Wellfleet

Very true. The GED, at least in my state - New York, is no walk in the park. I helped my Mom prepare for hers in the 70s during my senior year in high school, and I was very glad all the material was so fresh for me, because it was definitely not your basic can-you-spell-your-own-name type of test. Mom took it the Summer after I finished my first year in college, and we were all thrilled when she got the letter stating she passed. I'm actually a little more impressed by people who earn educational credentials in this manner. When I was in high school and college, school [aside from 20 hours a week at a work-study job] was all I did. But virtually no one who studies at night is solely "going to school." Most are working [full or part] and/or running a household at the same time. Someone who can earn a GED/college degree at night is worthy of our respect, and someone who can do it summa cum laude, while also working and raising a family, deserves undying respect. Now THAT is an accomplishment.

Hmmm, Jessa writing a book? Can't quite see that. If she does, won't she be eating her words? Didn't she make some kind of snippy crack about the "relationships" book the four girls did? About it being the last time she'd ever be involved with such a thing? However, if she does decide to write a book, I hope she has a ghostwriter lined up - again - because she'll seriously need one.

And Me-chelle is the one who whispers under her breath about Ben: "He shore has got a purty mouth..." Eew-ick.

Made me laugh!! PS - be sure you hang onto Mrs QF. Anyone who can be that doped-up but still alert enough to crack wise at the same time has GOT to be a lot of fun to be around... I wonder if they're going the cord-blood route? I hope so. I kinda doubt it, but you never know...

Joe gave all his children the finest educations money could buy - both girls and boys. He encouraged them all to read and travel. He let them date and choose their own spouses [and as far as we know, had zero creepy involvement in their "personal" lives]. Most importantly, he told each of them they could do and be anything they wanted. Other than both being wealthy and controlling [and news flash, Boob wins the controlling contest] I guess I don't see many parallels between old Joe and Boob at all. Not that Joe was perfect - far from it. I will hand Boob one thing - I doubt he ever cheated on Me-chelle. But then I also doubt he ever had any opportunity...

I wonder if Boob would be monitoring everything if John-David was married? IMO, he doesn't consider any of his children adults until they're married - and I have to say I'm not all that convinced he thinks it even then. Something tells me he'll overseeing everything, and making all the really important decisions, for as long as he's able.

Unless they really and truly are the dumbest people in the free world, I think TLC is 100% aware of the Duggars whole deal. They clearly show the "other side" from time to time - Boob & Me-chelle's little demonstration at miniature golf, for example. To me, it's not all that surprising that Boob behaved that way in public. Sadly, that's about his speed. He really is that much of a clueless, unaware 15-year old hillbilly. He's even proud of it. But the fact that the network aired it - THAT'S what was shocking to me. In thinking back and in seeing the endless reruns they broadcast, it slowly dawned on me that TLC has shown a lot that's questionable about the Duggars and their "way of life." They sometimes ask obviously-pointed questions in THs as well. Boob might not be aware of it, but I don't think they're necessarily invested in continuing to show the Duggars in their best light, to be the wonderful wholesome Christian family the leg-humpers believe they are. IMO, TLC will continue running this show as long as they get the minimum audience they need to make a profit, or until the Duggars have their own "Mama June and the pedophile" type moment, whatever that event might be for them.

Completely agree, and a question. I've never been pregnant but it's been my experience that at four months women can still easily reach their own feet - unless maybe they're having multiples. Is this right? If so, little Jilly Muffin was totally grandstanding here. Oy, she becomes more Me-chelle every day.

Psychologists tell us you must be able to feel anger in order to feel love. It's my personal belief that you have to experience sadness to truly appreciate being happy as well. The Duggars are trying to eliminate all the negatives of Life for their kids, not realizing that they're also removing the point of reference for Happiness. Without experiencing heartbreak, loss, sadness - hell, even being chosen last for a basketball game - you can never really appreciate joy and that feeling of lightness that always comes with real happiness. If Boob gets his way, these kids are going to lead, for all intents and purposes, sad uneventful lives [whether they have a dozen kids or none at all]. And when real sadness and loss comes their way, they're not going to have any idea how to cope.

The truth always finds a way...

I have no doubts that Boob would use this card, among others, to hold sway over certain kids who might get out of line. But eventually it's going to dawn on someone - Josiah maybe? Jana? that Boob is a millionaire, that they managed before TLC $$ came along and that they can manage again. Together or separately. There are just too many of them that they'll all remain like-thinking automatons forever. It's just a matter of time before Boob gets toppled and IMO, it'll happen sooner than later if he's threatening the kids behind the scenes. Even just one of them.

Derick painting Jill's toes was inappropriate - and probably a suggestion from the ever-pervy Boob. But if having wet toenails got Jill out of bridesmaid errands, then it seems like she has studied well at Me-chelle's feet, hasn't she? No pun intended - LOL.

After a lot of observation this has become my theory too. However many loads Grandma is doing each week, I think it's virtually ALL day clothes and underwear. No sleepwear [apparently they sleep in tees, sweat pants, even jeans]. Very little bed and bath linen. We know not all beds have the usual linen on them [flat/fitted sheets & pillowcases] and for the ones that do, I have to wonder how often things are changed. The kids are also not usually what I'd describe as clean and well-groomed. The older ones don't look dirty per se most of the time, but the girls' hair usually has a just-rolled-out-of-bed look, and their outfits are usually quite rumpled. Apparently no one has the "ironing" jurisdiction. The little kids don't look as though they're washed regularly at all and I literally want to take a hot soapy washcloth to Josie Grossie practically each time she's on camera. She always looks like she's rocking a dirty, sticky face and hands. They don't even seem to use kitchen linen. Everything in this household is done the laziest and most environmentally-irresponsible way possible. More so when you consider that there are more than enough bodies to do all the chores necessary to maintaining a neat, clean and well-ordered home. I won't even go into the disposable dinnerware/flatware 3 times a day. There can be no excuse - other than laziness - for the shortcuts the Duggars employ on a daily basis.

Agree, every school has a few terrific teachers, and sadly a few really weak ones as well. As the professor told us on the first day of Statistics 101, "In this class you'll learn that everything in the world is a Bell Curve. No matter what is being measured, in nearly every case, there will be a lot in the middle, with things sloping downward on each side, with far less at both the Strong and Weak ends..." In the 35 years since I've found him to be right almost every time. Nearly all groups are full of Average, with a few really Outstanding and a few really Poor - and diminishing amounts from both sides as we head for dead-center Average. Time for that old George Carlin joke: "Every medical school class has someone who graduated in last place. And one of us has an appointment with that guy at 9 AM tomorrow..."

Don't homeschooling parents, regardless of state, eventually have to PROVE they actually educated their children? And wouldn't that proof have to be whether or not the child can pass the same minimum educational testing that any publicly-schooled child is required to pass? I guess I can understand the 9th grade level thing, since in most states I think that's the earliest a kid could drop-out. How do the Duggars get away with this crud?? And I think it's pretty much unique to the Duggars and not other homeschooling families, not even other fundie home-schoolers. I've worked in the lower primary grades throughout my career and have little experience with homeschooled children entering a "traditional" school environment. But everything I've heard from other teachers indicates that many times the home-schooled children are ahead of public kids by leaps and bounds. I don't think I've ever heard a single story about home-schoolers having a difficult time adjusting academically.

Blue container? Sounds like Noxzema. Is that still around?

While it might be true that most American children are no longer being raised by their two biological parents in one home, I think it should be strongly pointed out that in virtually none of these other situations are BOTH biological parents still IN THE SAME HOME - just not bothering to raise the kids. The Duggars are extremely unusual - if not unique - in this regard.

He's special, all right. Reminds me of a line Stewie Griffin says on Family Guy when another character has referred to a developmentally-challenged child as "special." Stewie says, "Well, yes, I think that's how the state of Rhode Island would see him..."

How about taking a drink every time something different is said or happens? This way I'm almost positive no one will get fall-down drunk. Except for the "private first kiss" I don't think there'll be much that IS different however. Boob will drone on repeatedly about how [A] people are coming in from all over for the wedding and how aghast he is that he's giving another daughter in marriage - just yesterday she was playing with baby dolls. Me-chelle will chirp away about being ready for a "new season of life" and more grandbabies. That bogus wedding planner will confirm that she's not a professional - in any way - by flipping out at one contrived "crisis" or another. Josh will most likely do something asinine too. He's already announced that he won't be arriving until 4 hours before the wedding. Dollars to doughnuts, there will be a "Will-Josh-make-it-on-time?" plotline. On second thought, we may need coffee instead of liquor for this episode.

Did Me-chelle really tell Jessa that sex "doesn't take too long..." ??? OMG, that's hilarious! I guess there's a little secret about Boob that's out of the bag now too. LOL.

So the Senate race Boob lost was for the US Senate?? Yikes, I didn't realize that. Thought it was a state-level office. I'm surprised Boob was so devastated though. Unless he had virtually no professional political operatives on his staff, there had to be at least a few people - maybe even polling - telling him that his stances on a lot of issues were making him unelectable, even in Arkansas. Or maybe he ran a one-note campaign - abortion for example? And now that I think about it, his "staff" probably consisted of his kids and a few fundie friends that stuffed envelopes...

Personally - unless there's already a deal involving $$ for it - I think there'll be a wild contest as to which Duggar can get the news out first, and on which platform.

I agree about the blanket training for Jana/John-David, but also believe there was serious verbal-psychological-emotional abuse going on, not to mention corporal punishment as well. With all the older kids, from Josh down through to maybe Jinger or so - and for as long as it took for them to "learn their lessons." Maybe as long as 5-10 years. I can easily picture Boob laying on the whole superior-male-head-of-house-and-father deal - it's my suspicion that his own dad [JR? JL? can't remember] was a fairly-stern disciplinarian himself. And I believe Me-chelle was a probably a ranting yeller and screamer before she slipped over the edge into La-La Land and started permanently talking like a nursery school teacher.

Yep, they are indeed.

Right, I don't remember anything about Boob owning the house in Maryland either. The whole thing - Josh & family leaving AR for MD - happened fairly quickly, didn't tit? IIRC, a matter of just a few weeks. Unless Boob already had the house [which seems VERY unlikely], that would have been a relatively fast-turnaround to buy a house.