Nanny 911: The Spaulding Family
The Circus Is Here!!
Recap By Shelley Tam
December 22, 2005
This week, we're faced with the Spaulding Family which consists of Brent & Vickie, the parents, plus six boys:
Luke - 9 - Drama Queen - Luke likes being the center of attention and gets upset when his parents are not around.
Seth - 8 - has Spinadifida and has had many surgeries. Poor kid has a hard time keeping up with his brothers.
Aidan - 6 - Dennis the Menace
Alynn - 4 - Drama Princess - When he's in trouble, he'll bat his eyes and try to cute his way out of trouble by saying, "I love you."
Gabriel - 2 - In the throes of the Terrible Twos
Cameron - 4 months - likes to be constantly held and coddled
Dad feels that his household is a little chaotic. The boys get into everything. Mom says that she hasn't slept in 10 years. She's very concerned about her boys and wants to protect them from everything. Her brother had cerebral palsy and the kids teased him unmercifully at school. She doesn't want her boys to be exposed to the same things so she home schools the oldest three boys while trying to take care of the youngest three. As a result, Vickie tries tries to be superhuman by doing everything from being teacher to doing all the household chores and feeding her kids. I wouldn't be surprised to see her roller skating through the house with a vacuum in one hand and breastfeeding her baby in the other.
As a result, the house is never quiet and bedtime isn't any better. The parents try to get the kids to bed starting at 8 pm. Dad cuddles with the kids at night because he's gone all day. He'll lie down with each child until they are asleep. With six kids, this takes about six hours. No wonder no one sleeps in this house! Dad feels that he needs to be with his boys like this every night to reaffirm his role as the parent. As a result, Mom and Dad hardly talk at all because their day doesn't end until the wee hours of the morning and it's starting to take a toll on their marriage.
So after seeing this initial footage, I'm left wondering who the hell home schools 6 kids? Is she out of her mind? Unless you are a certified teacher, I have doubts that any parent can educate their children better than the local school. I would understand if they lived in a bad neighborhood and couldn't afford private school, but from the looks of their huge house in S. Indiana, I doubt that this is the case. Children need to be with kids their own age so that their social skills can develop. Yes, with 5 other siblings, it can be argued that these boys are social enough, but there's a lot to be said to exposing your children to diversity and other people. How the hell can the Spaulding kids learn when there are constantly distractions? Besides, having three of the kids off to school would allow for mom to focus on raising the youngest ones.
Also, I'm sure I'm not the only one, but having the need to lay with each one of your kids until they fall asleep is kinda creepy. Especially if they are 4 or older. Not that I'm accusing of Brent of anything improper or anything, but I think of a normal parent and having an intense need to oversee your kids fall asleep seems a little off to me. I think if my dad was sitting there watching me, I wouldn't get a lick of sleep. And seriously, have none of these kids EVER gone to sleep on their own in their entire lives? So what happens when these kids get older? Is Brent going to hang around the kids and sleep with them when the kids are 18? Or married? Brent, you're creeping us out! Stop it!
Back to the show, Nanny Deb is dispatched. When she shows up, Vicki is ecstatic. Day one is all about observation and Dad's like, "What is she going to write about? We're ok." Hmm….yes. You're so ok that you sent an audition tape to Fox. Denial isn't just a river in Eygpt.
Dad starts the day with getting the kids ready for their day. He plays w/ them before handing their off to their mom. After a morning of horseplay with dad, home schooling with mom must seem like torture. Home schooling begins for 3 of the kids, and mom still has to be mom for the other 3 kids. Mom tries her best to teach her kids, but she can't help but be distracted when her 2-year old gets into everything. Also, the dog sits under the table and nips playfully at the kids, further hampering the learning process. The parents are like, "Well, the boys learn to deal with it."
At the end of the day, Luke's off to tae kwon do, and he doesn't want his mom to leave him. He asks for reassurance that mom and his brothers are waiting for him. Nanny Deb is concerned at such clinginess in a 9 year-old. Normally, kids of this age can't wait to get away from their parents. As a result, Mom and the rest of the kids are cooped up waiting for Luke and Nanny Deb feels that the Spauldings are like a traveling circus.
When dad gets home, it's all about the boys. He throws himself into playing with the kids….all except for one. Nanny Deb notices that Seth, the one with Spinadifida, is off to one side staring wistfully at the rest of the family. It breaks her heart to see a child so left out but Dad says, "We've encouraged Seth to get involved. If he wants to be included, he'll let us know."
Next we have bedtime and it goes on.....
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