Is There a Doctor in The House?

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.