Several of you feel sympathy for Matt, feeling he's being walked all over --- NOT. He is an egomaniac "it's all about me" kind of guy who doesn't take his family into consideration at all when making decisions (i.e. him doing all the planning on the remodel without any thought to anyone else, him leaving the family vacation early, etc) Now it's all coming home to roost. Amy is angry. She needs to go to therapy to get the anger out because it's coming out in very bad ways towards Matt. They've been on the edge of divorce since the beginning and it's bound to happen.

Notice that the poster said, "They've been on the brink of divorce since the beginning of the show." That alone should tell you that it is all about ratings.

Matt and Amy have offsetting ways of life. Each has faults. Each has strengths. So what? We all do. You make your lives based on what you know. They will be fine.

quote:

Originally posted by Pam79:
Several of you feel sympathy for Matt, feeling he's being walked all over --- NOT. He is an egomaniac "it's all about me" kind of guy who doesn't take his family into consideration at all when making decisions (i.e. him doing all the planning on the remodel without any thought to anyone else, him leaving the family vacation early, etc) Now it's all coming home to roost. Amy is angry. She needs to go to therapy to get the anger out because it's coming out in very bad ways towards Matt. They've been on the edge of divorce since the beginning and it's bound to happen.

Read more of the comments if you mistakenly think they are all about bashing Amy and giving Matt a medal. Several of us are quite aware of family dynamics, and know they are not all black and white or simplistic. In fact, nothing is 'always'. They are probably both saying even as we speak "keep watching and see us on the edge...the slippery slope is but symbolism..hahahhaaa".

That makes it sound like we are all being played. We're being duped and the family enjoys it. I don't think that's the case.

I honestly don't think the family has anything to do with what we see on TLC. They just behave as they normally do and TLC loves the drama so they play it up... meaning they focus on the bad things in their previews in hopes of getting a larger audience.

Matt has said that he keeps projects going to give them something to air on the show, but I don't think they talk about divorce for the sake of ratings.

Here's the reason people are against Amy.

She belittles Matt
She yells at him constantly
When he tries to do something nice, she turns it on him about how he's doing it only for himself or that he's stupid
When matt screws up, even though he's well intentioned, she humiliates him.

Zach is a lazy, disrespectful, lacks any motivation, BRAT, and she encourages it. She intentionally encourages Zach to go against anything his father wants to do for him, and take the other kids with him.

Like in tonight's episode about the Virgin Islands... She was beside herself with joy when Zach didn't want to go. He manipulated Molly (who originally really wanted to go despite her mom wanting her to not go), into not going.

She couldnt' wait to try to convince Jake to not go since they weren't going. She had a big smile on her face when she ran to tell him Molly and Zach weren't going... and tried to get him to back out too.

She's constantly taking Zach's side, even when he's clearly in the wrong... and lets face it... Matt is still the father and if nothing else, the kids should respect him and she should put her foot down about that.

She's ungrateful, disrespectful, sloppy and encourages her kids to be the same.

I can understand both takes on the Matt/Amy debacle.
They both could stand to change. But I have to say that I could never put up w/Matt's ego, first of all- and then his detachment from being involved w/the family/kids more from day to day. As Amy said, he makes his rules but who has to enforce them? Not Matt. He makes his pronouncements and thinks THEY should carry everything out. Sort of like the old joke about WWJD - (You don't want to know what Jesus would do so YOU can do it, you want to know so you can tell everyone else to do it.) That's Matt. To me he's very passive-aggressive and that is so disgusting to live w/all the time.

But it's not disgusting to live with constant belittling, yelling, arguing, and pitting the children against you?

Amy and Matt would do better to invest in a great marriage therapist. Also family therapy would help the children overcome all the dysfunction they are seeing modeled for them. Also a really good toutor for Zach and someone to teach him respect and discipline which he will need in the future. He has the most aweful character. He even made the comment that he rather hang out with girls 3 years younger than him than his guy friends that are his age. I see nothing but trouble for this young man. Hopefully they wake up and get help...but sadly dysfunctional people never think they are and it all just falls apart before them. I will not be watching again because it is no longer enjoyable. I am sick of Amy and all her complaints and Matts endless trying and failing to please a woman that will never be pleased!