Lester & Betty's failing marriage

While watching An American Crime, I noticed that Lester told Betty that he got a job traveling with a county fair and he asked her to help him with it and he even said that if they leave the kids behind and work together, maybe they wouldn't fight as much. My question is, did he really say that, or was that only in the movie?

Several people don't have a great opinion of them as parents. I am assuming that the writer of that movie did not either.

I don't if they said that for sure, but to get a job at a carnival when you have two teenagers to care for and sends to school isn't very responsible. I'm sure there were other jobs available in town. So that seems very strange to me.