Have you noticed how the blended family article sticks to Terri? It tells us everything about Terri except the number of fillings in her teeth but next to nothing about any other members of Kyron’s blended family. It could be retitled as “Terri Horman’s life and experiences” and nobody would notice the difference.
To recap the blended family article:
Terri standing with Desiree at a presser, Terri and Desiree have not spoken in public, Terri is the last to see Kyron, Terri is the first to report missing, Terri cared for him for years, Desiree went to Canada, Terri became Kyron’s caretaker, Desiree and Kaine married, got pregnant, divorced, Kyron was born, Desiree was ill, Kyron moved in with dad, Terri moved in, Terri is Desiree’s friend, Terri brought her son, Desiree came back in the USA with bills, has new husband and close relationship with Kyron. Terri and Kaine’s relationship blossoms, Terri and Kaine got married, looking buff in their bathing suits on Hawaii, Terri posts happy photo on FB, Terri gets a candy red apple Mustang for Mother’s day, Terri writes on FB about it, Terri has a vanity plate, hair and nickname. Terri and Kaine get a girl. Kaine’s family has names starting with K. Terri and Kaine’s family play boardgames, go bowling and have been to Disneyworld, the Roloff farm and the zoo. Terri volunteers at school and takes kids swimming. Swimming teacher has no idea Terri is stepmom. Terri was born March 14, 1970, grew up in Roseburg, the daughter of two teachers, Carol and Larry Moulton, graduated from Roseburg High School in 1988, met first husband in Umpqua Community College, married in 1991, got a child Jan. 26, 1994, divorced in 1995, didn’t get child support in 1996-98 and tangled in court 1999, remarried 1996. Terri’s new hubby adopts and pays child support 500$ a month. Terri gets a bachelor’s degree, moves to Beaverton, separates in 2001, and divorces again in 2002. Terri looked for work, was a substitute teacher in Hillsboro, Eastwood, Mooberry and Lenox elementaries. Moves in with Kaine, stops teaching 2003-2006 to be with Kyron, earns a master’s in education 2004 from Pacific University, dreams of being superintendent of school district, likes WOW, does bodybuilding, placed fourth in a competition. Terri drives drunk, Terri is attentive mom and gifted teacher who would not hurt a child, posts lots of daughter photos on FB and sends them to her ex. Terri’s son moves in with grandparents. Kyron’s parents have cordial relationship. Terri’s mom comforts Terri and Kaine. Kaine’s dad says it’s devastating to lose a child.
Do you see a pattern? The article drops some names in Kaine’s family history but there are no details about them. The article very briefly mentions that Desiree is married to a Medford police detective but doesn’t say the date of their marriage or anything. They report, however, that Terri and Kaine were married in Kauai looking buff, and we know what Terri got for Mother’s day. We don’t hear what Desiree or Tony’s educational history or career ambitions are, no idea what their nicknames are, what kind of cars they drive or what they do on the internet, what their hobbies are, nor do we hear anything about their extended family. We know the exact birthdays of Terri’s other children but the article doesn’t even say if Desiree and Tony have other children although they’re very much part of Kyron’s blended family. We know that Terri plays World of Warcraft, we know what her licence plate says and we know when she went to the zoo with her family. We know Terri’s exact birthday and what her parents do but there is no mention about Desiree’s parents, if they’re even alive. We know which high school Terri graduated from and which elementary schools she used to work at several years ago but the article makes no mention about what Desiree does for a living. We know when Terri was in court with her first ex years before Kyron’s birth but we don’t know when her mom married his stepfather. We know how much child support she’s been getting monthly but have no idea about Desiree and Tony’s finances beyond her medical bills from 2004.
Some of it may be reported simply because the reporter had access to Terri’s facebook and not that of Desiree’s but the article is clearly focused on Terri, like it’s a celebrity featurette, or a suspect profile.
Wonder what the reporter really thought of her? It’s written quite nicely and they say nice things about her, but the exclusive focus on her despite the title makes me wonder.
