Wellfleet

Amen! I have 5 younger siblings and we're all close in age, so just to get some peace, my Mom would pack ALL of us off for an afternoon nap. Even though, as a 6, 7 and 8 year old, I most definitely objected to this. Yes, my 2-year old sister needed her nap, but I didn't! Made me crazy then. I could never sleep, but I don't have that problem any more. LOVE my afternoon naps, especially Summer afternoon ones like Honey described. In a hammock too - sublime.

He's in school now, where he hears kids saying "Daddy" and probably not "Baba." It's a good change. It shows Will's assimilating. But Bill can always be "Baba" in Will's heart and memory.

Right. Boob found out how much true work was really involved - and dropped the idea like a hot tater tot...

I completely understand. I'd have been teary too, watching my parents drive away. Regardless of my age. But I'm a girl, and I'm willing to bet you are too. It's sociably-acceptable for females to cry - in public or private. And whether it's sexist or not [another argument], crying in public is still not something most American males are comfortable doing. I wouldn't have seen it as significant if Josh had been 18 and going off to college for the first time. But I felt it was very telling that he did as a 25-year old married male. Especially on-camera.

Yes indeed. To me, it was very significant that Josh actually cried when Boob and Me-chelle were boarding the stinkbus to leave him in Maryland at his big new house and FRC job. He was a 25-year old married man with 3 kids at the time - and he was crying? And on-camera to boot? I mean, it wasn't a death in the family. They were just - basically - separating as parents and adult children have done for 1000s of years. But he wasn't ready for it because of the unnatural and unhealthy way he was raised.

OMG. You have nailed it, cmr2014. One of the best posts I've read on this forum. Thank you for summing up the Duggars so perfectly - at least in my book - and for saying it much more coherently than I ever could.

This is what I think will happen as well. The Duggars may be back, in some form, in the Fall or possibly early in 2016 - but will peter out fairly quickly once the curiosity factor has been exhausted. No Boob or Me-chelle, no Josh and family. Probably as people have been speculating - just the married girls, maybe Josiah and Marjorie. Just the idea of listening to Ben, Derick or Jill in a TH is mind-numbing to me. And Jessa would only be a little better. And not for long.

You have no idea how much I hope you're right. But then I keeping thinking - this is America, where $$ trumps everything. Almost every time. So I guess we'll just have to wait and see...

Much sympathy, seashell - on the loss of your furbaby. I bet she had a wonderful time while she was with you...

I thought my brother and SIL had a great idea for birthday party gifts. They did not throw big "friends" parties every year for their kids. It was just too time-consuming and too expensive, especially since my SIL is a Martha Stewart wannabe and always went all out with parties. Also, they didn't want to buy into the whole suburban "keeping up with the Jones kids' birthday parties etc" thing. I'm guessing that they threw the traditional birthday-party-with-friends maybe 3 times per kid. When they did they requested donations to the local animal shelter in lieu of gifts, or if the party was held at the museum or planetarium, donations to that institution. She even started a trend in their Catholic school for that type of party. It was a nice way to teach a little charity and concern for others in the world, and there were always family cake-and-ice-cream parties every year for each kid where they very definitely got lots of new toys, books and clothes.

I thought Zoey was deliberately egging Will on too. Or at least asserting her Spunky/Sassy side. I see some awesome brother-sister scraps ahead in the Klein home. My niece and nephew have the same age difference as Will and Zoey - except my niece is the older one - and they often whaled on each other. Big time. Especially between the ages of four and ten. We often had to stifle our laughter - they were so cute.

Exactly what I was thinking. Curly there is going to be trouble - God bless his parents and teachers. :>)

Poor diets, poor hygiene, poor genes - in different combinations. There are lots of easy, inexpensive & natural treatments that are helpful for acne and other skin issues but everyone's biochemistry is different. What works for A might not work for B. They should do some Internet research and try a few things. But that would require being curious about the world, so it's unlikely to happen.

Also from World War I, I think - Praise the Lord, and pass the ammunition!

No kidding - how awful! Hope you are at least not in pain now. Good luck and speedy healing! ❤️

Completely agree. For Boob and Me-chelle, the eleventh Commandment is "Thou shalt be as lazy as possible..." And now that they have $$, they can afford to be quite lazy indeed.

True enough in the early years, for sure. But in the TTH? In the last 10 years? "Making enough" surely must have been covered. Even if all it meant was to follow the box's directions - for the entire package. I'm beginning to think Jill's "Oh dear, how do I make just 3 servings?" was contrived blather for the cameras. Instead of showing her to be competent enough to put a meal together herself - if she is that is - the geniuses at TLC thought making her bumble around needing her sister's help was better. Honestly, TLC is raising "feeble" to new heights every day. I was getting a Cat Stevens-Kenny Loggins-Dan Fogelberg-in-the-70s kind of vibe from this particular shot myself.

I could absolutely see a network trying to employ this kind of logic, but it wouldn't work for me. I like or at least can tolerate wealthy, entitled celebrities much more when they appear intelligent, well-spoken, aware of the greater world around them. At least then you can think they did something well enough to deserve success and money. It's the stupid, untalented and/or self-centered ones that are difficult to like.

Agree. This whole practice of Boob's so clearly shows what a complete doofus he is. How in the world can someone - a child no less - learn how to lay carpet or tile - or anything else for that matter - in one session? When I first saw this on their show, I thought I was drastically misunderstanding something. But no....

Just as they sell themselves on television, but don't watch it because it's all the work of Satan...

Definitely "Yes" to the control freak issue - and an even stronger "Yes" to thinking they could put one over on people this time. Why wouldn't they think it? They HAD been given so many passes previously. They don't even get it that they would never even be on TV if they were a Hispanic family, or an African-American family, or just about any demographic other than exactly what they are.

Or how about this, Jill? Make some extra - make more than you actually need. Take it from me. It's nice to come home from a busy day at work - or in your case, out - and find the fixings for a hot home-cooked meal among the various leftover containers in your fridge. Not to mention a fun way to learn to be a creative cook too.

Will turned five in February but you're still 100% right about everything - IMO. Your line about the bedtime reading making "my little teacher heart so happy" made me beam, because I've always felt the very same way. The one thing I said to every parent of every single child I ever taught was "Please read to him/her at home..." In general, parents aren't aware of just how much children LOVE having books read to them. Even when they look like they aren't paying attention. Even when they're older - pre-teens or teens. And have them read to you too. These are irreplaceable memories and so good for their minds too. I'll even so far as to say adults like being read to. Who doesn't enjoy listening to audiobooks - fiction or non-fiction in the car? On a long air trip? Waiting at the dentist's office or for your kid to finish soccer practice or dance class?

On the topic of "Who's being indulged?" I agree it really is Jen and Bill over Will and Zoey. Neither one of the kids seems to clamor - yet - for endless new toys and experiences, although they certainly love getting them, like any kid would. Jen and Bill have spent years watching family, friends and co-workers having babies, being parents and all that comes with that. And now it's their turn. They get to be the ones sharing photos, telling stories, throwing elaborate birthday parties, celebrating holidays etc. I think they probably couldn't wait to do most of these things, especially since they basically "missed" their kids' babyhoods. They're rites of passage for parents as much as they are for children. From what TLC shows, I don't think the kids hear "No" enough either. But I think - and hope - things are quite different when the cameras are off. Jen especially does not seem like the type who would want her kids to become spoiled and ill-behaved.

No, it's not in the water. It's human nature - and a coping mechanism. The Duggars are flat-out deluding themselves now that they're important or influential enough to warrant a left-wing media conspiracy against them. Delusional with a generous dollop of Gothard-style paranoia thrown in for good measure. However I'm not so sure Hillary was wrong about a right-wing conspiracy. She may have deluded herself in the beginning, but Bill did end up being impeached. And how about this? By a few fellows who had some sexual issues of their own - Henry Hyde, Dennis Hastert, Newt Gingrich.