RebeccatheWriter

I think some have zoomed in and said it appears to be a smart ring (one that monitors heart rate, etc.) like a fitbit.

Tori never looks thrilled about anything. Many of her siblings say that she loves children and wants a lot of them. She supposedly majored in education because of her love for children. Never mind that Crown has about four programs for women, including music ministry, education, business (secretarial) and cosmetology. Looking back at some of the older episodes, I can see that she is not quite as vocal about it as Michaela, but she is often seen holding a baby or interacting with a toddler more than the others. Maybe she really is a baby person but doesn't show that softer side on camera well? So far the only thing I've seen her overly happy about was the apartment in Hendersonville. Josie and Erin actually seemed less enthusiastic about childcare growing up. Erin was always shown more interested in her music and less invested in cleaning, cooking, etc. In the episode where Gil and Kelly are at Niagara Falls, Josie seems annoyed to have to feed and teach her younger siblings when Tori is sick. Maybe it was just a bad day. I'd probably be annoyed too that my parents made all these kids and go on vacay without them. Now that Erin is married, she's all about the babies. I don't know if it was a hidden desire of hers or if she simply is living up to appearances. She is very much like Kelly Jo and even Michelle Duggar in that she seems to thrive on that attention she gets from being pregnant. That whole thing where she was so insistent that everyone be there for her to give birth to Everly and was demanding they find Tori and Bobby who wouldn't come to the door screamed attention seeking. Alyssa and Josie seem much more private about it and don't seem to want neon signs pointing at their bellies. Alyssa doesn't allow cameras in the delivery room and Josie did not allow filming per her IG. I wonder how the show will address that with Josie.

True...In my family most of my cousins got pregnant between 15 and 19. They all said the same thing, "we weren't trying to get pregnant." If you aren't preventing, then you're essentially trying either actively or by tempting fate. Or in the words of my late grandmother, "there is no such thing as verbal birth control."

I am a pretty cynical person, but it doesn't seem like something Josie would say on social media. While she might have those feelings internally about Lauren, she is one of the more savvy ones in terms of social media.

The pics appear to be back and she's been back modeling for the sisters and posing with him at Papa Bill and Mama Jane's house over Christmas.

Or what about when Marcia had invites for dates with more than one guy. I guess she's thinking about Bobby getting to go on the date with Greg and assuming that Bobby was the chaperone.

Glad to hear that she is having it checked out and that it doesn't appear to be heart related. There can be quite a few reasons for shortness of breath that are not heart related. For example my anemia and malabsorbtion issues can cause it when my iron or B12 are too low.

I was happy to see that too, as it is a sign that maybe she isn't as deeply dependent on the attention and family as some of her sisters. While I doubt I would want a dozen people in the room with me, I think it was sweet that Kelton's dad was there to support him. I'm going with that idea because it is a bit creepy for dad-in-law to be there for a birth. But it was surely an emotional thing for Kelton and his father to remember his mother and all the other emotions that come with a first child/grandchild. I appreciate that Josie and Kelton felt comfortable making that decision not to be filmed for that moment. Good for them!

Facts don't get in the way of a scientifically implausible guilt trip for these people.

You can see shades of that in Alyssa's Instagram. There are people telling her she needs to give John a son.

Josie seems to be moving more toward the Alyssa side of things with her attitude and outside influences. I think that can be a good thing for her, as she isn't relying so heavily on her sisters and mother for everything. She had a friend from church helping her decorate the apartment and did her own gender reveal at a location (the community center at the apartments) rather than one planned by Erin or her mom at a park or picnic area. She has been pictured in the Bates Sister Boutique pics, but she still does social media mentions for Josie's and other places without really focusing her efforts on their venture. While she did have a photographer there for her labor and delivery, I didn't see a huge crowd in the room like Erin and Tori seem to like. (I still can't get over Erin being upset over Tori not making it to Everly's (?) birth after Tori had just gotten married and returned from her honeymoon.) She didn't have Kelly Jo overly involved in the wedding, but kept her more in the background and clearly articulated that she wanted it outside, her dress style, and decor. While I wouldn't want three kids back to back like Alyssa and cringe at her clear lack of education, I do like Alyssa's personality when it comes to her family. She is standoffish and not as involved with them. I LOVE that she doesn't have Kelly Jo and 6-9 sisters standing in her room as she delivers. I appreciate that she tends to go to South Carolina for holidays early to visit the grandparents and then leaves before her parents and siblings (after Thanksgiving dinner). I also appreciate that she doesn't seem to be caving to the whole move the family back to the Knoxville area push. Both women are far from perfect, but I can appreciate their independence even if it is just baby steps at the moment.

I saw a rerun of an episode this morning where they were doing the last minute prep for Tori and Bobby's wedding. It would appear the girls must get some of their focus on themselves from Kelly Jo. Kelly Jo was planning her eye surgery just days before the wedding because (according to Gil) she didn't want to have to wear glasses for the wedding. She seemed shocked that people would say she shouldn't do that when her timetable had her removing the bandages only the day before the wedding. She did the same thing with the whining and carrying on about her weight and wanting Tori to train her prior to Michaela's wedding. It was ridiculous to think it would work that quickly and yet another opportunity to make it about herself. She even referred to it as the wedding I'm going to be in rather than Michaela and Brandon's wedding. Carlin also did the whole over the top "my boyfriend is here and that's all I care about" thing at Josie's surprise 18th birthday party. Alyssa and Michaela had flown in for it, as well as Gil's parents. Evan and his family arrived at that time, planning the courtship proposal for that same couple of days. She was screaming and carrying on as though she was the one having a birthday party. I guess with that many kids, each of them have to fight for attention and do it in their own ways. Carlin just seems to rub me the wrong way with the way she is loud, obnoxious, and not exactly genuine. One episode had the three couples (Evan/Carlin, Kelton/Josie, and Bobby/Tori) on a triple date. Carlin tried to upstage her sisters all night in a way that screamed she was trying to look the most in love for the cameras. While everyone else sat normally at the restaurant, she was holding Evan's hand and having a reenactment of the hand sex scenes from Josh and Anna Duggar. The others were walking through a little shop and she was draped all over him. They each brought flowers to the girls and she was squealing and carrying on while the others were appropriately grateful. She reminds me a lot of girls I knew in middle school and high school who had that first boyfriend. They didn't know what they were supposed to do with him so they paraded him up and down the halls before school and held hands in the lunch room while she talked to her friends and he talked to his. They wanted him to call each night because that's what boyfriends did, but they didn't know what to actually talk about and got mad if he suggested he hang up and they do homework. Carlin and Erin both seem to have that trait of wanting to show the world how in love, happy, perfect, etc. they are without any of the push behind it to make it legit. It's not just limited to them. The producers always ask the newly courting or engaged couple what they like about each other. These girls look confused and shocked by the question, stammering a few generic phrases before giggling and covering their faces as if they don't want him to know how much they like him.

It isn't only Erin's fault. It takes two to tango. HOWEVER, Chad is not talking about wanting babies in every other talking head on the show. He's not the one being vocal about wanting more, more, more. He's not the one who had two in diapers and commented multiple times that she wanted a baby to hold. You are right though, I hold Chad accountable too, though he does have the good sense most of the time to look horrified when she mentions wanting more. Erin's clotting condition requires her to deliver somewhat early under Dr. Vick. He's said in the past that there is a bit of a timing issue to make sure that she is off the blood thinners early enough to prevent uncontrollable bleeding during delivery and yet late enough not to cause an issue with the unborn baby. While she does tend to go early, there is a plan in place that she would be induced before 40 weeks as part of the plan with the medication. They all have that blasé attitude about child birth in general. Her condition, though not as horrible as some women have issues, could be fatal for either her or the baby if there was a miscalculation and she stayed on the blood thinners too long or was in some sort of accident situation that had her bleeding. It's sad to think how they appear to brush such concerns aside as minor and continue to tempt fate. I remember when Josie Duggar was born, Kelly Jo Bates made comments about how this was God's design and trusting God. There were also comments made about how Michelle's life had been at risk with pre-eclampsia and that was how God wanted it - every mother to risk her life to bring forth more children. At some point they should actually acknowledge the risks and dangers, but that's not who they are on the outside.

Don't out grow any of your clothes or bows, as mama will see that as a sign she needs more. No doubt she's already thinking they need another boy after three girls.

Carlin also got engaged like a week before Josie's wedding, which was held on Katie's birthday. None of the girls are especially good about taking turns. I guess Josie, who was heavily pregnant at Carlin's wedding was paid back for Tori being a month from her due date and asked to play violin in an outdoor wedding that was hot (for October) too. I noticed that Erin didn't play the piano/keyboard for Carlin's wedding. Whoever did was really "feeling the music."

But note that they did not put a mic on her or do an interview. Must have been negotiated between TLC and UP.

Carlin's wedding certainly was a chance for her to make it all about her. If she had thought about it, she could have spun him off the dance floor and broke into her own dance right there. Please stop with the musical "talents." She and he both hit a few clunkers and sounded like children. The bridesmaid dresses looked so cheap. With how you could see through them, it is hard to call them modest. Normally, I would have been turned off by the pregnancy announcement at the reception, but it was Carlin. I was glad to see her get a bit of her own back at her. Callie is a cute girl, but that child cries at every single one of the sisters getting married. She clung to Michaela. I was about to have a drinking game for every single time Carlin fanned herself over her tears or said the word literally. I wouldn't have made it past the second commercial block.

I think that acceptance is important to Whitney given her background (sketchy as the details are about her bio parents/the switch to the foster/adoptive parents/the switch back). Add in the fact that she is the first and so far only daughter-in-law, mother of the first grandchild, and not Kelly's first choice for a wife for Zach, she has put herself under some pressure to be accepted. She is much more accepted now than she was in the beginning when you could practically hear the fake attitude from Kelly Jo. You can still see a bit of her desire for that close relationship though. For example watch how she will pick up on the older sisters or Kelly's vocabulary and use it several times. Or watch how she is usually the positive one in the dress buying or other situations. The sisters tend to be a bit catty or negative with each other. She always goes for the positive route. She seems to take cues from those around her, which is something most of us do, but she is more obvious about it. She never goes over the level of what someone else does or says. Zach has at at times seemed over the whole thing with his parents. I think as the oldest child, he and probably Michaela remember days when the family was "normal" and when times were tougher because Gil left his steady job and they kept having babies. He seems to humor her desire to be around the rest of the family and to be active in their lives because he does really seem to adore her and want her to be happy. Even in the first episode of the show, she was over at the family house peeling potatoes and doing chores with the other older girls because she said she was "bored and lonely at home with Zach at work." I wonder if she will continue to be as wanting of a relationship with them all when Trace or one of the other guys gets married. She's kind of set the tone for daughters-in-law, but will it stick?

I write a lot of press statements, speeches, and responses these days. It's a very defensive denial. Had I been writing it, I would not have made that distinction between the raid location and the ongoing investigation. It calls more attention to it and makes me believe they are playing word games rather than telling the truth. Had it been my own family, I probably would have been flippant but not condescending. "I woke up this morning to learn through the news that my home has been raided and we are currently under investigation. Apparently, I'm a deep sleeper and missed the whole thing. Anyone want to provide me some details?" Just kidding, of course.

They also seem to playing on that word raided. Maybe it wasn't raided but searched?

Don't forget the fear factor. They aren't just told something is wrong (wearing pants, kissing before marriage, working for a heathen, choosing a career over marriage/babies, birth control), they are basically taught they will go to hell for it. Fear is a big part of the indoctrination process for them. Those non-fundies in the world aren't just bad, they are scary and evil. Even if it is some sweet old woman who works at the thrift store, she could have a darkness around her that would rub off on them if they got too close. Mommy and Daddy know best and know what God says about everything. After all, God has blessed them with children, a way to support themselves, etc. Those none believers are punished by not having a lot of children (being lonely) and having bad things happen to them. If something bad happens to these families, they are taught to pray harder and trust God's wisdom/timing/design. That's why it isn't easy or sometimes even possible for these men and women to leave their beliefs. Not only do they have to leave their families (if not physically, then emotionally), they have to be so sure that their parents were wrong and they are right, that they risk eternal damnation. You'd have to want to kiss before marriage pretty badly to risk that.

Honestly, I doubt we will ever see that. Gil is the high priest/pastor without a bit of education on the ministry other than some pamphlets and observation of others. He's not going to hand over a job like that to his son-in-law who actually studied such things and would make Gil look bad at it. He gave Bobby odd jobs when Bobby first arrived in Tennessee. I'm talking sweeping the facility during construction and washing windows. Bobby's focus has been youth ministry, which isn't something that Gil would need since he's running a church that is labeled as a family church (no nursery, no division of ages, etc.). If he were to pass the torch to the next generation, it would likely be Nathan who took it on. Nathan has said he wants to preach and has done some at nursing homes and the like. It is a plum that Gil could dangle in front of him to encourage him to settle down with a wife and have a bunch of kids. That wouldn't be easy with the pilot stuff that Nathan does now. I know that there was some talk that Bobby was fired. But in recent social media stuff he's still wearing shirts from the church he was at before. If he was fired, I doubt that would be the case. Honestly, I think it was a combo of Tori wanting to be closer to family and UP offering more cash if they were filmed more.

For scripted it is pretty poor storytelling. The producers and cast need to stay consistent. After all, if you tell the truth, you don't have to remember anything.

And have musical skills that seem more important internal to the family than outside those walls. What cracks me up is that they spend time on the messaging that Tori took over the cooking after Michael got married and left. She even said in one interview that some of the kids didn't like what she cooked but if they didn't, they could make something themselves. Yet after she got married she was all about how she couldn't cook at all. Carlin had her big scene with Michael after Kelly Jo's eye surgery, stating that she liked Michael being there because it was hard to cook for everyone alone (one of the extended scenes). Yet now she's back to not knowing how to cook at all. In the original version of the show on TLC, Kelly Jo took the girls (Tori, Carlin, Josie, and Katie) to the store and taught them to make fried chicken. This was the infamous, "I don't have a fella," scene with Tori. Tori complained loudly the whole time, as did Carlin about taking the fat off the chicken and cutting it. Josie and Katie talked about how they loved cooking and wanted to learn more. Josie now claims she didn't know how to cook at all before getting married. Kelly Jo apparently is not a good cook herself, having grown up on microwavable meals. Alyssa and Michael took on cooking at an early age and handled it for the family for several years. From what I have seen Michael cooking early on in the show, it would appear that Gil's mother (Jane) may have taught her. I'm not one who puts much emphasis on traditional roles in marriage or life, but I do think that all of those kids need life skills. One of the reasons that Erin probably learned to cook after marriage was that she had a while before they were able to have a baby. With how fast they go from courting to engaged to married to baby, these girls aren't exactly giving themselves time to learn anything other than babymaking. _______ On another note, I realize that Carlin's over the top wedding is the theme this half season, but dang if this hasn't become the Carlin show. Every episode is at least 50% Carlin being overwhelmed about (fill in the blank).