're hanging out with each other!
ReplyDeleteI love scream-dar
Virtual conflict... what has the world come to now? LOL
ReplyDeleteJ/ (goteeman.blogspot.com)
Ok, I admit it... I'm a Jon & Kate plus 8 closet addict!
ReplyDeleteA-man rules in our house, go Aidan! My kids are fascinated with their lives too, I have no clue why? We have almost as many. My kids are used to being told no they cant do things because it would cost too much money with so many kids, so they don't understand why Jon & Kate plus 8 get to do all the things they do... I haven't figured out how to explain that one yet.
Maybe they are intrigued by the fact that she has two sets of multiples lol.
ReplyDeleteOh, TOO funny!
ReplyDeleteSteph
They love a show about a big family - because it mirrors their own life - being raised in a big family - we loved eight is enough and the brady bunch growing up - it felt familure
ReplyDeleteWhile we haven't watched that particular show (I did watch 1/2 of an episode), my kids love watching anything with big families. They love the mess, the loudness, the loving parents, the fights, the fun, and the over-the-top craziness portrayed in certain movies. I think part of it is identifying with them, and I also think it's their chance to not feel "weird." They love being part of a large family (most of the time), but sometimes the comments or stares can be almost alienating. To actually feel a part of this larger human family is something special. Which is probably why I've come to treasure my almost daily visit with you, my sister in the Spirit. :)
ReplyDeleteOh very funny... but I've seen it.. and there's no way. I like you much better than Kate. ! :-)
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