For a short time Jon and Kate Plus Eight was a phenomenon on TLC. Fans were obsessed with watching the two co-parents try to raise their eight children, but then a divorce ensued and the whole premise of the show fell apart. In the years since, Jon and Kate Gosselin have both dealt with personal troubles, and now, some of Jon's issues with his own children have gone public. He first admitted he hasn't seen some of his kids in a long time, and later, some of those same kids fired back and basically said they hate him and the severed relationship is all his fault. This week, he spoke out about how he felt reading their aggressive words. Here's what he had to say:
I'm very upset. I love my children very much. I've always been there for them and I always will be. It's shocking.
Clearly, someone's not telling the whole truth, or else there has been some major miscommunication at some point which has never gotten resolved. The famous father has always maintained that circumstances have kept him from seeing some---but not all---of his eight children; however, his daughters Mady and Cara have clarified that they don't see him because of decisions they have personally made. They recently advised he take a long, hard look in the mirror before blaming their mother/ his ex-wife for the strain. Clearly, he doesn't see things the same way.
As recently as a few weeks ago, he was not so subtly implying it was Kate who let Collin, Madelyn and Cara drift away. Here's what he told ET:
It felt like she was segregating me from [Collin]... Everybody used to come to my house. It was great, and then Madelyn and Cara just stopped coming, around 12-13 [years]. I didn't question it. I was just like, 'Hey, do what you want. Be with your friends,' and then it just became, 'They're not coming.'
When parents are estranged, it's often really sad for everyone involved. There are a lot of lingering feelings from both sides, but one thing that estranged parents often miss is that if there are hurt feelings, it is up to the parents to do everything they can to make amends, if they really and truly do want to have a relationship with their kids. Otherwise, they could end up with grown children who haven't spoken to them for years or even decades.
Clearly Jon Gosselin has his own set of hurt feelings. He wants to be close to his kids, and for whatever reason, that's not the case with all of them. It's not too late, however, for him to fix the situation. Instead of complaining to various news outlets, he should jump back into the parenting world and reach out as often as he can. He might get an icy reception at first, but maybe they'll appreciate the effort in the long run.
