Marley & Me Author: Gosselin Situation “A Recipe For A Meltdown”

John Grogan, beloved author of Marley & Me, didn’t let Kate Gosselin off easy when he penned a 2005 article on the mom of eight.

At the time, Grogan was a columnist for the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Gosselin sextuplets had just celebrated their first birthday. In his column, the writer criticized Kate Gosselin’s demand that Medicaid—and taxpayers—continue to pay for the nurse the family referred to as “a second mommy.” (That nurse, Angela Krall, has since publicly painted Kate Gosselin as an ungrateful mom and nightmare of a boss.)

In the article, Grogan admitted that the Gosselins needed help with childcare and called on the community to step in and help with the babies. But he called Kate Gosselin’s request for the state to foot the tab for a paid nurse “ridiculous,” pointing out that the children no longer needed in-home medical care. “The once fragile children are now robust; they do not need a nurse,” he wrote. He then reminded his readers: “Besides, Gosselin is a registered nurse herself.”

During their interview, Gosselin defended her request, telling Grogan that she couldn’t afford to pay a nanny or babysitter “even $6 an hour” on Jon’s income. He asked why, then, she didn’t go back to work herself. Her response? The family van couldn’t hold all eight kids in one trip and they couldn’t afford a bigger one. And if she did work, she said, her paycheck would just end up going to daycare fees. “Welcome to the world of working parents,” Grogan wrote in response.

Grogan also called for the Gosselins to take responsibility for their overwhelming brood. “Gosselin, a registered nurse, knew the risks of taking fertility drugs,” he wrote. “Even after delivering twins on the first go-round, she rolled the dice again. And now she wants the state to pay for her gamble?”

While Grogan said he wanted to feel sympathetic to Kate Gosselin, he said she “radiated a sense of entitlement and inflexibility.” The writer also predicted that the family would face trouble in the future, saying “they have brought upon the makings of a desperate situation” that would be “a recipe for a meltdown.” Looks like Grogan’s prediction has come to pass--Jon and Kate Gosselin have dominated the tabloids in recent weeks as stories about infidelity and marital discord between the pair continue to surface.

(Photo: TLC)