Kim Plath is always used to getting her way on Welcome to Plathville, although she tries to disguise her controlling behavior, especially towards Micah Plath, as love and concern. She has been known to manipulate a situation to her benefit while pretending to remain unaware and innocent of any wrongdoing. This is precisely why her son Ethan Plath has intentionally distanced himself from her over the past few years.
The news of Kim’s split from her husband, Barry Plath, is an outcome no one saw coming, not even Barry. While he is left grappling with the harsh realities of his failed marriage, Kim has emotionally checked out. The kids aren’t picking sides and instead are trying to cope with the surprising revelation and what life will look like going forward. It is something they will need time to process and heal from. Unfortunately, Kim doesn’t see it that way and is continuing to ignore boundaries and refusing to acknowledge the pain she has caused.
While some of the Plath kids believe their mom has turned a new leaf, others are still skeptical. Ethan, in particular, doesn’t want to reconnect with his mom just yet. He has had to deal with a lot more than his younger siblings, which they will never fully understand. Kim has now found a way to reach out to Ethan even from a distance, and viewers are frustrated she is using her son, Micah, in the process. Fans of Welcome to Plathville dedicated a thread on Reddit to discuss their thoughts about Kim's manipulative behavior. FunFactress wrote, "I feel like Kim is being very manipulative with Micah in the hopes he will be able to convince Ethan to talk with her."
When Ethan expressed his frustration over Kim and the unnecessary drama to his younger brothers, Isaac and Micah, they quickly shut down the negative discussion about their mom. Micah defended her and explained that Ethan isn’t giving her a fair chance. . Although Kim is portraying herself to have changed, Ethan has his doubts. Kim's strong convictions in her faith held power over Ethan throughout his entire life and influenced a lot of his decisions. The strained relationship between his wife, Olivia Plath, and his parents has also taken a toll on him and his marriage. Reddit user, mmmmmmadeline commented on the thread writing, "Micah and Isaac really doesn't get it, they haven't walked in Ethan's shoes. They really are diminishing Ethan's experience with Kim, he has to process it on his own time and it's obvious Ethan wants to assess Kim from afar just to see if this is another act of hers."
While Ethan has learned to live without his parents in his life, the younger kids still desire to have that connection. Although Kim has stirred up a lot of drama, they still want to continue to see the good in her. Some fans aren't surprised that the mother of nine can successfully manipulate her children to be on her side. SunnyDazd contributed their thoughts and wrote, "These kids were starving for her approval, her affection, her attention. It’s easy to see how she could then manipulate them. Which disgusts me even more."
Even if Kim has truly changed, she has never reached out and apologized to Ethan or Olivia on Welcome to Plathville. Instead of taking initiative and attempting to mend things with a genuine open heart, she wants all to be forgiven without taking any blame or responsibility. This is the behavior that keeps Ethan so far removed from wanting any meaningful relationship with her and doubting her intentions.
Sources: FunFactress/Reddit, mmmmmmadeline/Reddit, SunnyDazd/Reddit