Starting Over Talk - Peer Coaching Support Site

I remember Zach was complaining that his team was going to lose. This was before they even left the house. Amy was trying to get him out of that frame of mine and encouraging him to think positive and go out there to play for the fun of it and do your best...you know, be a good sport and have fun.
Zack was just being negative. He has very little self-esteem.

Zach seems to be negative quite a bit. But, I guess many kids his age are that way. His twin brother doesn't seem to be quite as negative. I chalk it up to Amy's influence. I'm really serious. She is always bad mouthing Matt and hardly ever has a positve outlook on anything Matt says or does. I think her attitude has rubbed off on Zach.

I saw in the previews that Amy is upset that Matt bought an outdoor grill. Apparently he didn't discuss it with her and she's not pleased. I hope it's not more "kick dad, he's so terribe" day on the show. I'm sure they can sell it or return it if they can't use it, or even gift it to their parents.
Matt looks like a scared little kid that got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. LOL.

Thanks for the recap regarding what you picked up. It sounded like Zach was mad at his parents.. But yes, most kids tend to be really self conscious and lack self confidence. I'm sure having a twin who is of normal height and cute and popular would naturally undermine ones confidence. Considering..I think he (Zach) does very well and Amy and Matt have tried to equip him to deal with his lot in life. I just think alot of it is his age.

Not even seeing the next show.. I've got to stick up for Amy in some respects. If Matt is going out and making major purchases and plans without consulting her..is a little disrespectful.. I get the impression that is where her frustration lies... He seems to be rather impulsive. He even considers himself to be a dreamer... he's always got those wheels churning... I'm sure she'd just love for him to slow down a bit.. I sense she has a tendency for sarcasm which could be how she grew up.. She seems pretty balanced the majority of the time... We've seen clips of the grill episode or what I presume is from the grill episode. It shows Amy having to climb up on something to put steaks on a grill. Perhaps not the safest thing to do. If they wanted to get a grill, alot of considerations should have been made.. Who was going to be using it.. and if it could be modified. I'd think that could be done... Her arms are a bit shorter than normal. Just opening and closing the grill could be a problem. I think she would be the one primarily having to do the grilling... she should have had some input in the purchase and maybe be able to find one she was comfortable using.

It could be that it was a perk... and someone gave it to them in exchange for product placement / promotion! Just a possibility of course!

My husband and I tend to talk about stuff like this... pruchases, goals and try to stay on the same page. Sometimes one or the other has to be bending to the other's position when we differ on needs and wants.

I just think Matt is always dreaming and scheming.. I am sure living with someone like that has it's frustrations. It's not always easy to support all of your mates decisions.. especially when not consulted.

I guess it would be different if the grill was a gift for her..

It looked like a huge grill and top of the line though.

I'll look forward to seeing this episode which I guess will be on Saturday. I like the fact that they have reruns during the week! Most of the time anyway!

I suspect that the production company provides some of the big ticket items and entertainment cost as an expense of the show. It provides a topic of conversation for the family as well as spicing up the potential conflicts, However, Matt seems to always indicate that he is paying for the things. If you notice when they went into the rooms at the Hawaii hotel, he bragged as if he paid for the suite. You know the show must have paid for that or it was a freebie in exchange for advertisement. I'm not sure what I think about that. I'm not even sure if that new car he bought Amy was from him or the show. It provided the subject matter for at least 2 episodes.

I agree with your comments on a couple agreeing on major ticket purchases. My mom used to get frustrated with my dad growing up. He was one that always wanted to surprise the family...even my mother. She was usually not happy with my dad's antics but didn't say much.

My dad would suddenly come home with a new car. He would be all excited and expect us to be as well. I liked the car but my mom was disappointed that she was not consulted. My dad would not even tell us where we were going on vacation until we were in the car and on our way. I don't know if he told my mom but I doubt it.
He also would come home with a new fridge, new bedroom suite, you name it. He was really bad that way.


I'm not sure if it was a control issue, or he thought since he was the bread winner he could buy what he wanted, or he really liked surprising the family. He still does it to a certain extent.

Perhaps the Roloff's strike a cord in me regarding my upbringing. And maybe that is why I have issues with Amy, although, my mom didn't complain as much as she does. My mother can be critical of my dad when he doesn't deserve it, IMO. She also lacks patience.

Matt is a little like my dad, except that my dad was always seriously employed and a very good breadwinner for the family. He was not a dream chaser in the sense that Matt is.
How's that for self-psychoanalyism?

Debbie, I totally understand.. I suspect Matt is the way he is because he's been physically confined somewhat and he has an abundance of energy.. I love both Amy and Matt.

I grew up with a hypercritical father who was an authoritarian.. What he said went. He ruled with an iron fist.. Mom should have spoken up... She was intimidated of him....

I was sure they would divorce when I was a kid.. But summer of 2005 they celebrated their 50th.. and each have mellowed. Mom can stand up to him a bit more by using humor.. Wish she'd found her voice when I was growing up though.. I forgive them as they just really didn't have good role models themselves.. and were under alot of stress with a his hers and theirs family.. I'm the 'theirs'!

Maybe it is a sense of controlling? I remember the first LPBW that I saw...and Matt was showing Amy all these plans for a huge addition for the house.. Matt wasn't working, and Amy was pinching pennies at the grocery store... I remember her just shaking her head.. and being very skeptical. I think she is much more practical..

You know sometimes, spouses can complement one another to some degree. I'm sure Matt doesn't do it nearly as much as he would like... as far as being compulsive. Matt's dad clearly gets frustrated with Matt too. Looks like that will be apparent yet again in the new episodes.

I really like them both.. But as I mentioned in an earlier post I just hope Matt's not exploiting his family too much. The kids and Amy can grow to resent it.. I think it would be hard to live normally with a constant camera in your face and Matt striving for new twists for to hold interest in the show. The TLC site for the show is quite extensive..

I'm sure they enjoyed the perks of that hawaaiin vacation though. I thought he used frequent flyer miles for the trip.. My husband gets perks through the hotels he stays at when on travel with the gov't too. I think we are using 2 free nights when we visit family in Ga. at thanksgiving. We will pay for one night! A bargain! Maybe Matt got something like that. It sounds like he has a good paying job though..

Did you recognize Casey in the show? She was the swimmer. I think that was the young lady Zach took to the prom. Or did they just call it a 'formal'?

Yes, that was Casey. I think Matt is right on about her. She is definitely a catch....Cute girl with a great head on her shoulders. She seems to be much better proportioned than many of the little people. I can see why Zach was really drawn to her. She's a great little swimmer too. Perhaps there may be a future for them.

I wonder if the young little people decide to attend the same colleges so they can have a peer around. That would make sense to me.

You described your dad as ruling with an iron fist. Did you pick a husband who does the same thing? Just curious. I've read theories that we grew up and try to find our troubled parent and fix them. So we choose a mate that is similar to one of our parents, usually the one we had the most conflict with and try to fix them, so that finally we have that relationship we yearned for in childhood. Not saying this is an accurate theory but it kinda makes sense.

Yes, that was Casey. I think Matt is right on about her. She is definitely a catch....Cute girl with a great head on her shoulders. She seems to be much better proportioned than many of the little people. I can see why Zach was really drawn to her. She's a great little swimmer too. Perhaps there may be a future for them.

I wonder if the young little people decide to attend the same colleges so they can have a peer around. That would make sense to me.

You described your dad as ruling with an iron fist. Did you pick a husband who does the same thing? Just curious. I've read theories that we grew up and try to find our troubled parent and fix them. So we choose a mate that is similar to one of our parents, usually the one we had the most conflict with and try to fix them, so that finally we have that relationship we yearned for in childhood. Not saying this is an accurate theory but it kinda makes sense.