Summary
Welcome To Plathvillestar Kim Plath has been shown to be self-centered in her relationships with all of her children, making viewers realize thatshe’s a selfish mother to her kids. Kim, who spent more than 20 years married to her now ex-husband Barry Plath, is the mother to 9 children. Originallyraising her kids with Barryin a fundamentalist religion, the way that Kim chose to treat her older children in their younger years was surprising to mostWelcome To Plathvilleviewers.
While she was a loving parent, Kim’s behavior has always been questionable to both her family andWelcome To Plathvilleviewers. During the early years of their marriage,Kim was able to manipulate her family into doing what she wantedfrequently, but often fell in line when it came to Barry’s desires. Working within the confines of a fundamentalist mindset,Kim deferred to Barry’s wishes, but was able to make her desires loud and clear when it came to her children.
In recent years,Kim and Barry’s lives have changed tremendously. WhenWelcome To Plathvillebegan airing, the couple had changed their views on religion slightly, moving from a fundamentalist mindset to a more reformed, open-minded sect of their religion. Integrating their family into modernity has been difficult for Kim especially, as she’s the mother of many daughters who want modern luxuries like phones, makeup, and hair products. Even so,the toll that their reintegration took on Kim and Barry’s marriage was likely the biggest hurdlefor the family.
After over 20 years together,Kim and Barry decided to divorceafter a few years of difficulty in their marriage. While Barry was upfront about the fact that he and Kim were going to be better off apart, Kim struggled with the dissolution of their marriage. Her behavior, which has always been somewhat self-centered, became even more erratic than usual. After finding herself in legal trouble,Kim had to explain herself to her familyand make it clear that she understood the path of self-destruction she’d gone down.
WhileKim’s DUI charges and subsequent lifestyle changeshave likely been unnerving for the Plath family, the fact that she’s been doing what she wants rather than what’s best for her kids isn’t surprising. Kim’s behavior through the years has been difficult to watch, and her overwhelming need to be the center of attention hasn’t been something that her family has realized how to overcome. With Kim’s self-centered nature taking a toll on her family, here are someclues that she’s been parenting with that same selfish energy through the years.
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8Kim Didn’t Like Olivia Despite Being Ethan’s Wife
She Refused To Believe Olivia Could Be Good For Her Son
AlthoughKim pushed her son Ethan Plath to marryOlivia Plath at an incredibly young age, it’s clear that she was always hesitant about her son’s choice of spouse. Ethan and Olivia, who got married at 20 years old after a year-long engagement, struggled to deal with Kim’s presence in their marriage from early on. WhileKim pressured the pair to marry early, she was omnipresent in their lives in a way that caused them to be stressed, rather than happy about their future together.
Kim’s behavior surrounding Ethan’s marriagewas strange, especially after it was something she so clearly wanted to happen. Rather than being happy for her son and his new wife, she inserted herself into their relationship andwound up vehemently disliking Olivia for trying to open Ethan’s eyes to Kim’s selfish nature. Kim continually struggled with Olivia, eventually cutting herself off from the couple for good.
7Kim Left Lydia To Take Care Of The Younger Kids
She Doesn’t Parent Her Three Youngest Daughters
While Kim has been critical in parenting her older children throughout the years, laying out strict rules that they had no choice but to follow, she hasn’t been as involved in the teenage years of her younger children. Early in her life and during her marriage to Barry,Kim deferred to her husband regarding the rules they set for their kids. While their religion dictated a strict level of modesty, Kim and Barry also made sure that their kids didn’t have modern luxuries, education, or anything that could allow them to fall out of line.
After separating from their religion and Barry, Kim chose to be a bit more hands-off with her three younger daughters who have yet to reach adulthood. Rather than caring for them in the same intense way she did with her older children, Kim’s left theparenting and care to her daughter Lydia Plath. Just 20 years old,Lydia has had to jump in to care for her younger sisters while her mother had been selfishly trying to rebuild her lifeafter her divorce.
6Kim Allegedly Defrauded Her Kids
Olivia’s Issues With Kim Stem From This Theory
Although it’s not entirely confirmed, Kim’s behavior with her kids surrounding money has been difficult for her to explain. While Kim’s been open about her financial struggles to an extent onWelcome To Plathville,her behind-the-scenes behavior has been tougher to understand. WhenEthan and Olivia opened up about what Kim had been doing to her son’s finances, many viewers were concerned about the legality of her actions.
In earlier seasons ofWelcome To Plathville,it was alleged that Kim was using credit cards in Ethan’s name to purchase things she wouldn’t have to pay him back for. Rather than coming clean for her actions,Kim ultimately tried to cover it upand denied that she was doing anything wrong. When Olivia discovered what was happening, she tried to help Ethan out of the situation and the couple’s relationship with Kim went sour.
5Kim Belittled Her Kids
Her Attitude With Them Is Sour
Kim’s behavior toward her kids has never been the greatest, but in recent years she’s felt more comfortable belittling her children for what she’s perceived are slights against her. Rather than empowering her kids to be the best versions of themselves,Kim often makes it clear that she feels like her children aren’t doing enoughand have more to give. She’s one of the most difficult parents on reality TV, because while it’s clear she cares for her kids, she doesn’t want to uplift them onWelcome To Plathville.
In the most recentseasons ofWelcome To Plathville,Kim has been focused on the way that her children’s actions make her seem to the general public. Rather than looking at the progress her kids have made or hoping that she can help them to move forward in their lives, Kim pays attention to what her kids can do to make her look good. When they fail to meet her standards,Kim feels comfortable belittling and tearing down her children.
4Kim Forced Her Children Into Her Faith
She Didn’t Give Them Any Other Options
Although Kim and Barry were coming into their marriage on two very different pages, she was interested in conforming to whatever he was looking for at the time, and adopted his extreme religion as a result. WhileKim and Barry’s religion wasn’t necessarily strange or unheard of, it was an extreme, fundamentalist version of typical Christianity, which led them to remove all modern amenities from their lives as best they could in a modern world. The couple put this onto their children as well, raising them in a fundamentalist space.
WhentheWelcome To Plathvillestarshad kids, they made it clear that they would be raising them in their religion, but after some time and space, the Plaths moved away from being fundamentalists. Even so, Kim still pushed for her children to be practiciing members of their religious sect. Forcing her faith onto her kids, Kim felt strange when they began to pull away and didn’t understand why.
3Kim Started A New Life Without Her Kids
She Focused On Her Own Happiness, Not Theirs
After Kim and Barry chose to separate, the couple found themselves at a crossroads regarding what they were going to do about their large family. While many of their kids were out of the house and grown up, they still had younger children that needed to be cared for.Kim, who seemed to be more of an instigator in the divorce than Barry, struggled to decide what path she wanted to take in her newly independent life, but it appeared that her kids weren’t much of a consideration.
When it was revealed thatKim was changing her life entirely after her split from Barry, mostWelcome To Plathvilleviewers weren’t surprised, but the way she’s changed has been somewhat jarring. From moving states without her kids to deciding they should live on a boat rather than in a house on land,Kim’s behavior has been odd and erratic, making it clear she’s interested in starting a new life without her kids. She’s successfully managed to find her independence, but it will likely be at a major cost.
2Kim Is Focused On Her Weight-Loss
She’s Not Paying Attention To Her Children
Although Kim has been shown prioritizing herself in many ways through the run ofWelcome To Plathville,her weight-loss journey has been one of her more recent endeavorsto keep her mind focused on herself. Rather than finding a healthier lifestyle she can live alongside her children, Kim has gone into overdrive with her weight-loss journey alone. While she’s been making some great progress,Kim is using her weight-loss journeyas a distraction from the rest of the issues she’s facing.
Kim’s hyper-focus on her weight-loss has been difficult for her kids, especially the younger ones who still require her care. Rather than trying to do something that’s better for her family at large,Kim found herself struggling to care beyond herself yet again. For theWelcome To Plathvillestar, her weight-loss journey has been a high point and a sore spot all at once.
1Kim Found A New Boyfriend Soon After Her Separation From Barry
Her Dating Life Is Newly Chaotic
Kim’s reintroduction to the single life onWelcome To Plathvilleseason 5 may have been an interesting storyline to follow, but her relationship with Ken Palmer happened quickly and gave both her family and her followers pause. Kim’s marriage to Barry lasted over 20 years, and though their decision to separate came two years before they actually legally filed for divorce,Kim felt ready to get back out there quickly. She was shown asking her kids for dating advice on the series, even discussing getting on dating apps.
Kim’s quick relationship with Kenwas a jarring shift onWelcome To Plathville,especially knowing that she’d only gotten back out in the dating pool shortly after her separation. WhileKim and Ken seemed to have a decent connection, the pair weren’t welcome by her children and struggled to figure out how to make it clear they were genuine about each other onWelcome To Plathville. Kim’s quick relationship with Ken may have been her most selfish move yet.
Welcome To Plathville
Cast
Welcome to Plathville is a reality television series that follows the lives of the Plath family, a strongly conservative family with nine children that, while sharing some of their values, have begun to yearn for and seize their own independence. As the family tries to hold onto their old-world values, primarily separated from the rest of the country, they will reckon with their children’s newfound beliefs and clash with new family members from their spouses.
