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What's not to dislike about the Gosselins these days? While I freely admit that I used to watch their show with my son, these days I have to just shake my head and wonder why is their behaving badly and hurting their own children news? But it is. It's even bigger news than their show once was and that is, well, irritating.

But Jon Gosselin irritates me even more all on his own. Is it his tweets? His new love who tells it like it is? His Ed Hardy wardrobe and diamond stud earrings? No. As much as those things are likely to provoke an eyeroll, what irritates me the most about him now is his public apology, er, publicity stunt/discussion with his new counselor, Rabbi Scmuley, where he stated:

"It's hard for a man to stay home for two years, change diapers, make meals and
deal with doctor's appointments and all the stuff you expect your wife to do."

Last time I checked, Gosselin did sign on for all of this and more when he made the choice to procreate with his soon-to-be-ex-wife and when they, together decided that they would have all eight of their children and, when he stated on the show, Jon & Kate Plus 8, that when the sextuplets were small it made more sense for him to stay home with all the kids and for Kate to go back to work. At that time, he stated on the show, his IT Tech salary just could not provide for their young family the way that Kate's as a Registered Nurse could. He chose to stay home.

The modern, American family comes in all shapes and sizes with members assuming many different roles. There is more choice in families today including the traditional stay-at-home-mom-while-dad-brings-home-the-bacon model as well as the dual-income-juggling-parents and the stay-at-home-dad-while-mom-brings-home-the-bacon. These days we are seeing even more dads staying at home, changing the diapers, making the meals, dealing with the doctor's appointments all that stuff due to the prolonged economic downturn. Moms are going back to work or increasing their work hours because dads are unemployed. It's a reality all across the country. It's a reality here in the Central Valley. It's a reality here under the Big Top too.  My husband has been unemployed for a prolonged period of time and while he is at home collecting unemployment, I am trying to pick up the slack. In turn, my husband is taking up the slack under the Big Top juggling more of the kids' activities, needs, school, homework as well as looking after our grand daughter. I'm working, he's not. It's reality and, like everyone else, we are dealing with it.

Gosselin's comments over how hard it was for him irritates me. It irritates me because of his celebitard status, his statement is news. And his news further demeans the men, like my husband, who are doing what parents in today's family do...be present, take responsibilty. 

For my own family this isn't the first time that I assumed the role of the primary bread winner while my husband stayed home and managed the household and the kids. I have come to realize how normal this family model should be fifteen years ago thanks to my husband. An acquaintance of ours tried to comiserate with my husband over the fact that he was stuck at  home with his kids while the wife worked. Hubs stopped him pointing out that he wasn't stuck at home he was taking care of his family because that is what a family man does. I guess that is something that Jon Gosselin isn't and that, well, that irritates me more than anything else.