Opinion: Sorry, Jon - Kate Gosselin Is Not an Absentee Mom

by Amy Hatch (Subscribe to Amy Hatch's posts)
Apr 12th 2010 1:40PM

Filed under: Celeb Parents, Opinions, Celeb News & Interviews

Jon Gosselin is claiming his ex-wife, Kate Gosselin, is an absentee parent because she's out working to support her family. Credit: Ray Tamarra, Getty Images

Jon Gosselin, formerly known as one-half of TLC's reality series "Jon and Kate Plus 8," is miffed that the mother of his eight children is out trying to make a living and filed for primary custody of the couple's famous twins and sextuplets last week.

His claim, according to his lawyer, Anthony F. List, states that his ex is allowing Hollywood to influence her parenting decisions.

Mainly, Jon Gosselin says he's concerned about the fact that Kate is flying between Los Angeles and Pennsylvania in order to participate in the reality show "Dancing With the Stars."

OK, so let me get this straight: Jon Gosselin has a series of alleged affairs with other women while married to Kate, moves out of the couple's home, shuts down production of the pair's TV show (which has been their primary means of financial support for several years) and then he claims his ex-wife is unfit to have primary custody of their children because she is out trying to support her family?

Oh, and let's not forget that he's also asking the courts to reconsider his child support payments, which are about $20,000 a month. Yeah, that doesn't sound fishy at all.

Trying to take a woman's children away from her because she is out working to support them is so 50 years ago, and her decision to work does not constitute neglect or absentee parenting. Welcome to 2010, Jon! Women have the right to work -- and, get this, sometimes they even wear pants! I know, what a shocker, right?

This is just so outrageous. Here's a guy who did everything possible to make himself look like an immature schmuck and now he wants to spend his days minding the eight kids he left behind for a "nomadic life," bouncing around between New York City, Los Angeles and Pennsylvania? It's hard to believe anyone who gives the paparazzi so much fodder could really be interested in spending his days knee-deep in homework and finger paint.

Besides, what's Kate supposed to do? Sit around and wait for her ex to pay for college times eight? If she did that, she'd be called a "welfare queen." I certainly wouldn't rely on someone who's shown he is capable of, if not prone to, bad decision making and impulsive behavior. If Jon was out trying to make a living, no one would say boo. This is just another example of moms being subjected to a societal double-standard.

The fact that the Gosselins were able to settle their public and pugnacious split fairly quickly, while also putting their kids first (the couple agreed to a "bird's nest" arrangement where the kids stay put and Mom and Dad are the ones who come in and out of the house) gave them a lot of credibility. To open those wounds again, not to mention disrupting the kids' lives, seems petty at best; and, at worst, like really bad parenting.

Related: Kate Gosselin Says Dancing is 'More Frustrating Than Giving Birth to Sextuplets'

ReaderComments (Page 7 of 19)

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4-13-2010 @ 7:12PM

Kath said...

Oh Good Grief! Their marriage unraveled 6 YEARS (1 yr. pregnancy + 5 yrs. approximately) after they decided to have more children!!

I know marriages that have changed in 6 wks, much less 6 years! Get real.

If you have never watched the show or really followed what is going on - are you really equipped to comment in an educated manner?

I personally ALWAYS had more respect for Kate than Jon. I thought he was like the 9th child. But even I had no idea as to the depth that he could sink.

HOW many young women has he had now?? And THIS is the man that you think is stable?? You mean the one who is bonking the babysitter in the hot tub while his children are sleeping??

4-13-2010 @ 4:07PM

redbull said...

thats what some of us are trying to telll you-- let jon take care of his kids and let kate go off and do her hollywood thing- role reversal works in may ways..jon was obviously lost for awhile- of course tlc or kate or somebody made damn sure we knew every move he was making---they obviously shouldnt need money from all the million dollar book deals, appearances, love offerings (money hungry BEEITCH) did not know about that....nobody else with any dignity or class in hollywodd talks about their income or husbands penis size........

4-14-2010 @ 7:00PM

sasche said...

jon and kate are both pretentious and despicable.....and the idiots watching them on eg. tv, in magazines etc. are undescribably stupid....where is the intelligence, a/o adding to it w/ substancial material.....please, not from these 2 bimbos, or any other reality show on tv.....

4-13-2010 @ 4:05PM

michelle said...

as far as I can see the only parent that is truely concerned about the kids is kate,she is not the one that broke up that family it was that piece of low life jon,the only reason hes so concerned now is because he does'nt want to pay the child support,at least kate is trying to support the kids

4-13-2010 @ 4:47PM

rtortorici said...

Kate is the one who asked for the divorce not Jon. Kate is the one who had the affair with her "bodyguard". Jon only started seeing the other women after the split. I don't blame him one bit, Kate was (is) verbally abusive and physically abusive. If you don't think that a man can be abused you are wrong. She has even tried to abuse her dancing partner. Now she just pulls out the poor me, I have to support my kids. Jon is paying his child support even though she tries to give the opinion that he doesn't. Yet she has thousands of dollars for hair weaves, plastic surgery (new boobs) etc. That is not taking care of your kids. Then she hops from Cal. to NY now to be on Today. When does she claim to be home???? When the kids are with her she dresses them in little matching outfits and parades them in front of the cameras so she can claim what a good mommy I am. The kids are much happier with Jon, they smile and have funny with daddy, They call the nannies mommy, hmmm

dlgriffin57 said...

Jon used to have so many supporters.
We all felt sorry for him. Poor Jon Boy!
NO more. He literally made his bed, his hot tub and where ever else he slithered.
Now we only see a disgusting little man who needed to be controlled by a controlling (strong?) woman like KATE!

4-13-2010 @ 4:11PM

U KNOW HIM AS.............. said...

Leave this poor lady alone she has been through enough and now she is going to be penalizied for making a living BS on that, Jon needs to get a life and so does the public who is so against Kate, she is doing what any mother would do...good job Kate

4-13-2010 @ 4:14PM

dfc4385 said...

dave c - perhaps you're hitting below YOUR belt!

realist said...

Somebody needs to take this little punt into a room somewhere and kick his A## 'till his nose bleeds!

4-13-2010 @ 4:27PM

laurigirl said...

How can you expect the media to leave them alone to live their lives when that's what Kate thrives on - the media attention!!! She's only interested in herself & capitalizing on what these 8 children can get her - time in the spotlight, fame, fortune...stardom!! She's not a single mom (and Jon's not a single dad) - the children spend more time with nannies & other hired help than they do with either parent. I don't know that Jon was a "weak partner" so much as Kate was (and still is) an overbearing shrew. Some people just don't deserve the greatest priviledge God gives us - children. No matter who you support - Jon or Kate - I think we all can agree that the "biggest losers" are going to be the children.

4-13-2010 @ 4:28PM

MOMwithAbrain said...

FINALLY someone calls out the PIG John Gosselin for being a ...PIG
He was the one who left his wife and kids to run around with a few tramps.
He couldn't live up to being a husband and a good father and now he want's to act like he's a good dad? I'm not buying it. He wants to get out of child support and get her to fund him. We aren't stupid

4-13-2010 @ 4:33PM

Susan said...

You know what is funny to me? All of these people basing their opinion on what they see in the tabloids and TV. We don't know what happened behind the the cameras and in their bedroom. We have seen what the media wants us to see. So before we judge, we should look at ourselves and ask, "What if I were on TV and everybody thought my life was what they saw on the boob tube?" I think this family is doing the best they can under the eye of the public. Don't judge unless you want to be judged!

4-13-2010 @ 4:32PM

Barb said...

You know what? Kate IS harsh, I'm pretty sure I wasn't the best parent in the world.... and I only had THREE kids. I cannot even begin to imagine the stress of raising 8 kids. Even if you have money and fame, there are still 8 kids going in 8 directions, with 8 different needs all at the same time. Can you imagine if only half of the kids had a temper tantrum in one particular day? Anyone would be stressed. You'd have to be on your "A" game 24/7 and no one is perfect. I think she's done a pretty good job. The DWTS gig isn't permanent either... so she had a "business trip", just like millions of parents in the world. A short-term job that pays that kind of $$ is worth the temporary time away to be home the majority of the time.

4-13-2010 @ 4:43PM

Dee said...

I am reluctant to comment but seeing all these, I feel compelled. First of all, none of you know what you would do in the same situation, but I know if most of us had a chance to offer our family millions a year vs thousands, you would take the millions, as long as it was moral and decent, and I have not seen anything unmoral and in bad taste. Its funny how folk can always comment but if the tables were turned, whose to say what you would do. Wonder what would be said if your life was plastered on the big screen daily and everything you did up for public opinion. I know I would be living in the mansion, taking the TV appearances, and telling all of us with comments where to put them.

4-13-2010 @ 4:42PM

Lindi said...

cut off his "little" balls, stuff them up his arse and have him shut up already...what possibly could he say that holds merit and meaning? He's a drop in the wee-wee bucket, fat arse ugly h-monger.

DREY said...

OK already, he may be a jerk, but look at what he was married to~she is a total b-i-t-c-h~and this article was written by one just the same~ to hell with all you man haters~ at least I can say that I take care of my family~comment on that f heads!

4-13-2010 @ 5:46PM

Linda said...

The whole of society has been going down that path for years. Just look at all the sit-coms and commercials, they all make men seem like dumb and thoughtless men, unless the women in their lives helps them see the light. Society is wanting us all to think that men haven't a clue and women are the only beings with any sense. It's a shame, that male actors are all going along with it. We need more shows that reflect real men in real relationship. The TV and movie icons need to stop berating men and start getting real. There just as many stupid women as men in the world, and there isn't any reason to have shows and movies depicting just those. Let's hope they begin to use these tools to show real men and women in real situation, because life really is funny, sad, adventurous, boring, exhilarating -- lets see the real side of life.

4-13-2010 @ 4:44PM

FOR JON said...

MAN HATER AMY HATCH IS AT IT AGAIN !!!! What a p.o.s.; you got nothing better to do than go after jon. - SHE abused Jon by treating him like sh!t all those years and pushed him out of the marrage bed when the network made a private deal with her. HE deserves to have those kids after the narsicistic lies she told in her books and on tour about their divorce. GET THOSE KIDS BACK JON !!!!!!!

4-13-2010 @ 5:04PM

VW said...

While I dont like Kate even a little bit, I like Jon even less. He has aired their dirty laundry & talked so much trash about her but I havent really heard her say much about him. No one is hiring him right now so he has to do something to get attention. He wouldnt be there as much as Kate is, and wouldn't be bothering to ask for custody if his "career" didnt leave him with alot of free time. It isnt like DWTS is a permanent job.

4-13-2010 @ 4:51PM

kenny50 said...

These two morons need to go to Dr. Kavorkian.

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