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Archive through April 26, 2010

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: Other Reality Shows ARCHIVES: Archives for 2010 - 2: Little People, Big World: ARCHIVES: Archive through April 26, 2010 users admin

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Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 - 5:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
And observations like some of these are probably heard often enough that he distances himself from the tall, handsome, outgoing brother.. heck even if they were identical twins they would tend to have different personalties and one would be more "acceptable" to the public.

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 - 5:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
All I can say is that I wouldn't want to spend a minute in Zach's shoes. I think, like his dad, he is alway pretty physically miserable, but has gotten so used to it that he just soldiers through and doesn't realize how its skewed his personality. Poor little kid!

Brenda1966
Member

07-03-2002

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 - 6:53 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Brenda1966 a private message Print Post    
I'm sure his physical limitations and physical discomforts have effected him greatly, and I too would not want to bear that burden. However, I've met too many wet blankets without a valid excuse to chalk it all up to that. I think it's just a personality characteristic. Not a desirable one, but one that many average size people have. And yes, it is probably a bit defeating to have a twin that is so charismatic. I really hope Zach finds something to get excited about. Even his soccer job barely excited him. I can't see him making his way in the world independently.

Jgalt
Member

02-17-2009

Wednesday, April 07, 2010 - 8:09 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jgalt a private message Print Post    
I'm sure some of Zach's attitude is teenage angst of which we mother's are all familiar, but if you add to the usual mopey attitude of some young people with physical limitations, frequent surgeries, and in his mind, comparing himself to his brother and other siblings, it has to cause a bit of depression. I hope he can rise above all of this. His parents have given him a wonderful springboard from which to go out into the world. A memorable childhood, high morals, and from them also, a strong work ethic and can do spirit. Some kids take longer than others for these lessons to kick in.

Mgmriver
Member

04-27-2009

Thursday, April 08, 2010 - 4:50 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Mgmriver a private message Print Post    
I'm not so sure these kids have a strong work ethic. They don't even clean up after themselves. The show has given them lots of opportunities and Matt and Amy have set a good moral compass despite Matt DUI's. But I don't see much of a work ethic in Zach. It may kick in at some point for Zach but as of right now I just see Zach as a nay sayer. There are many "handicapped" folks that despite their physical disabilities muster on and have a zeal for life. Maybe Zach is just slow to mature into an adult. Jeremy seems ready for the adult world. I fear Zach may never leave the roost.

Jgalt
Member

02-17-2009

Thursday, April 08, 2010 - 12:10 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jgalt a private message Print Post    
Zach certainly isn't a worker, but I was referring to his father's ability to make something from nothing. Amy's readiness to get a second job, (she certainly wouldn't win the housekeeper of the year award), when you fall down, both figuratively and actually, you brush yourself off and get going. I think both parents don't sit around feeling sorry for themselves, they find ways to solve their problems. I'm sorry to see Matt and Amy are having marital problems, I don't know if they will be able to work them out. For the kids sake, I hope they can, the real losers in divorce are always the children, no matter how much of a happy face some try to put on it. ( And the children can be one to sixty, it always causes alienation, confusion, disruptions, and ultimately, sadness.) For every "good" divorce, there are 50 nightmares.

Sometimes lessons parents teach their children don't kick in right away. True, Zach may always have this sort of defeatist, negative attitude, ( I would argue, in large part, due to his handicap), but I hope it's just a phase and he'll grow out of it, or learn to rise above his concerns.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Thursday, April 08, 2010 - 7:46 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
He isn't 100% defeatist though.. I know he did have his mom as a coach and Mike Detloff too but still he was the one to get in there and play soccer and practice that, ride his bike despite some rather sever skeletal pains. He has a shunt in his head to keep the pressure down in the brain area, had those eardrum problems which may still affect him.

Have to say from observing groups of young males their age, Zachary, despite his short stature, may at time be more typical in terms of doing what he's forced to do but loving to sleep and just hang around.

And people do differ in terms of how much sleep their bodies require or how they deal with jet lag and such.

I think sometimes Zach's facial expression and posture can be read as mopey and of course sometimes he IS mopey.

From what we've read earlier in the year both of the twins are still at home and going to college locally. Amy tweeted the other day about some work or publcity she was doing again for a local shelter and mentioned that both Zach and Jeremy participated with her on that. I know Molly and Jacob have gone along with her to other places.

She never seems to mention Matt in her tweets, but he was on Jay Leno with her. Interesting to watch.. he used to sort of be more the spokesperson for them but Amy is quite vocal now. She looked really cute.

r

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Thursday, April 08, 2010 - 7:51 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
She tweeted that picture.. this was when they were setting up to see how the chairs would work for them getting in and out.. on the show they didn't have purse, phones and other stuff..

Jgalt
Member

02-17-2009

Thursday, April 08, 2010 - 8:20 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jgalt a private message Print Post    
I've been actually defending Zach. I love this family, ( as much as you can from just watching them on TV). In an era of broken families, low to no morals, they are a breath of fresh air. We've been allowed into their lives and have seen the good and not so good, and I admire them for being so open and giving us an opportunity to share in their lives for a bit.

We all see Matt and Amy seem to be having marital issues. My heart goes out to them both and hope they can resolve their issues. This is a tough time for any marriage, the kids are moving on for the most part, and I think everyone starts to reexamine their lives.

Erniesgirl
Member

06-26-2006

Saturday, April 10, 2010 - 8:27 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Erniesgirl a private message Print Post    
Seamonkey,
that is the same photo I received in an email from Matt.

Whoami
Member

08-03-2001

Saturday, April 10, 2010 - 8:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Whoami a private message Print Post    
I hope they work their way through their issues too. Whereas its understandable that their kids are growing up and moving on (so to speak), its really only their firstborns that are age-ready to do so. Molly and Jacob still have several years to get to that point. I hope they realize that just cause one or two of the kids are ready to move on, their "life" isn't quite "over" yet.

Brenda1966
Member

07-03-2002

Monday, April 19, 2010 - 9:19 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Brenda1966 a private message Print Post    
I've enjoyed the last few weeks episodes a lot -- seeing Zach finally settle into the unknowns of the trip, embrace the new experiences and have a good time was refreshing.

Seeing Matt and Amy together is starting to get a bit painful. It's as if you could see she wasn't happy he was now part of the vacation. I see them living very separate lives in the future -- they seem to already be.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Monday, April 19, 2010 - 10:07 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Just watching the first part for tonight.. even last week seemed that Zach was getting in sync and enjoying the trip along with Jeremy and this week even more appreciation.

Jacob is the total wet blanket. Of course my dad always made sure we had a pool when we stopped on trips but we wouldn't have dared to suggest swimming before sightseeing.

Just got to where the pool was drained.. poor Jacob.. He still is too impulsive like opening the elevator door prematurely..

Luckily he didn't dive into a totall polluted canal..

Hee.. love the guys putting on their kilts in France.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Monday, April 19, 2010 - 10:12 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Oh and wow at the list of credits.. think they got lots of freebies, very cool.

Hukdonreality
Member

09-29-2003

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - 6:14 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Hukdonreality a private message Print Post    
I am just loving Jeremy this season! He is such a nice young man!

Brenda1966
Member

07-03-2002

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - 6:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Brenda1966 a private message Print Post    
I felt so bad for Jacob when he saw the drained pool! He seemed to take it well. I can't remember exactly how old he is, but watching that reconfirms my thoughts that DD should be older before we tackle Europe.

Yes, Jeremy seems to have really matured into a remarkable young man!

Ophiliasgrandma
Member

09-04-2001

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - 8:26 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Ophiliasgrandma a private message Print Post    
That was two fun episodes. The night at the mayor's house was a great serendipity. I admired Amy and Zach climbing to the top of Eze. Been there, done that and it ain't easy. But when I got to the top...no view. The water was all socked in and we were above the clouds.

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Tuesday, April 20, 2010 - 4:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
Luckily for the twins, they may have been recognized by the German girls who took them home for the night. It would at least "seem" safe to invite home a couple of young American boys who had a camera crew following them around. They could at least "google" the boys' names and learn something about them before taking them home. I would imagine that any other two teen boys on holiday in Europe just might have a harder time finding some nice hostesses for a night. Seriously, though, Jeremy is just such a cutie-pie. I'd take him home if I were a young gal, LOL!

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - 3:29 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Or, TLC could have even arranged for that meeting. But it was a nice turn of events for the twins and how nice that the mayor loves the same sport they love.

Erniesgirl
Member

06-26-2006

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - 4:38 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Erniesgirl a private message Print Post    
I saw a question and answer piece on Facebook with Matt and Amy. The oldest of the Iraqi children died during her surgery.

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - 9:33 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
Oh that is so sad. :-(

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Wednesday, April 21, 2010 - 11:22 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    


Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Thursday, April 22, 2010 - 7:20 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
Ohh, Erniesgirl, was the oldest one the girl who could only lie on the floor because she was unable to sit up? That's awful. Where was the surgery performed? I feel terrible for her family and for the Roloffs; they must be devastated, too. I'd hoped they'd all have good outcomes. I can't remember what the girl's prognosis was without surgery, but she had such a difficult life. Imagine having as many seriously disabled children in one family, and in the environment in which they lived. It wasn't easy for the Iraqi family due to facilities, lack of amenities, fear of bomb attacks, etc.

Sia
Member

03-10-2002

Thursday, April 22, 2010 - 7:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Sia a private message Print Post    
Seamonkey, I hadn't even thought of the possibility that TLC had set up the meeting! Usually I'm cynical enough to have thought of that possibility, but I didn't this time. I'm going to be disappointed if that turns out to be true.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Monday, April 26, 2010 - 9:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
From Amy's Charity Org..

Amy Roloff, a ‘little’ woman, delivers big message here! Lancaster Newpapers Sunday News Apr 25, 2010 00:17 EST

Posted: 25 Apr 2010 10:32 PM PDT


Lancaster Newspapers
Amy Roloff, a ‘little’ woman, delivers big message here
Lancaster Newspapers

Amy Roloff said she continues to be amazed when people tell her they watch
her and her family on the TLC reality series, “Little People, Big World.”

“Growing up, as a little person, having dwarfism, a lot of people ignored
you. … They didn’t give you the time of day,” Roloff said, in a phone
interview last week. “People would ask each other, ‘Who is this person? Why
is she here?’ ”

No one was asking that Saturday when Roloff spoke in Lancaster at the annual
convention of the Pennsylvania Organization of Mothers of Multiples Clubs.

More than 360 mothers of multiples – twins, triplets and quadruplets
-gathered at the Best Western Eden Resort & Suites for the event, which was
hosted by Lancaster County Mothers of Multiples.

Organizer Kim Frank said that this year’s convention attracted more mothers
than usual.

“Amy Roloff is a big draw,” Frank said.

Roloff spoke at length before a conference room crowded with moms, who were
enjoying a break from the demands of mothering. “Wow, little woman, big
audience, I love it!” she said, drawing laughter and applause.

Walking from one side of the room to the other as she spoke, preferring the
floor to the dais, Roloff joked that if the audience couldn’t see her, “now
you know my world. … Most of the world I see is belt buckles.”

When, at one point, her audience whooped, as if she’d just announced she was
giving them all cars, Roloff laughingly declared, “I’m not Oprah! I’ll burst
that bubble right now.”

She spoke movingly of how her parents coped when they learned she had
dwarfism caused by a genetic disorder called achondroplasia. She said her
parents didn’t cater to her, knowing that she’d have to live in a world of
normal-sized people.

And she spoke about the challenges of raising fraternal twins, who have
different issues and personalities. Her 19-year-old son Zach has the same
kind of dwarfism as she does. His twin, Jeremy, is average-sized, as are
Roloff’s two younger kids, Molly and Jacob.

Roloff said that when her average-sized children were in elementary school,
they were taller than she, meaning she couldn’t lift them, as another mother
might. And she couldn’t hug her son Jeremy in public when he grew up, she
said, noting with a laugh, “His mom’s arms are around his butt. I can’t
really do that.”

Drawing a collective sigh of emotion from her audience, she related how
Jeremy lifted her up and hugged her, after his senior soccer game.

Roloff faltered a bit, and her eyes filled with tears, when she shared her
worry over whether she is giving her 16-year-old daughter, Molly, “enough as
a mom.” She said she wonders if Molly feels she is getting as much from her
as her friends get from their average-sized moms.

Roloff composed herself and carried on. And she drew thunderous applause
when she said she always felt it was more important to spend time with her
kids than to keep a perfectly clean house. “They’re not going to remember
that Mom kept a mopped floor if I missed half of their games,” she said.

Cathy Redington, a West Cocalico Township mother of twin boys with
disabilities, said she was touched when Roloff spoke of the pain parents may
feel when their children are born with challenges they did not expect.
Redington said she also appreciated Roloff’s candor about her twins, about
“how their personalities are different and required different parenting
styles.”

Stacy Wagner, a Manheim Township mother of three, including twins, and
Candice Duong, a Manheim mother of twins, said they thought Roloff was an
inspiration.

In a lengthy phone interview last week, Roloff said she never sought, and
certainly never expected, the fame that has come her way. She said that she
was sure that after six episodes of “Little People, Big World,” “people
would get bored silly.”

But the show, which first aired in March 2006, now is in its fifth season.

The cameras are on the Roloff family five days a week, 10 months out of the
year, capturing their routine activities at home, on their pumpkin farm in
Oregon, and their interactions with each other and with other people.

The show has followed the family to Hawaii and to Europe, and to Little
People of America conferences and Dwarf Athletic Association of America
sporting events. Son Zach’s medical issues, and his angst as he tackled
milestones with less confidence than his average-sized twin, have been
chronicled on the show.

Amy Roloff is depicted on “Little People, Big World” as a no-nonsense mom,
the counterweight to her dreamer of a husband, Matt, who is constantly
conceiving complicated projects. Matt Roloff, who has a form of dwarfism
called diastrophic dysplasia, uses crutches. The show has followed him
through his many projects, and through his trial for driving under the
influence.

Tension between the couple on the show has led to speculation in the
blogosphere about the state of their marriage. “We’re like any other couple
- we have our ups and down,” Roloff said last week, adding, “We may be in a
little dip, but we always come out on top.”

Her husband was more interested in participating in a reality show than she
was, Roloff said.

“Home is my haven. You bring cameras into it, where do you go now?” she
explained, adding, “I did not want to have to change, I did not want to be
something that I wasn’t.”

She said she also worried about how a reality series might affect her kids,
and wondered if they’d “suddenly think they’re bigger than life.”

Nevertheless, both she and her husband “understood what an incredible
opportunity we had to give people an insight into a family with
disabilities,” she said.

Roloff said that when she was growing up, “I always tried my darnedest to
fit in. I’d put on the best clothes – as best as they could fit on me.”

With the TV show, she said, she is trying to show people that “it’s OK to be
different – each of us has our own challenges.”

Roloff said she thinks the reality series has shown viewers “that little
people have ordinary lives. … We have the same goals, ideals for our kids,
as anyone else. We can do things as best we can, same as everyone else.”

She said she’s had women call her “and say, ‘I’m so glad your show came out
because I’m pregnant, and I know I’m having a little person, and I can see
this is going to be OK.’ ”

Roloff said that when she and her husband started their family, “People
would ask, ‘Why did you want to have kids, knowing you had a chance of
having a little person?’ I’d be like, well, ‘I think I turned out pretty
good.’ … You have to go with hope.”

Roloff said she knows discrimination persists. People still make cruel
jokes, for instance, about “midgets,” which is considered a derogatory term
by people with dwarfism.

“We’re human,” Roloff said. “We’ll always have people who think they are
better than other people.”

She said it’s like the layers of an onion. “I don’t think we’re on the
outside any more. I think we’re getting closer and closer to the middle.”
And she said she believes that “Little People, Big World” has “kind of
normalized dwarfism.”

Roloff said she’s sure that in the show’s early days, the show’s production
company “didn’t think of me too kindly,” because she insisted that her
children’s lives not be disrupted by television.

She said she told her kids, “TV follows you, you do not follow TV.” She
flatly refused to allow her kids to miss school to promote the show, telling
her producers, “Don’t ask me to take them out of school, because school is
their job.”

She said she is certain that starring in a reality series has changed her
children – “you live and learn in your environment because of your
experiences,” she said. But she said she doesn’t believe that they have
changed to the point where they feel “they deserve TV in their lives, or
they deserve certain experiences. … They’re still ordinary kids.”

“Little People, Big World” is “very real,” Roloff said. “There’s not much
scripted. We don’t act. … Sometimes I look at the camera, and think, what
did I just do and say?”

Said Roloff: “This was never a show about saying the right things, and being
perfect. … This is a regular family, and we’re just doing the best we
can.” _____
Suzanne Cassidy is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is
scassidy@lnpnews.com .

Lancaster Newspapers
Amy Roloff, a ‘little’ woman, delivers big message here
Lancaster Newspapers