Alrighty, kids…so, I had my usual sarcastic rant about the Drumm family that appeared on EMHE. But, check it…Mr. Drumm commented, which I am NOT removing, and I admire that of anyone who says to me, directly, “Hey, I don’t like what you said about me.”
I am honestly very flattered that people far and wide read what I write – good, bad, or indifferent.
So, as promised to Mr. Drumm, this post is no more.
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2. July 2009 at 9:47 pm
We were warned by the production staff about the cheap shots that were going to be taken at us. My wife and I are grownups, we can handle it. What I don’t feel inclined to take sitting down is people taking shots at my kids on cyberspace which dear Ms. Katie you crossed the line by doing. Let’s look at the facts as they REALLY are, shall we?
First off the so-called 3rd adult living in the house, our oldest son is 17 and just finished his junior year of high school. I don’t know where he qualifies as an adult anywhere. He attends a school that costs over $20,000 a year, a feat my wife and I make possible with no outside help. We do that by each working well over 40 hours a week, outside the home. The freelance writing thing is a side interest.
Second, care and support for autistic children, be they Asperger’s, PDD, etc. is NOT free. In the absence of being able to afford wraparound care during regular/after school hours we have had to take work when/where we could that allowed us to be there for your kids. We didn’t have much but one thing we made sure of was that our kids know to this day that their parents care. We have made more than our share of mistakes along the way, but not for lack of trying.
Third, you seem to be operating under the error in logic that we somehow solicited this. Wrong again. We were nominated by a family friend who sadly passed away before she saw it come around. You also seem to operate under the illogic that we somehow chose to live that way. As someone who claims to have grown up poor, you should know that no one chooses to live like that. The house was in rough shape but that was hardly due to lack of effort on our part. Many of the holes you saw were due to trying to eradicate the wood ants, termites, etc. that lived in the place when we bought it. We could have done more for sure, that doesn’t mean we didn’t try. We did the best we could with no help, because we didn’t want our children to grow up dependent on the system.
In closing, I will promise to do for you Katie what my wife and I have done for all those misguided souls out there who have tried to ruin or sully the blessing we have recieved through rumours, innuendos and outright lies: we will pray for you. we will pray that sooner or later you find a relationship with God and you no longer feel the need to write, speak or feel the way you have about us or anyone else. Our faith has sustained us through some damn near insurmountable hardships, whether they be physical, spiritual or financial. God has always been there for us. Give him a chance and he’ll be there for you too.
2. July 2009 at 10:18 pm
Frankly, I am flattered that what I wrote was so compelling that you responded to it personally…seriously…
That takes balls and I admire it.
Keep in mind, though, that this site is intended to be acerbic and sarcastic, so it’s not like I am petitioning that you be removed from your free house.
I will close by saying that you have brightened my day more than you could know…
May He continue to bless you and your family, in all sincerity…
2. July 2009 at 10:19 pm
Oh, and thank you for taking the time to respond…if you think I hit you hard, you should read what I wrote about Ghosthunters
2. July 2009 at 10:32 pm
Tell ya what…since you took the time to tell me how you feel about it, I am going to return the favor by taking down the post…
2. July 2009 at 10:40 pm
Call what you will; acerbic, sarcastic, whatever. When your life has been laid bare to public scrutiny like ours was and you have people say the sort of things that we have seen and heard, what you wrote only appears hateful and cruel. Try explaining to a kid who can’t grasp social nuances such as sarcasm or satire why people say the things they do in newspapers, chat rooms and blogs. to this date my wife and I have been accused of being shoplifters, child molestors/pornographers, drug dealers/users, the list goes on. I have been accused of beating my wife and kids, cheating on her with her coworkers, and being forced to leave my home by order of domestic relations. I worked part-time after my regular job at an afterschool tutorial program for disadvantaged kids until after the show aired. Parents stopped letting their kids come because I was supposedly such a bad person. Not wanting to cause my co-workers t lose their jobs I quit the program. This despite the fact that I submitted to a background check both for my job and for the show that cleared me of any skeletons in my past. Now be honest, if you had put up with this sort of thing and you read about yourself and your family the sort of thing you wrote about me and mine, how funny would you find it?
2. July 2009 at 11:16 pm
WHOA, back up the wagon, Skippy…
First, why are you allowing your kids to read the crap that people are posting on various and sundry blogs, such as this one, especially knowing that they are incapable of comprehending the nuance?
Second, since I never called you any of things that you list, I certainly don’t include myself in your list of wrongdoers. I commented ONLY on what was TELEVISED.
I am certainly sorry that people have been calling you everything but a child of God, but you have chosen a rather unforgiving forum in which to air your dirty laundry. If someone has called you a kleptomaniacal pederast, then I suggest you take THAT up with THEM, and not project that onto ME.
Also, you say that I “crossed the line” by remarking about your children. I simply stated that they don’t require nursing care, feeding tubes, or breathing machines. If you find that offensive, perhaps you would like the contact information for my dear friend, who’s youngest son required ALL OF THOSE THINGS until he passed away shortly after his 15th birthday. You can discuss that with her.
Now, as promised, I removed the post. I am sure that the backlash has been frustrating for you, but you seem to forget that nobody forced you to appear on the show. At any point you could have simply said, “No, thank you.”
I do thank you, again, for your feedback.
3. July 2009 at 1:02 pm
You put yourself in a public forum and benefit from it you have to deal with the associated fallout. It is brutal and mean and it is a consequence of publicity. That being said, you don’t get removed from your home for rumors or blog postings.
3. July 2009 at 8:13 pm
You’re right Pat, but what can happen is your personal and professional life is thrown into a total tailspin because of the latest rumor out there. We didn’t ask for this, nor could we very much look the widower of our childrens’ godmother in the eye and not accept it what his wife had done for us. Nevertheless we are by far and large eternally grateful. The hardest part has been having one of our children come home in tears because somebody came up to him with a printout from some blog, chatroom, editorial comment page, etc. stating that their dad or mom did this/that etc. That’s what upsets me. It got so bad at one point that we felt like virtual prisoners in our home. It’s messed up for sure but it’s true.
Katie I am truly sorry for your friend and her child; my wife works with MDS-spectrum kids (kids w/multiple disabilities, CP, BD, etc.) and it truly takes a special kind of person to work with kids knowing that each day you see them may be the last time.