Kate Gosselin Says Being on Reality TV Has ‘Enriched’ Her Children’s Lives

It’s not easy to be a reality TV star — but for Kate Gosselin‘s kids, she says it’s actually been a good thing. And we don’t just mean that starring on a show like Jon and Kate Plus 8 or it’s spin-off, Kate Plus 8, can make you money and fund a pretty sweet lifestyle. According to the famous mom-of-eight, filming their TLC series from a young age actually helped to “enrich” her children’s lives. At a TCA panel to promote her new reality show, Kate Plus Date, the mom explained what she meant by all that.

“This is, you know, ten years and counting, and judging based on my kids and how well adjusted and intelligent and how well they’re doing in school and overall in life I feel like, more than anything, [being on TV] has enriched their lives,” Kate, 43, explained, calling herself a “very protective parent” at another point in the discussion. “It has made them world-wise and taught them a lot about people’s intentions I think more so than other kids their age. And they are at the age now at eighteen and almost fifteen where they are able to choose, essentially, you know, a job, if you will, whether it be filming our show or working at the local fast food restaurant.”

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She continued, “They are very intelligent and informed, and I don’t worry about that, because we started this when they were very young and, obviously, as a parent, you always want to do the best for your kids, and I did it in a way that, you know, we live our real lives and that’s filmed … And they’ve turned out great, and they are very, very supportive of this, and it’s opened up so many opportunities for our family. And, so, it’s been great. It’s been, essentially, a family business and it’s allowed me to work with my kids kind of in and out of frame. Everything has goods and bads … The goods overwhelmingly outweigh the bads.”

But while Kate is heading back to the small screen, her ex, Jon Gosselin, has gone on record that it’s just not for him. “It’s an easy no,” the father-of-eight said about going back on TV. “There were times probably five years ago where I thought, ‘I am young enough maybe I could.’ But I’m exhausted.” In the past, he’s also worried about the affects the family’s show had on their kids. “I love my kids and I am happy they are financially taken care of, but who knows [how] the aftermath of filming or being famous will affect them as young adults,” he said in 2017.

“It’s a tough battle growing up today. Is money and fame for the better or worse?” he continued. “These are the things I struggle with as a parent and the decisions I made for them and still have to make today, we all have to make major decisions as parents but as long as we love our children, I believe we can work in the best interest for them. Knowing what I know now, knowing how much more educated I am, with [how] much more mature I have become, I would probably change a few things.”