Kate Gosselin is firing back at ex-husband Jon Gosselin for publicly claiming their eight children have developmental problems as a direct result of the couple's former reality shows.
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Not only is Kate furious over Jon's "hurtful" statements, she's denying their kids have any developmental issues at all.
"I find it very heart breaking that my children's father chooses a public forum to discuss his current opinions of the 'development' of our children. These opinions are, in reality, value judgements made about our children and they are based on his limited visits (albeit mutually agreed upon) with our children," the former Kate Plus 8 star wrote on her official blog.
"Because he has spoken negatively about our children, I feel I owe it to them to respond on their behalf. Each and every one of our children has met and continues to exceed all physical, mental and emotional developmental milestones throughout their lives. Their normal development is regularly monitored by myself, their pediatrician and school staff, as is usual within any family."
During an appearance on Sunday night's broadcast of Oprah: Where Are They Now?, Jon said his children "have problems with their peers, and they have problems with talking to other people, and they have problems with wants and needs and manners and morals and what's right and what's wrong of course, I think more so than someone who grows up off TV."
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Kate didn't suggest her children's lives are perfect, but she emphasized the fact they're growing in a normal, healthy way.
"It is also very normal in a family, especially a large family, to have a full range of personalities, abilities, talents, hobbies and struggles. Ours is no different. However, anyone who has personally met our children all have the same thing to say: they are the most normal, pleasant, polite, loving and well adjusted children they have ever met. Most even go on to say that they are 'a delight' to be around," Kate continued.
"When our kids grow up, they may see their father's latest interview and wonder why he made untrue and hurtful statements about them. I know that I risk stirring up an unwanted public and private 'frenzy' by commenting on this, but, if our children ever stumble upon that interview, I want to be able to point them to this statement so that they know that I publicly set the record 100% straight on this one, for their sake."
Jon previously starred in Jon & Kate Plus 8, which began airing in 2007 before being relaunched as Kate Plus 8 in 2010 following the couple's 2009 divorce. TLC announced it was canceling Kate Plus 8 in August 2011.
Kate and Jon have since acknowledged they both struggle to make money now that they're back to working everyday jobs away from cameras. Jon is living in a cabin in the woods and working as a waiter at two different restaurants, while Kate uses coupons and doesn't wear top brands since she put most of the money the family made from being on TV into college funds for the kids.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski