I've pondered the subject of Jon's father, Dr. Gosselin, for some time. Everything I've heard points toward Jon growing up in a good home. Jon came from a close, loving family. His father was a doctor and Jon went to high school in the wealthiest school district in Berks County. Jon's father role-modeled philanthropy in the community and beyond. How is it that Jon allowed himself to be swept up into a relationship with someone who not only demanded the best of every matchy-matchy thing for the kids but also managed, over time, to systematically cut every member of Jon's family (and some of her own) out of their lives and the lives of the children?
My dental hygienist worked for Dr. Gosselin, and she told me about one time when Jon and Kate brought the twins in for a checkup, back in the pre-sextuplets days. Some locals are open about their dislike of Kate, but this gal wasn't, and I got the feeling it was only because we were talking in an office setting in which I was having my teeth cleaned at the time. She had a way of couching her words to get the meaning across without crossing the line into unprofessionalism. She said that Jon was laid back and casual and Kate was...well, she didn't want to say demanding, but Kate knew what she wanted and she made it clear she expected to get it. Like many other locals I've asked about what Kate is really like, she confirmed that the real-life Kate is more blunt and less considerate than the Kate we've seen on the show.
Last week I was talking with someone else in the medical profession who knew Dr. Gosselin personally. According to her, Dr. Gosselin was hard-working, honest, and a good person. She told me that although Dr. Gosselin was retired, he re-opened his practice after Jon and Kate's sextuplets were born to help provide for his grandchildren financially. He died of a heart attack which some attribute to the stress of trying to help his son's family. [NOTE: A blog reader who was a patient of Dr. Gosselin challenges this story. Her words: "Jon's father did not retire and come back to practice after the tups were born. My kids were patients of his, and continue to be patients of Dr Gordos ( his partner).....he was practicing all along until he had a heart attack."]
During a recent visit to verify that one of my children didn't have swine flu, I asked our pediatrician what she thought of Jon and Kate. Like many locals, she was brimming with opinions. She told me that she knew Dr. Gosselin, Jon's father, and he was a fine man - kind, smart, classy. He was a pediatric dentist who was great with kids, cared about the quality of his work, and gave of his time and resources to help needy kids who couldn't afford dental work. (If I am correct he helped kids with cleft palates, but don't quote me on this.) She said Dr. Gosselin would have been horrified if he'd lived to see what's happened to his son's family. To quote her, "He would have taken Jon to the side a long time ago and put an end to all of this mess."
Now, there's always a chance that all of these impressions of Dr. Gosselin are incorrect. We all know about cases where the neighborhood icon turns out to be a pedophile/serial killer/polygamist/big fat old ratfink. But, considering the smarts of the women who told me that Dr. Gosselin was a great guy, I'm betting he was.
So what happened to Jon? How did he end up so codependent as to allow himself to be streamrolled over by Kate? And to the degree that she actually ended his relationships with the people he loved most? Forget the National Enquirer. Local inquiring minds want to know.
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16 comments:
I've never heard anything but GOOD in reference to Jon's father. His reputation as kind and generous lives beyond him. I do not doubt that he would be disappointed in what's become of his son's family, and his beloved grandchildren.
Jon does seem to be somewhat lost over recent months. I think he's starting to pull himself back together lately, and I hope he can continue to do so (in spite of the drama that seems determined to insert itself into the situation).
It's kinda like the whole fiasco has now taken on a life of its own, outside of Jon, Kate, TLC, or anyone. Not to refer to the now cliche` "train wreck" needlessly, but it is very similar. It's a monster now, completely out of their control.
Maybe if EVERYONE (meaning both sides of the J&K duo) would keep their mouths shut, the monster would self destruct sooner rather than later. Oh well, one can only hope.
HI dhwh and thanks for visiting. I agree that if everyone would just be quiet and go back to their normal lives, the monster would get bored and go away and find someone else to pick on. That's what should've happened a long time ago. Now, if TLC would just make the show about Kate, the kids were removed from in front of the camers, and Jon found some paying or philanthropic work he was passionate about, everyone would be happy, married or not.
Nice to hear positive stories about Dr Gosselin. He seemed to be a kind loving man. He died way to soon.
Fact check: Kate did NOT grow up in a trailer park as has been reported and refuted. Her parents OWNED one but they did not live there. The Kreiders' lived in a nice home and the kids went to a nice school.
Where Kate got her trashiness from is up for discussion but it is not as a result of her parents owning a trailer park/camp ground.
Your dental hygienist/doctor/pediatrician are very unprofessional to be talking about ANY patient/person this way. No matter who they are. If I was a patient of any of these people I would find another provider.
I appreciate the clarification, My9, I didn't know that and I will correct it. NoDM, I don't know if Jon went to college. I'll dig around and see what I can find. Anon, none of the Gosselins are patients of me family's pediatricion, or she certainly would not have spoken about them. She did, however, tell me that she considers the treatment of the kids to be exploitative and if they were her patients she probably would have reported them for abuse by now.
I too have only heard good things about Dr. Gosselin, and the hygeinist who worked with him said she loved her job because he was such a nice person.
The problem with using "Anon" as a name is that we can't tell if all the Anon comments are coming from you or if there are more than one commenters using the "Anon" name. How about making up some name for yourself so we can tell which Anon comments are yours and which aren't?
NOTE: I have removed the "trailer park" referneces. Thanks for correcting me! It's important to me to be honest here because it's so hard to wade through all the rumors and mishmash out there. :)
No problem. I agree. There are so many "facts" flying around it's nice to be able to catch one and correct it.
This is my problem with the media-mainstream and tabs. Something is put on Radaronline, a reporter grabs it without fact checking (whatever happened to the days of 2 sources) and it is taken as true.
What purports as factual news is just a regurgitation of rumors and speculation. NO ONE CHECKS anymore. It's an insult to the concept of freedom of the press.
There is a lesson in the Gosselin mess and it is that even the mainstream media cannot be trusted to present the truth anymore. If they are too lazy to factcheck or question the Gosselins, how can they be trusted to do their job with the 'big news'.
Sorry for the rant Werny Gal. I like your site and will continue to read it. :)
Wow, Kate is "more blunt and less considerate" than what we see on TV? That's almost unimaginable to me. And frightening for those children. I truly wish that some who've worked on the show would come forward with information on what they've seen, if not to the general public at least to the judge in the divorce case. Those children should not be left with that woman. I think at least one of them is already on her way to becoming mimi-Kate.
I'm glad to hear John's father was such a good man. It gives me hope that John will find his way back to what's important in life and do right by his children. He's making some positive changes lately and even baby steps are good things. I pray for peace for him and those kids.
Feel free to come and rant anytime, my9. :)
Radar doesn't publicize it, but it's actually owned by one of the tabs. Since the magazines are weekly, the owner of Radar can scoop everyone else by putting the newsest thing online.
Mello, our pediatrician told me if the Gosselin kids were her patients she would have reported the parents for abuse a long time ago. It's bizarre that this mess hasn't stopped by now. The kids have never experienced being safe at home with just their family for any decent length of time. Imagine growing up knowing you're being watched all the time. I think everyone should stop watching the show immediately. TLC will continue until no more money's being made, and so will Kate. I'm actually hoping Kate will get her own talk show. That way she could have her own income and the kids wouldn't be exploited anymore.
Jon's father did not retire and come back to practice after the tups were born. My kids were patients of his, and continue to be patients of Dr Gordos ( his partner).....he was practicing all along until he had a heart attack.
HI and welcome vallonio. Thanks for piping in. Could it be that Dr. Gosselin was going to retire and then changed his plans due to the 6 babies? I'm asking because my source is very credible. I'm going to ask her for more details when I see her on Monday. I'll get back with a note about that and I will change my blog entry top reflect your input.
Can you tell me what Dr. Gosselin's first name was? If you'd prefer to not leave it here you can send me an email at smalltownjonandkate@live.com Thanks for visiting. I always appreciate comments from those who have actually known this family "in real life." :)
Thomas J Gosselin
put it this way....my kids never saw an interruption in their dental care..so I dont know when he could have retired....and they saw him every six months. I remember when the tups were born, the office staff put up the newspaper stories in the waiting room, and posted pics of the tups there also.
Thanks for clarifying, vallonio. I'm going to see that gal who told me that story tomorrow night and I'll ask her for specifics. Dr. Gosselin must have been pretty young when he died (like 50 or under.) Was he even near retirement age?
My friend said that he may have been planning on retiring and then put those plans on hold after the six were born, but in either case, he worked longer than he planned to in order to help support them.
My friend said that he may have been planning on retiring and then put those plans on hold after the six were born, but in either case, he worked longer than he planned to in order to help support them.
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