Wellfleet

I have to think there's a screenwriter or a producer, in some little hole-in-the-wall office - or bar - in California at this very moment, outlining a treatment of the whole Duggar story, possible casting etc. So hang in there, Boob - there may still be a little cash in the winds for you...

Thank you Cherrio - LOL'd big time on this one! :>)

I really don't want to watch the Duggars any more - ever - in any way, shape or form. I actually haven't wanted to watch them for about 8 years or so. But apparently they were a weird, irresistible train wreck for me. Even if they do go on, I'm out. The only "reality" family I will continue to watch will be The Little Couple. I usually feel good - or at least better - about a lot after that program.

I wasn't a massive fan of the LPBW but must absolutely agree - it was reality. And I have to say - I never picked up on undercurrents or weirdness as I did within a few months with the Duggars. Everything with the Roloffs was, well - out there!

Wow, they're all coming out of the woodwork, aren't they?

Every time I hear about this culture blaming the female for every instance of male failure, I've wondered one thing. What would Boob and Me-chelle do if Josh had molested his brothers - instead of his sisters? Without any lowly female temptresses in the equation, who gets the blame then? What kind of lame, pat answer would they regurgitate in that situation? I can't even imagine it...

100% agree - most of the people who support them see only the net result. They see obedient, clean, respectful "Yes ma'am, no Ma'am" kids who don't give them any trouble, talk back, get bad grades, stay out past curfew etc. They don't ask how this is actually achieved, or at what cost, long-term. They never get to that "how" question - if they ask any questions at all. IMO, not the brightest porch lights on the street.

Thanks for posting this. I spent two hours last night looking for a link to sponsors/list of sponsors I know someone else posted a few days ago but couldn't find it.

I'm betting that after all the surgeries he's had, Bill is a pretty tough nut when it comes to pain. Not that he can handle more of it than others - and not that it isn't awful either. But I imagine his parents didn't coddle him or let him feel too sorry for himself when he was little - and he's learned to put the best face on it that he can. Buck up and get on with things...

I think Josh taking the FRC job was somewhat of a shot to his parents, especially Boob, who clearly did not think it was a good idea.

This definitely crossed my mind. Even if not a factor in the end, it can't be good for males to hear this from the time they're little boys, basically. And Boob was probably doing more yammering than most fathers.

Sorry - a flip comment of mine got out of hand.

OMG, after the recent news about the Duggars - I couldn't agree more. With every word. I just might have to get their book now too. I wasn't going to, because I don't really think there'll be much in it that we didn't already see on the show, but now I just think I will anyway. If for nothing else than the sheer, happy, life-affirming joy of it! Welcome back Bill, Jen, Will & Zoey! We missed you more than you know. :>) PS - delighted to hear how much progress Will has made with his speech! Attaboy, Will!

Hello! I'm the other person in North America who's never had - and never will have - a Facebook account. I guess we're a club now. Let's get jackets made! :>)

This description of Boob is very close to the one I've been imagining all these years. Basically a one-note bumpkin-y douche who doesn't have Clue One about how big a doofus he really is. The kind of guy you duck behind a door or dart down the stairs to avoid when you see him coming...

Perfect description of the scene this past weekend. Boob and his goons holed up somewhere making plans. I bet there's no hillybilly, Hee Haw, yuck-yuck goofball grin on his face now. Welcome to the real world, Boob. You haven't been here for quite a while, and news flash - a few things have changed...

Very true, at least in my experience. During the years I worked in university admissions, I probably processed 50 or 60K applications, give or take, and although I can't say I saw a lot of applications from homeschooled students, the ones I did see were from excellent students with excellent scores. In fact, until I began watching the Duggars, it really didn't cross my mind that there were actually lazy, poor homeschoolers out there. I know - duh!! But they certainly cleared up that point for me.

You and Shakespeare are both so right, fuzzy. "Methinks he doth protest too much..." True 500 years ago, still true today. Probably always will be.

I was thinking the same thing. I don't have kids, but the babies I've known were all at least six months old, I think, before they rolled over. Or even started to try doing that. That Maisie can do it at what? Four months or so? Truly amazing. Maybe she's compensating for the deafness physically too. She certainly is one tenacious little nipper - a quality that will serve her well. :>)

Yes. To start with, they're both 2nd century in their thinking. Wake up, look around, get an education and consider situations from other points of view occasionally. Just because something has been done one way for eons doesn't make it good. Slavery, for example, comes to mind. Maybe - just maybe - God intended for the human race to grow and change - for the better.

IIRC, GEML said, quite a while back, that the Kellers were much more fundie-royal than the Duggars, and it was actually Josh who was marrying up.

To be honest, for the past few days I've been picturing Boob handcuffed to one of those ladderback chairs in their "dining room" with a big towel stuck in his mouth. I imagine any PR person would have had to do something nearly this drastic to keep him from yapping. I just see him as almost bursting he needs to talk so badly. Either that, or he's been sedated.

A very sensitive and accurate portrayal, I think, of the anti-cochlear faction. Thanks for taking the time to explain it a bit. PS - go on and on all you want, wander. About anything. You write SO very well. I'm one of the many here, I'm sure, who hopes you'll someday do a book or even an article about your journey through the NICU with Little Miss. In your spare time of course...

I understand what you're saying - and I have no problem with Julia Roberts, for example, telling reporters "No questions about my kids or my personal life" because she's being interviewed about the movie she's promoting. Not her own life. But the Duggars whole "drawing" point - the reason they were offered a TV spot in the first place - was how different they were from the "average American family." It seems very natural to me that people would have questions about their lifestyle and the beliefs behind it. If they were so OK with it all, why wouldn't they share it?

These "anti-implant" people are absolutely amazing. Are they deaf? Hearing? A mixture? Doesn't matter I guess. It's just ludicrous to dissuade you from going with the implant. Any caring, sensible, thinking parent would do exactly what you're doing. No one wants his child to be different, or to struggle and face difficulties that they had the power to alleviate. I wonder about the woman who told you that you weren't being "accepting" of Maisie's deafness. If her child lost a leg in an accident, I suppose she wouldn't allow him a prosthesis? It's ridiculous. I bet you will never second-guess yourself on the choices you're making for Maisie. You are broadening her world in immeasurable ways. Anti-Implant Lady is closing doors.