Wellfleet

They've had lessons, but I'm almost positive they don't practice. Anymore at least. The older ones probably did a bit, way back when. Let's face it - they don't have a mother who makes them practice, and that's difficult to do when you're on the road so much of the time anyway. And bottom line, you must practice to be good. Therefore, we get violins that sound like cats being diced by a lawnmower...

I think they - TLC - end up with the freaky people because they're the ones that want the $$ and the fame - and they're WILLING to be filmed, to have their lives opened up like a can of tuna etc. People who truly THINK about what it would really mean to be on TV week after week, cameras in their homes, private lives exposed etc are too smart to say "Sure, sign us up!" IMO, it really is a matter of overall intelligence - and the only ones in my book who've gone the reality route with any dignity at all are the Little Couple - and even they've filmed things I don't think I would.

Would that this was true, but it sure sounds like the hopeful fantasy of a tabloid "writer." Time will tell.

So true. Good grief, what delicate little hothouse flowers the Duggars are. Very high maintenance. I would think if they actually were God's chosen people, as they believe, they'd be able to completely knock any temptation that dared to rise up in their path. They wouldn't need to hide from them, and they wouldn't need to depend on others to keep them honest. A truly strong, disciplined person of character doesn't need someone else watching his every move.

Huh - I'm sure in his case, dancing is nothing but moving his body around in funny movements. And now I guess we know something else Boob can't do. And no, I can't imagine any of the Duggars at a museum, a symphony, an opera or ballet or concert. Even if, for example, Boob was taken aback and stunned to find it a surprisingly wonderful experience, he would never state that, because he can't ever admit he was ever wrong about anything. And any of the younger Duggars would think there was something wrong with them if they found such experiences enjoyable, uplifting, or beautiful. They are truly missing so much...

Very well-said, Some. Very!

After this latest news that Jill has passed the CPM exam, I would guess that she's been providing pre-natal care for Jessa. So to speak. It's probably been part of the plan all along for Jill to take midwife training so that she could provide the family with [free] pre-natal and delivery care for the next generation of Duggar baby makers.

Well, something tells me Jill will only be involved with family births, so you shouldn't have trouble booking her...

I'm not proud of this, but I hope that CPM is racked with guilt. I hope she sees that baby every night, in God-awful nightmares. I hope her entire life has fallen apart. And I really hope she is no longer delivering babies.

The answer is most likely somewhere in his childhood - and sorry to say, in Bill Gothard's.

Go for it, Happy. When and if you feel right about it. You could start out by just talking about one teeny little detail or happening from your day. I think you'd be surprised at how quickly you find yourself swamped with ideas on what to write. You don't have to write War & Peace every day. You don't even have to write every day, although I'd recommend it. I like a daily blog better. If there aren't posts fairly regularly, I tend to forget about them. I prefer relatively short ones too - a few paragraphs is plenty, maybe with some photos. After all, most of us are busy people. A couple of the blogs I read regularly are weekdays only and that's cool too. We all need time off. But think about it - you'd truly be awesome.

Totally agree. TLC promoted this show showing Whitney as a I'm-big-but-I'm-also-fabulous-and-I-don't-care-what-people-think type. Then they do a 180-degree change - for the sake of ratings IMO - and show her emotional at every "Fatso" comment.

OMG, I am getting SO tired of these people. Fundies can pour forth ad nauseam on how they don't trust the government or the courts, how they're being "persecuted" for being Christians by the secular government etc. They can say WHATEVER they want to say. IMO, if the US population was a family, fundies would be the spoiled, self-absorbed toddlers. They want everything their way, and they want it now. They don't want ANYONE telling them what they can and cannot do. They don't want to obey any secular laws, only God's. And His laws as THEY interpret them, by the way. Kim Davis, refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, was simply the equivalent of a frustrated 3-year old stamping her foot and pitching a fit. Well, I might have a solution. Let's assume, for the sake of argument, they ARE being persecuted - just like the Pilgrims in 17th century England. The Pilgrims did not try to force England to adapt to them. They didn't deliberately have more children than they could support to build an army of God's soldiers. They risked everything - including in those days, their lives - and found a new land where they could live according to their own lights. For our poor, present-day, put-upon fundie Pilgrims, I'm thinking some nice little unoccupied tropical island out in the middle of the Pacific would be very suitable. First off, it would provide the isolation they claim to want so much. No worries about Internet access to the seamier side of life and bad influences. Except for the odd hurricane, year-round sunshine and fine weather, enabling them to grow much of their own food and textile plants for clothing. In fact they could probably make most of what they need to live strictly from island resources and trade with each other. No need for $$ or traditional jobs. They can pray and read Bible verses all day long without traditional jobs taking up so much time. No cold weather - one wardrobe usable throughout the year. And most importantly, they'd be free to create their own society as God wants it. Jill can assist or deliver all the fundie babies the mothers want to trust her with - there won't be any picky government standards or minimum requirements to be met. Just wanting to do something - and watching someone else do it for an hour or two - will be enough. Of course it will never happen, because fundies - the Duggars in particular - haven't the courage. Plus the Duggars would never do that much work, certainly not for anything that didn't directly supply them with cash. And bottom line, because they really DO know how good they have it here. But the Duggars and their fundie friends on a desert island somewhere - permanently. It is fun to think about, isn't it?

I must admit when I first heard of "Southern women shows" I thought - excuse me?? What in the world is a "Southern women" show? I've lived in the Northeast my entire life and have never once heard of or seen any "Northern women" shows. Or for any other region of the country either. Do southern women really view themselves differently? Or maybe the better question is - WHO sponsors/organizes 'Southern women' shows?

Cute photo of Zoey. She looks like she's lost the 'baby' look too. I'll be eager to see how she and Will are doing...

Sounds like that doctor is righteously, and correctly, FED-UP with those half-baked midwives out there - and the entirely-avoidable tragedies caused by their incompetence. Women, like Jill, who may not have attended high school much less college-level classes. The comments here are full-tilt too. I wonder if TLC will re-think matters at all? It sounds like a massive anti-Duggan effort is planned. And PS - where do I sign? ETA - with apologies to all the competent, well-trained midwives out there, many of whom work with under-served and rural populations that may not have good hospitals or doctors nearby. As churchhoney said, it shouldn't be assumed that all CPMs are idiots, just because Jill is...

They really can't write - not really. They just transcribe what they'd say out loud. IMO, big difference.

IMO, this is one of the factors that indicates a mature person, or at least someone on his way to maturity. Recognizing the possibility that he or she might not be right about everything, that others may also have ideas and viewpoints worth listening to & even considering, that you can't truly understand any issue if you know only one side of it. The older we become, the more we see, and the more there is to know. Only young people have everything knocked - I know I certainly did. I'm sure my own parents found me pretty insufferable, but they never told me that. And thank goodness, for the majority of us, the know-it-all phase doesn't last long. Life tends to come along pretty quickly, biting each of us on the bee-hind and altering all those best-laid plans. And, hopefully, teaching us lessons we couldn't have learned otherwise.

Happy, you should write a book - no kidding. I got a real Erma Bombeck flash reading this post - truly. You are a gifted storyteller - of both happy and not-so-happy tales. You could describe cleaning out the gutters and make it an enjoyable read. Just had to tell you. Anyway, think about it. insert sarcasm font here - Because I'm sure you're looking around for things to occupy your time. Happy weekend, my friend... ⭐️

I think for 2 reasons. 1 - They "write" the same way they talk, which is generally spazzy. 2 - Knowing that college was not in their futures, I doubt many homeschooling Fundie parents spend a lot of time or effort on teaching Little Fundies how to write well. How to make a point in a clear and concise manner. How to start paragraphs with a "grabber" to draw the reader in. How to make your last few sentences a summary of the whole paragraph. Etc etc etc.

Absolutely, especially the paragraph about getting REAL work. I'd love to see each kid - all 19 - quizzed again on what he/she wants to be when grown up. From the first time, I remember there were a lot of "missionary" responses in the crowd, with some of the youngest giving the typical "fireman" or "doctor" answers. It would be SO interesting to hear when they might say now.

Me too. But I honestly don't think they are that smart. They'll still have Boob yammering in the background, pressing for more TV and more publicity. They're more immature and much more clueless than the average 20-somethings - very likely to think things will stay, as they want them to, for a good long time. And finally, not smart enough to see how wrong that could be. Even when they have a stunning example of that as close by as their oldest brother.

Ah, that makes sense. Thanks, Micks. I've never watched the Kardashians, mainly because they never seemed interesting to me. Bruce won a gold medal in the Olympics eons ago when I was 20. That was an accomplishment. But as the song goes, what have they done lately? Since being involved with this forum and seeing so many comments - all negative - about them, I won't even peek at their PTV forum out of curiosity. To be well-acquainted - not to mention fed up with - TWO wealthy, entitled & dysfunctional families who are supreme money-grubbers, who don't deserve what they have and who are admired for the wrong reasons by a lot of not-very-bright people... Well, that kind of aggravation I don't need. When is someone going to do a reality show about some poor schlubby research scientist, who spends 14 hours a day in a lab trying to cure cancer? And more importantly, when are all the clueless Duggar, Kardashian & Other leg-humpers in this country - really going to realize what is important, valuable & admirable in the world? Heavy sigh...

Not for nothing, but... I'm loving Ad Block. No ads of any kind ever get through on PTV. Highly recommend this.

PMK? It's his "Howdy Duggar" face...