‘Welcome to Plathville’: Does Lydia Plath Feel the Same Way Moriah Plath Did About Her Parents’ Rules – and Is She Dating?
On Nov. 10, TLC’s Welcome to Plathville returned for season 2 – with more fractured family dynamics than ever before. Several of the Christian fundamentalist Plath family’s children (especially 17-year-old Moriah Plath, 22-year-old Ethan Plath, and 19-year-old Micah Plath) began to rebel against their parents’ strict rules as they got older.
Ethan and his wife, Olivia Plath, cut themselves off from their parents, Kim and Barry Plath, altogether. Meanwhile, Micah and Moriah both experimented with more revealing clothing, social media, and dating.
But not all of the Plaths’ kids seemed to be rebels at heart. Lydia Plath, 16, opened up to her sister Moriah on the Welcome to Plathville season premiere. Unlike her siblings, Lydia said she was perfectly happy with the sheltered way she’d been raised.
The sisters discussed their feelings about their unconventional upbringing
On the Welcome to Plathville season 2 premiere, Moriah and Micah – who moved out of the Plaths’ home and began living as roommates after the first season – returned to visit their parents and siblings for the first time in months.
During the visit, Lydia and Moriah sat down for a heart-to-heart about their very different attitudes toward their strict upbringing. Moriah had always been a bit of a rebel and longed for freedom and independence. Meanwhile, Lydia was known for toeing the line and being content with her parents’ rules.
“What are some things that I do and believe that you think are crazy?” Lydia asked her more free-spirited sister.
“I don’t think any of it is crazy,” Moriah corrected her younger sister. Still, the Welcome to Plathville star admitted that she would feel “caged in” if she was still at home like Lydia.
“I don’t feel caged in one bit,” Lydia reassured Moriah, adding: “I don’t want you to think that I felt like you felt when you were here, because I don’t.”
The sisters agreed they had ‘different journeys’
Moriah still wanted to know if Lydia ever planned to “experience the outside world.”
“I experience the outside world just enough to know that I don’t want to be like that,” Lydia confessed soberly.
“So there’s something wrong with me?” Moriah asked.
“You have a different journey than me,” Lydia said warmly, making it clear that she didn’t judge her sister for the divergent path she’d chosen.
Ultimately, Moriah and Lydia told TLC producers, the sisters had a deep “understanding” of each other, despite their many differences. While her younger sister followed her parents in many ways, Moriah explained, they respected each other – which she appreciated, since she didn’t always feel that respect and lack of judgment from her parents.
Still, Lydia assured Moriah that she wasn’t planning to stay at home forever. She wanted new experiences, too – just not the ones her sister wanted.
Lydia also hinted at a possible love interest
One of those experiences, Lydia hinted, might be romance. When Moriah – who now had a boyfriend of her own – asked about her sister’s “love life,” wondering if there was anyone she might be interested in, the 16-year-old dissolved into a fit of giggles that told the whole story.
“Oh, dear,” a clearly embarrassed Lydia laughed. “I can’t say!”
When Moriah insisted that her sister spill the beans, Lydia finally admitted she was interested in someone and hoped the relationship would develop.
“I definitely don’t have a boyfriend, if that’s what you’re asking,” the Welcome to Plathville star clarified. “There might be someone I’m interested in or think is really nice or something, but that’s all.”
Lydia was even more coy and shy when TLC producers asked the same question. “There might be a little special someone,” she hinted with a smile, “but right now it’s just between me and God.”
The Plaths’ third-oldest daughter said she was heartbroken by the fractures in the family
While Ethan, Micah, and Moriah might have radically changed their ways after leaving the Plath nest, Kim and Barry told TLC producers they weren’t as worried about Lydia’s longing for independence.
Hinting that her third-oldest daughter was more obedient than her older siblings, Kim said, “Three of the older children have kind of gone their own way, but Lydia is the next one in line to leave the nest, and at this point, it doesn’t look like she’s gonna rebel and go some crazy way.”
Despite Lydia’s many differences from her older siblings, the Welcome to Plathville star said she fervently hoped the family would find a way to come back together. She especially missed her older brother Ethan, who no longer had any contact with the family.
“Family is so important to me,” Lydia said with tears welling up in her eyes. “It can be really hard when I think about what it would be think if Ethan were in my life. I love him so much. I pray for him all the time, and he’s always in my everyday thoughts.”
Lydia and Moriah ended their visit by promising to spend more time together and build their bond, no matter what was happening between the siblings and their parents. Moriah invited her younger sister over to her house, hoping their relationship could continue to thrive despite the family strain.
As for Lydia, she told Welcome to Plathville producers she was more than grateful for the chance to keep that bond alive. “Even if our paths continue to separate, our relationship can still grow,” Lydia said of her relationship with Moriah.
