I’ve avoided jumping on the Jon & Kate bandwagon, but I just read that over 10.6 million people watched on Monday night when the parents of eight announced their divorce on their TV show "Jon & Kate Plus 8."

I was one of the 10.6 million. I’m not proud of it. In fact I’m embarrassed that I partook in making something so personal and difficult into a public spectacle.

I enjoyed watching the early years of Jon & Kate. It’s strange, but I was oddly fascinated by how the couple managed to parent eight children, six infants. As the oldest of two, it was a whole new world to me. So I watched with interest as the couple coordinated naptime and a trip to the dentist. The mundane was interesting.

But eventually, watching the show started to feel icky. I began to think about how I would have felt had my entire childhood been taped and broadcast on television. These children were never given the chance to lead private lives.

So my love of Jon & Kate waned. I tuned occasionally, but eventually stopped even doing that.
Then a few months back, I read an article (I can’t find the link) shaming the couple for exploiting their children and living off the fact that Kate had given birth to eight kids. I was disgusted and decided to quit the show.

Yet where was I on Monday night? In front of my TV watching them announce their divorce. I don’t know why. But I felt compelled. At the same time, I felt guilty throughout the entire show. I seriously hope their children never watch the DVDs. No one should be forced to watch their parents marriage dissolve on TV.

So once again, I find myself quitting "Jon and Kate." But this time I mean it.