Kim Plath is the leading lady of new TLC show Welcome To Plathville. Kim and husband Barry are the parents of nine children and lead an ultra-conservative lifestyle on their farm in rural south Georgia.
They are Christian fundamentalists and Kim says: “God revealed to Barry and me that we were going to marry.”
However, Kim wasn’t always so conservative and had a pretty wild few years in college. Reality Titbithas details about Kim’s views on her youth as well as more about the show.
Kim drank and took drugs in college
Despite the strict and sheltered upbringing Kim gives her children, she wasn’t always so conservative. During an episode of Welcome To Plathville, the mom of nine revealed that during college she would drink and take drugs. The reality star explained:
I went through some rough times in college because of my wildness.
Kim Plath, Welcome To Plathville
She went on to say:
Driving when I was drunk and waking up in the car parked weirdly on the lawn, passed out. You know, taking drugs and driving across town at 3 o’clock in the morning. You know, I could have died so many different ways when I was in college and by God’s grace I came out of it, and he saved me and I live a different life now. But to me, the better thing would be for (her children) not to have to experience all the junk I’ve experienced.
Kim Plath, Welcome To Plathville
They now lead an ultra-conservative lifestyle
The couple explained on the show they chose to raise their nine children in a more sheltered environment than most kids.
That means home-schooling, limited access to technology, and a ban on processed sugar, which means no soda or ice cream for the kids.
They raise their kids pretty much off-grid on a 55-acre farm in South Georgia, where they try to live as self-sufficiently as possible.
Some of their kids have expressed resentment
Of all Kim’s children – Ethan, 21, Hosanna, 20, Micah, 18, Moriah, 17, Lydia, 15, Isaac, 13, Amber, 10, Cassia, 8, and Mercy, 6 – some of the older kids have expressed resentment at their lifestyle.
Daughter Moriah has said on the show she often doesn’t feel accepted by her parents for wanting to dress differently or go out and explore the world.
Meanwhile son Ethan and his new wife Olivia have said they received significant criticism from Kim and Barry for choosing to eat ice cream and drink alcohol.