AS Welcome To Plathville enters its third season, the Plath family is more divided than ever, with some of the kids breaking away from their super-conservative upbringing.
The TLC show follows Kim and Barry Plath and their children, who they are raising in rural Georgia under a very strict lifestyle, including no television, internet, cell phones and no sugary foods.
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WHO ARE THE PLATHS?
Kim, 48, and Barry, 53, married in 1997 and are devout Christian fundamentalists living on a 55-acre farm in south Georgia.
They are parents to Ethan, 23, Hosanna, 20, Micah, 20, Moriah, 18, Lydia, 16, Isaac, 15, Amber, 12, Cassia, 10, and Mercy, nine.
Son Joshua, who was born in 2007, died tragically in a farm accident at just 17 months old.
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The couple’s oldest son Ethan has already flown the nest and now lives with his wife Olivia.
In the season three premiere this month, fans got to see that the couple are not on good terms with Ethan’s parents, especially after Kim accused Olivia of being a bad influence on her children still living on the farm.
Ethan has now said he wants no contact with his ultra-conservative parents.
Model Micah and singer Moriah also moved out of the family home and share an apartment together as they embark on their careers.
Meanwhile, Hosanna, moved to Ohio with her husband Timothy and has chosen not to star on the show.
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NO MODERN TECHNOLOGY
The Plath kids are not allowed to watch television and do not have cell phones or access to the internet.
Kim and Barry do not own a TV and believe that their children can get all the information they need from their surroundings.
They also do not allow anyone to have computers. They do, however, have one household laptop but its use is closely guarded.
If someone wants to use the computer they must ask permission, and will be supervised to make sure they are using it for something worthwhile.
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Naturally, that means the kids are not allowed on social media, so no TikTok or Instagram posts on the horizon.
Lack of exposure to popular culture means that 16-year-old Lydia has no idea who, or what Spider-Man is and football fan Isaac, had never heard of quarterback Tom Brady.
NO SUGARY FOODS OR SODA
Kim and Barry also restrict their kids’ diet and will not allow them to consume soda or sugary foods.
Barry has previously said that the kids know what coke is but they don’t know how it tastes.
The first time Ethan tasted coke was when he began living with new wife Olivia.
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However, he couldn’t bring himself to eat ice cream after being banned from having it his whole life. He even told Olivia she shouldn’t be eating the sweet treat either.
Moriah, who is known as the most rebellious sibling, tasted cotton candy for the first time at 16, thanks to Olivia who introduced her to it.
HOMESCHOOLING
The Plath children are all educated at home, but it seems Kim doesn’t follow a standard syllabus.
She was hit with criticism during the first season when it became apparent that her kids don’t know basic American history.
The children apparently don’t know when the revolutionary war was fought and don’t know what the declaration of independence is. Moriah also doesn’t know who the founding fathers are.
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On how she homeschools, including adding a ballet class to the curriculum, Kim explained: “They’re expected to listen and participate and not just get crazy and run around and whatever.
“My goal is to teach them the best that I can about everything in life.”
In one episode Moriah and Micah complained to their mother about how her homeschooling left them lacking in preparation for the outside world.
Kim said in a confessional: “I know that some of the older children complain about their education, or lack of — I just hope that at some point, they’ll be able to see that we have tried really hard to give them a well-rounded education.
“We’ve taught all of them piano, how to read music, most of them have had voice lessons, and I’m really glad.”
CONSERVATIVE CLOTHES
The children are all expected to stick to a conservative dress code. Kim and Barry dress their children in long pants or skirts and high necked shirts.
They are prohibited from wearing bathing suits for the beach.
Barry has said that for the beach the kids have to wear long sleeves and pants or long dresses and explained it’s partly because they only go to the beach in the off seasons when the weather isn’t as warm.
Moriah was always the most rebellious and even before moving out of the family home she chose to wear makeup, ripped jeans and tight shirts.
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But some of the kids preferred the more conservative style, such as Lydia.
In an episode from season two, Lydia was seen trying on some new clothes that she wouldn’t normally wear during a trip to sister Moriah’s house.
Lydia tried on a couple of dresses but kept her tank top on underneath because she felt it was too revealing.
After trying on Moriah’s clothes, Lydia concluded she would never go out in any of them. She added that her body was a temple and that keeping it covered would, “present it in a way that’s honoring to God.”
WHY ARE THE PLATHS SO STRICT?
It’s been said that Kim’s past trauma influenced her decision to raise her kids in a very conservative way, to shield them from what she went through.
Kim has previously said her early childhood memories are not good, as she lived on a house boat with her alcoholic mother. Her father left the family home when she was a toddler.
“I spent the first four or five years of my life out on the water. My parents were both alcoholics, and I know they were drunk,” Kim said.
The reality star said she was often left to fend for herself and never got to know her dad who visited once a year.
“Until she stopped drinking when I was 14, she wasn’t really there,” Kim said of her mom.
Kim said she felt very lonely as a child and remembered playing card games by herself to keep herself entertained.
“That was my normal,” the TLC star admitted. “I didn’t know any different.”
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