MonicaM

Of course they look happy. Healthy teenagers in the throes of lust and first love are happy. They're around the same age I was when I had my first "serious" boyfriend. If I looked through enough boxes, I might be able to find a picture of the two of us in a similar pose, with similar genuine smiles. However, not six months after the picture would have been taken, we were attending different universities in different cities, both of us dating different people. Life and feelings change. Normally, when you are a teen, life and your feelings change even faster. The Duggar way doesn't allow for those normal changes. Ma and Pa refuse to recognize that their own story of marrying quite young and living "happily ever after" is the exception, not the rule. I graduated from high school forty six (yikes!!!) years ago. Several people I know married their high school sweethearts, and not one of them stayed married. Actually, now that I think about it, most of the people I know who married their college sweethearts also ended up divorcing. I may not be around to see it, but my sad prediction is that years down the road, the divorce courts are going to be clogged with Duggar couples filing right and left. Unfortunately, there will be a TON of children involved. And also, unfortunately, most of the couples who split will have nasty, messy divorces. Partly because there will barely be enough money to support one residence, let alone two. But also because the Duggar/fundie mindset is so ingrained against divorce, that they will have to spend years in complete misery, and they'll finally break it off because they absolutely hate their spouse.

Absolutely no apology needed!!! I'm caregiver for my husband, and there are days when I wake up so full of anxiety and dread that I can barely drag myself out of bed. Caregiving is exhausting in every way. Mr. M and I have been married almost forty years, and we're best friends. I can't imagine acting as caregiver for someone when you don't have the history and deep emotional bond that we do. You deserve a medal of honor for what you have been doing. Just today, our caregiver support group had a meeting on zoom, and they emphasized the importance of having someone to talk to. I don't have that someone, and it sounds as if you don't either. If it helps you to vent here, please do so, as often as you need. I would also be happy to "talk" with you via private message if that would help. Hope you are able to get some relief ASAP - and don't worry about your "bad guy" image. His family sounds like the kind of people who's opinions don't count for anything.

True. However, the cynical part of me also knows that Ma and Pa Duggar are very aware of optics, and they don't want to look as if they have totally cut out Jill. I wouldn't put it past them to make sure there are at least a few pictures on social media of Ma with her wayward daughter so that the public still believes she's a mother who actually cares about her children. Personally, I'm not buying it, but that's just my opinion. I don't buy much of what these people try to sell.

For whatever reason, this grates on my nerves. Mykelti, and only Mykelti is pregnant. She and Tony are EXPECTING. As much as he looks as if he's carrying twins or triplets, he most assuredly is NOT pregnant.

I'm sure Kaylee Arlissa has a wonderful servant's heart and all that BS, but I suspect she tackled the closet because she's bored out of her mind. What else is there for these kids to do all day besides busy work and trying to gain favor with big mama? Maybe they are used to a tedious, do-nothing-but-church lifestyle, but it looks hellish to me.

That photo hurts my eyes. It's not a flattering picture of any of them. Even Jinger looks as if she grabbed the first two items of clothing she saw at the thrift shop. The background color clashes with their clothing choices and even with the color of the lighter shades of hair. Whoever decided to go with this picture either has absolutely no eye for what looks good, or enjoys making the Duggar clan look terrible. Joy was smart to miss this photo session!!

Very true. However, I strongly suspect that if he had any kind of substantial employment or education, his wife would be shouting it to the masses all over social media. She's very image conscious and very aware of what's said and written about her family. Two of her sisters get to post about their husbands who are working towards advanced degrees and she makes only vague, occasional references about Bin coming home from work. IMHO, that says a lot. If she had something to brag about, she'd be bragging.

Aside from the parents and probably the grandparents, who really cares? When I was pregnant, my husband and I could hardly wait to find out the gender, but mainly because knowing somehow made it more "real" and we had longer to fight over the name. We told our parents as soon as we knew, but they were excited about having a grandchild. If one of my friends asked, I would tell them, but most of them didn't ask. I believe they were happy for us to be having a child after so many years of infertility, but as far as boy or girl, there was very little curiosity outside of immediate family.

I don't think Ma and Pa will ever acknowledge that their daughters were harmed in any way.

I seriously doubt it. My guess is that he's read comments about all the free time he seems to have and wants to give the appearance he's working hard. I think a more realistic GIF would be of him lightly and effortlessly jumping from one float to another, while wearing a perfectly tailored suit.

What a lovely picture from 1918. Michelle certainly does look a lot like her great grandmother. 🤣

I rarely post on FB. I've put very little personal information on my profile. I use my nickname and my profile picture is a cute shot of one of my dogs. Never filled in anything to indicate marital status. A few weeks ago, I started getting "friend" requests from men I didn't know. Most of them were (supposedly) from very nice looking men on another continent. Some sent a short message as to how attractive I was in my profile picture. Others were apparently led to pray for me and wanted me to accept their request quickly so they could know my specific prayer needs. Most were just requests with no introduction or explanation. I enjoyed blocking each and every one of them, but it makes me sad and angry that they continue with this scam because there are people who fall for it. I know people who automatically accept any friend request, partly because they like to brag about how many "friends" they have. A friend of mine almost fell for a different scam just last week. She's not super old (65), college educated, retired from a high powered career, and happily married with several adult children and grandchildren. Hardly a lonely, vulnerable senior citizen. However, she answered a phone call because caller ID gave the name of her cable company, and talked to a very nice man who indicated he needed to trouble shoot a problem with her internet. She was turning on her computer when it FORTUNATELY dawned on her that this guy was about to take control of her machine and have access to all of her personal information. I don't answer my phone unless it's a number already in my contact list. Yes, I've missed some legitimate calls this way, but a legitimate caller will leave a message and I can return the call.

Kind of like how lottery winners end up broke. Many of them never had any significant amounts of money, so they have no idea how to handle a windfall. The difference with the Browns is that their windfall has come in more slowly over the years so they weren't able to blow through it all at once. When their TV days and paychecks come to an end, it will be interesting to see them scrambling to save their expensive homes and cars. Hope Robyn is enjoying that million dollar house because the big mortgage payments, utilities, insurance, and taxes will be due whether they have the money to pay up or not.

I don't think JB (or Michelle) have ever believed that what darling Josh did was rape or incest of any form. I think they kind of vaguely acknowledged that the victims didn't like it, but to the public they definitely tried to paint a picture of "very little harm, very little foul". However, I completely believe that had this happened in a different family who didn't agree with his beliefs, and JB heard about it, he would be the loudest protester, demanding that the perpetrator be publicly hanged, drawn and quartered in the town square.

Some days, my only goal is to make it to bedtime so I can sleep and hope the next day is better. I'm a caregiver for my husband, and life revolves around whether he's having a good day or a bad day. Fortunately, so far he's had a fairly good week, so we've been getting out a bit more than usual. For us, going to one of the local parks and getting some fresh scenery and walk time is a huge factor in mental health for both of us. I'm hoping that as the weather improves and we're able to get outdoors more, both of us will have a better attitude and outlook. Between quarantine and weather so hot we can't even enjoy time outside on our deck, it's been gloomy around here despite the sunshine. I don't post a lot, but I do enjoy reading, and the humor around here often gives me a much needed lift. Overall, my goal is to lose the unhappy attitude and get outside for at least an hour every day. Doesn't have to be all at once, and if nothing else, I can take my laptop and get some fresh air while I read all the great snark on several of these forums.

We're friends with a couple who both have a real estate license and they make a very nice living. However, they work hard and work a lot. Days, evenings, weekdays, weekends, all the time. Fortunately they love their work and are able to do it together because it pretty much takes up the majority of their waking hours. They work for the convenience of their clients, not the other way around. Not sure Joe or any of the Duggar offspring have the work ethic it takes to be successful in real estate. At least not at first. He might grow into the job, but most agencies want results and won't have patience with someone who runs on Duggar time and has never worked a full time stressful job before.

I've thought this from day one of the show.

I'm surprised she hasn't been sued. Our local hospital is merciless about collecting on accounts. I have friends who have been sued for an outstanding balance of less than $1,000. I have to wonder what hospital would not aggressively try to collect on a balance of nearly half a million dollars - particularly when the parents who owe that balance are on television living a very expensive lifestyle. My theory on the health insurance is that before the television program, all the Brown children were covered by Medicaid. When the TV money started rolling in, they no longer qualified, and their parents couldn't be bothered to replace it with private coverage. Just my guess.

Those pictures bring back many fond memories. I hope Jill knows that it's normal to be happy and a little sad at the same time when sending your child off to school, particularly kindergarten. It's an adjustment for both the parents and the child. Hope this first week goes smoothly for everyone.

The big difference I see between the scrapbook trend of the 1990's and today is that we documented our lives for ourselves and our children, not for likes and fawning comments on social media.

I think he likes just about anyone more than he likes Anna. I don't watch the show, but I've never seen one clip, not even from their wedding, where he seems to show the slightest bit of affection or respect for her. Just my opinion, of course, but I think Anna needs to hope JB lives a loooong and healthy life, because without him to keep Josh under some measure of control, he may take his inheritance and hit the road.

Ironically, down the road, "Lollie" and "Pops" may end up benefiting from Jill and any other Duggarling who has managed to break free and live an independent life. My parents ran their own lives very capably for many years, but as they aged, they began to rely more and more on my brother and I to help them make decisions and to carry out those decisions. They were able to do this because they raised us to be capable, independent adults with life skills. Without some of their children becoming much more independent, the elder Duggar's could easily end up needing assistance, but surrounded by adult children who don't know how to do anything but wait for JB's next command. Right now, if JB's health or finances falter, every member of his family except for Jill will be directly affected, and I don't see any of them having the maturity or skills to take over and salvage whatever can be salvaged.

You could really dress up this meal with a salad and homemade bread. 😆

What's shameful is how many people won't seek help because of attitudes like that. Unfortunately, even some doctors have a condescending attitude towards depression and anxiety. My son and I have both run into less than compassionate medical personnel who seem to believe that people somehow choose to have crippling depression. I suffered for years because of this, and only when one of my own sons had similar problems did I find the courage to persevere and get him the help he needed. As you said, it's a matter of BRAIN CHEMISTRY. Not even an insane person would choose this!!!!!

Roping in another mare would only get my viewing attention if she was shallow, vain, empty headed, and had an obnoxious giggle that clearly annoyed the crap out of Kootie. Someone who would make him at least ten times as miserable as he's made the four women currently in his harem.