While promoting her new dating show Kate + Date at the TCAs on Tuesday (Feb. 12), Kate Gosselin came to her own defense. Since coming into the public eye in 2007 with the premiere of Jon and Kate Plus Eight, the 43-year-old mom has come under fire for her strict parenting style. She addressed the backlash with the help of her twin daughters Cara Gosselin and Mady Gosselin. “I am a very protective parent, as you probably know,” Kate said. “It comes from a place of love. I do think that I care so deeply that I have been, at times, overzealous.” As her kids have gotten older, especially 18-year-old Cara and Mady, Kate said she's gotten more relaxed. “I don’t have to keep after them,” she said. “They’re self-driven. They have goals and dreams, and they’re just good kids. … With them turning 18 and going off to college soon, I don’t have to worry.”
At the TCAs Cara and Mady also spoke about being a part of Kate + Date, saying they've been urging their mom to start dating again for years. "We're all, all eight of us, are so glad that she finally is," Mady explained. "She deserves to be happy. Everyone deserves to be happy." Cara and Mady will help Kate and a matchmaker pick dates for Kate on the upcoming reality show. Kate, Cara, and Mady shut down the criticism they face for documenting their personal lives on reality television. "I feel like, more than anything, it has enriched their lives," Kate said of her kids' experience growing up on camera. "It has made them world-wise and taught them a lot about people's intentions I think more so than other kids their age."Will you be tuning in to Kate + Date?
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