EmeraldGirl

Janessa is gonna end up just like her mother. Wanting all the attention, and sliding by on bad behavior by claiming that she’s better than others because of her faith. She just hasn’t gotten to the faith part yet. Or Jill will be too tired by the time Janessa grows up and Janessa will turn into a punk hard rocker or something.

Jill is still very faithful. In fact, she and Derick were arguing about creation and had to decide to agree to disagree. Derick was talking about how the time frames in the Bible meant something different than how we measure time now. And that dinosaurs could have indeed been millions of years ago. Jill just said she wouldn’t discuss it anymore. I thought Jessa was going to take a different route because she couldn’t wait to marry early and get out of there. I remember her being so gung ho about picking dresses and the kind of wedding she wanted to have. Moving into her own little home (well, grandma‘s and then Josh’s). Her fear keeps her in the bubble … constantly spending all of her time in the big house where she has comfort and familiarity.

Good for her for getting in some fun things before the babies inevitably come along. I actually saw a ridiculous headline today that Jana was pregnant and due in January! What is that from, a psychic? Ha

Holy crap, thanks for all the info. It looks like I have some catching up to do! Stevehovah? So is that where the original jurisdictions came from? What a glowing example they are.

Ben has always seemed like such a hen-pecked wimp. I think he does whatever Jessa/JB tell him to do. He came into this as a dim obedient teenager. I don’t think he’s changed very much. I still can’t get over the idea that they completely redid a house they don’t even own! He just puts on a dopey hat and follows the flock – even though he’s supposed to be leading a congregation.

Every time something would pop up on here I was thinking it was a pregnancy announcement, so no surprise. The TMZ picture has her looking very fundie. A long skirt, and that hideous long hair with absolutely no shape to it. I hope that was just an outfit choice of the day and that she hasn’t given up wearing her pants, etc. I’m surprised she didn’t want to stay “ the pretty one” because she sure has dropped the ball on that. I can see why maybe she and Jinger have drifted apart. Their life goals don’t seem to be the same. Jinger gives every indication that she is done at three, and wants to enjoy her LA life more. Jessa seems to want to be Michelle. Children are like flowers, etc., blah.

I think the couple in Hawaii look wonderful. I absolutely love that dress! And the beige suit looks nice too. As for the other couple. Hmm. Her dress looks typical fundie, but it’s pretty. But Mr. Mullet/blue jeans isn’t doing anything for me. He couldn’t even put on the traditional hokey suspenders and bowtie? To each their own, but I would be cutting his hair in the middle of the night. PS: Can someone point me to where I can find the Maxwells? I haven’t really even heard more than a few words about them but I would like to see what they’re all about.

Joy answered on a Q&A that Austin owns his own construction company. So luckily he doesn’t have any ties to any family members. I wonder if he’s very successful, or how many employees he has. Joy has also been spending so much time with her sister that they rush out the door every day, with very little schooling, so that the kids can go see their cousins. I know they’re probably really enjoying seeing them since it won’t last forever, and who knows when they’ll be together again. But there would be nothing wrong with spending the morning doing school, and then head over to Jinger’s and do whatever they do. It looks like a lot of coffee out and thrifting. What would be wrong with a Christian school, except maybe cost? But if you are really that devoted in your religion, you shouldn’t fear your children being around other people. If they have a good grounding in their beliefs and morals from home, you shouldn’t worry that some strange other YOUNG children are somehow going to corrupt them.

Hopefully Jill will tire out eventually and let up on some of them. Michelle and Jim Bob seem to have, but Jill is a different animal. I could see her not speaking to girls who wore pants, or opted for any other kind of lifestyle. Jana’s wedding dress alone would’ve blown her head off.

One of my sisters never wanted or had children. My oldest sister and I did. We broke the cycle big time. Neither of us drank when the kids were little, and I was always very careful about quiet bedtime, and quiet nights - and an overall peaceful life. Today my kids really are some of my best friends. And not like Jill and Nurie and whatever weird bonding situation they have. All I see is Nurie doing a weird squeal “Yas” to anything mama say or does. Nurie will definitely go for a record number of children. And she’s already doing the weird short hair and hairspray thing on her tiny boys. I guess next will be starving and swimming in ditches - fully clothed.

Yeah, you can’t compare what kind of abuse is worse. I definitely never felt safe about what was going to happen at home. Just not to me personally, but everything that happened with them of course affected me personally. The things that we went through (and I’m sure we’re not alone here) versus the life these kids have. And we also don’t know everything about them. I know the Duggers had a prayer closet which always sounded shady and scary to me. Not to mention things like blanket training, and whatever else goes on to make the children so obedient. I’m sure we don’t know the half of their issues. And I would like to thank all of you here for indulging me and listening. It’s fun to make fun of all of this crazy. But sometimes it hits a nerve and your own crazy life comes up back to you.

I’m so sorry. I had a very similar upbringing. My parents were violent alcoholics. I could never sleep at night because the drinking would start and the fighting would get louder and louder. I was always terrified someone would get hurt or killed (and ambulances were called). And when it hit its peak, my sisters were both out of the house so I was by myself. To make it even worse, my dad was friends with a jazz pianist. We had an organ at the time, and he’d come over and blast out music at all hours. Even on weekdays when I had to get up for school. And they wondered why my headaches were so debilitating at such a young age. The irony of it all is that we were filthy rich at the time. Dysfunction knows no boundaries. There wasn’t anything we weren’t given – except peace. But in the middle of all that I can say that we were treated very well. We were never hurt physically. They took our side in everything until the day they died. And there was love for the kids. So we had friends, a social life, and my mom cooked every single day for us. In those ways I do consider myself much luckier than the Rod kids. They aren’t even given the basics of a normal life. Food, clothes, etc.. And they work David’s job when they’re supposed to be in school. And not a single reward for it. No vacations, no clothes, no movies, or even a sleepover at a friends house. They are always “on” and squealing when mama puts the camera on them. Always on. Always dressed up with full make up. My mom would never dare expect anything like that of me. We all have battles in life, and I still consider myself lucky when I see families like this. That’s how bad they are.

That’s what you get when you decide to have as many children as possible. You don’t get vacations, you stay home and cook for your kids. You do laundry, you do homework (or in her case you do as little as possible). You clean, you shop for what the kids need. You sacrifice a hell of a lot to have a family. Hell, I decided on only two because I wanted them to have the best life. We took vacations in the summer WITH the kids because I wanted them there and we could afford it. Life stops being all about you when you have mouths to feed and children to cloth. Instead, she sets them up in a sweat shop situation when they should be in school and hanging out with their friends. And SHE needs a vacation? Who doesn’t?Her life makes me beyond angry. And the worst part is that she shows it off as though she’s proud.

Why ISN’T she coloring her hair? I looked like that during Covid. But that’s because I decided to grow out my blond and go back to my natural brunette. It wasn’t pretty, but no one saw me because it was Covid. It’s not like Jill to be so not vain about herself. Someone check her temperature. Can you even imagine her worrying about someone taking David away? There’s not a big enough laugh emoji available. He is offering nothing to this world. He looks like a slob and acts like a slob. He can’t even bring money into the house. I would be praying for someone to catch his eye.

They’ve been getting a lot of questions about whether they are going to move to California. There’s a little hemming and hawing, but in the end, Joy says that she is an Arkansas girl. I know that they want land, and California is entirely too expensive to have anything like that.