It was sad. I've always thought the kids especially zach have been very disrespectful to their parents more to matt than amy. i feel zach is following Amy's example. yes, matt makes decisions that he should really think about. i think those conversations should be behind closed doors between matt and amy not in front of the whole world. They should work these things out together, instead of allowing everyone to see how disrespectful they act towards each other. yes it's suppose to be reality tv, but i think when it affects the family as a whole, it should end. Zach is his mother's son. Amy was just a little too happy that the kids chose her instead of matt and that's what it was chosing one parent over the other. jeremy said he felt zach really wanted to go, but he didn't, this is where Amy should have said, Zach don't miss out on this opportunity go have fun, but no she made it a competition. By the way 5 weeks is too long for a vacation, now many families do we know that can take a 5 week vacation, matt made it two weeks at least he tried! She didn't. She is proud of zach, why because she chose her and not his dad?!

I agree I think Amy is VERY selfish!! Nothing Matt does is right with her. Amy can go off with the kids but he can't?!? Zach is just a brat!! Molly is just a pawn!

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Originally posted by topgroomer:
I agree I think Amy is VERY selfish!! Nothing Matt does is right with her. Amy can go off with the kids but he can't?!? Zach is just a brat!! Molly is just a pawn!

topgroomer - I so agree with you. Amy is a selfish, master manipulator, Zach is a spoiled brat, and Molly is just a pawn. I was really disappointed with Molly not going on the vacation with her dad. And her reason was that Zach wasn't going!?! What is up with Zach? He would rather 'hang' with Molly and her friends than go with the guys? Zach And Amy make decisions like husband and wife, not son and mother!! Amy didn't even try to hide her joy at "winning" the vacation war! As another poster said, I too think Zach has many insecurities and fits in with younger kids (Molly and Jacob). And his language wasn't very good either. I haven't heard the other kids talk like he does, especially about his father. I'm beginning to think Zach and Amy have a strange relationship.

I used to like this show. Now I see it as another Jon and Kate in the making. Amy, your ugly mean to your husband. And that will cost you the marriage. You keep saying what Matt wants Matt gets and its all about him. Look in a mirror. And please don't pass yourself off as a Christian, your actions are not very "Christ-like". Your two boys failing in school is a direct cause of your not making them do anything. You can't be the popular one, the buddy and expect the children to do well. They have to have rules. You are not your children's friend. You are supposed to be their mother. Act like it. What really made me not like your show anymore was the happiness you seemed to derive from the fact that your children were choosing sides. I'm not saying Matt is perfect but neither are you. You two need to figure out what is going on in your marriage or you both will be a casualty of TLC.

i for one love this show. there are some issues that i would like to address even though they have already been said. amy is absolutely ridiculous and i feel that she is starting to remind me of kate. she is rude to matt and she lets the kids treat him like crap. her house is a total mess if i dad a house like that it would be immaculate. matt, grow a backbone before it is too late. i think if you stood your ground with amy and your spoiled kids you would get a lot more respect then you are receiving. that's the problem no one respects you. zach, you are the rudest child that i have ever seen. it's absurd!! you're lucky to have parents who don't discipline you because if you had my parents trust me it wouldn't be pretty at all. remember you guys opened your lives up to the world so don't get mad when we give you our honest opinion of your disgusting attitudes.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by moffeit:
By the way 5 weeks is too long for a vacation, now many families do we know that can take a 5 week vacation, matt made it two weeks at least he tried! She didn't. QUOTE]

It would have been really hard for Amy to meet up with the boys, they were on a boat in the middle of the ocean. She wouldn't have been able to get to those private islands they stopped at. Matt AND Amy should have planned this trip together and it wouldn't have been an issue.

I am shocked that so many of you take Matt's side and put Amy down.

Matt, sadly, reminds me a lot of my own father. He is ADD, creative and he is constantly starting more projects than he can handle. Having lived with someone like that and even as an adult having to deal with him now is tough. Matt brings a lot of chaos into their family. Up until last season Matt and Zach were my two favorites. I did think Amy was sometimes grouchy, and I took Matt's side in a lot of their disagreements. I think now though I see why Amy acts the way she does. She has been dealing with his craziness for years now! Believe me I have lived this first hand........after awhile it wears on a person.

Ever since the remodel my opinion has changed drastically of Matt. The fact that he made his family live in basically two rooms for almost a year, then stopped the whole project because he didn't budget correctly. Well, it showed me a very selfish side of him. I was miserable just looking at how chaotic their lives were. He just felt like they were fine living with no heat in two rooms.........it's ridiculous.

What a lot of you fail to realize is that Matt puts the projects he is working on or whatever he wants above his family. He felt it was more important to build a castle (that no one but him cared about) rather than save the money for the boys college. I think a lot of what you perceive as Amy being "mean" to Matt is her trying to watch out for her kids and her own financial future. If she let Matt control things they would be bankrupt.

As for Zach being disrespectful.........do you ever actually listen to what he says? 99% of the time he is completely right. He was 100% right that Matt should not have planned a "family" vacation without the family. Also, all of you are saying how "mean" Amy is........she was very hurt that Matt didn't think of her when he was planning. She doesn't show a lot of emotion that way, but I could tell her feelings were very hurt and Matt didn't even pick up on it or say he was sorry.

Also, Matt is not involved with the kids at all. Amy is in charge of everything with them and Matt just takes a back seat.........give her a break! She is a mom, she works, and she is doing the best she can to deal with Matt. She does try to talk to him about things, but no matter what she says he just does what he wants anyway! He is the selfish one not Amy........

Also, Zach is an old soul he is wise beyond his years that is why his Dad irritates him so much. Matt just doesn't get it on any level!

for the love of dogs.....for pete's sake are you wearing blinders? we can't be watching the same show. zach has a old soul yeah right in what land?
zach is rude and disrespectful. if he disagrees with something his father says there is a respectful way to say it. when it comes to your queen amy he doesn't get all lippy with her and disrespectful. do you have kids if so i sure hope you don't raise them or have raised them the way that amy has. we have enough lazy, ungrateful, disrespectful kids in the world.

Good post, For the Love of Dogs!

Matt's lack of involvement with his children has long been a problem. He makes no demands upon them whatsoever or offers them any guidance or discipline. So he cannot be a victim NOW.

sumthin I guess we were watching different shows. I saw a father and son have a serious disagreement. At some point this always happens. To Matt and Zach it's happening in public. I saw a husband plan a trip without consulting his wife. I saw both parents manipulate the kids. I saw a teen make a decision and stand behind it. I saw a teen who seems to realize that he's at an age where the family vacations are coming to an end and wanted his WHOLE family together. I saw that same teen tell his self involved father how he felt about the father leaving the last family vacation early (which may be unjustified but feelings are often not based in reality). I saw a teen who may be tired of the endless traveling. I saw a twin realize that his brother was now closer to his friend and feel like a third wheel. Zach was the most mature person in this situation

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sumthinspecial

sumthinspecial

Zach treats his dad like that, because his dad is disrespectful to him and to his mom. Matt doesn't listen to Amy or Zach or anyone for that matter. I guess you have never had to live with a parent that is constantly in their own world and just does whatever is right for them, but I have and it is so hard......of course in my family we were never allowed to express our feelings. At least Zach has freedom to express how he is feeling.........I grew up repressing everything and blindly going along with my parents, because that is what we were taught to do........

He is an old soul listen to what he is saying! Especially his clips to the camera are pretty insightful. He was completely right that Matt should not have planned a family vacation without Amy. I think a lot of Zach’s reaction was because he knew that it was wrong for them to go to the Virgin Islands without Amy. I mean how thoughtless can you get planning a vacation without Amy. Also, Zach does realize a lot of things like I remember once he said that he knows him and his brother are going to separate and live very different lives, but the farm will always bring them back together. He is wise beyond his years.......I guess someone that isn't an old soul wouldn't see that though.

Zach is closer to Amy, but if you listen to their conversations....Amy listens to Zach and she treats him with respect. She never teases him or belittles his feelings and that is why he treats her the way he does. Matts way of dealing is to try and tell Zach all these corny stories about his youth and it doesn't even relate to Zach at all........it irritates him and that is why Zach lashes out. I agree he should tone it down some, but he did try and talk to his dad.........Matt just won't listen to anyone. Once he has his mind set that is it.......Matt always does what he wants period end of story.

I think you are a little old school in your thinking....no offense...it is okay for kids to express how they are feeling. Zach was mad and he expressed it........that is healthy! I think it is a great thing that Zach has a mind of his own so young..........I personally think the mistake we make with kids is not listening to them or trying to raise them the way our parents raised us. This generation of kids we perceive as lazy and disrespectful, but they are amazing. They are so much smarter than we were at their age,.........they have more technology available to them.........I am constantly amazed at all the things they know........Zach is amazing! I am always shocked at the things he realizes and clues in to.......

I am sad to see that their marriage is crumbling and that neither of them has suggested a way to fix or work on the problem. This to me is the biggest problem.

That being said, we have to realize that OUR lives are not perfect and what part would we be cast as? Would our and need for structure and consistency come accross as mean and pushy? Would our love for creating and making things be seen as flighty and uncaring? Matt and Amy are yin and yang, they need to work on being complementary to each other instead of going against eachother.

I know this was their choice to be on the show and viewed by the masses, and i'm sure they're used to people bad mouthing them on all sides, but throw them a bone every now and again, yeah, their kids have problems, Jeremy got into trouble recently for using racial slurs and whatnot on his Myspace page. Molly's in the middle, Zach is butting heads w/his father (which in my estimation is normal when you're his age) and Jacob's been all but forgotten, but the kids are not out there hurting anyone.

I hope they work out their frustrations and problems. They are a great family and i've enjoyed watching them for years.

Thousands of people are out of work in the U.S. and they do a show about a vacation to the Virgin Islands.....really? They couldn't have spent their money here in this country?