I've always refused to watch the show on principle (nothing to do with the man card - I refuse to watch someone exploit their family the way they have). However, considering the way my wife likes to discuss the show, it being on in the background while I'm playing on the computer, and how it's plastered all over the media right now, I have developed several opinions.
First, John is absolutely in the wrong - he messed around outside of his marriage and put his marriage and family in jeopardy. That being said, I tend to feel a little for the guy. First (from conversations with my wife), outside of the one episode special that the show was supposed to be years ago, John didn't want to do the show. He didn't want the cameras on him invading his and his family's personal life. It was Kate that wanted it. John was in the middle of a successful career when they agreed to do the show. As Kate began writing books and going out on book tours, someone had to stay home to watch the kids - which means John had to give up his career to be a stay-at-home dad so Kate could tour the country with the same male bodyguard out on the road to do numerous book-signing tours. Now, there's nothing wrong with being a stay-at-home dad. I figure I'd probably enjoy the role if my wife were pulling in 6 figures and someone needed to stay at home to take care of the homestead, but being a stay-at-home dad is not for everyone (just like it's not for all women), and it should NEVER be confused with being a bad parent.
As far as Kate goes, I have no problem with her wanting to earn money, I have no problems with her writing books, and honestly, I don't have much of a problem with the book tours, either. What I have a problem with is she's done this at the expense of her family. She knew John had many grave concerns about doing this show on a regular basis, but yet she insisted anyway. She had to have known making a public spectacle of her family would ultimately lead to ruin, yet she decided to chance it for the fame and fortune anyway. And in the process she has been very discouraging towards her husband and at times has not been there for her children. In fact, you would think that having to protect her children from the Paparazzi would be a sign that she's doing something wrong with her life, but her only protection she offers to her children is "don't mention the "P" word and don't talk to them." Not to mention who knows what's going on between Kate and her bodyguard while they're out on the road doing her book tours.
Like I said earlier, John has plenty of faults when it comes to the destruction of this family. But Kate put the family in jeopardy long before John "cheated" on her by bringing the cameras into the home and with the constant way she treated John like a "buffoon" on-camera. Kate has exploited her own children for her own personal gain, and as a new father I couldn't imagine doing something as stupid as that, and it makes me sick that someone would do such a thing.
