[Bringing Up Bates In The Media]

12 hours ago, 65mickey said:

I frequently watch makeup tutorials on Youtube. Today I saw a teenage makeup tutorial with Addallee and Josie's partner. I think her name is Grace. She did a very pretty light makeup on Addeelee. She seems to have tamed her eyebrows. Once her braces come off and Josie gives her a cute stylish haircut she will look just  like Alyssa. She may not be as tiny as Alyssa but she sure resembles her. 

Alyssa wasn't always as small as she has been since she turned 17 or 18. Part of that was the frumpy jumpers and shapeless denim skirts. Most of the Bates girls went through a more square shaped stage around pre-teen to early teen ages. I think part of that was due to the food options. With the older girls, Michaela and Alyssa cooked, but the food was cheap and processed. It was essentially reheated. 

Now they don't really have any sister moms cooking at home. I would bet there is a lot of fast food and craft services stuff for them.

[Season 9 Discussion]

I get that most of this was pre-lockdown, but Kelly Jo's attitude was more like it was a storm warning. It seemed like they were all waiting on the rules to come down but not doing anything in the meantime. I halfway expected footage of her running around the house screaming, "the 'Rona's a coming."

Tori, it really would be ok for baby K to come home to his name not being on the wall or one of Erin's feature walls. You are (were) pregnant in a time when nobody knew if there might be extenuating risks involved. So you invite over Chad and Erin (plus a kid or two) and Michaela bringing food? It's all okay because they haven't "shut down" the state of Tennessee yet.

Jackson, playing Christian militia in Texas is not equivalent to military boot camp. I'm sorry that he was disappointed, but he should have at least appreciated the fact that he was allowed to go without a chaperone even on the trip there. Remember when Erin started at Crown and Alyssa was sent with her (I think Alyssa), not to take classes but to be an accountability partner? 

Layla's head turban made me laugh. I know that fundie moms love head accessories for babies. Willow sported an assortment of them in muted tones. But it made Layla look like a baby fortune teller. Dating myself here, but if she started speaking in a fake Jamaican accent like Madame Cleo, I wouldn't have been surprised. 

Erin, you are not a designer. You're barely decorating. Quit making your husband do craft projects for your siblings. 

Kelton, I am happy for you and Bobby that you didn't have to close the plumbing business. I agree that emergency calls on plumbing are essential. I would have rather heard from you how you were making changes to be safer. That would have been more telling and informative than celebrating. Same with John. I realize this was filmed in March, but it came off a bit like gloating. Oh, you lost your job? Not me. I'm essential in plumbing and HVAC. 

Lawson and Nathan, I'm guessing Nathan is still flying planes owned by Jim Bob Duggar. There is no reason I can think of for you to be in Arkansas for Lawson's training. I realize most people think that Tennessee is all rural and the establishing shots from the show indicate that you live off a dirt road with cows as directional beacons, but there are airports of various sizes in Tennessee. And it isn't as though Arkansas is some big metropolis by comparison.  

 

[Carlin and Evan: But Mostly Carlin!]

3 hours ago, Absolom said:

She needs to get her mask over her nose.  No wonder they had COVID.  Ignoramuses both.

In the words of the guy I've been dating-ish because what do you call it in a pandemic (who watched the videos just to placate me): "She always has her mouth open trying to be cute. She's probably spreading COVID-19 germs faster than an opera singer with a lisp."

[Carlin and Evan: But Mostly Carlin!]

2 hours ago, Whyyouneedaname said:

When I read this I thought the same thing.....I know grandparents are proud to see their babies but it appears she is staying at length with them 😞 poor Layla. She is such a little thing to be spending so much time away from her parents. Also has she been bottle fed the whole time? I know they are big on breastfeeding, she must be storing her milk.

Am I the only one who is shocked that they didn't ask Michaela to care for Layla? If they did, I'm shocked (and proud) that Michaela said no. 

[Carlin and Evan: But Mostly Carlin!]

I wouldn't wish COVID-19 on anyone - well maybe that one woman I can't stand but I believe in karma so I'll stop now. 

Must have been a mild case to have time and energy to do a photo where they both got presentable enough to look television level sick. It would have been nice for her to make a mention that people should do everything they can (masks, social distancing, etc.) to avoid it. But I guess that would have taken the focus off of her. 

[Season 9 Discussion]

5 hours ago, ehall1052 said:

Didn’t one of the other boys use the “senses” theme when asking a girl to court? Maybe it was a Duggar courtship. I remember it because the guy spelled it “sense”ability instead of sensibility and people made fun of him. I want to say it was Kelton but I’m not sure.

Kelton did the courtship proposal on the bridge and then the engagement with charms for her bracelet about things important to their relationship. I remember there was a bridge charm and a coffee charm. There was talk of their Love Language. 

[Season 9 Discussion]

Other note:

I will admit I underestimated fundy fans love of cheaply made dresses. That said, the whole idea of a store front in an economy (even pre-pandemic) that is shifting away from that is a horrible idea. Even the logistics are crazy when you think about about three mothers who regularly bring their babies and kids to work with them being in an environment where there are customers. I'm sure that some of the leg humpers would travel to go to the store and meet them, but seriously...that's not exactly a good business model. What with rent, utilities, equipment, insurance, etc., they are going to have to charge more for those cheap dresses. Most "celebs" who have their own stores, hire people to work there and just lend their name to the project. This is turning into a fundy version of the Kardashians. What's next? Spin offs where they travel to Miami to start a new store?

My mother is retired from a B2B company that sold to retailers (large and small scale) things for visual merchandising. Said business is struggling and may not make it at this point because retailers are finding it more profitable to be online only. The company's big seller at the moment is going out of business signs.  

I do think it is a good idea to get an actual building and not use a metal pop up building that Chad put up for them in Zach and Whitney's backyard. But they should be looking for warehouse space not retail store frontage. 

[Season 9 Discussion]

Katie has officially crossed over the 18 year old dip in IQ that is standard for the Bates daughters. She is so immature and silly with her food throwing, giggling, and stereotypical weak girl routine. I would have dumped her butt for the stunt she pulled with the cake. She should have at least gotten stuck with Travis's dry cleaning bill for his jacket. Apparently, the food smashing stunt is something Carlin did too when she was in a courtship with Evan. Why am I not surprised?
 
She has proven again that any of these people I try to have high hopes for in life will disappoint. She was so adamant for years about wanting to be a nurse. I was disappointed for her when it became clear her only choice was cosmetology. But rather than play the game with her parents and get a real job that would pay for nursing school, she is ring thirsty like her sisters and practically chasing him down the aisle. 

He is just as immature. I swear I don't think he's even ready to shave yet. He's 12 and she's about 8 on a "date" with all four parents a table away in an empty restaurant. I mean they showed up before the early bird special and he had a poster that looked like an elementary school kid wrote it. He seems like a good kid and wants to please Katie, but just so darn young.

 

[Season 9 Discussion]

2 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Don't forget the "Patriotic Room." That never happened, either. 

Yes, that has been glossed over with the brand of Bringing Up Bates. Additionally, they gloss over much of the IBLP information, Big Sandy, etc. They glossed over Chaney's family history, which some sleuths found online. There were the underfed horses, which turned into a message of the Bates rescuing horses. 

One of the ones that has never made much sense to me is this whole thing about Kelly Jo being a teaching assistant in chemistry. Such roles are typically offered only to people who are majoring in the subject and have at least completed upper division courses or more than just the lower level classes. Gil was ahead of her in school so I find it very strange that she would have taken multiple chemistry classes and would be in a position like that for a class he was taking. 

Since she was a human services major (special education minor), it is more likely that she was a lab assistant. However, the story was enhanced to make Kelly Jo look less like a a woman going to school for her MRS degree and more intellectual. It also helped in the messaging that Kelly Jo is this super smart woman who could teach all the kids in their various grade levels. Early in the BuB days, Tori and Carlin were shown in every other episode talking about how smart she is and how she could teach all of them. 

I'm not saying she's a dumb person overall. I just struggle with the narrative that Kelly Jo was a super brain with high levels of chemistry skills who turned into a blank stare wife of a tree cutting preacher.  
 

[The Lonely Bates Club: Still Looking for Love]

9 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Some sleuth on FJ looked up the family in Montana. They don't have any daughters of courting age.

I saw that too. There has to be some reason. Perhaps there is a girl who lives near that ranch. Think Anna Duggar. It's not like the Kellers had room for Josh, Jim Bob, and Michelle to visit other than the camper. So Gil, Kelly Jo, and Lawson could be visiting the "friends' ranch" while seeing, for lack of a better word, poorer family. 

[The Lonely Bates Club: Still Looking for Love]

Kelly Jo can be as sanctimonious as she wants to be, but truth be told - Lawson posts are often in bad taste. He ignores the idea that people may not be the same as he is and tries to come off as knowledgeable when he comes off as a self-righteous jerk. I doubt that UP approached the family. It is more likely that the production company (filming) that also works with the Duggars and did the filming for the failed TLC show pitched the idea to UP and came back to the Bates with that offer. We all know it would be hard to give up that money. No more specially designed wedding dresses. Katie would be at David's Bridal. No more vacays that aren't mission trips. Honeymoons would be stateside and not to resorts. Gil would not be preaching only and would have to revive the tree business. Crown College would be down a few students, as there would be no money for that. Kelly Jo would have to go back to teaching rather than just hiring unmarried girls from the church to "tutor." There would be fewer dollars for Nathan to use to fly around his siblings. It would not hurt them at all, but it wouldn't be the life they are used to living. 

I am not an animal rights person or bleeding heart when it comes to animals. I don't have a dog or cat (highly allergic) and don't really get the whole pets thing on a personal level. I do respect people about their pets though, as I try not to make fun of people for loving things that are important to them. I am sure there are people out there who don't understand the things that are important to me. I appreciate that people (for the most part) don't try to belittle me or my interests in an effort to make themselves seem better. 

That said, I am squeamish and posting pics of a dead animal makes my stomach turn. I have cousins who hunt deer and post pics on Facebook of their latest kills. I immediately hide those pics.  I got blocked by Lawson for calling out his photos that were clearly faked and photoshopped anyway. But in my opinion, there are other ways he could have spoken about his experience with the coyote. A pic of the herd. A pic of him with the gun. A photo of both together. Then he could have written something about his experience living like a real cowboy in the west instead of the pretend stuff he thinks he does in Tennessee. Or horror of horrors, he could have left it out all together and just enjoyed being in a beautiful place. 

Kelly Jo, you can tell people to not watch or act like you don't care at all. The facts are that advertisers are paying your bills. If those advertisers feel they aren't getting enough return (eyes on the screen becoming buyers), UP will dump you faster than a girl with an ounce of self respect would dump one of your sons. I know people who work at UP. They have no interest in you personally, your lifestyle, your beliefs, or your holier than thou attitude. Their paychecks depend on keeping advertisers happy, and the only way to do that is keep viewers tuning in to watch.   

[Season 9 Discussion]

11 minutes ago, sATL said:

To add one more point - Alyssa also has be said to be one of the closest grands to Momma Jane, who I'm sure said an respectful earful about her son and his wealth of kids. I wonder if Momma Jane worked outside of the home. And a son who yes - said to say was downsized from his corporate job - but surely has had the time to bounce back into a salaried profession.

Jane apparently was a nurse, which Carlin confirmed during an episode where they were there for Thanksgiving. Carlin is walking on the table and Jane reprimands her while Carlin lies as says her shoes are new and clean. I might be wrong, but I think they said she took time off to raise the three kids and then went back to work. However, I doubt she is used as a good example for the Bates kids for that. 

Gil's claim of being downsized was a rewrite of history. He originally claimed when they were just occasionally appearing on the Duggars' show that he quit his job to have more time at home and to start his own business (right around the time IBLP starting encouraging that). Then there was some backlash on this and the Nightline interview where he talks about not having insurance on the kids and taking them to the ER for everything because they can't be turned away. When the Bates got their own show the story (and others) were changed to package the family in a better light. 

[Season 9 Discussion]

5 hours ago, Tikichick said:

Alyssa also used to work darned hard at a small cleaning business she and her husband started.  At that time I had hope for her, definitely living away from the family, imposing rules about family piling in on them, working hard with her husband to bring in extra money.  Then the baby train started.

Alyssa was never going to be a doctor, lawyer, or CEO, but she does seem to have a work habit that is not present in her parents or many or her siblings. I used to think this was because like Zach, she was not all that happy growing up in a home where Mom and Dad's need for a vacay to make the next baby or Dad's desire to preach for free at a little church instead of working a job to put food on the table. However, she is falling into that same trap her parents were in when they had so many kids. I think that a large part of it still lies with her upbringing. She's never had the opportunity to understand or know what it was that a woman could do without 500 kids. They are raised to think that their roles are to be a wife and mother. The most career oriented stuff they do is normally supporting their husband's efforts. 

Some of the girls have stepped out with career ventures. Michaela with nursing school and with any luck a real job. Josie has with cosmetology. Erin did a bit with teaching music. But you can't tell me that any of them would keep it up if their husband said he preferred them to stay at home. Josie's got her own business with her friend, but even that may fall away as baby 2 or 3 comes along. Carlin, Erin, and Whitney have their business and talk about having more children at the same time. Great! But what happens when one of their kids gets strep throat or the flu and all the other kids between the three of them get it. Or Carlin and Erin both have this blood clotting disorder and are listed as high risk. So what happens when both are pregnant at the same time and end up on bed rest or something? Whitney has to run the business alone? Tori's teaching everyone else's kids, but what happens after she has 3 or 4 little K's running around and Bradley/Carson are even more advanced. 

These are all considerations that working women and moms face. The difference is that the Bates girls have had nobody modeling normal behavior in such situations. Kelly Jo didn't work outside the home once the babies started coming. Even their grandmothers didn't (at least while the girls were in their impressionable years)...Kelly Jo's mother is probably not used as an example much with the divorce and remarriage. I don't know if they even know they can have a career and children. Looking back they even say things like, "I'm going to school to do _______ until I have children." Alyssa said on one of the family's Nightline stories that she didn't want to "start a career and end up pregnant and have to quit." 

I am not knocking work at home moms. My mother stayed home with me until I was school age and even then worked part-time for several years. After that she was in a bit of a pickle because her own mother (who had never worked) was widowed and too young for social security or Medicare. My grandmother was about to lose the house she and my grandfather had built right before his death. My mom went to work full time and with her sister payed the mortgage on the place until we could come up with a new plan. The plan never came to light, as my grandmother passed away not long after. My mother continued working in her career and kept being promoted. She was more educated and skilled than my father so she was really the breadwinner in our home. I can't stay at home as a single woman with two kids. Even this pandemic and working from home (love it) has taught me I don't want to be around my kids 24/7. I love them, but dang if I don't want a break. 

[Season 9 Discussion]

On 8/8/2020 at 4:14 PM, sATL said:

Is that plumbing company Kelton running another disguise under a 503c? wonder does he have the motto "only work for family and friends"

being a finance major at Crown   probably had a seminar on how to keep the IRS out of your business, in the name of Jesus..

Tennessee Standard (Kelton's business) is listed with the Tennessee Secretary of State's office as an LLC not a nonprofit. I haven't found any other entry with his name. As for the work for family and friends, he is working regular jobs. Part of my Jewish family had a plumbing emergency recently and hired him because their regular plumber was out of town. They said he was friendly and reasonably priced. They also said he never mentioned Jesus. They aren't even aware of the show. It only came up because my aunt was complaining about this emergency and mentioned using a new plumber. So I of course being the snarky heathen that I am asked was it him who showed up and was he praying over the pipes.   

He didn't go to Crown, as Crown doesn't even offer finance as a degree program. Their business programs are small business & entrepreneurship (geared toward men) and office management (geared toward women) He was at Pensacola Christian (also not regionally accredited but more highly regarded than Crown) with Bobby. Crown offers mostly Bible courses with a few career classes thrown in there. Looking at PCC, the curriculum is at least related to the major. I don't know that I would trust him with my financial planning, but he does seem to have a more practical background. 

On 8/8/2020 at 4:58 PM, 3 is enough said:

Kelton's business is an LLC.  Appears to be legit.  He is licensed and insured, and has recommendations from Home Advisor.

Chad's company does not appear to have a web page and I wonder if he does have a license or insurance.

Given that Chad uses Warden, Jackson, and Isaiah as labor (two of whom are still under 18), I have to wonder about the insurance thing. That's got to be sky high.  

[Season 9 Discussion]

11 minutes ago, sATL said:

Not sure I know how to take that... sounds a little insulting.. guess we don't to worry about seeing her business card hanging in the local store..

My take on it was that she can't or couldn't seem to hack it with the people at the real estate firm in terms of bringing in new clients to either buy or sell. Most likely this was due to her schedule and lack of commitment, as people in real estate tend to have to work more than a few hours a day to get someone to list with them or trust them to find a house. Undoubtedly, she has a lot of family with Zach, but none of them are even buying (except at this point Josie and Kelton). One can assume her only other easy outlet would be people from church. However, that is only easy if she is the only realtor there. 

I did a leadership program through the local chamber of commerce. I was the only person there employed by the government. In a class of 25, there were about 15 real estate people wanting to network and 6 financial planners or banking people. I hated the bus rides to the different locations for our leadership days because without fail someone was sitting next to me wanting to know my housing or financial goals. People who aren't good at cold calling or networking can do well in the office waiting for a walk in or better still by getting assigned to make calls to anyone who submits an online query. I seriously doubt her coworkers would pass such leads off to her since they want to get paid too. 

[Season 9 Discussion]

2 minutes ago, sATL said:

If Jackson , age 18, wants to go to into Marines - why fool with ALERT ? And the military can help out with college courses and expenses..

Jackson - you have my full support in joining. Any branch. Active duty or reserves. You are a brave young man, to be doing something different than your brothers..and upbringing. I hope you get to go.  

I am actually surprised Gil and Kelly would agree to let him go into the armed services.. On many levels -

• first of all he would be working for someone else, as opposed to being  self-employed. I just don't get why this crowd is against working a 9-5 where someone else's name is on the door
• can't easily quit
• on a fixed salary (that everyone knows via google ).
•  will have to live where his orders takes him - possibly overseas, west coast, etc.
• be around possibly non-Christians
• possibly learn a skill or be assigned to an MOS that isn't quite useful to living in rural TN (ie amphibious tank/ground warfare), if Kelli wants to leave after the initial 3 years
• won't be able to come home for every baby, courtship, wedding, holiday

{reserving the right to add to this list - maybe I better stop before they change the young man's mind}

Just speculation, but I don't know that Kelly Jo and Gil are supportive of anything more than the application process. It gave a new storyline that I can almost guarantee will result in a changed mind or redirection. Note the lack of discussion of it on the official Bates social media before this episode. If he was applying and serious about it, we would have heard from Kelly Jo about how proud she was at the time (earlier this year) instead of waiting for the subject to drop on the show. That says to me that this was producer driven to answer critics who say none of the boys are doing anything other than living at Mom and Dad's house and wandering around working for Chad or going on mission trips. 

If he were to join, I'd be all for it. It is a great way to live and serve. He'd be more legitimate than his pompous brothers and have more opportunities. It just seems too secular for the Bates who still do follow IBLP ways of life, including the rule that you don't work for or with people who are not of the same faith. If he goes through with it, it would be a big leap for the Bates children who so far have only spread their wings so far as to have the wedding dress of their choice with Kelly Jo's input and sometimes wear pants off camera.

1 hour ago, cereality said:

What field is Travis in and what’s his job? I always assumed traveling ministry musician was his job but sounds like he may have a 9-5 and maybe some benefits? From pics he posts from his parents house etc, he grew up with some money.

Sorry, that comment was meant to be about Bobby and Kelton.

[Season 9 Discussion]

42 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

But they did mention ALERT. I think he's the first Bates boy to go. I wonder if he was there when the Duggar boys were there? I have no clue what month it's supposed to be (sorry, I don't pay attention to birthdays).

I don't know, but this is apparently post Valentine's Day and pre-pandemic shut down in March. Tori was still pregnant and she gave birth in March. So I'm guessing late February. 

Interestingly, this is the second time Jackson has been on television talking about ALERT. They have the smaller ALERT Cadet trainings at Big Sandy. When Nightline did a feature on them a few years ago they filmed at Big Sandy. I have the episode on Amazon Prime from when I was working on a paper about the portrayal of religion in reality television. He was maybe 9ish or so? He was shown rappelling down a wall with ALERT painted on it. He said, "Cadet teaches me how to obey and do right." Then Kelly Jo says how he is smart and the thinker in the family. Compares him to a 30 year old with his deep thoughts. Next we see Jackson standing next to a shelf with hiking boots and fatigues on it. He says, "It's not like the Army, Army. US Army. It (ALERT) is like the Army of God." Then we cut to the reporter asking Kelly Jo if the girls want to ever do those same kinds of physical things. Kelly Jo says that is a good suggestion and that they probably do. 

[Season 9 Discussion]

Josie's business partner did not look interested at all when the client began showing pics in that made for television moment. I thought for a second they weren't paying her to talk at all and she was going to remain silent the whole time. Josie seems excited and was smiling in a genuine way, which I haven't seen since she got married. So that was nice to see. Kelton is a creeper, but he seems to have better business sense than most of those people. Bobby seems willing to learn, but I have to wonder if he is really okay with not being in ministry like he wanted. I'll give him credit for being in a profitable and steady field.  

Travis looks so young. I seriously started wondering if he even has to shave yet. 

The indoor skydiving was...well, it just was. I guess we should give them credit for taking Ellie and Addallee along this time since they normally leave them out of anything physical. But I felt bad for Addallee because she truly didn't seem to want to do it. Has this girl ever gotten her own birthday? She had to share a party months later with Ellie one year. Now she is having to be scared while her brothers have a blast. Then they go to dinner/lunch and the conversation is more about Jackson and his wanting to be in the Marines. Kelly Jo's conversation with Addallee was to ask her about her goals. WTH? Was that a birthday or an interview for a job? Their praises for her were that she never gets angry or shows frustration? We hope you are with us a long time...really? The Bates get kind of creepy when it comes to birthdays. 

Anyone want to take a bet on what excuse they will use for Jackson not joining the military? You know that's not going to happen. I just can't wait to hear what excuse they use about God calling him to do something else. 

[Carlin and Evan: But Mostly Carlin!]

I couldn't make it through the pediatrician visit video. Couple of things:

1. I now dislike them worse because they use Comic Sans font for the "Stewart Fam" title. 

2. Poor baby is not able to sleep so let's video ourselves talking loudly and laughing while she tries to sleep.

3. Carlin talks about breathing issues, but has the baby's face close to her chest and sweater. As the mother of a (now not baby) girl with severe allergies, her breathing was worse when she was near clothes or sheets, etc. that I washed in a certain detergent. Probably not a great idea to keep Layla's head pressed with your hand holding her in place only an inch so away from fabric that could aggravate or cause the breathing issues to be worse. 

4.  While I will never understand their desire to film every single thing, especially what could possibly be a medical emergency, they not only filmed their decision making, but had to call the pediatrician office, discuss whether to call the doctor, discuss whether to go, discuss whether to film, and then even put a bow on the kid's head so that nobody would mistake her for a boy? And no doubt Carlin put on extra make up and Evan spruced up to film. 

[Alyssa and John: Lunch with Lurch]

5 hours ago, 65mickey said:

All that work to assemble a school room will probably be for naught. That is unless she plans to squeeze a forth child into the girl's room like Erin does everytime she pops out a kid. Pretty soon they will be stacking them in the hallway. 

If 4 is a girl, she'll put a crib in the girl's room (maybe after having the baby in the master bedroom for a while). The "school room" is not a serious remodel.  Everything was pretty modular so I doubt it is that big of a deal to tear it down or reconfigure. 

She was heavily hinting about wanting to close in and make a room out of the enclosed patio. Depending on how the roof is done, that could be an easy and cheap process. The most expensive part (aside from a roof) is the HVAC and she has a husband who does that.

 

6 hours ago, Patricia07 said:

Wonder what Grandma Jane is thinking.

If we get an episode of them there at Thanksgiving, you know Jane will say something. 

[Alyssa and John: Lunch with Lurch]

29 minutes ago, cereality said:

Shocking . . . . Due date is Feb 17 2021 so it looks like they got pregnant around mid May. Our theory holds that she was already pregnant by the time she got the "you're healed" from the cardiologist in July. Her appointment was supposed to be in March and then got held off because of the pandemic. This is a woman with a plan, you know she was NOT going to wait for what to her probably seemed like an eternity when her appointment to get the all clear kept getting pushed. You know they needed to get busy making John Elliott Jr bc what do doctors know, who can wait on them forever . . . . I call BS on the surprise blessing. These people act like they don't know how babies are made. Guess we can look forward to squealing about another grandbaby at next year's I Love You Day . . . since the Websters won't attend she'll squeal and talk about how much she misses them.

Don't forget about Kelly Jo flying down to sit in a waiting room at the birthing center. She'll snap a couple of pics and show no signs of cooking for the couple, watching their other kids, or cleaning up so that Alyssa doesn't have to deal with such things post partum. She'll arrive a day or two early (probably directly from I Love You Day) to take Alyssa to get a manicure. Meanwhile she'll talk about the drama of planning the I Love You Day extravaganza and waiting on the new baby to arrive. 

[Carlin and Evan: But Mostly Carlin!]

2 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

re: Carlin - that hair and makeup and practicing the head toss to full advantage does take time!!

Maybe someone should write notes to her about things she should know and place them on the mirror or on the phone next to the lens. That may be the only way to reach her. 

[Carlin and Evan: But Mostly Carlin!]

20 hours ago, cereality said:

Man they're getting desperate for things to film. A drs. visit for a cold -- how scintillating. And I guess these 2 will live by the mantra of "we're first time parents." We get it but get it a grip. You grew up in a family with 18 other siblings and there's dozens of grandkids -- you've really absorbed NOTHING from being around kids your whole life?? I get it when it's yours it's different and more scary but come on they act like they're each from a family of 2 siblings and the last time they were near a kid was when they were a kid. And really asking medical professionals to weigh in on your videos?? You know you're going to the dr for this cold and again next wk for a 6 mo check up -- you really can't bring the video and ask the dr you'll see in 15 min??

This is what I refer to her as her willful ignorance. I shared a memory at the funeral of my aunt a few weeks ago that she used to hand me her infant son with a bottle and say feed him. I was so lost with a baby at 7 years old, as I was an only child. I didn't know how to feed a baby. I had never even held a baby. He moved, unlike my dolls. And don't get me started on trying to change a diaper. There was no youtube or Google back then. 

But I didn't grow up in a family of 19 kids. I didn't have that constant bombardment of babies everywhere and a mom always pregnant. Carlin and the other girls to some extent had to go out of their way to not know things about children at all. I get that Michaela took on a lot of those assignments of cooking, cleaning, and raising babies, but I promise there were moments where Carlin could have done that. If not, what about after Michaela got married and there were nieces and nephews about. I promise that Whitney or Erin would have welcomed Carlin, Josie, Katie, and Tori over to babysit at any time. 

Tori, Carlin, and Josie laugh about how they can't cook. Did they bother to ask for guidance beyond the made for tv moments where Kelly Jo taught them how to make fried chicken? Did they bother to pick up a book to read? Heck, did they ever read the outside of a prepackaged can or box of food?

With Tori, Josie, and Erin (not including Alyssa or Michaela who seem to manage every day tasks well), they at least display talents in some areas where they concentrate their time. Tori is comfortable with babies and children (though not at teaching it would seem) and music. Josie has some talent and skill in hair styling, etc. It might not be my style, but she is competent at it. Erin has her music and seems to have picked up skills in cooking. But what is it that Carlin does that takes her time away from learning how to be an adult? She sings and does some musical things, but not on the same scale as some of her siblings. She dabbles in doing people's hair, but not like Josie or Katie. She is actively pushing away any knowledge of anything, but I can't figure out what she replaces that with instead.    

[Josie and Kelton: They Have Employable Skills]

On 6/19/2020 at 9:17 PM, BitterApple said:

Wow, I have to hand it to Kelton. That's pretty awesome he started his own business. He seems to truly enjoy what he does.

I agree. The starting the new business venture is pretty standard for the Bates and Duggars, but his seems to be a legit business with equipment, branding, truck, etc. As someone who just had to get quotes and pricing on a new truck wrap for two box trucks...it ain't cheap. 

[Season 9 Discussion]

6 hours ago, floridamom said:

Whitney is 'doing real estate' for friends and family only? That means...no, she's not working at it. I thought from the start that her going to school for real estate was only a plot line for the show. I think I was right. We asked the questions here, like how is she going to be able to be in a house alone with a male perspective buyer? How can she sustain such a 'career' with 3 children to take care of?  ....and a 'clothing business'? Whitney is full of it like the rest of them. She tries too hard to please Kelly.

As with most careers, it is made of what you put into it. If you want to make it in real estate, you have to get out there and hustle. You have to find listings, find clients, sell, know the areas, etc. I know plenty of women who are successful in real estate with a family, but multi-tasking and prioritizing aren't really Bates family strengths. 

My bet is that she would be the agent for Chad if he went into the flipping business. The problem is that I don't see how Chad would ever have the money to buy and renovate houses if he is acting as the free help for Erin's family and the sole source of income for several of the Bates sons. Even that one episode where he was apprenticing (their word for following around and working for free) for someone flipping a house was incredibly staged for television. The guy was basically placating Erin as she tried to go all Joanna Gaines and talk about blowing out walls and the wood accents.

Like Chad, Whitney gets walked all over by Kelly Jo and the girls. Notice that it was her living room and kitchen that were used for the staging of the dresses that had to be shipped.  Because she and Zach are the two owning their home and land compared to Erin and Carlin renting, they ended up with the metal building in the backyard for the business. I would hope she would get a higher percentage of the profits (such as they are for selling cheap dresses) than Erin or Carlin for just the logistics of it all, but I doubt it. Yet she seems to defer to Erin for decisions while Carlin seems to complain that they had this idea while she was planning a wedding and pregnant with her first child. I'm having shades of group projects back in school.

Whitney is a people pleaser. I hope that when some of the other boys get married she doesn't feel as much pressure being the only daughter-in-law.