Outdoors on a beautiful sunny day, Kody Brown, his sixteen children, and three wives celebrate his marriage to wife number four, Robin, in a traditional wedding reception with food, music, family and friends. Cameras were not allowed at what could only have been a strictly religious ceremony, but one can imagine an odd moment of pledging faithfulness to a new bride while surrounded by all three previous wives. This lifestyle is so foreign to most people that watching this family on a reality television program is not unlike watching a television drama; but, it isn’t drama, it isn’t scripted, and it is very much how the Brown family lives their lives. Polygamy is not something we see every day, and most people already have preconceived notions about that lifestyle; however, the Brown family is by all standards living the American dream. They had the massive home needed to house so many people. Now that they have left Utah they have multiple homes in a middle class suburb, and Kody can often be seen driving off in his little white sports car. Their family appears happy, healthy, and well taken care of. Viewers should watch “Sister Wives” and broaden their understanding and tolerance of a lifestyle completely different than their own.
Watching Sister Wives is a lesson in relationships, and watching the dynamics between Kody and his four wives is very interesting. He seems to bend over backwards to make all of his wives feel special, and together they all take very good care of their children. This massive family might not be traditional, but it seems to work for them. If happiness, and harmony, are indicators of a functioning family unit, then this family has it in spades; they always seem to be laughing, and when things are serious, they are very open with one another. Viewers could learn from the openness of the Brown family and the open dialog they share in regards to their feelings on issues as big as Kody’s fourth marriage, to as small as how to handle seating arrangements when taking all the children out.
The show has never been more serious than the end of the last season, where the Brown family is the subject of a criminal investigation due to their polygamist lifestyle. Polygamy has a long history of some very foul practices, including child brides, so it is no wonder why the state might be concerned. This family, though, is not that kind of polygamist, and it is important that we not lump them all together. The family in “Sister Wives” does not live on a compound; they do not segregate themselves, or their children, from society. No one entered their marriage under age, and none of their children are being married off to other polygamists. They have made it clear that polygamy is optional for their children; they do not assume or expect their children to pick the same lifestyle they have.
Realizing the chances this family took going public helps viewers appreciate their struggle even more. This family desperately wants to live out in the open, without fear of persecution, or prosecution. They want to be accepted as the polygamist family they are, but so many people have a limited understanding of what that means, or just have negative opinions of people who live that lifestyle. Much like every other race, religion, or humanity in general, there is a range of good, bad and everything in between. This family might not resemble ours, or the majority, but that does not make it any less of a family, or any less relevant; at the end of the day they are just living life like everyone else.