Nick lists every activity they do so he's not worried about their privacy. But not one kid needs a tutor? No specialist appointments? No OT/PT/SLP? Nothing? For FIVE? This would be a lucky streak for two typical parents who do everything right. For someone raising their kids in chaos, it's unheard of.
Well the kids are neglected for sure. And in my experience, parents like Nick also love to tell their kids “You’re fine” if they cry or come to them with pain or something that is upsetting to them.
Don’t fucking do this, especially when a child hurts themselves and is crying. “You’re fine” gets interpreted by their still-forming brains as “Your feelings are wrong and you can’t trust them. Now stop being a burden.” In the case of a semi-public family, “You’re making us look bad” is another fucked up message tagging onto that.
Nick will never acknowledge any situation affecting his kids that would require him to make some kind of sacrifice. He comes first, always. We can see that by his continued insistence upon humiliating his children on a daily basis with his shameful online revelations and antics.
The worst part: When a mother is not present for her children (emotional presence is often absent even with physical presence), that child’s father becomes even more important. For him to be emotionally absent as well creates literal terror in the minds of the children.
Kids are dependent on parents to keep them alive — literally. The human brain knows when it is in existential danger.
Kids do what they need to do to get their needs met. They’re not conscious of it, but that’s where acting out comes from. “Will you pay attention to me now that I’m behaving in a way that can’t be ignored? No? How about now?” as their behavior gets more and more extreme.
Do any of those kids get even two minutes of either parent’s undivided attention on any given day? I seriously doubt it.
Eventually at least one of those kids is going to do something irreversibly damaging because their needs are not being met or even acknowledged. My fear and sneaking suspicion is that such behavior is already well underway.
As I’ve said many times, pray for the Rekieta kids. None of this is their fault and the worst of the consequences are ALL theirs to bear.
