Really, This Breaks My Heart

Okay, so this may seem like the lamest post ever, but its my blog so whatever... Oh, and if you're super liberal, just skip this one because you will likely take offense to my more conservative views.

Because we don't have cable I watch TV either via Hulu.com or whichever TV network streams shows on their website (like LOST on ABC, which I am super behind on). When that doesn't work we have Netflix and if its not on instant play I have to wait for the DVD to arrive in the mail the 'old-fashioned' way. (I still can't believe I'm blogging about this.)

Anyway, I used to love watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC! They were a great Christian family, their kids were adorable, they were tackling the near impossible with grace and humor, and I loved seeing their kitchen cabinets adorned with scripture-written index cards. Plus, they made my parenting two children (at the time) seem like cake.

By the time their relationship hit hard times we had already cancelled cable and so left in my mind was the happy fun-loving Gosselin's from the early days. Of course I heard about their split here and there but thought for sure they'd work it out. And they didn't. Enter Netflix and I was able to 'catch up'.

The last season they have on instant play is season 4 where Jon and Kate renew their marriage vows. Being a Christian and a Wedding Planner I was of course interested in their wedding. What broke my heart was when they explained to their kids WHY they were renewing their vows, the significance behind it all, that they were promising with their children (and America) as witnesses that they would be together forever.

That must have been a hard one for them to explain away to their children....

Something I noticed at the end of that season 4 was how Jon openly said that he didn't want to do the show anymore. He is private and wanted his life back. Kate was obviously not on the same page and she reasoned away his reluctance to do another season.

Ahhh.....let this be a lesson to us women! Not that anything Jon did was justified in any way (adultery never is), but as Christian women we should not emasculate our men (and I know from personal experience how that can be easy to do at times)! We are always saying that we want our husbands to lead our family's but only if that fits in with our agenda and plans? Kate showed Jon disrespect so many times during that show. I wonder where they'd be if she reverenced him, affirmed him and had really listened to his concerns regarding their new-found fame? I would bet LOTS that they would be living it up in their nice big house with their 8 adorable babies, happy. Not perfect, but happy. And I have a feeling they would both give up everything right now to have their family back together.

Anyway, their whole situation breaks my heart. More proof that no family is immune to this type of destruction. And no matter who they end up with, that person will never understand all the time and sacrifice that went into having two sets of multiples, 8 kids total. No one will ever appreciate that experience or relate to it like they do.

I did a post a long while ago about this awesome book entitled "Created to be His Help Meet". No matter how you feel about your role in marriage, or where your marriage is right now, if your desire is to have a healthy, Christ-centered, happy, lasting marriage: read it. It totally challenged my views. I admittedly hated the book for a while, but God's truth (whether I liked it or not) was all over it. Check it out.

So what do you think? As a Christian rooting for another Christian family, did your heart also break?

p.s. At the beginning of this post I said that this is probably the lamest post ever....lame because I hate discussing celebrity couples, not lame because of my conservative views. And I am positive that this post was my needing to vent after watching GMA last week (yes, online) and learning that Kate will be on Dancing With The Stars. Every time I see her (with her new hair and all) I feel sad for her and her family and I pray that something good would come out of all this for them.