Sister Wives: Kody the Idiot Divorces Meri to Marry Robyn

[eh02]

If they took those houses, they had no choice but go with the already approved floor plans. That was why Meri ended up with an extra room to get the wet bar. The specific plans had already been approved by the city/county.

Another part of the problem is that since Meri has the only legal marriage, her house is the one with Kody's name on it. So he also would be getting the smaller house.

What reasonable people would have done would have been to buy in a different neighborhood with more options. Although then they probably would have had to qualify for regular mortgages and they more than likely couldn't.

You're right, and that's why they shouldn't have gotten the houses to begin with. If they had endless funds and money was no issue, I'd agree that Meri should go ahead and get the same house as everyone else. In an ideal world, things would be even. But money IS clearly an issue for a family that's filed bankruptcy twice. It's just irresponsible that they moved into four enormous houses to begin with. I can see them being desperate for more space. I get that. But the way they did it makes NO sense.

I mean, think of it from the perspective of a "normal" 2-person relationship. Say each person has an old, beat up car. You together save up and realize you can either afford each person to upgrade slightly, or for one person to get a brand new car. So you get that choice: we can afford two upgrades, or one new car, but not two new cars. And most people would choose one of those two options. But Kody's family chose the equivalent of getting two new cars. "Just to be fair." It won't be "fair" when they LOSE a house. Buying things you can't afford is never the right option. They feel entitled, plain and simple.

[ADoyle90815]

You're right, and that's why they shouldn't have gotten the houses to begin with. If they had endless funds and money was no issue, I'd agree that Meri should go ahead and get the same house as everyone else. In an ideal world, things would be even. But money IS clearly an issue for a family that's filed bankruptcy twice. It's just irresponsible that they moved into four enormous houses to begin with. I can see them being desperate for more space. I get that. But the way they did it makes NO sense.

I mean, think of it from the perspective of a "normal" 2-person relationship. Say each person has an old, beat up car. You together save up and realize you can either afford each person to upgrade slightly, or for one person to get a brand new car. So you get that choice: we can afford two upgrades, or one new car, but not two new cars. And most people would choose one of those two options. But Kody's family chose the equivalent of getting two new cars. "Just to be fair." It won't be "fair" when they LOSE a house. Buying things you can't afford is never the right option. They feel entitled, plain and simple.

I agree, they shouldn't have gotten those houses considering that they've filed for bankruptcy twicein the past. Even if those bankruptcies are no longer on their credit reports, it's still a foolish thing to buy homes they couldn't possibly afford. I also think the grass landscaping was foolish, as it's so expensive to maintain that most people in the Vegas area have gravel and desert plants as landscaping, or some might put in a small section of artificial turf. Even though a pool seems like it would use a lot of water, having grass landscaping is actually more expensive.

I do think they have this sense of entitlement which someday will come to bite them in the end, once the TLC gravy train stops.

[Eternalbluepearl]

I just think Kody is arrogant. He seems to assume divorce could never happen to them, so he can treat Christine and Janelle however he wants. I'd love to hear Christine and Janelle's private gossip about it all.

Also, I don't mean to ask a rude question or come off offensive. I have a thought I've been wondering though about polygamy. Why would Kody have 6 kids each with multiple wives knowing he would have to support that many people? Why not have 1 with each wife and have a smaller family to support. A family of 8 people is still pretty big. But I guess Robyn came with 3 already, so nevermind. I just would think you would want the individual families small so it was all more manageable?

[Cleopatra7]

I just think Kody is arrogant. He seems to assume divorce could never happen to them, so he can treat Christine and Janelle however he wants. I'd love to hear Christine and Janelle's private gossip about it all.

Also, I don't mean to ask a rude question or come off offensive. I have a thought I've been wondering though about polygamy. Why would Kody have 6 kids each with multiple wives knowing he would have to support that many people? Why not have 1 with each wife and have a smaller family to support. A family of 8 people is still pretty big. But I guess Robyn came with 3 already, so nevermind. I just would think you would want the individual families small so it was all more manageable?

All branches of Mormonism, from the mainstream LDS church to the FLDS church, teach that humans once existed in a spirit state called the pre-existence. It's the job of good Mormon couples to have lots of babies so those spirits can have bodies. Conversely, if a Mormon couple decides to have a small family, they are denying their "spirit children" a chance for a physical body and the chance to hopefully make it to the Celestial Kingdom. Incidentally, it was once thought that black people had been cowardly in the pre-existence and in the resulting battle between God and Satan and were cursed with dark skin and the inability to obtain all of the blessings found in the LDS church.

[gustava]

And doesn't Kodouche get his own celestial kingdom because of his multiple "wives"?

[August]

The budget issue is phrased as being all about the wives. What about the children? If they are second mothers to each others children, don't they want those kids to eat healthily and well? A formula that took into account ages, numbers and genders of children would be the best for the children.

[Mela99]

I think this show lost me when Kody was lecturing his daughter and her boyfriend about the "biological fact" that when you kiss someone, their hormones go into your mouth. Maybe pheromones but still :cray-cray:

:wtf: :lol:

[Jana814]

I have watched the show from the beginning and his clear preference for certain wives is just becoming ridiculous. They aren't a good endorsement for polygamy.

I've seen a few episodes & I agree w/ u about him favoring certain wives.

[Jana814]

:wtf: :lol:

Agree wtf!!

[Alexa]

I can see why Meri bought as big of a house as the rest of them seeing as each adult gets paid for the show. No way was she going to give her share of the paycheck to the other wives. And since she has less kids to feed, clothe, and take care of she is the wife with extra money to spend on the house. Is it fair? No, but I don't see any of the wives being willing to put money in a communal pot anymore or once the show is over. You think Janelle is going to give up her paycheck to help support Robyn's kids when she has 6 kids that need to get through college? Nope. I just hope the kids are getting paid for being on the show. Lord knows there won't be money left for the younger kids by the time they get to college. Buying those houses was a huge mistake. For the price of one (basically half million dollar house) they could have bought 4 nice homes in Las Vegas at the time. Would have been a much better financial choice.

Kody's treatment of Christine has been crappy since he married Robyn. The family seemed so much happier in their triplex in Utah. Meri was about 80 pounds thinner, Christine looked really happy, and the kids genuinely seemed to like Kody then. The move to Las Vegas and the addition of Robyn has brought them further apart. I am glad they moved to Vegas for the kids though, because now their chances of choosing polygamy is pretty small. Anyway, I don't think Christine has gotten over Kody so obviously preferring the new wife and losing her position as the newest wife. I've wondered how much different Kody treated her when she was willing to have his babies, and once she was done he stopped pretending to care about her because he got what he wanted from her?

Kody seems to think that none of his wives will ever leave him, but I bet at least 1 wife is going to leave after the show is over and they lose those houses. Robyn and Kody's marriage has already cooled down. Gee, I wonder why she doesn't want more kids. Her excuse of being to busy with her joke of a jewelry line is an obvious excuse. To keep this show going Kody is going to have to court/marry another wife and I don't see the wives agreeing to any more wives. Meri better get ready for another woman living with her since she is the wife with extra room.

All of the wives deserve someone better than Kody, he doesn't seem to care about anyone but Kody. He drove around in his sweet little convertible Lexus while his wives drove beaters that had duct tape for windows when the show started. Bet it kills him that with 4 wives, he still only has 14 biological children while Jim Bob and Gil Bates have 19 with 1 wife.

[Cleopatra7]

I can see why Meri bought as big of a house as the rest of them seeing as each adult gets paid for the show. No way was she going to give her share of the paycheck to the other wives. And since she has less kids to feed, clothe, and take care of she is the wife with extra money to spend on the house. Is it fair? No, but I don't see any of the wives being willing to put money in a communal pot anymore or once the show is over. You think Janelle is going to give up her paycheck to help support Robyn's kids when she has 6 kids that need to get through college? Nope. I just hope the kids are getting paid for being on the show. Lord knows there won't be money left for the younger kids by the time they get to college. Buying those houses was a huge mistake. For the price of one (basically half million dollar house) they could have bought 4 nice homes in Las Vegas at the time. Would have been a much better financial choice.

Kody's treatment of Christine has been crappy since he married Robyn. The family seemed so much happier in their triplex in Utah. Meri was about 80 pounds thinner, Christine looked really happy, and the kids genuinely seemed to like Kody then. The move to Las Vegas and the addition of Robyn has brought them further apart. I am glad they moved to Vegas for the kids though, because now their chances of choosing polygamy is pretty small. Anyway, I don't think Christine has gotten over Kody so obviously preferring the new wife and losing her position as the newest wife. I've wondered how much different Kody treated her when she was willing to have his babies, and once she was done he stopped pretending to care about her because he got what he wanted from her?

Kody seems to think that none of his wives will ever leave him, but I bet at least 1 wife is going to leave after the show is over and they lose those houses. Robyn and Kody's marriage has already cooled down. Gee, I wonder why she doesn't want more kids. Her excuse of being to busy with her joke of a jewelry line is an obvious excuse. To keep this show going Kody is going to have to court/marry another wife and I don't see the wives agreeing to any more wives. Meri better get ready for another woman living with her since she is the wife with extra room.

All of the wives deserve someone better than Kody, he doesn't seem to care about anyone but Kody. He drove around in his sweet little convertible Lexus while his wives drove beaters that had duct tape for windows when the show started. Bet it kills him that with 4 wives, he still only has 14 biological children while Jim Bob and Gil Bates have 19 with 1 wife.

Didn't the original three sister wives marry Cody within a relatively short window of time? That means that everyone, kids and adults, had a normal routine with Kody and the three wives for a very long time, one that was disrupted by the sudden appearance of Robyn and her kids and then the subsequent move to Las Vegas. If you are going the "modern polygamy " route, it seems like it would make sense to get your wives early and then stop so you don't end up in chaos with new additions like the Browns.

[Georgiana]

Kody's treatment of Christine has been crappy since he married Robyn. The family seemed so much happier in their triplex in Utah. Meri was about 80 pounds thinner, Christine looked really happy, and the kids genuinely seemed to like Kody then. The move to Las Vegas and the addition of Robyn has brought them further apart. I am glad they moved to Vegas for the kids though, because now their chances of choosing polygamy is pretty small. Anyway, I don't think Christine has gotten over Kody so obviously preferring the new wife and losing her position as the newest wife. I've wondered how much different Kody treated her when she was willing to have his babies, and once she was done he stopped pretending to care about her because he got what he wanted from her?

Christine was actually pregnant with Truly when Kody was courting Robyn. So it's not like he ran out of wives who would give him children...one was in the process of doing so RIGHT THEN!

Honestly, I think a lot of Christine's resentment comes from the fact that Kody was so occupied with Robyn instead of enjoying her (probably) last pregnancy with her. IIRC, she was open about the fact that she really wanted him to be around more during and after her pregnancy, but he was busy chasing someone new.

[gustava]

Didn't the original three sister wives marry Cody within a relatively short window of time? That means that everyone, kids and adults, had a normal routine with Kody and the three wives for a very long time, one that was disrupted by the sudden appearance of Robyn and her kids and then the subsequent move to Las Vegas. If you are going the "modern polygamy " route, it seems like it would make sense to get your wives early and then stop so you don't end up in chaos with new additions like the Browns.

I noted this past in my post above.

[Alexa]

Yes, Christine was pregnant with little Truely when Kody was dating Robyn and he married Robyn when the baby was just a few weeks old, stealing more of Christine (and Truely's) thunder. However, Christine always made it very clear Truely was her last baby. In fact, Kody had to talk Christine into having one last baby, even bribing one of her kids to help persuade her (then he never paid the kid). Previously Christine had a miscarriage where she was hemorrhaging blood and it was a big deal. How nice of Kody to put his wants ahead of a wife's health.

It is interesting how much happier the Browns seemed in that first episode without Robyn. I wonder if Robyn causes a lot of problems or if it just everything coming to a head? Anyway, Christine is the wife who pushed for the reality show and going public. Would the show have lasted this long without the addition of Robyn and the move to Las Vegas? Probably not. I remember reading a while back that they need to get permission from their religious leader when taking a new wife, and the leader was very reluctant to give Kody and Robyn permission to marry because his finances were so bad, but he gave in because of the reality show and the good name they were going to give polygamy. Ha!

[LovelyLuna]

I think that a large part of their family broke down when they went into separate houses. The oldest kids talk about growing up as close as any brothers and sisters from a 2 parent household and there are pictures of them all in the same bath etc. As much as I wouldn’t want this life, I can see the ideal of one house,with separate living areas, but everyone is still together. It would be easy to just pop by or share the load for the wives or just be with your sibs for the kids. I haven’t watched any of the new episodes past them moving into the mega houses (maybe x-mss 2 years ago?) but then it seamed like Cody has 4 separate families that he would just rotate time with. Not much of a shared experience if you ask me. more like a traveling business man with two families.

As for buying the houses, It was stupid plain and simple. As someone said above, they could have gotten 4 for the price of one and then it wouldn’t have mattered that Merri got the same. nobody, not even someone with 6 kids needs a 7 bedroom house unless they can afford it. and as much as I think that fairness and equality should be carefully maintained in a poly situation the fact is that Merri doesn’t need it, won’t get use out of it, and the others DO have legitimately larger finical needs. In a perfect world where they have their finances in order and everyone would get a 25% split. But this is the real world, being a good parent and spouse means doing whats best for your kids first, not your wet bar. They should have a certain amount for each wife and then a break down by kid, at least the monthly expenses. On what planet dose a empty nester with one in school need as much as a women raising 6 kids? I could care less about their ‘lifestyle’ but I do have issue with the way they live it.

edit for grammar

[Cheetah]

Seems to me that there are some things (food budget, college tuition budget) that should be allocated per child and other things (housing allowance at least to a certain level, 'mad money' budget) that should be per wife. Wouldn't be that hard to go back and forth between the 2 systems depending on what you are spending money on.

[JHeathen]

... and even Robyn's son David seems to be "ordinary." I say that because someone I know well goes to school with him.....

Interesting...do you know if he goes by David, or by Dayton, at school?

[nelliebelle1197]

If Meri's kid(s) (I don't know how many they all have) goes to college, Kody can claim all the kids, and take his ECE down to nothing. Even on paper, the kids of the non-legal wives have to claim him and his income. FAFSA doesn't care if parents are married, split, of never married. All the kids have to claim their moms and Kody.

If the non-legal wives want to be legal, they have to claim Kody's support, and if they say they get nothing, DHS would, at least in all the states I know of for sure, file for support on behalf of the kids DHS is paying welfare for. I doubt the non-legal wives would be dumb enough to not claim him when there's such a high risk someone in the DHS office has seen them on TV and car fire up a red flag. And nope, claiming he gets all the show money won't work, even if it's true. That's why they make you declare the father. It's to catch people trying to find loopholes.

I doubt they get welfare now, but they probably did before the show.

If he is not listed as the father on birth certificates, they don't have to claim him on their forms. Even if they are on TV claiming he is the father, if they have not been legitimated and claimed legally, he is not the legal father.

[nelliebelle1197]

I looked over past episode content and I think it was discussed during season 3 when they were making house choices. It may be episode 16, but I couldn't find it online for free so I couldn't check for sure. They definitely discussed the fact that each wife received the same amount, regardless of the number of children she had. I recall Janelle saying that she sometimes struggled to feed her kids while Meri could afford extras. Meri thinks they should all get the same amount because to do it any other way "punishes" her for her infertility. She would have had a bunch of kids if she had been able to have them. Allotting less to her for the monthly budget or for the houses is just unfair. Either is punishing her for not having children, at least in her mind.

I'm guessing this equal money practice began years ago when they were having babies. I'm sure Meri was upset over her fertility issues while Janelle and Christine had repeated successful pregnancies. Meri probably viewed everything through the lens of infertility, including money. She probably had fits about how the money was divided because she deserved an equal share as a wife and the number of children shouldn't matter. I would guess that Kody gave in to her demands because it was easier than to put his foot down and do what was best for ALL family members. I think each wife should get the same base amount and then an additional amount based on the number of children and their ages and even the sexes. Teenage boys are expensive to feed! Teenagers also have more expensive clothing and activities than say, 5-10 year olds. Janelle, with only one child not yet in her teens must have hefty food bills. I'd hate to have to feed Hunter, Garrison, and Gabriel, plus Logan when he is home. I think she deserves way more money for her food budget. But I'm sure that would be unfair to Meri.

Yep, it was during of the house discussion episodes, before the houses were built, when the other wives were upset that they had to once again give things up for Meri. It was a big topic on the TWOP boards at the time (BOARDSONBOARDS!) and I am sure you can find it on that recap blog that is the source for much of the SW gossip, Closed Womb.

[SquirrelySquirrel]

If I recall, the 4 wives had equal budgets for the McMansions. The others went with simpler items to afford a swimming pool, landscaping, etc. But Meri was already at her max before the wet bar came into play, and to have it meant a bigger floorplan that she so did not need. Then she pouted and cried until she got her way. It was beyond ridiculous, IMO.

I get the idea of treating them all equally, but she could have went with whatever the smallest available floorplan was and still had a really nice house because she would have presumably had more in the budget for nicer amenities, with cheaper utilities and whatnot. Then she could have added her own damn extra counter space later on at a fraction of the price because an extra bedroom or 2 wouldn't have been required. She was a selfish crybaby about the whole thing.

[EmiGirl]

The whole wet bar thing was what gave me a headache and made me quit watching. Meri is just too much of a whiner and Robyn annoys the crap out of me on top of it all.

[Eternalbluepearl]

But, in a way, it was also Meri and Christine's choice to have so many kids right? I don't know, devil's advocate and whatnot.

[jerkit]

I will absolutely never have a wet bar in my house because Meri ruined it for me :P

[SquirrelySquirrel]

But, in a way, it was also Meri and Christine's choice to have so many kids right? I don't know, devil's advocate and whatnot.

Meri is the one who had fertility problems and has the one daughter, Mariah, who's off at college. So it's just her now in that huge house 3/4 of the time.

[gustava]

Interesting...do you know if he goes by David, or by Dayton, at school?

The opposite of what he's called on TV.