But my favorite part (and by "favorite" I mean most appalling) is the parents who live in the Hamptons, leaving their 16-year-old daughter and 18-year-old son in a Manhattan apartment to do whatever they want.

Shouldn't somebody call child protective services?

The difference is that Jon and Kate had been portrayed as a loving couple with eight beautiful children. We bought into that portrayal, forgetting that it's a "reality" show.

We feel betrayed by the Gosselins at this point. And some of us feel vindictive.

It's like a politician caught in a sex scandal. It's going to be a bigger story if he had spent a lot of time promoting "family values."

Again, I don't know what the truth is. I hope that "Jon & Kate Plus 8" goes out of production and, eventually, the tabloids and the paparazzi leave these people alone.

Yes, it's a TV show. Yes, Jon and Kate made themselves public figures.

But, in the name of common decency, shouldn't we leave the kids alone? And that means we have to leave their parents alone, too.

Otherwise, any claims that all we care about is the kids ring hollow and hypocritical.

E-mail: pierce@desnews.com