A few days ago I had the pleasure, if that is the right word, of watching Sister Wives on TLC for the first time. I had heard about the show for weeks and was morbidly interested in seeing if it would explain why someone would want to be in a polygamist relationship. After all, the only things I really knew about polygamy was from fictional TV movies and news reports about polygamist communities being raided.
Here are the things that struck me from the episodes I saw:
Husband Kody Brown, who has three wives, said he had courted fiancée Robyn for four months and had still not married her. He said this was a long courtship for a polygamist marriage. He also said he is in love with her. Hum, now if you had a friend who had only dated someone for four months and said they were in love and about to get married, you'd tell them they were crazy and hadn't known the other person nearly long enough. Two questions: Why are polygamist relationships so short? Are they allowed to divorce if it doesn't work out?
Kody has 13 children and is marrying Robyn who has three more, yet he seems obsessed with having more children. Kody's obession for children runs even deeper than those of the wives. One, Christine, was told she should have more children so she had her sixth. He mentions invitro to another, Meri, because she has only produced one child.
A couple of the wives commented on marrying a family, not just a man. I'm not 100 percent sure what they mean by this. Do they mean they raise their children together? This is the one point I would have liked the most clarification.
Home births are common in polygamist communities because hospitals ask too many questions and the the fathers have to hide their marital status. This is one of the most selfish things I have ever heard. The poor mothers. Hopefully, they wanted a home birth and hopefully they didn't experience any complications.
Many polygamist children can't say they know their father because by doing so they might reveal their father's secret. The poor children. I can't imagine how this must make the children feel about society, their fathers and themselves.
Maybe Sister Wives will educate us. I didn't see enough of the series to know. Or maybe it just will be another show airing for the shock value and nothing else.
Here are the things that struck me from the episodes I saw:
Husband Kody Brown, who has three wives, said he had courted fiancée Robyn for four months and had still not married her. He said this was a long courtship for a polygamist marriage. He also said he is in love with her. Hum, now if you had a friend who had only dated someone for four months and said they were in love and about to get married, you'd tell them they were crazy and hadn't known the other person nearly long enough. Two questions: Why are polygamist relationships so short? Are they allowed to divorce if it doesn't work out?
Kody has 13 children and is marrying Robyn who has three more, yet he seems obsessed with having more children. Kody's obession for children runs even deeper than those of the wives. One, Christine, was told she should have more children so she had her sixth. He mentions invitro to another, Meri, because she has only produced one child.
A couple of the wives commented on marrying a family, not just a man. I'm not 100 percent sure what they mean by this. Do they mean they raise their children together? This is the one point I would have liked the most clarification.
Home births are common in polygamist communities because hospitals ask too many questions and the the fathers have to hide their marital status. This is one of the most selfish things I have ever heard. The poor mothers. Hopefully, they wanted a home birth and hopefully they didn't experience any complications.
Many polygamist children can't say they know their father because by doing so they might reveal their father's secret. The poor children. I can't imagine how this must make the children feel about society, their fathers and themselves.
Maybe Sister Wives will educate us. I didn't see enough of the series to know. Or maybe it just will be another show airing for the shock value and nothing else.
I haven't really seen this show yet- I've heard about it but not watched it. However I'd like to comment on the part about getting married fast. There are plenty of people out there I know that only date for a short period of time and then get married. My hubby and I started dating in September got engaged in November and were married in February and we've been married 7 1/2 years and have 3 kids. So I don't think it's only a polygamist thing. :)
ReplyDeleteMany of the issues you mentioned above are the exact reasons Kody and his family decided to do the TLC series, so that they could stop living such a secret life and also to bring some understanding to general society that not all polygamist situations are like those of Warren Jeffs, Rulan Allred and others of their ilk.
ReplyDeleteLiving in Utah I have lived around many polygamist families over the years and most of them have been outwardly as normal as any other neighbor in dress and mannerisms and freedom.
There are abuses, but like any alternative lifestyle the media only reports on those and not on the success stories. There is no story in happy families, only dysfunctional ones.
And Kody and his family are among the many polygamist families that make it work. Many times with better success and longer marriages than monogamous ones.