Well, I will admit, I was the first to say that the promos for this week's RV episode were edited to make it LOOK like Ashley was freaking out at Kate. I would have put money on the fact that Ashley was freaking out on Jamie, her mom, and TLC was making it LOOK like her anger was directed at Kate.
Well, sadly I say that was not the case. I would be so hurt if my "friends" threw me under the bus the way Jamie and Ashley did to Kate on this episode. Now, I realize there is a lot of footage on the editing room floor that none of us will ever get to see so I am only basing my opinions on what I saw.
So, I decided to do my post differently this week. Ima gonna lay it out this way:
Top 5 Reasons Why I Would Have LOST it Bigger Than Kate Did
#5 - Trust issues!
When a man puts you in a raft and tells you (and the 6 children he put in behind you) that he will NOT be taking you into the rapids and then he does, this man deserves to have his 'unnawears' pulled up around his ears.
I am sorry, when you are being paid to "entertain" me, you BEST NOT lie to me! I have huge anxiety issues and this would have sent me over the edge. Completely. And I have a story to prove it.
My dear husband of 18 years once took me on a wave runner ride in the ocean. Because I am uber anxious about trying new things I told him I had some rules if he wanted me to be the adventurous wife he was craving that day. I told him that for starters this was the OCEAN and I am petrified of sharks so, under NO circumstances was he to flip the thing or try and dunk me in any way. I also told him we would need to start out slow and no jumping waves. I wanted to RIDE not join The "You'll never believe how much air you can get on one of these things" Club! What does he do? No sooner was my butt planted behind him on the seat, he gunned it, jumped three waves, turned it on it's side with 1/2 my body UNDER the water, did a water-style donut and gunned it again.
I think he was ignoring my screaming as it wasn't until my fingernails pierced his gall bladder that he headed back for shore. That was 17 years ago and I haven't gotten on a motorized vehicle (other than a car) with him since. TRUST is a biggie for me!
#4 "She's being a BLEEP!"
Oh no she didn't! Jamie.... her best friend... who probably helps her process the drama that the paparazzi and the haters create for her just gave those haters a BIG OLE HEALTHY bone to chew on! I can't imagine the pang in Kate's gut when she saw the BLEEP! There's only been two BLEEPS on this entire show's history and both have come from Jamie on last night's episode. Which brings me to my #3.
#3 "She can kiss my BLEEP!"
Really? You and all of your kids are on a FREE trip across the country and you are going to pull THAT? I cannot imagine having a friend that would do this to me. I have a group of 4 best friends and we are as close as sisters. Sure there is drama from time to time. Have you ever known sisters/friends who didn't have drama? That is a natural occurrence in ANY relationship. But, when we have issues with each other the LAST thing we do is take the name calling route and I think I can say without a shadow of a doubt, none of those amazing women that I call BFFs would say such nasty things about me on TV. This is unacceptable. I think I would have sent Jamie home with Ashley and finished the trip in the RV with air-conditioning.
#2 If it LOOKS like it's organized then let's KEEP it organized!
"The secret of all victory lies in the organization of the non-obvious." ~Marcus Aurelius
"First comes thought; then organization of that thought, into ideas and plans; then transformation of those plans into reality." ~Napoleon Hill
There is a reason Kate's home runs the way it does with only one parent. The woman has organization down to a science. She could go on the road and hold conferences for those of use who try but fall short of what needs to be done to make our children's home life run like a well-oiled machine!
Now, this is NO surprise to Jamie and Ashley so why would they jeopardize the time they all had together by throwing that all to the wind. Can you imagine the chaotic hell they would all be faced with if Kate put her feet up around the campfire, didn't organize the bathing suits or make sure all the staff had designated left overs? Talk about train wreck, it wouldn't even be fit to air! It would be the vacation many of US take and we have all had those vacations, haven't we?
The woman is a genius when it comes to being organized - you would have to with 8 kids on your own. Sure she gets help but the quality of the time your sitter can spend with your kids is directly related to how organized your life is. If the sitter can find the food carefully portioned out and labelled in the fridge then the kids will eat. If she can locate extra clothing at a moments notice then there won't be any boys in Dora sneakers. If you really sit back and imagine your last Mom-tantrum, couldn't it, in some 'six degrees of separation' kind of way, be traced back to DISorganization?
We vacation in the OBX with 20 people - 8 adults and 12 kids - every year in one monster house. It is an amazing trip and so much fun but when something gets thrown off and things don't go the way we planned b/c someone isn't keeping up their end of the deal - it gets hairy! The eight adults need to be that well-oiled machine or the kids begin to break down. Kids THRIVE on structure (they will tell you they don't until they are blue in the face but psychology supports this theory) and when the structure is lacking it increases the stress for the kids.... which increases the stress for the adults... you see where I am going here?
So, Jamie and Ashley, help a sister out!
#1 Under NO circumstances...
....do you BASH a mom in front of her children! Are you kidding me? Who does this?
I know it seems like I am ripping Jamie and Ashley a new one but COME ON! On what planet is it OK to trash a woman in front of her children? This is just common sense. There was more that one scene from this episode where the kids were either sitting by Jamie and Ashley as they complained or were dragged into a, "Did you hear what your mom said..." kind of bash fest. This is completely uncalled for and unacceptable. Period.
So there is my list...
Now, I know Jamie and Ashley were under some ridiculous amounts of stress as well and I am not making a judgement call on them as women... simply stating the areas that, if handled differently, could have turned this trip around for the better... for all of them.
My best friends can spout off the times my anxiety over plans getting changed at the last minute or packing on the last day of vacation has gotten the best of me. I am sure they have wanted to hit "rewind" so I could see how irrationally I acted. I have walked this line before with best friends WITH as many kids in tow, but NOT in an RV and we cooked all our meals INSIDE, in the AC, with no bugs, or stanky campfire smoke (which is another issue for me!)... so....
Yes, Kate got teary a couple times and she yelled... but she didn't go APE POOP on anyone. I see such growth in her reserve over this last season without Jon. I see her heart on her sleeve, the "wall" has dropped a little, there is so much more laughter, so much more "I will try it once," so much more SMILING!
Kate, you are a good mom! You are an awesome example to your children! You are an inspiration to all of the rest of us imperfect women! I am happy you and Jamie and Ashley have made peace - that is a sign of true friendship and you are blessed to have that.
All I can say is THANK GOD there is no MKB + Her 3 show b/c that RV trip would have sent me to the rubber room! I kid you not!
One more episode!
1 comment:
Nice post!
They all certainly had their part to play. I really disliked Ashley and Jamie's constant mean talk behind Kate's back - I think Kate did pretty well but I think she would have done better just with her 8 kids and no extras!
I sure hope all is really mended now- I know I would have a hard time to forget some of that if I were Kate.
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