# OMG, IS ANYBODY WATCHING "WIFESWAP" RIGHT NOW??



## mittendrin (Nov 5, 2003)

it's on ABC...turn it on, mamas. one family spanks with a leather belt....plus they homeschool (obviously the strict way with the spanking and all) and make it look like all homeschooled kids don't ever get to see any other kids and have fun. that spanking wife is unbelievable...


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## lynsage (Jul 13, 2004)

now, now, it's not a belt, it's a _"whacker"_... uke

i couldn't watch the whole thing. by the time the spanking stepford mom started calling the nice dad "weak" during that whole altercation about the laundry and then said she wanted to SLAP him (btw, hello, hypocrite much, the whole thing in HER house was supposed to be that the husband always had final say, but when this guy tries to take his kids out for a while so everyone can cool down she gets ugly with him?!), i had to turn it off.

i didn't think the "no rules" mom handled some of the situations with the disciplinarian dad very well, but i don't really know how well i'd be able to keep my cool talking to a man that hits his kids with a strap, either! and what was the deal with him not just going out and letting her into the van instead of letting her stand out there in the rain?

those people were the epitome of why people think homeschooled kids are sheltered weirdos with crazy parents who grow up in a bubble. they reminded me of my nutty aunt and uncle with the "perfect" kids who got spanked all the time *shudder*


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## MarineWife (May 1, 2004)

I'm not watching the show but I saw the commercials. Aren't those people afraid of being investigated by CPS for hitting their children with a leather strap? That can't be legal, can it? I don't understand how those mothers can put their children through something like that even if it is only for a week.


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## pamelamama (Dec 12, 2002)

Reminder: This is TELEVISION!! It's all about the drama. No?


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## Mama2Lennon (Jan 8, 2003)

I was watching and I was so















It's like all vegetarian, homeschooled families are dictatorships who spank their kids with leather belts. Well, maybe not all, but it sure doesn't give a good impression of people like me/us. I had a feeling someone would be talking about it on these boards!!! I didn't think it could be legal either. Aren't they afraid of being investigated? On another thread here some mamas are talking about how we are afraid of CPS being called because we don't vaccinate, or we co-sleep, or we are _still_ bf. How can these people who spank with a leather whacker get to be on tv????







It doesn't make any sense!
The good thing at the end was that the children say that their mother didn't bring the whacker back. They were so militant, it scared me!
AHHHHHHH! I must run away now ....


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## maya44 (Aug 3, 2004)

And yet another reminder that so few people understand the happy medium.

Vegetarian? No, but unhealthy fried junk is not the only other option.

Hitting the kids? OMG NO! but the only other side but having no discipline at all is not the only option.

Homeschooling? Not me, but I understand that you can do it while still giving your kids a full social life.

UHG! Some people.


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## pamelamama (Dec 12, 2002)

EXCITING TELEVISION = MODERATION AND LOGIC????????















OF COURSE NOT ....

er. sorry. caps lock must be stuck for a minute there.

but really, what do you expect???


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## Pigpen (Dec 12, 2002)

Exactly! They pick the polar opposites to swap. It insures the most drama, which, sad to say is why I couldn't turn it off. And, oddly enough, (I hate to say this in the GD forum) but, I really wanted to hurt that militant mom!


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## Cuppa-Love (Oct 1, 2004)

"I don't understand how those mothers can put their children through something like that even if it is only for a week". Quote by OP

I agree, I couldn't do that ever for any amount of money.


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## Piglet68 (Apr 5, 2002)

just another reason i'm glad we don't have cable. i can't even keep up with all these stupid shows and its too depressing to think this is what the american audience demands.


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Saw the preview and "the whacker". Give me CSI- at least they put away the bad guy at the end of the show!
Annette


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## splendid (Jul 18, 2004)

The non-homeschool mom is from my area. She was on the local news. She said that if she could do it again she wouldn't. She said she felt sorry for her kids. Her children also said they didn't understand why their mother did the swap, they couldn't understand how a mom could leave her kids to spend time with another family.


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## Too Busy (Apr 3, 2004)

I cannot handle watching families that threaten their children with belts. My parents had a belt that hung outside the back door. They never used it, but it hung there as a threat, if we went too far out of line. The fear and embarassment I felt as a child is unbearable to remember even now







I turned it off, I just couldn't handle it. Those poor kids.


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## maya44 (Aug 3, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *splendid*
The non-homeschool mom is from my area. She was on the local news. She said that if she could do it again she wouldn't. She said she felt sorry for her kids. Her children also said they didn't understand why their mother did the swap, they couldn't understand how a mom could leave her kids to spend time with another family.


Weren't her kids like 16 and 18. That means the older one was an actual adult and 16 year olds should be able to handle a week away from Mom, I mean, really, its not like she was leaving babies!

And felt "sorry" for her kids? Why? Because they were asked to help out around the house? This did cause the 16 year old to cry, I only felt sorry for her that she did not have the coping skills to deal with a pretty non-stressful demand. I mean, COME ON.


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## meowee (Jul 8, 2004)

Did they use the "whacker" a lot? The reason I ask is b/c I only watched the last few minutes, and I have to say the hs'ed kids looked really sweet and well adjusted.

So I have to wonder if they were getting "whacked" a lot? Or was it more of a threat that's rarely used?

Not that it makes it any less bad-- but I was surprised by how sweet, nice, and happy those kids seemed considering they weren't allowed snacks and there was a "whacker" around. And their mom looked like a toooootal control freak!

I could tell that just from a minute of watching her at the end.


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## oldcrunchymom (Jun 26, 2002)

Both the moms annoyed me. The homeschool lady was wound way too tight and the other lady was so quick to jump down people's throats. Of course, I'm sure they edit to make the moms look worse but still.

I thought the funniest part was when Homeschool Dad was flipping out shaking the pinata. He looked like a broken android or something. :LOL


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## User101 (Mar 3, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *lckrause*
I thought the funniest part was when Homeschool Dad was flipping out shaking the pinata. He looked like a broken android or something. :LOL

Pinata abuse is NOT FUNNY!!!!!!









Annette


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## phathui5 (Jan 8, 2002)

Quote:

She said that if she could do it again she wouldn't
I'm glad they switched. It was very satisfying watching her cut the whacker in half.


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## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

That show is pure trash. I saw one episode, and I refuse to watch anymore. I thought there might be a point, but it seems the POINT is to cause arguments and strife. Why would I want that stuff in my head?


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## fromscatteredtribe (Mar 27, 2003)

i went almost nine years without a tv and don't have cable which is precisely why i get caught up in these shows momentarily. plus dh is working sixteen hour days so i can be home with kids, so i am alone a lot.

as far as wifeswap goes, i don't think it will last long. they purposely choose polar opposite families (one week it was an ultra-spiritual, veg family that never cleaned or paid attention to time swapping with a clean-freak who cooked three kinds of meat with each meal....) what are they supposed to really learn from these switches? at least on trading spouses (which i rarely see) they get 50,000 dollars and the families are a little less opposite it seems. maybe they get paid for wifeswap too (after all the entire junk-food family had new hair cuts and hair color and nicer clothes for the update...it looked like they had treated themselves especially nice since the show)

i totally agree that the junk-food mom had little to lose with the swap. i wish she had learned more from the experience too. she seemed pretty hateful toward the other family not even allowing her husband to shake hands with weird guy. i think the whacker was sad, but honestly it didn't seem to really be a daily form of "discipline" anyway (not that this makes it excusable). mostly the kids just seemed to be expected to obey, when they didn't they were made to apologize and were granted forgiveness) they appreciated health food, they seemed to like learning and they seemed to love each other and their parents. the 14 year old girl and the now-19 year old woman who were junk-food mom's daughters needed some responsibility, i thought their step-dad seemed weak and at the mercy of the rest of them; the oldest daughter wasn't even looking for a job; and the parents seemed naive about the possibilities with their youngest daughter's relationship (jimmy kimmel...i only saw a second of his interview with them....made the boyfriend swear he was a virgin ..it was sort of funny)


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## Book Addict Jen (Mar 1, 2004)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *Persephone*
That show is pure trash. I saw one episode, and I refuse to watch anymore. I thought there might be a point, but it seems the POINT is to cause arguments and strife. Why would I want that stuff in my head?

I think one point of the show is to make them families realize life isn't always better on the other side. Most families appreciate thier own families much more! MAny times hte DH is so happy to see his wife, esp when he sees what he could have had!


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## Persephone (Apr 8, 2004)

Yeah, that' s what I thought at first, that they would gain some sort of understanding from each other, but at the follow up, it was just more of the same. Arguing and bitching. They didn't seem to learn anything. It seems like a very self serving show: "Well, at least we aren't like THAT!" I dunno, to each their own.


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## mommaluv321 (Aug 14, 2004)

no to change the subject, but speaking of tv, has any one seen nannny 911? that one is kinda cool, teaching kids that hands are not for hitting and respect for EVERYONE in the family (not just the parents) I thought it was ok at showing what GD can be like. not the best examples, but definately a start







go british nannies!


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