My Soapbox

So, for all of those of you who have been living under a rock, Jon and Kate Gosselin have split. I found it ironic that another set of parents of 8 children are splitting. I can't say that their children will have an easy or fun road ahead of them. The thing is that this event has saddened me in a way that no other celebrity break-up has. Isaac and I discussed the situation and have to ask, what went wrong?

Naturally, we cannot see into the lives of others, not can we speculate about other people's feelings and motivations. We came to the conclusion, however, that selfishness tends to be at the heart of marital problems. In this situation, what role does the media play? And above all, what about the children? I can't help but be bothered by the father's remarks about being a dad of 8 at 32. Granted, I can't imagine my 32 year-old brother handling 8 children under 8, but I know that he would not walk away from his duties. It disgusts me. But, it did make me grateful for the men in my life who have stuck it out, who have taken their role as father seriously.

So, in the end, I guess this is a shout-out to all the dads out there who don't give up, who face the challenges (an their wives craziness) and don't take the easy way out. Isaac and I aren't parents yet, but we have learned a whole lot from all of you. So, Dan, Dad, Keith, Opa, Jer, Jake, Tyler, Brandon....our hats are off to you. And, we love you!