Multiples for Media Attention and Community Help?

A family with quadruplets is going to need a lot of help (even if they're millionaires) and maybe they had no extended family in the area where they previously lived. This is true for people who have singleton births too.

As for the rest, you might not know the whole story. OTOH, if she's a whiny attention seeker, it quite possibly was a case where the fertility doctor cared only that the check was good.

I grew up in Des Moines and my parents live less than 5 miles from the McCaughey septuplets. When they were born, the mood in the city could best be described as 9/11 in reverse, and they really didn't want all the attention (and, let's face it, free stuff) but they were crazy to turn it down. We have a family friend who recently did student teaching at their school, and had one of them in her class and met all the others. She said they are a total delight to have in class and be around, and other people have said that the parents are the nicest, most down to earth people you could ever meet.

I once saw one of those multiple birth programs which featured a Canadian couple who had quadruplets. It was one of those cases where the dad abandoned his first family for a younger woman, and when those four babies were born, they did not get ONE baby gift or ONE casserole or ONE offer to come over and wash bottles or change diapers. Nothing. They were entirely on their own simply because their lifestyle choices had made them so many enemies. Those poor children.

"Fakers" are a big problem on multiple birth websites, and are usually easy to flush out. They are usually teenage girls seeking attention, and are easy to spot because the pregnancies are impossibly easy, the babies are enormous (i.e. triplets weighing over 9 pounds each), they are always girls with an occasional token boy thrown in, and have really cutesy names with lots of "Y"s in them.

Has anyone heard anything lately about the Houston octuplets, of whom 7 survived? They seem to have completely dropped off the radar. To my knowledge, none are severely handicapped (and therefore not cute ) so what happened?

I don't watch "Jon and Kate Plus 8" because I just plain old don't like that mom. Their website once said the husband was happy with the twins and didn't want more children, but she saw the doctor behind his back and used fertility drugs again, only expecting to have one child but hey.......I'm just glad he's a good father.

There is a set of sextuplets in Michigan (the Van Houtens) who will never be the subject of a reality series because all six kids are disabled, two of them very profoundly. They used to have a website but it has since been shut down; they had a 7th child - very much a surprise! - in late 2006.

I have known many families who used fertility treatments, and none of these people had more than twins. There's a family across the street who have sororal (i.e. non-identical) 6-year-old triplet girls but I don't know if they used fertility treatments, and I'm not going to ask. It's none of my business and they will tell me if they want me to know. They're really great kids and I love watching them ride their bikes up and down the sidewalk. :)

:lol2:And I thought I was the only one who couldn't stand that Kate! I like the dad alot, but that mother, yuckkkkkkkkkk!:monkeydance:

Happy New Year everyone!

rph, I'm with you. There is something about that mom on Jon and Kate that I do not like. Maybe it's because she is a nurse, I don't know. The poop episode was the worst. My sis had it on at her house and it made me sick. She took pics of her kids standing next to a potty of poop! I believe in positive reinforcement but thats a little to far out for me.

I totally love watching the Mc Curleys and their clan and there is another family, The Dilly's that is a good documentary, those kids are teens now, approaching college. Can you imagine what that's gonna cost.

I just love the Dilleys! I think they would be the most fun people to know, and the love that family has shines through big time. Those kids are 14 now, and DHC still plays the shows they did when they were 12.

There was a segment where the parents discovered the dishwasher running with nothing in it, and finally got the culprit to 'fess up. Not funny at the time, but it was later. :rotfl:

The biggest problem I see the Dilleys having is that one of the boys is very obviously gay. I won't say which one but if you watch this program, it's really, really obvious. But I'm sure they will handle it properly, in whatever manner they see fit.

They believed they were having quintuplets until Baby E was born and the doctor reached in to remove the placenta and grabbed a foot instead.:sofahider So, a big local news story turned worldwide because they ended up being the first complete American set of sextuplets to live beyond a few days.

Their town built them a huge house when the kids were born, but they had to sell it within a year or two because they simply couldn't afford the utilities and taxes, and now live in a small town near their parents. Incidentally, the mom is a nurse but she doesn't drive it home like Kate Gosselin does.

Kate makes me want to vomit. She is TOTALLY obnoxious. She was up in arms a few years ago becasue she lost her LPN that the state was providing either 3 or 5 days/ week in her home. She was entitled to these services because society encourages the use of fertility treatments. The Dilleys seem like a nice family. Mrs. Dilley was an LPN and I think she is still workiing part time. Obnoxious Kate was an L/D RN!

I think many of these families exploit their kids, and would NOT turn down any help as they WANT the attention, and the free stuff. The Iowa Septuplets, were born to nice parents, BUT they did get a new house, Provided by the city where they live from materials to construction all donated, the church family provided the in home help, WHICH we admit anybody would need help with that many babies around the clock. They also got free college educations at birth for all seven. NO qualifiying there, just given to them. A big 15 passenger van , that was for at least 3 years,I think.BUT the father quit his job, and then months later became a so called professional speaker, and talkes to groups about raising multiples. IN addition, the state picked up their medical bills from birth on. His work provided their insurance, but remember he quit as he was now a expert on something . Also, they have a contract with Journal magazine, where they do Christmas issues, and I don't know what else for so many more years yet to come. Read a big article in the Des Moines paper, where they were offered many contract with many companies for the pics, they picked the one they wanted. Also got free baby food, from Gerber for a couple of years, Diapers for two years, clothes from Carter for two years and the list goes on and on. IT makes me angry, that YES THEY almost all took fertility drugs, and chose this life for themselves, and then expect everybody to be amazed and wowed. I have 5 kids, never had anything free, esp. college educations they did not have to earn, and I LOVE them every bit as much as the parents of multiples, and wishe they could have had all the things provided to the parents of these MEDICAL WONDERS> IF they were natural, and truly extraordinary, that might be different. They did a documentary a few years back about which parents and what number of babies it took to get FREE RIDE. At that time, quads were no longer in demand, and there was one set of black quads, that had never been offered anything, used own health ins, from job, moved back to small apartment, had to apply for food stamps or something. It did not necesarrily inspire pity in me for them, as WHY , should people expect us to pick up the tab for their kids, but it did illustrate that the criteria stinks. Sorry pet peeve of mine. But it does not extend to just the parents of multiples, goes for the single moms, who never marry, yet have kid after kid, and milk the system for all the free stuff, Wick, Medicaid, FoOd stamps, HUD, etc. My niece fits here with three of her own, and told me recently that she would work a few more hours a week, but then they would take more of her money towards HUD and give her less Food stamps, etc, and I just looked at her and said WELCOME TO THE REAL WORLD

As for Jon and KAte, makes you wonder how long this will last. MYfavorite, the time the wife of plastic surgeon, got her husband to donate free surgery, and then the make over. PLUS they are making a fortune on each episode, as they each get a salary for each of them for each episode. Wonder how much is being banked for each of the kids . I watched the one at the grocery where she spends $600 or so week.ly on ALL HEALTHY NATURAL food, no frozen, or processed for HER kids, and thought if you were not on TV then you sure would not have that choice, as his job does not provide that kind of money. There was another about the kids where Dad lost his job andhealth ins, andhad to rush to have surgery done on two of the kids the day before. And on the other hand, once they quit being a cute age, they seem to fall off the face of the earth and all the free stuff ends, so don't know if the kids are prepared for that psychologically or not. OH well, enough of my griping.

I watched the one at the grocery where she spends $600 or so week.ly on ALL HEALTHY NATURAL food, no frozen, or processed for HER kids, and thought if you were not on TV then you sure would not have that choice, as his job does not provide that kind of money.

Kate Gosselin spends $600 a MONTH, not a week, on groceries. She talks about the challenge of making $150 cover seven days of meals. In fact, she and Jon joked about the fact that ten people times three meals a day times seven days equals 210 meals a week. At that rate, she spends about 71 cents per serving--a pretty amazing feat, if you ask me.

They do this by shopping sales, using coupons, buying a side of beef (cheaper than buying individual cuts), and going to pick-your-own places.

I've developed a real liking for Kate. She's a bit neurotic, but she can admit that and make fun of herself. And Jon is sometimes too laid back for comfort. If you watch the show for a while, you can see that they balance each other well. And they have developed some effective and dazzling teamwork.

I think what really makes this show work is that underneath the snipping and stress, you can tell that this is a family where the members really love each other, imperfections and all. Kate goes out of her way to make sure that each child is recognized as an individual and she is an incredible organizer. And she often praises Jon and apologizes to him when she has gone too far.

I wouldn't be able to watch the show if Jon and Kate didn't really love each other and their kids. If it seemed that they were exploiting the multiple aspect to their kids' detriment, it would be obnoxious, but I see just the opposite. We get to watch the family working out their problems, trying to keep a sense of proportion, and going on adventures. I admire Kate for being willing to take the kids on field trips that could be daunting with just a couple of toddlers. She says that she wants them to feel that they had the same opportunities as kids from smaller families.

Her bark can be off-putting, but she doesn't bite at all. I like seeing a real person who complains about not getting enough sleep instead of an air-brushed feminine icon who squawks when she breaks a nail. Once you get past her "prickly" moments, she really is an astounding person.

I too am a Kate fan. Her organization is admirable. She can be a little nutty sometimes, but I also see a real love in that family. That being said, I am tired to people having multiples and expecting others to fit the bill. Fertility treatments do come with a warning label. Complaining about being short on money every month, then getting your nails done every week and having others rotate night shifts so mommy can get in her 8 hours is ridiculous. I am a mom of 2 and they can be quite exhausting. Never received any handouts for them. Did it the old fashioned way. SACRIFICE!

I would imagine that a lot of high order multiples are conceived (naturally or otherwise) that we never know about because they are miscarried very early on.

When the McCaugheys were born, the local news in my area did a story on a family in the region who had had a septuplet pregnancy a few years earlier. They too were offered reduction; they said they were not religious people, and both had very strong pro-choice views, but they refused simply because they didn't want to do that. She miscarried the entire pregnancy within a matter of days, but she and her husband never regretted the decision they made.

They had a single baby a couple years after this.

I have issues of Life magazine from 1963, when two complete sets of surviving quintuplets were born in rapid succession - the Fischers of South Dakota, followed not long afterwards by the Prietos of Venezuela. Both were unplanned sixth pregnancies ; the Fischers were 4 girls and a boy (IIRC, three of the girls were identical triplets) and the Prietos were all male. They were the 3rd and 4th complete sets of quintuplets to survive infancy, after the infamous Dionnes in 1934, and Argentina's Diligenti quintuplets in 1943. The Fischer story mentioned quintuplets born in Kentucky in 1914; three babies died within a few days but the other two were middle-aged men at the time. I don't know if either are still living; they were born and cared for in a log cabin! No NICUs back then.

Good Housekeeping always did stories about the Kienast quintuplets when I was a kid in the 1970s, and when they turned 30, they came back for an update. All of them lead very normal lives, but their older brother was quite colorful. At the time, he was a tattoo and body modification artist in Austin, Texas - and he doesn't even have pierced ears! They didn't realize they were "famous" until they were teenagers and one of them found a "Famous people with your birthday" card and one of the entries was "1970 - the Kienast quintuplets - all five of 'em!"

I agree with the OPs post for the most part - I'm tired of hearing about multiples and right after how to help them with money, diapers, etc.

If you agree to take the risk with fertility drugs and have 6, then you need to be financially responsible and not expect handouts.

Yes, handouts are nice and are always going to be there with a multiple birth b/c of the media attention, but they shouldnt be expected.

I am addicted to watching "Jon & Kate plus 8". Why? Because I think it shows the struggle and sacrifices made when you have multiples. It shows how hard it is to raise the family, and I hope that it makes people think twice about multiples being easy to raise.

I have also watched the specials on the Dilleys. Love them too. Down to earth family as well. As for one of the Dilleys being gay, who the heck cares? I dont think that is for anyone to judge.

Both families make it known that its not easy, IMHO.

I think families also need to realize that the free help only comes in the beginning. What happens when the children turn 5? There is no free babysitting/clothes/food/etc.

I agree with both sides of the Jon and Kate discussion. However, I have one question. Why do they not have a relationship with their own parents? I heard it mentioned that their families are not in their lives at all except for his grandmother. What's up with that?