jon & kate + 8 = loserville

probably everyone knows more about jon and kate, + their 8, by now than they ever wanted to. if you live in a hole, or if you are my mother, this is a married couple with a reality show who have eight children.

cameras follow their lives. and now, surprise, their lives are falling apart.

because it seems that hubby here did not realize that perhaps he should not be canoodling with a 23-year-old teacher while his wife is gone on a book tour. he forgot, perhaps, that he was recognizable. did not realize, for a few days, that everyone now has a camera in their cellphone. and so there are pictures. and video. and witnesses. but hubby maintains he did nothing wrong, except make an error in judgment.

where. to. start.

firstly, when you pimp your family out to reality tv, it's not going to have a happy ending. look at nick & jessica, who ended up divorced. look at the osbornes, whose children both ended up in rehab. look at the girls next door, who all moved out of hugh hefner's playboy mansion.

but somewhere along the way, the fame becomes the thing. because have you seen pictures of kate before she got famous? oh, sister. it is a "before" pic if ever there was one. then in comes lighting and makeup and teeth whitening and hair bleachers and tanning beds. and a haircut that looks as messed up as her marriage.

but does she care? i don't think she really does. i think she will only care when the cameras stop rolling and the paychecks stop coming in. but i've never seen the show so i can't say for sure.

but the thing that blows my mind is that this is her children's reality. cameras. rolling. in their home. kate better start saving her checks for all the therapy these rugrats are going to need.

tonight i asked my son if he knew what porn was. i was asking him because there is currently a debate going on as to whether a 9-year-old really needs unlimited access to the internet. the answer is obvious, but he is not aware of the dangers that could pop up at anytime on google, youtube, or the mistyping of a website name. he said that no, he did not know the word.

i very briefly explained that if he were to ever accidentally end up on a site that contained nudity, or bad words of any sort, that he should immediately leave that site because it was very inappropriate. and i also told him that we, as his parents, would know because of a program that was installed on every computer or phone he might use. which is complete b.s. but nonetheless. i said it.

but what if cameras had been filming me? i cannot begin to imagine his great embarrassment to have a private moment broadcast. (yes, much like i am doing here. but hey people, i'm leaving out a huge chunk of our conversation, so there.)

and these very private, teachable moments -- they present themselves at the oddest of times. the day before i had an impromptu conversation with my youngest son about some kids at his school that i didn't much care for. and explained, in detail, why these were kids to stay away from.

soar with the eagles, i tell them.

i would never in a million years be able to say these things if cameras -- or even another person -- was in our home. it's too private. and they should feel free to say what they want to me. i'm their mother. it is a private, sacred relationship.

so really, jon and kate and all these others who sell their soul to the devil for a little fame and notoriety, are they really surprised when it all blows up in their face? they act surprised. like, oh, i had no idea. please. i almost feel just as sorry for the people who watch this garbage, but i won't open up that can of worms. (mainly because i watched all of the above-mentioned shows.)

i will be so glad when reality tv is a thing of the past. when writers and actors are back filling up all the primetime spots. because i don't really want to watch anyone's private life played out. it's not and could never be completely authentic. and i darn sure would not share mine. there is no price that could be put on a family's privacy.

you know who should own the rights to your family's history? you. not the network tv.