Mrs. Gosselin, your children called and they need you at home…

Before drifting away to sleep last night I happened across Entertainment Tonight. ET was keeping up with their 24-7 Dancing with the Stars coverage as they featured their behind the scenes correspondent Kate Gosselin of TLC's Jon and Kate plus Eight fame. Watching Mrs. Gosselin made me start to think about which one of them, Jon or Kate, was more responsible for the downfall of TLC's little cash cow. Now I'll admit that I've never seen the show, but I don't think it takes a half hour of coverage to see the true piece of dysfunctional garbage that is Jon Gosselin. What I found so disturbing the other night is that with The Gosselin's entrance into the public spectrum serving as the catalyst that destroyed their family and potentially ruined the lives of her eight beloved children, she (Kate Gosselin) still can't tear herself away from that damn idiot box and focus her attention on the only eight young lives that truly depend on her. So maybe the only real difference between the two proud owners of the "plus eight" is that one just has a much better publicist than the other!

I've previously equated parents that push their young children into the spotlight as pimps with more talent to work with and better resources, but I hold those parents in sainthood over those parents that use their children as stepping stones, decorations, or mere pawns in order to fulfill their dreams of happiness. I'm thinking of men that are passive aggressive little cowards that like to have children because it requires the least amount of effort to have people to look up to them and respect them without question; all the while blowing more air into their overinflated egos. These are the type of people that will leave their children in a heartbeat for greener pastures, but will cling to visitation, control, and more importantly their title as if they were still sleeping every waking night five steps down the hall.

The problem here is that more and more people are living along these days, but the population growth isn't slowing down. That means this population increase is leading to the creation of more and more single parent households. The problem is that a person's word just doesn't mean anything, inasmuch as a commitment to starting a family, either through a conscious effort with family planning or through unprotected sex with unintended consequences, many times lasts just as long as the act of creation. So why are we as a society so inclined to bite off more than we can chew almost as if it were fashionable? Our economy is in such turmoil right now because millions upon millions of people took out $400,000 and $500,000 mortgages when they made less than $100,000 a year which would be the sexual equivalent of having a weekend of unprotected sex while popping fertility drugs like skittles! This makes me think of a friend in college who had the money to pay rent but decided to spend it on beer money and a new TV. When his landlord kicked him out, my friend was absolutely livid and claimed the landlord didn't even need the money because he saw him driving a BMW!

When my queen and I started dating, my best friend asked me if I was ready to be a daddy, since my queen had a daughter. I remember smirking and responding that these days a daddy pays child support and only sees their kids during visitations so then were the daddies out there ready to be like me? When the princess is in the house, I can't help but make her the constant center of attention and she isn't even my daughter! I just don't understand how so many people can think so little of the greatest gift and the greatest joy they will ever know. Dr. Laura Schlessinger used to be, not sure if she still is, a radio talk show host and her whole mantra was, "I am my kid's mom." Her whole belief, and she would council callers to such, is that no matter what happens a parent should always put their kids first; no matter how troubled a marriage you find a way to make it work at least until they're 18. Eventually she was written off as some right-wing religious zealot, because Schlessinger is clearly a Christian name, but I think her message is solid. Our children are our most precious resource and they should be treated as such. So today, if only for today, why don't you ask your kids what they would like to do today and see what you can't do to make that happen. Maybe you could watch or even be on TV just 10 minutes less and use that time to play dolls, shoot hoops, or read a book together. If you're still confused then just stop what you're doing and follow your kids around for a while and you evolutionary instincts should kick in eventually. And finally, Kate Gosselin, leave the TV cameras in Hollywood and go home to your kids!