Super Nanny has picked a deaf couple

Supernanny Signs and Saves Deaf Family!

Supernanny Signs and Saves Deaf Family! | Reality TV Magazine

Supernanny Jo Frost faces a new challenge tonight, deaf parents with four daughters who hear normally. The three youngest girls take advantage of Mom and Dad, and older sister Melissa ends up acting like a second mom. “When I’m home, I don’t get treated with respect,” Melissa says, thinking her parents only want her around to babysit and clean up.

Dorothy and Kip Baulisch have four children, age 5 -18. The little girls fight constantly. “Jennifer is very, very explosive. She’s always angry.” Melissa says. The girls are disrespectful and mean to each other. “They think because they’re deaf they can be wild,” Dorothy says. Bedtime is a fiasco. Also, the younger girls don’t know sign language very well, because mom Dorothy can talk and read lips. Kip is Melissa’s stepdad, and she feels separated from him. “I’m kind of like the hearing mother,” Melissa says. “I just want to be the sister,” she says.

Observation Begins
“We need help,” Dorothy says. She feels like giving up altogether. Jo arrives to a warm welcome and an interpreter to help with sign language. Immediately Jo sees how the girls completely ignore their mother. They don’t listen, and don’t watch her signs. The girls whisper behind their hands so that Mom can’t read their lips.

Kip and Dorothy rely on Melissa to be their interpreter whenever she’s around. Jo tries to understand how Melissa handles things. “I get overwhelmed sometimes,” she says. Melissa works two jobs and she’s still in school, and she just wants her mom to understand her and hug her.

Kip doesn’t think he has any sort of relationship with Melissa. “I do love her,” he says, but doesn’t think she loves him back. He’s been her dad for 9 years, but doesn’t feel like they have a connection.

It’s dinner time, and 5 year old Kristin decides she’s not going to eat green beans. She throws a screaming fit, and finally Dorothy puts her in a timeout. Melissa walks in, and invites Kristin to sit and eat with her. Mom doesn’t do anything about Melissa taking over the parenting.

Bedtime is late, at 9 pm and the girls just run up and down the hallway. No one will stay in bed and they fight, too. Two hours later, and the Baulisch’s are still trying to get their girls to settle down. She begs Jo for help as she reaches the breaking point.

Parent Meeting

Kip and Dorothy try to hide behind their disability, but Jo won’t hear it. “Just because you’re deaf doesn’t make you any less of a parent!” Jo tells them. “Communication has broke down,” Jo says. She wonders how they can do anything together when the girls won’t learn sign language. “It’s mandatory,” Jo says. “It’s not an option.”

Dorothy argues that Melissa is more strict, but Jo tells them she can’t parent for them. “Let’s talk about Melissa,” she says. “She wants to reach out to the pair of you.” Kip is afraid because she is always angry. “She’s been helping more than enough,” Jo says. “She is meant to be one of your kids.”

Jo also wants them to set up a bedtime routine, and promises to help them change.

Teaching TIme
Supernanny shows up the next door with a new set of rules to post on the wall, and explains them clearly. Jo insists that the girls learn ASL every day. “If the parents make it fun, the kids will be motivated to learn,” Jo says. Kip is looking forward to the girls learning.

Next, Jo wants to heal the rift between Melissa and her parents. She brings them together to have a conversation. “You do everything for his kids and you don’t help me with anything,” Melissa says. Dorothy says she tries. Melissa is too angry to even talk and runs out of the house. Supernanny convinces Melissa to come back and talk to just her mom, without Kip around. Melissa lets out her frustration.

Supernanny tells Dorothy what she needs to do in order to mother Melissa. “I am with you for life,” Dorothy tells Melissa, and they hug. Melissa goes to try to talk to Kip, but he’s still upset from everything that has happened. “I love you,” she tells him, and they hug. It’s a nice first step.

Jo sets up cameras in the girls room to help Mom and Dad navigate bedtime. She goes over the standard bedtime procedure, and gets to practice right away because the girls are all out of bed already. “The key to the bedtime technique is persistence,” Jo says, but they are wearing Mom out. The girls go to sleep soon enough, and Kip even reads them a story. The TV monitors allow Dorothy and Kip to watch them and nip any naughtiness in the bud.

Supernanny Leaves
It’s time for the Baulisch family to try Supernanny’s techniques on their own, and she leaves for three days. The DVD review goes well. The kids are learning sign language and not fighting all the time. Bedtime is happier and Kip has time to read them a story every night, now. “Now we can watch TV in peace,” Dorothy says. “I feel at peace,” Kip says. “I’m so happy.”

Dorothy and Kip spring a surprise on Melissa, though, and she’s not happy. They want to go on a cruise. The last time they went on a cruise, they left Melissa in charge of everything for a week. “The last time she went on a cruise, she just up and left us,” she says. “I was a wreck. It was bad.” Dorothy says her father and Kip’s sister were at the house, but Melissa felt it was too much.

Supernanny tries one more time to patch things up between Melissa and her parents. She lets Melissa tell Kip and Dorothy her real feelings, and they finally seem to understand each other. Dorothy promises not to leave Melissa in charge of everything anymore, and Melissa feels better now that she’s gotten everything off her chest.
 
Learning sign language thru a game of dice. Some sign language and no caption

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As for hearing kids not learning sign language, I made my mistake with my daughter and she doesnt know sign language well but we are working on it.

When my son was born, it was voice off and ASL with him only and at almost 3 years old, he is a pretty good signer but lately, he has been using spoken English more and more than signing. I still use ASL with him.

I dont know if my kids depend on spoken English a lot cuz their fathers are hearing?

So, I stopped using my voice with my daughter about 3 years ago..her receptive skills are pretty good but she still expresses herself thru spoken English and sometimes, I miss on what she is saying. My son is going back and forth.
 
I watched the show. I was happy to see that everything has worked out for the family at the end.
Kudos to Jo! :yesway:
 
I did not forget on time when after I woke up from the nap, I was very excited to watch that show.
 
Darn. I'm sorry I missed it. I so happy to hear that things are going well. I really hope they stick to those routines. I single parented for 4.5 years. And I know how important routine is to a parents peace of mind. It makes all the difference. Now I can read my boys their bedtime story together. Then I put the youngest to bed and they go to sleep at 7:30 without a sound. When that routine gets thown off because something pops up. All hell breaks loose.

I wish that family the best of luck.
 
Deafnewspaper link on other thread still said "She thought it was autograph event, did not realize it was tryout". Means she did not plan to have supernanny to come to her home.

Fluke. I am still nervous how this SuperNanny will change things around for deaf community. I dont want other hearing people to think all deaf are not good. But will watch it when get chance to.

No true. I do not beleive that hearing people would think negative about deaf parents to hearing children because they know it does the same with hearing parents as well to deaf or hearing children. Did you notice many hearing parents apply for Super Nanny for solve the problem with their hearing children? ... Why can´t deaf parents also have one then?
 
yes i saw it! interesting! someone told me that it is common... i puzzled.. but i agree with jolie about commicate barrier.. yup that is one! ... i saw that they said it 90% deaf parents with hearing childern have that plm!

90%??? I do not agree.

Not just deaf parents who have problem with hearing children but the hearing parents does have the same problem with deaf children as well.

 
90%??? I do not agree.

Not just deaf parents who have problem with hearing children but the hearing parents does have the same problem with deaf children as well.


No, they just said that 90% of deaf couples have hearing children.
 
When my son was born, it was voice off and ASL with him only and at almost 3 years old, he is a pretty good signer but lately, he has been using spoken English more and more than signing. I still use ASL with him.

I dont know if my kids depend on spoken English a lot cuz their fathers are hearing?
I found that (when teaching ASL), two different langauges should be separated.

if parents are deaf, spoken english should be learned at school/clubs/etc and use only ASL at home. but like you, it's harder when mother ASLs, hearing father speaks at home - it confuses and slows the child's language development down. keeping it separated (one at home, another at school), the child will pick up both languages faster. I'll have to find the source for you sometimes, it explains better than I.
 
Liebling:-))) said:
90%??? I do not agree.

Not just deaf parents who have problem with hearing children but the hearing parents does have the same problem with deaf children as well.
jillio said:
No, they just said that 90% of deaf couples have hearing children.
and only 10% of hearing parents (of deaf children) know sign language.
 
I watched the show and it was good. I would say it okay. But I think they got some help to work on the family relationship as well as commuications relationship. But I hope it works out for them all. :)
 
No, they just said that 90% of deaf couples have hearing children.

I was like :confused: when he said "they said it 90% deaf parents with hearing childern have that plm!" which I thought it´s behavior, he point out since the posters described about 4 hearing children´s social behavior.

:ty: for correct my post.
 
The thing is, it bugs me watching the show because it kinds of portrays of how us deaf people do with our hearing children by depending on them. It may be true but of course, not every deaf parents would be doing that to their hearing child to depend on them for anything else.

Honestly, it´s not just deaf parents who depend on their hearing children as interpreter but hearing parents as well to their hearing children for their deaf siblings...

I speak out of my own experience... Yes, my parents and I depend my one year younger hearing sister as our interpreter for long years... My parents have no good patience to understand or communicate with me that´s why they use my sister as an interpreter which is "quick and easy". My sister moviated to learn sign language after saw me and my best friend... She want us to teach her how to sign language.... My parents and siblings are too lazy to communicate with me... My sister interpreted for all my siblings and parents to me...

Before my sister´s funeral 2 years ago, my Dad tried to use my son to interpret for me. I stopped him and told him that Danny is my SON, not my interpreter... If you want to talk then talk to me directly. My Dad was shock and cried when he saw how my both sons can sign language with us and understand each other pretty good. He wish he understand me like my both sons and my sister. He admitted that he has no good patience with me in the past and feel bad. My Dad and siblings started to learn sign language and have good patience with me... They were surprised that I have no problem to read their lips... They understand what I speak... sometimes not... Their last visit to Germany was last year - We learn to understand each other and accept the fact that my sister was no longer alive.

My Dad told me that he suggest my mom to go class to learn sign language after discovered my deafness but my mom told him what the doctor said that I can learn to oral.... They don´t bother to go class because they thought school taught me how to oral... Sure, but I need sign language... not oral all the time. The problem is they have no patience with me.


Anyway, that´s how I read the whole thread since Sunshine1 #94 and remind me of my childhood....


 
I read the whole thread since Sunshine1´s post #94 what and how you shared your description and POV after saw TV last Friday. It´s sad...

Blame poor parental skill for expose children´s poor social behavior, not deaf or hearing itself.

Example of Byrdie714´s post:
(mind you, it has nothing do with deaf or hearing itself)

First of all--why did the parents even considered going on an deaf cruise without their kids? As the daughter pointed out--it's habitual when the parents go hang out with their deaf friends and shirk their responsibilities as parents. Making her the responsible one. No wonder they had issues.

Unfortunlately I has to give Bryrdie714 right. Many deaf or hearing parents have no time to be responsiblity parents to their children. No wonder why they have lack of communciate, lack of understand children´s problem or movement... How could they understand their parents when they didn´t see their parents much or have hardly communicate with them. We alway have our time to communicate with our boys anytime and also meal time as well.

My opinion is: I beleive in parent´s job to be responsible for their children, not depend someone for me. What´s parent for? If we want to have children then is our responsible, not anyone. Example: I went to USA alone for 9 days without my hubby last year because my hubby stay home with my boys due boys school. We do not want to give someone to watch our boys because it´s our responsiblity. My both boys ALWAYS come with us when we travel anywhere... If we want to go Deaf Cruise then we have to wait until my both boys are 18 years old or whatever then we can go alone without them.


Very true, Jillo #115.
 
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