satrunrose

To be honest, I've been thinking for years that I want to see a prequel of Nonnatus and our original crew of nuns (Sister Julienne, Monica Joan and Evangelina) during the blitz and maybe the 30s (also not a great time for women and low-income places). In the early seasons, Sisters E and MJ made some pretty harrowing references to delivering babies in bomb shelters that I think would be cool to see on screen. Heck, I would like to see Sr MJ before her "we wrote ourselves into a corner with a 15 season show and a character with a degenerative neurological disease" era. I sometimes get the feeling that she was a bit eccentric, or at least wildly pretentious, before she ended up with plot-convenient dementia. Actually, a story-line about her early decline would be some really interesting tv, especially since it sounds like she was a really good midwife at that point.

Ah, I see we've moved from "richer living through Plexus" to "Jill Rod, fashion maven (buy the look here!)" and now we're back to "a poor, GODLY woman with sooo many delightful little waifs to feed (send money, Mahmo needs a 16th vacation!!)".

my dad's family was big, but very regularly spaced out in the pre-birth control era. I always wondered if it was a coincidence or my grandma putting her nurses training to good use.

Agreed. I was on-line teaching during the pandemic and it was a hard go with fully trained teachers who knew the content and had 7 months getting to know the kids as learners before we went on-line. Most kids are really ill-served by computer-only (or workbook only) instruction and the younger the kid, the worse it gets.

So, I work with kids Olivia's age and I guess that's why this makes me rage more than the typical Jill drivel. What about your daughter, Jill? You know, the one the whole family loves so much? Who's her favourite author? What's her favourite colour? Her favourite food? Her favourite animal? Her favourite subject? Heck, do the fundie edition, What's her favourite chore? Her favourite psalm? Her favourite hymn? What is she praying for? Is she quiet? Is she loud? Does she question things? Is she helpful? Is she independent? Is she a dreamer? Does she like to make stuff? Is she an introvert? Is she high energy or low? This is your daughter's day, damnit! Can you, for once, not make it all about yourself? Also, The fact that Davey's sperm finds your egg on a regular basis may or may not have anything to do with how much you're SUPERGOD's bestest little vessel (I'm going with not, but hey, mileage may vary) but the fact that you got pregnant 19 times doesn't make you a mother. Animals do that. Bacteria do it every 20 minutes or so. If you want to be crowned mother of the year, try and show some minute understanding of your children as individual people, not as your props to show everyone how wonderful you are. And, as usual, Jill, feed your kids. PS. And Olivia, if you ever get a chance to read this, please know that it's a big wonderful world out there and you can find people in it who will honour your birthday because you are a special person deserving of care and attention, not because of how you were born or the miscarriages that came before you. Some of them will even have the same faith as you were brought up in, if that's what's important to you, but you will find people of every walk of life who are ready and eager to see you for the wonderful individual you are. I pray you will move outside your family to find those people someday. Best wishes from an internet stranger on your birthday.

Well, yeah, why would you want to enjoy amenities (and maybe see people in *whispers* bathing suits) or got to the local shops when you can learn all about how to not feel resentful when your Mama chases off your godly young man (Renee) or how to properly praise BME for slapping you onstage with a premie to sing in the traveling circus (Kaylee)? This is important content, people!

There are three things that trouble me about the way kids are exploited by their influencer parents. 1- When possible, kids (especially young kids) should not be breadwinners for their families. That's too much pressure for a little person and I think kids are fully capable of picking up on the pressure even if they don't understand the economics. (See the rictus grins of the Rodrigues kids and Layla's duck lips) 2- Kids don't reliably understand the difference between real and make believe until they're about 7. The problem is, Evan and Carlin's kids are living most of their lives in this weird in-between "reality". I'm not sure that it's easy for kids to figure out the difference when they aren't seeing a model of real vs imaginary at home. (Or, I don't know, maybe it's easier if E and C are much less ditzy off camera). 3- Being on public display. This is my biggest issue, actually. I remember when Jon and Kate + 8 was on, I heard some middle teens go on a long rant about how bratty one of the twin daughters was. I can't imagine having to grow up under the shadow of people you've never met, from another country, no less, having Strong Opinions! about your character. We later found out that between age and stage and the dynamics of the household, there were some very good reasons why the kid in question didn't keep sweet, but thanks to the exposure she is, and always will be 'the brat'. That's not fair. In this case, Layla has strangers on at least three sites commenting on her size, her toilet training and her eating habits. We've been pretty compassionate around here, but just the thought of the world commenting on my toilet habits as a small child gives me cold shivers.

Well, no wonder, Jill the martyr had to assemble all of those piles of books for social medial. Think of all the satanic paper cuts! All Sam and Gabe had to do was learn algebra math... ya know., theoretically....

Another fundie contradiction. It's fine to give away pieces of your heart if it was parentally approved, chaperoned and no bodily fluids were exchanged. It does seem like more mega-families (Bates and Duggars especially) finally did realize that hyping a courtship up as "God's Plan!!!!!" only to have them crash and burn was doing a number on the kids. That's why they slowly moved to a pre-courtship "getting to know you" period (aka dating). Jill isn't going to flex her performative rules for the well-being of her children, though.

So, to be clear, the same woman who wept for days over internet meanies saying she shouldn't be spreading her son's (lack of) sex life all over Hell and creation is reacting to her sister spending Christmas in the ICU and being at risk of going going on a ventilator by having a less "cheery" heart. Sweet Baby Jesus indeed.

Okay, so I over think emojis, but here I've been going back and forth on whether Jill is doing the compassionate thing by staying out of everyone's way or the selfish Jill thing by not going to offer support. Seeing those messages, which read like a response to something like being stuck at the airport for Christmas (frustrating and disappointing, but not life or death) has officially made my mind up. Jill is...something else... Wonder what the three Christmas ghosts would show her if they paid her a visit tonight.

I think we've figured that the Clearing House must make up the bulk of their income. $100 per 1000 tracts may not be exactly right for at cost, but it isn't enough profit to care for a family and while I certainly believe Plexus is keeping Jill in manicures and baseball bonnets, even the most optimistic numbers from plexus itself isn't enough to support a family. Unless Dave is secretly making bank on Amish uber, I think the waifs have encouraged enough of the kindly folks at their grift stops to give them a monthly donation through the Clearing House to keep things more or less afloat.

1- Because it's what the fancy people do and 2- Because it continues to imply that Carlin's health is very delicate (all evidence to the contrary)

Who needs money when our selfless Jill will give you all the smiley-face pamphlets you can carry?

To be slightly fair to them, does anyone answer the fantasy jobs question with a realistic goal? One of my answers to that question is historical costume design. I don't cosplay or even sew beyond mending seams and assembling sweater parts, plus there's very low demand and I likely wouldn't make enough to live on. Still a dream job, though! Not to say that Jinger and Jeremy's continued semi-working success isn't one of the mysteries of the universe, though.