[Walt]

I was watching an older episode the other day and Zach and Jacob got in a fight on the floor of the living room and Jacob ended up getting hurt or feelings hurt or something, and was really angry. Another time, Jacob was angry at Matt who was giving him a consequence for something and not letting him ride his bike, so he hid out in the bathroom of the RV for awhile. In a "lost episode" some of Jeremy's friends were picking on Jacob and his feelings got hurt. There are other instances where Jacob has displayed raw emotions.

Have you ever been over to a friend's house and one of the little ones has a truly raw emotional episode (not some fake spoiled outburst, but a truly hurt to the bone, heart situation)? It's embarrassing for the kid and you - the guest. I felt like that around these moments and it really made me feel for Jacob.

None of those instances really moved the overall story along. They could have worked around Jacob's little temper issues and hurt feelings - as all little boys occasionally have - and let him have his private emotional moments be private.

Maybe the TLC producers (and maybe even Matt - I don't know how much control he has over the final product; he said somewhere not as much as he'd like sometimes) could have more sensitivity to Jacob's privacy.

I don't know, but I would want to protect my sons from such public scrutiny over such moments. Evidently the rest of the family deals well with the cameras and the publicity, but I just get the sense that this is not working as well for Jacob as it does for everyone else in those few instances.

I know it helps us to know his overall personality to see him at raw moments, but he's not an actor, he's not reading from a script, these are real moments in his real life on display for the whole world to see.

Am I out on my own here?

[ramzfan_88]

I think you are very right, but I do think Jacob needs to learn a little self control. Sometimes he pushes the other boys to far, but he is just a kid.

[DisruptiveSpirit]

No, I don't think you are out on your own with it. I feel bad too whenever I see him getting roughed up by Zach but he himself has said that he likes playing with Zach even tho he usually gets hurt. He's even said it's fun. LOL

Anyway, I do think at times that when he cries maybe they should keep that part off of the show. I always worry about other kids teasing him and stuff because of it. But, I guess they show it because it's real. And real people cry real tears at times. Nothing to be ashamed of.

[Mrs.Sawyer]

I think they show it for the education of other families who have both dwarf and average sized kids. How will they interact? How will they handle each other? How will it be as the younger average sized kid finally outgrows and out weighs the dwarf sibling?

Answer (as always) just like everyone else's kids, just in a different way

Jacob is the classic youngest child. Good to know it's normal behavior, even if he does have a dwarf brother

[cclngthr]

Originally Posted by ramzfan_88

I think you are very right, but I do think Jacob needs to learn a little self control. Sometimes he pushes the other boys to far, but he is just a kid.

It depends on what he does and how he reacts to it. He seems to want to be with his brothers, BUT, it seems to me that they seem to want him to grow up and act like they do, when he is not at that age where he can do that. He is also 11 years old and acts like a kid. The twins are 17-18 years old. Big age difference there at that age range.

Jake appears to want to play where Zach and Jeremy want to do things in a more adult, mature level than he (Jacob) is cognitively able to.

No, I don't think you are out on your own with it. I feel bad too whenever I see him getting roughed up by Zach but he himself has said that he likes playing with Zach even tho he usually gets hurt. He's even said it's fun. LOL

Although I am the one that tends to over analyze things a bit much, I think that the age difference between the twins and Jacob makes it more difficult to play/do things. I know, from experience that when my brother, who is 7 years older than me wanted something, or was trying to play around, my interpretation of play was much different.

[Bear]

one ep on season 2 with there out in drive way playing football and the ball goes into grass and jake says he get it then next thing you see hes throwing an old soda can a Zach head and zach goes after him and elbows him in the mouth for it the jake goes off crying into the house...i must admitt in that moment jake was wrong he knows that Zach has a shunt in and shouldnt be hit in the head.

all i'm saying that is sometimes jake brings it on himself.

[DisruptiveSpirit]

He does bring a lot on himself. Or at least he knows the usual outcome (him getting hurt) and yet he still does it. So, I doubt he's really hurt or bothered by any of it.

[cclngthr]

Originally Posted by DisruptiveSpirit

He does bring a lot on himself. Or at least he knows the usual outcome (him getting hurt) and yet he still does it. So, I doubt he's really hurt or bothered by any of it.

There will be a time where he will get tired of it.

Sometimes kids need to figure out for themselves that their behavior can be pain to other behavior. Zach reacts by smacking Jacob. That apparently has not worked.

[Walt]

Originally Posted by Clairebear

one ep on season 2 with there out in drive way playing football and the ball goes into grass and jake says he get it then next thing you see hes throwing an old soda can a Zach head and zach goes after him and elbows him in the mouth for it the jake goes off crying into the house...i must admitt in that moment jake was wrong he knows that Zach has a shunt in and shouldnt be hit in the head.

all i'm saying that is sometimes jake brings it on himself.

My son has a shunt in his head, too, and it isn't a big deal that getting hit in the head with a can of soda is going to do anything to it. In "summer 2006" they were throwing rocks at each other's heads.

Boys will be boys and do stuff to each other. Zack plays pretend with Jacob, including making Army-like "radio calls" into his hand as they attack the "bad guys" in the woods (at an age when Jeremy is dating), so it's easy to see why Jacob treats him as someone his own age sometimes.

My point was, do you think these moments should be edited out? I'm just asking, where is the line between what is OK to show publicly and what is - or should be - private, especially for little kids like Jake.

[Mrs.Sawyer]

Originally Posted by Walt

My point was, do you think these moments should be edited out?

No, for the reasons I cited above. It's very courageous of the whole family to open up to the world like this. Yes, they are compensated and it's good advertising for them, but what they do for us is priceless, IMO.