satrunrose

Given what an unreliable narrator JB is, I'd love to know the real story about his father. Was he really awful, or just, like us, a dedicated snarker who told his son what was what? I assume there's not much in Jill's book about him?

My assumption was JB is trying to hold on to control and to keep any of the sons from realizing that they have better prospects getting some certification and maybe moving away from Duggarland. Honestly, though, I think it's more a reasonable possibility for most of the marrieds rather than a certainty. The only ones I really suspect are relying on JB in some respects are Anna (because where else is the $$ going to come from for the next decade?) and Jessa (I can't quite see a teeny church paying enough to support all of them and their amazon habit, and there's never been any indication that Ben has a second job).

I'm willing to bet that at least Anna, Jessa, Jana, the Lost Girls and Jackson are still getting most, if not all of their expenses covered by Jim Bob. For JD, Joe, Josiah and the Howlers, they may be drawing a salary from their own branches of Duggar Inc. but given the financial shenanigans Jill describes, I wouldn't be at all shocked if the money they make still goes to JB and then gets doled out. I say this particularly for the Howlers whose jobs seem to be building stuff for JB and moving cars. As for the inheritance, I'm assuming there are a few possibilities in play. 1- These kids are probably not that financially literate (see the tax fast one JB tried to pull). They may not know that 1/18th of JB's net worth isn't set for life kind of money. 2- A windfall's a windfall. JD, for example, might be willing to avoid making waves if the inheritance will let him upgrade the planes.

The thing is, these fundies love to show off, whether it's "I'm so much more blessed than you" to the heathens or "I can have socially accepted sex nah-nah" to the Fundie Lonely Hearts Club. The idea of living your own life and letting everyone else deal with themselves is completely foreign to them. It's hypocritical as heck, but so are a lot of the things they do. As for Kaylee, she and Nurie are the only ones who are supposed to know about marriage outside of chaste doe-eyes and closely supervised hand-holding, so most of her siblings are out. Precious Nurie also seems to have fallen a bit for Jill. I don't know whether it's some boundary Nathan put down, having two kids very close in age, not being the one who's dragged to every public performance anymore, or a quiet coup from andKaylee, but K. is definitely the golden child right now.

That was me. I'll admit, I was being generous in my original assessment, because I do feel that a lot of the players in this drama have some good points combined with a ton of sexism, intolerance and general jerkitude.. To be more brutally honest, I think Jeremy sees himself as a Henry Higgins and loves the photogenic, inoffensive book writing wife he thinks he created. I suspect that Jeremy could be a total arsehole if Jinger ever starts trying to find her own way outside of Stepford and I have a sneaky suspicion (with the tempted to cheat nonsense) that there could be trouble a brewing' when Jinger's not quite so photogenic.

Sadly, I can totally see "God guiding" aka Jill pestering, whining and threatening Renee to break it off if MM wasn't going along with the "whatever mahmo wants, mahmo gets" party. Maybe some of Jill's latest "fake Christian" and obedient children posts were inspired by MM, not Tiedi. The alternative, that marrying MM was a fate worse than the barndo/stink bus, is too depressing to contemplate.

Someone should send Carlin a link to Jill Rod's latest sermon about ye good olde days and modest dress. The same someone should send a hidden camera to catch her reaction and popcorn for the rest of us.

I'm looking forward to the fashion pages, myself. Fundie modest wear. Who wore it best?

I don't think there are any absolute heroes or villains in the Duggar story (with the very possible exceptions of JB and Gothard in the villain roles). Michelle: Her religion literally teaches that if she started having a headache every night post baby #5 or sided with the kids against JB that she could be attacked by Satan in this world and the next. On the other hand, Gothardism never said she had to let the kids grow up feral/sister momed because their mother "didn't have a heart for children". Like-wise, I don't think it was JB who was keeping a public calendar to track prime baby-making season. Jeremy: Seems loving and supportive towards Jinger. Was the first to start tiptoeing away from the Duggar insanity. On the other hand, he's openly anti-social justice, he's totally tied into a church that is fervently against women in authority, he wanted a meek wife, he talks over Jinger and doesn't seem to value her opinions, he only seems to value her for her looks and occasional cooking ability, is about as deep as a puddle no matter how much he preaches. Derrick: He supports Jill. They do seem to love each other. He seems less attached to the whole headship vibe than a lot of his in-laws (I'm including Jeremy, Austin, Jed! and Anna in this). More progressive than Jill in some ways (evolution). His support helped to get Jill compensated for the fact that her parents made a lot of money from selling her childhood. He's not gaslighting her about the abuse she suffered. If that excerpt from the book is too be believed, he took Jill's cues and let her handle a really tough conversation with her dad independently (and honestly, I do give Derrick a fair bit of credit for this. Independence is not a word that can be applied to a single Duggar except for Jill, IMO). On the other hand: He attacked a teenaged girl and loving parents of young children on social media and there's no indication, including in Jill's book, that he has any misgivings about that. We know, at least at some points, that dubious elements of Duggar parenting have been copied by the Dillards. We don't know where the needle lies between Jill needing to write this book to heal and Derrick wanting to write this book for $$$.

I think it was all JBs plan. In his idea world, he was going to have a compound full of sons and sons-in-law doing various unskilled and semi-skilled labouring jobs to keep the JB empire rolling while the women pumped out baby after baby, joyfully bringing them along to be featured on A Thousand Grand-Kids and Counting, season 25. JB our holy patriarch, would be benevolently controlling the purse strings for everybody. I think JB legitimately did see the money as supporting everybody, without ever wanting them to control a dime of that money independently.

It really seems like Mina is in a bit of a crisis. I feel a bit badly. I cooled on the show once they stopped keeping at least a bit of the historical architecture and transitioned to gray and black boxes with one of Karen's increasingly eclectic art projects, but I still feel badly if things are going belly up.

It's not quite pediatrician doctor, but it's close.

It's a weird split, for sure. On one hand, they don't like school or education, but they are absolutely delighted to show their three year old sitting in a corner with a work book or rattling off a Bible verse with no comprehension whatsoever of that they're saying. On the other hand, the things that should be easy(ish) with all of these godly stay-at-home moms (play-based and social learning, reading to the kid, talking to the kid, counting things, noticing patterns, drawing pictures), stuff that could easily have a Christian theme, if that's what floats your boat, just don't seem to be happening.

I agree with this completely. I don't see healing/money as a binary either, though. Probably I'm biased (helping profession) but it's very possible to do something because you see it as important (recruiting for Gothard was the official motivation for the series, Jill and Jinger being candid about their childhoods make those cults look less appealing) and because you like getting paid. If Renee Rod runs off with some cute, blue-haired girl at Walmart and manages to wrangle a book deal, I'm going to be happy that she is getting something out of her screwed up childhood, not shake my head at her for monetizing her misery.

Just you wait, it's going to start raining dryer sheets for forty days. Our Fresh Scented Lord Daniel is not to be trifled with.

I'm so glad that someone who needs to post on social media about surviving a day of mothering has decided that early childhood education/homeschooling is the path for her. 🙄

Exactly, I'm not prepared to call that freedom.

I think it's the context. I'm glad that Jinger finds her current theology liberating, but switching one cult that tells women to sit down, shut up and keep breeding for another that still says to sit down and shut up (breeding at your discretion) just isn't that interesting to me as a non-conservative Christian(ish person). Jill's, on the other hand, answers some of the questions I've had forever about how the money was structured and why so many of these kids are staying in their parents' orbits.

I would pay money for that guy to have gone all "parable of the lost sheep" on his smarmy ass. Yeesh, if you're going to thump the bible, at least know what's in it.

I've always thought JB controls the kids/kidults through a mixture of money, appeals to protect the faaaaammmmily and a heaping helping of hellfire. Jill's book is just confirming that.

Oh, it's YJ*............O all the way for those two * on the J because their Jesus is less the biblical one (love thy neighbour, do onto others, don't be a hypocrite) and more a convenient toadie who agrees with everything they wanted to do anyway (ie being a controlling jerk).

Oh, for sure, but would DBD have the get up and go to find that desperate lady who would be happy with a luxury Ohio Barndominum, a lazy husband and thirteen profoundly weird kids (just to be clear, this last one is completely on Jilldo)? I'd also be fascinated to see what happens to the money with a hypothetical NuJill. Women aren't supposed to work in their world, but I firmly believe that between the grifting and the self promotion and the tours and the ladies retreats and yes, even the plexus, Jill is mostly what keeps the family going financially. Could DBD find someone else who could loudly and proudly laud him as the headship while doing all the money making work behind the scenes?

I don't think she/the show are out to ease anyone, though. I mean, has she ever found that the ghost is friendly Uncle Bob the joker who likes to pop in and startle you from time to time, or nice Mrs Smith who built the house and just likes to check in once in a while?

I wonder what would happen in the opposite situation, ie if Jill is called home to Lord Daniel after a tragic plexus overdose.

Does that explain why so many of the kiddult marriages seem to have the spouse just kind of get Borg-ified into the IBLP family while their birth family takes a serious back seat (the Rod son-in-laws, the way Anna's family doesn't seem to be doing much to support her, Ben and Justin and Claire in the other direction)?