IT'S OFFICIAL: JON AND KATE SEPARATE

ITS' OFFICIAL: JON AND KATE GOSSELIN SEPARATE
Last night was the big Jon and Kate announcement episode. I couldn't help but watch. For one, I've always identified with the racial mix of the Gosselin family, who are the focus of the TLC reality show “Jon & Kate Plus 8.” If you look at my childhood pictures, I could've been one of the Gosselin kids.
Besides, it's the most basic human drama—the always-complicated relationship between a man and a woman. I'm as curious as the next wife and mother to see what happens as a family breaks apart. It's not an easy thing to build a life and household together, and parents of multiples are especially vulnerable to stress. Any one of us who thinks she's immune to marital problems is kidding herself.
As expected, Jon and Kate announced they are going to separate and end their 10-year marriage—in separate on-camera interviews. They'll continue to appear on the show. Interestingly, the eight children will remain in the family home while the parents alternate living there, an arrangement recommended by many family therapists to ensure stability for children when their parents divorce.
Earlier this month, I asked whether critics are hard on Kate because she's pursued a career, first as a reality television star and then as the author of books about mothering multiples. Readers agree with my assessment that she's a working mom, despite the way the show was initially cast as a way for her to afford staying home with the kids.
She addressed that question last night, saying it's “not a chapter that's been brought on by our show, not a chapter that's been caused by our career choices at all.” But Jon did raise the possibillity of finding a job, and spoke with eagerness about taking a new direction in his life.
It found it unbearably poignant that as the Gosselin home is crumbling, Jon and Kate brought in four playhouses for the children. Those poor kids. As Kate said, they'll always look back and say “my parents split up when I was fill-in-the-blank age.” They'll also be able to dissect what went wrong since everything was captured on video. (I'm pretty sure that's not a good thing for anyone involved).
Did you watch last night? What do you think about the latest development? And do you agree with those critics who say TLC should cancel the show and let the family move forward off-camera?
Http://workingmoms.about.com/b/2009/06/23/its-official-jon-and-kate-gosselin-separate.htm