Tori Spelling and Dean

Is she desperately seeking attention by broadcasting their personal issues on Lifetime? Spelling's career has focused on reality television since Daddy died and left Tori little money. Aaron Spelling was the creator of many popular shows and was super rich but when he passed away Tori inherited very little as did her brother with the bulk of the estate inherited by her mother. The first few years of their reality series was on E, a show that focused on their marriage & their children.

This particular blog is not to spread rumor or say half-truths about Tori & Dean because their personal problems are being broadcast on Lifetime So nothing is secret. The show is called TRUE TORI.

Dean cheated on Tori and entered rehabilitation to deal with his sex addiction plus other "issues". The first episode is talking about why Dean cheated and private issues that should be discussed privately. I realize the children probably know daddy isn't home anymore and their parents have problems but this show may be detrimental to the children's well-being. Bashing eachother on TV for ratings is petty. Even if Tori & Dean eventually divorce will the children be told the truth? Most likely not because it would tarnish their image of their dad but with the internet  nothing is private for celebrities especially when gossip sites exist and YouTube.
I feel sorry for the kids because of the dirty laundry being aired for all to see.

19 kids and Counting

Several years ago a family began to interest us because at that time they had 14 children and Michelle was pregnant again. Now several years later and a few pregnancies more the Duggars still entertain us but not at the expense of their 19 kids.

The Duggar family are a Christian family, self supporting, with or without the show they could pay their debts. So many of the reality families need the show to pay for a lifestyle they obviously would not have and the Duggars do not. In all fairness I will add TLC helped finish and decorate the Duggar home, the whole family did work on together for years. Even the smaller kids contributed in some way.

Another interesting fact of the Duggar family the children are never left in the care of a Nanny like the Gosselin sextuplets were. The family uses a Buddy System, an older child will assist a younger Duggar. Since my own mom was one of 10 kids , my family did the same thing. Everyone helps care for the home and property. Again like my own family. Everyone worked together.

My grandfather was a Wesleyan minister ( he also preached to a Mennonite congregation)  and raised his children according to the bible. My mom was the 4th oldest, she learned to cook, clean and take care of her younger siblings. So although this way of parenting may seem bizarre in my family it would be normal.

Michelle and Jim Bob have a strong marriage, as a result of their Christianity ,Divorce is not a foreseeable problem in the children's future. The national average for divorce in the United States is 50%. So half of all marriages will end in divorce. With the Duggars approaching relationships differently divorce isn't likely. In my own family only 3 of my grandparents 10 kids divorced so 30% ended their marriage, which is below the national average.

The Duggar children who are courting are getting to know the person and deciding if the relationship will lead to marriage before perusing any physical contact. In other words they don't date to be dating and any physical contact is saved for the wedding night.

They get to know the person over months of chaperoned conversations and get togethers to decide if a marriage will happen. Getting to know someone without sex to complicate things will ensure a solid foundation for a successful marriage. Perhaps if more of us went into relationships this way there would be less divorces and one parent homes.

Not all courtships will lead to marriage but then again you never know.

Reality Television

It's hard to believe the last decade has been all about reality TV. Whether it was a show to showcase a person's talent or lifestyle as Americans we love reality television. We turn on the tv so we don't miss a thing and TiVo our favorite shows when we need to.

As for me I enjoy shows like deadliest catch and the family reality series. I especially enjoyed "19 Kids and Counting" & "Jon & Kate plus 8". Large families interest me coming from a big family myself .
After the Gosselin family was cancelled I wondered if the show itself could of been damaging to the sextuplets since they were filmed most of their lives since birth. The Gosselin twins could escape the cameras since they attended school but the sextuplets could not escape for a few years. Every milestone of the six was viewed on TLC. Family life, vacations and the divorce boosted ratings. What should of been a private family matter was discussed on the air or in magazines.

The first time the show was stopped was because Jon Gosselin felt it was detrimental to the children's well being. The six younger children missed the production staff and the cameras. To them this was normal. In a way it reminded me of The Truman Show.

" Once a judge granted Kate Gosselin primary guardianship of the eight children filming resumed and Jon was no longer part of the show. After awhile the show was eventually cancelled. An interesting quote from The Truman Show.... Christof: We've become bored with watching actors give us phony emotions. We are tired of pyrotechnics and special effects. While the world he inhabits is, in some respects, counterfeit, there's nothing fake about Truman himself. No scripts, no cue cards. It isn't always Shakespeare, but it's genuine. It's a life. "

Who would have guessed a movie made in 1998 would resemble what our TV shows would become? To me the constant intrusion would be aggravating in itself and cause a hostile situation but it was a sad situation when the children missed this exploitation. Nobody knew that Jon was living in the apartment above the garage until his infidelity got into the tabloids. TLC had already stopped filming Jon and Kate together but the viewers were clueless. Once their problems were exposed we all witnessed the beginning of a messy divorce with each adult smearing the other parent. Another reality family may soon face divorce...the Roloff family. Matt and Amy recently announced they are no longer living in the house together although he is still living on the property. The shows themselves didn't cause the marriages to fall apart but what should be a private issue became a part of what we call entertainment.