<p>Samurai…no offense taken since I don’t have any. However I have watched a few episodes…let’s see…some of them work full time while the others do all the household stuff, child rearing, etc. A husband you only have to take care of every third night…as someone whose DH traveled a lot when the kiddos were little it does have a certain appeal. J/K!</p>
<p>Does the husband work? I know a couple of his wives do. How do they afford a big house, more than a dozen children and at least 2 Lexuses ?</p>
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<p>I’ve heard a number of professional women say that what they needed was a stay-at-home “wife,” someone you could trust to take care of all the home details including the kids.</p>
<p>I have watched several episodes of the show and it may be the editing - but I am not convinced that wife #1 (Meri) and wife #3 (Christine) are really happy that Toby has taken a 4th wife. Its interesting that wife #4 (Robyn) will have her own house.</p>
<p>I think Toby does work. Im guessing he has his own business.</p>
<p>He is some kind of advertising salesman. I think (?) Robyn has her own house until they get married…then she will move. That is the impression the last one I watched gave. Christine and Meri definitely not happy. Christine talked about her unhappiness that Robyn and Cody or is it Kody? had kissed when they got engaged. She and he had not kissed until it was over the altar when they got married.
It’s kind of weird…they have very strict internal rules about the whole sex thing…</p>
<p>I thought wife #1 said she was the one who introduced Kody to Robyn and encouraged Kody to pursue Robyn.</p>
<p>Sorry, the husbands name is Kody not Toby.</p>
<p>Yes, Meri (wife #1) did introduce Kody to Robyn, but it sure seemed like she wasnt really happy that Robyn was becoming wife #4.</p>
<p>I think in the Mormon religion a womans entrance into Heaven is through a male, usually her husband. I have been told that in the Fundamental Mormon religion there are levels of Heaven and the more wives you have the higher level of Heaven the husband and his wives can reach. If this is the case I can understand why Meri is conflicted about Kody taking a 4th wife. In order to achieve a high place in Heaven - you have to share your man with a lot of wives on earth.</p>
<p>This is all completely ridiculous. Most reality TV is, in my opinion. But anyway, if I had multiple husbands, they’d all have good jobs making plenty of money, so I’d be hiring housekeepers to do the laundry, clean the house; maybe a driver or two, a cook, etc. That would leave me plenty of energy for the fun stuff… 
Husband A could be working while I’m off on vacation with Husband B…Like I said, it’s all completely ridiculous, as are the women who would live with a sister-wife.</p>
<p>Please take time to investigate the costs to us, via income and othe taxes, of these folks. Most of the FDLS fringe subscibe to a “bleed the beast” theory of dealing with the normal part of US society. We are the “beast” and they find all the loopholes and ways of getting money/not paying taxes/gathering welfare for their 9 families.</p>
<p>If some or most of that is repugnant to you, vote with your remote and turn off the dad-gum show!</p>
<p>While I was cooking last evening I switched on TLC and ended up watching the whole darned series. They seemed like a pretty happy lot until Robyn entered the picture. If the husband is all about having children, isn’t he going to just keep adding young wives as long as any will have him?</p>
<p>I was wondering what the women get out of it, religion-wise. I guess TutuTaxi explained it.</p>
<p>Kody seems like a goofball, but I guess better a goofball than an authoritarian dictator.</p>
<p>I was also wondering about the source of the fancy cars, esp since the three wives had to really pinch pennies when buying the ring for Robyn.</p>
<p>Apart from the other aspects of the arrangement, there is this: what happens to the male children in polygamous communities? The math just doesn’t work. If the alpha males each have several wives, a relatively large percentage of the adolescent and post-adolescent males in the community have to leave to find mates. There are plenty of documented cases of uneducated and unprepared young men being kicked out of the FDLS communities.</p>
<p>I’m a Big Love fan, and I haven’t had a chance to watch Sister Wives yet, but I’m definitely going to check it out.</p>
<p>If anyone is interested in a really good book about the Warren Jeffs FLDS sect, check out “Under The Banner of Heaven” by Jon Krakauer. It’s fascinating and very well written.</p>
<p>I’m embarrassed to admit that I watched the show last night. </p>
<p>My impression:</p>
<p>Robyn seems to be keen on this arrangement to satisfy her own needs. She’s a single mom with three kids—one with asperger’s. The little bit that I saw of her parenting her kids gave me the impression that she’s not very good at it. She also appeared to be rather alone and not getting much family support.</p>
<p>By entering into this arrangement, Robyn gets:
----Three other women to pawn her kids off on (satisfies her need for help with her kids)
----A combined family income (satisfies her need for financial support)
----A big family (satisfies her need for family support)
----Attention (she gets to be the center of the drama between the women and gets the
attention from Kody for being the new young thing in his sexual conquests)</p>
<p>I really didn’t get a good vibe about Robyn. I think she’s in it for her own needs. I got the feeling she was sort of pimping herself to get what she needs. I know—it sounds harsh, but that was my feeling based on the show.</p>
<p>It seems to me that the original 3 wives have developed a true respectful understanding of the needs and wants of each wife. They’re not sheltered. They don’t appear to be pushing the lifestyle on their kids. </p>
<p>I don’t agree with what their doing, but I can understand a little bit of their connection.
The women raise the kids together and share the duties in the household rather than one woman having to do it all. The women have developed strong friendships with their sister wives. I guess it’s kind of like living with your best female friends. The part that I don’t get is the willingness to share your husband with other women.</p>
<p>NYsmile, I totally agree with all of your points. The others have a 16 year working relationship. I think Robyn needs money and child care and that is why she’s in it. I was worried about her son with Asperger’s (since I have one.) He probably didn’t do well with the intital chaos of all of the new relationships, but maybe he’s settled in right now and has found people who get him.</p>
<p>I’m also worried about the education of all of the kids at the un-accredited coop. I guess I worry most that some of the girls will marry young and won’t get their GEDs.</p>
<p>Is Kody’s car a two-seater? Whatever it is, it seems a remarkably selfish and inappropriate choice for a man with four wives and 16 kids.</p>
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<p>Never seen the show, but to address the first quote: It has been reported that many, if not most, of these “families” milk the welfare system. “Husband” is not recognized as legal spouse of subsequent “sister wives”, so you have several unemployed, single moms in the same “family”. Each one gets supplemental security, food stamps, etc. Paid for by YOUR tax dollar.</p>
<p>To address the second quote: One wife with six husbands would not be able to milk the system, as I’ve described above.</p>
<p>So to speak, har-har.</p>
<p>I am curious about the familys finances. At first I thought Kody was somehow the primary support for the family; but it appears that all of the wives work outside of the home except Christine (wife #3). I assume Robyn will also get a job and the older children as well.</p>
<p>One thing I noticed is that the first 3 wives supported each other when there was a disagreement with Kody, but not Robyn. Not sure if that will change over time.</p>
<p>Also, did anyone else pick up on the fact that Christine and Janelle said in earlier episodes that they hadnt been intimate with Kody until after the wedding but Robyn had thus the argument about her having Kody every 4th night even before they were married.</p>
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<p>Hello ! This may be promoted as a “lifestyle”, but is is certainly not a sustainable one. The big problem of the FDLS is that the majority of young men have to be outcast so that the old guys can force the girls to be their “multiple wives”.<br>
We may be interested in the few cute families on TV, but there are many people in these churches who aren’t in such happy relationships…</p>
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<p>Nah, I think it doesn’t happen because men would never put up with such an arrangement.</p>