Michelle and JimBob aka J'Chelle and Boob

[HumblePi]

Again, I don't think so. We are talking about a handful of shows at most - even at 50K a show (which would be top dollar) that's 20 full length shows to make one million and then she has so pay for taxes, which splits it nearly in half again. A book won't bring in more than $100K, if that.

I think she could pretty easily raise a half million, but then everything she's given her life to is gone, and she has, at 50, a reasonable retirement fund and a half dozen children left to raise, some of whom may have long term issues.

I really think people overestimate how much people could make for a tell all. The first time she did ANYTHING koolaid like, people would say she was just faking, or she was just trying to save the show, etc.

In 2009, when the Duggar's had 18 children, there was an article in 'E' news online that said that the general rule of thumb is that reality-show families earn about 10 percent of a show's per-episode budget. So, if TLC budgets about $250,000 to $400,000 per episode. Keep in mind, that was 2009. The viewing public grew exponentially and I assume so did their per episode paycheck.

 

In 1994 Michelle and Jim Bob began their real estate career. The first big score was converting an old chicken hatchery into commercial rental units. Another clever move? Leasing land to a cell phone company for its transmission tower. Although they've lived frugally by cutting each others hair, shopping at used clothing stores and buying in bulk, the money they made on guest appearance, motivational speaking and on television interviews greatly increased their wallets. Cashing in on their notoriety, Jessa, Jill and Jinger followed in the money making machine footsteps of their illustrious parents and published their own book. I have no doubt at all that the FOX network paid the Duggar's well up to, and perhaps over, $1,000,000 for the so-called 'interview'.  Josh Duggar's net work is around $500k.

 

The real issue here for Michelle and Jim Bob isn't really the questioning of their integrity. It isn't about how they dealt with a very serious disorder with Josh. They didn't consider the long-term psychological effects sexual molestation would have on their daughters. They thought of the loss of fan adoration, the dissolution of their squeaky clean image and the loss of a great deal of potential money being made with their reality show. It's always about the money. They're afraid because they're going to lose money. Sometimes words come back to haunt us and I'm sure Joshua Duggar has thought of that many times since he made the statement "Our family is the epitome of conservative values."

 

Edited June 9, 2015 by HumblePi

[Cherrio]

If you don't purpose to refrain from making me laugh loudly at work, I'll have to share my heart in fellowship at the unemployment office.

You could always righteously fulfill your boss. Just kidding.  :)

[Seashell Lover]

As we all know if it doesn't involve money Boob wants no part of it.

[Lemur]

 

After all - that might bring about the Apocalypse sooner....

 

Without dipping too deeply into theology to require this being moved to the Old Time Religion thread, a good bit of Gothard's ideology has to do with fulfilling Biblical prophesies to bring about the Second Coming of Christ.  

[Aja]

You could always righteously fulfill your boss. Just kidding.  :)

 

He already thinks it's weird that I scream "NIKE!" whenever the marketing girls walk by.

[GEML]

For anyone raised by screaming out of control parents, I'm not so sure they wouldn't prefer the baby voice or whisper. I'm not saying you can't threaten in a whisper, but watching your parent lose control and scream at you isn't pleasant, and can be terrifying for a young child. If a Duggar child came and told me that they genuinely thought things improved, I wouldn't disbelieve them. For some parents and some kids, the screaming washes over them, but for others, it's terrifying and makes an impression that never goes away.

[Wellfleet]

The only time I ever saw the weirdness in their relationship and felt "wow, how hard must it be for Michelle?" was the episode when they took the two daughters and future SILs on a "date" that included handcuffs. (Just typing that sentence sends out red flags...)

Anyway, JB is driving and is clearly unsure where he is. Not lost, but doesn't know. And Michelle VERY GENTLY points him in the right direction and it's all he can do not to snap at her. She even does it in that, "I'm not sure, but maybe..." Honestly, she couldn't have been more gentle. And he still couldn't take it.

There must be a million type moments in their marriage like that. And I imagine a lot of their early marriage might have been really unpleasant for both of them.

 

Yes, it's not difficult to picture Boob when things don't go as he thinks they should. I don't know where this colossal sense of entitlement and superiority of his comes from, although I do have a few ideas, but I'm guessing he is one disagreeable SOB when he doesn't win. And I bet it's always someone else's fault or failure. To put it in terms he might understand - that boy just ain't right...

[GEML]

See, I never read that as entitlement, I read that as massive insecurity.

[Wellfleet]

See, I never read that as entitlement, I read that as massive insecurity.

 

The entitlement most likely stems from massive insecurity, but is displayed outwardly as entitled confidence. Boob does not come off as insecure, even though I would agree, he definitely is.

[GEML]

Hmmm...I think he comes off as massively insecure. But that's me.

[JenCarroll]

I can't speak for anyone else raised by a screaming, out of control parent, but I stand by my position.

[Wellfleet]

Hmmm...I think he comes off as massively insecure. But that's me.

 

I think he does too, occasionally. For instance, he was clearly insecure during the Fox interview - LOL. But before that, most of the time, he displayed a whole pile of controlling, confident-he-was-right behavior. "OK this is what we're going to do now because I, the man and the father, have decreed it..." I think in large part his anger issue stems from insecurity too. He doesn't respond well to challenges to his authority. I do agree he is massively-insecure. But just like most men, he hides behind the confident, competent and authoritative male stereotype. I don't think he has ever once, with regard to a serious issue, asked Me-chelle "What do you think we should do?"

[GEML]

Oh no, I don't think he has. And for every person who says Michelle is in charge emotionally, I can't help but point out that JB is always in charge financially.

But I rarely see Fundy men as entitled. It probably comes from being so close to the culture. They are almost always perennial outsiders that thinking of them in that sense just didn't mesh for me. That doesn't mean I think all Fundy men are insecure - not all outsiders are insecure. But JB has always struck me as very fearful, which made even his "confident" moments all an act.

Again, my perspective only.

[Bella]

Insecure people often over-compensate by bullying others. That describes JimBob to a T IMO.

[Wellfleet]

Oh no, I don't think he has. And for every person who says Michelle is in charge emotionally, I can't help but point out that JB is always in charge financially.

But I rarely see Fundy men as entitled. It probably comes from being so close to the culture. They are almost always perennial outsiders that thinking of them in that sense just didn't mesh for me. That doesn't mean I think all Fundy men are insecure - not all outsiders are insecure. But JB has always struck me as very fearful, which made even his "confident" moments all an act.

Again, my perspective only.

 

Yes, from your perspective I see that making sense. But I don't see Boob as fundie here, just as a guy. I don't even know if he was fundie as a child, maybe just conservatively Christian. I'm guessing though, based on things he's said on the show, that he was probably not one of the cool kids growing up, feeling unaccepted to a certain extent, some difficulties with his father etc. His insecurity stems from this. Then he finds Gothardism, where men are superior in all things and rule every aspect of family life, and can see himself as what he always to be as a kid - confident, in charge, respected, obeyed even. His external persona now is all an act based on the Gothardism, but stemming from childhood insecurities. IMO anyway.

[Vaysh]

See, I never read that as entitlement, I read that as massive insecurity.

 

The entitlement most likely stems from massive insecurity, but is displayed outwardly as entitled confidence. Boob does not come off as insecure, even though I would agree, he definitely is.

I think he is incredibly insecure and that it shows quite clearly, but I believe he's got a massive entitlement complex as well. Insecurity and entitlement are not mutually exclusive traits. Whether he had this complex from the start, and that is why he was drawn to Gothardism in the first place or if the chicken came before the egg, we'll never know. But isn't this unpleasant mix of personality flaws pretty much the embodiment of Gothardism? It appears to attract the insecure weenies who yet somehow feel they have a God given right to demand submissiveness from women in order to feel like the big strong men they so obviously are not.

Edited June 9, 2015 by Vaysh

[GEML]

Yes, from your perspective I see that making sense. But I don't see Boob as fundie here, just as a guy. I don't even know if he was fundie as a child, maybe just conservatively Christian. I'm guessing though, based on things he's said on the show, that he was probably not one of the cool kids growing up, feeling unaccepted to a certain extent, some difficulties with his father etc. His insecurity stems from this. Then he finds Gothardism, where men are superior in all things and rule every aspect of family life, and can see himself as what he always to be as a kid - confident, in charge, respected, obeyed even. His external persona now is all an act based on the Gothardism, but stemming from childhood insecurities. IMO anyway.

I think that makes a lot of sense. There are plenty of people who embrace their outsider-ness, so to speak, who are confident, whether that's a Fundamentalist or a Geek or a creative person, etc. But I think JB always wanted desperately to be part of the "in" crowd. And he wasn't and never has been - not as a teenage, not in politics, and not even in his religion. The only place he's top dog is with his family. So it's reasonable that many see what is being called an entitled attitude with them, as that's the bulk of how we see him (and how he wishes to be portrayed). And when he's kind, which he can be, it's almost always to his family as well. But it's always interesting to me how small he is around everyone he interacts with. Even, say, the person taking an order from him at Arby's. He just can't help himself from acting like a jerk most of the time.

[Joe Jitsu913]

My guess is Jim Bob felt inadequate in terms of intellect, finances, education, physique, and sexuality. He felt like he had little control over these areas of his life. Gothard comes along and "fixes" this by making up silly rules on how to be a "successful headship" and voila! Jim Bob is the instant leader of his family. Everyone answers to him and him only. Michelle probably felt out of control and needed Jim Bob's guidance. After all, Gothard has guaranteed instant success if you follow his rules. Jim Bob and Michelle are married and now she has someone to guide her and make her see the errors of her ways (mowing the lawn in her bikini). Gothardism has allowed Jim Bob to prove his virility to the world by producing 19 kids. It allows him to feel in control. Out of the two if them , Jim is insecure while Michelle is narcissistic, IMO.

[Julia]

Yes, from your perspective I see that making sense. But I don't see Boob as fundie here, just as a guy. I don't even know if he was fundie as a child, maybe just conservatively Christian. I'm guessing though, based on things he's said on the show, that he was probably not one of the cool kids growing up, feeling unaccepted to a certain extent, some difficulties with his father etc. His insecurity stems from this. Then he finds Gothardism, where men are superior in all things and rule every aspect of family life, and can see himself as what he always to be as a kid - confident, in charge, respected, obeyed even. His external persona now is all an act based on the Gothardism, but stemming from childhood insecurities. IMO anyway.

There's a passage very popular with the female submission crowd

Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body. Therefore as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in every thing.

and that's mostly the part you hear quoted. The next part is

Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it

An eighty year old and very conservative RC priest (who had a good relationship with his parents) once explained that passage to me as meaning that part of entering into a sacramental union for a man was being so committed that he'd be willing to be tortured to death slowly so that his wife wouldn't be asked to pay for sins she didn't commit.

I think religion is a rorschach test, that we're only able to perceive within our own limitations, and that Jim Bob thinks God is a really big Jim Bob. It's not a great surprise that Jim Bob's God is a misogynist bully.

[Wellfleet]

I think that makes a lot of sense. There are plenty of people who embrace their outsider-ness, so to speak, who are confident, whether that's a Fundamentalist or a Geek or a creative person, etc. But I think JB always wanted desperately to be part of the "in" crowd. And he wasn't and never has been - not as a teenage, not in politics, and not even in his religion. The only place he's top dog is with his family. So it's reasonable that many see what is being called an entitled attitude with them, as that's the bulk of how we see him (and how he wishes to be portrayed). And when he's kind, which he can be, it's almost always to his family as well. But it's always interesting to me how small he is around everyone he interacts with. Even, say, the person taking an order from him at Arby's. He just can't help himself from acting like a jerk most of the time.

 

Completely agree.

[RazzleberryPie]

I am at such place with these 2 that even if God notarized their tongues I would not believe anything that came out of their mouths.

You win the internet tonight. I'm going to have to remember and use that one in conversation.

 

I've heard lots of secondhand accounts about how screamy Michelle actually is. It was around the time the "sin in the camp" stuff was active on the TWOP forums. I remember, I believe it was the very first special, one of the littlest ones (one of the howlers...James maybe?) was having a typical toddler moment because he wasn't allowed to go with his mom and sisters wherever they were going. There's brief footage of Michelle bent down whispering something to him and, light a like switch, the tantrum is over. And, for all of his hur-dur-I'm-just-a-loveable-doof schtick, Jim Bob does not become the lord and master of 20 human beings who would not ever dare question him by being calm and reasonable and loving and compassionate all the time.

I rewatched that special not to long ago, and I have to say I think this incident has been was over blown. She really did not look scary, and I have a pretty quick trigger for underlying scariness, uneasiness, controlling language, etc. It really looked to me like he was a toddler having a fit, and she calmed him down. Toddlers can turn the crazy switch on and off in a split second, and that's what it looked like to me. For all we know, he was having a tantrum and she promised him a sucker. 

 

The entitlement most likely stems from massive insecurity, but is displayed outwardly as entitled confidence. Boob does not come off as insecure, even though I would agree, he definitely is.

Not sure if I see JimBob as entitled, but Josh definitely, and a little in some of the girls.

 

Insecure people often over-compensate by bullying others. That describes JimBob to a T IMO.

This - insecurity or feeling like you're invisible, but then (incorrectly interpreting) some Bible passages as per a cult not only makes you an insider special snowflake, but also gives you authority to lord over whomever made you feel insecure - women, people with more wealth or power, the popular kids at school, etc., PLUS you get rewarded in heaven and they burn in hell when it's all over.

[Micks Picks]

Can't remember where Boob and his perceived poverty in childhood was discussed, but he wasn't poor but he just didn't like his dad.  He never liked being told what to do.  Fathers and sons often have differences, but Boob dwelled on his and the Lord never put it in his heart to forgive and forget.  Gag.

[cmr2014]

I think that JB has a LOT of resentment for his father -- despite his carefully constructed image, the resentment toward his father really shines through. I also think that his relationship with his father was like his relationship with his own sons -- competitive to the point of bullying (mocking JD for not having a girlfriend, shooting Jxxx at the paintball range, etc.). I think that his whole life plan was set up as a statement against his father. His father was a used car salesman and a real estate salesman -- probably a gregarious man who was well known and well liked.

 

I think that JB went into politics to show up his father who probably had some small level of prestige in his community. JB wanted to make a name for himself on a larger scale.

 

The father had only two children, JB has 19 -- so he's both more virile and a better father (in his own eyes).

 

The father attended church, but perhaps in more of a social way, so JB makes a big deal of devoting his life to Christ.

 

The father made a good living, but had financial difficulties from time to time, so JB makes a huge point of never using credit or getting into debt.

 

And so on. Gothardism essentially gave JB the framework to prove to himself that he was the better man.

[floridamom]

I have often wondered why it was Jim Bob who "got to go to a private Christian school" and his sister went to public school? Was a young Jim Bob in need of a stricter Christian atmosphere due to some behavioral problems of his own? Does anyone know why he went and Deanna didn't? After this Josh thing, and Jim Bob's constant and continuing sexual innuendos and jokes on TV, can't help but think if he was difficult as a boy to "keep in line". I am asking any poster out there who maybe grew up with him or went to school with him and knows what the motivation was for this?

[bigskygirl]

Folks, you've all been exemplary and understanding about the landmines of language with this issue. We'd also like to add rape and incest to that. Please be very, very careful when you use those term as they mean something specific. It would be best to use molest. It describes perfectly what we (so far) know has occurred. Thank you.

[Marigold]

add me to the group that feels Jim Bob is insecure and compenstates by being smug. 

[GEML]

I just figured it was because his sister was pregnant without being married. I do not know of very many Christian schools that allow the girl to stay under those conditions. (Although they sometimes allow the boy, which always infuriated me, even as a child.). I have no proof that this is the reason. I just never figured that JB was sent to the school for a reason, just that perhaps Deanna didn't want to go.

[Sew Sumi]

Deanna had Amy when she was 24. She's now 52, going on 53. Amy is 28, turning 29 later this year. She was nowhere near being knocked up in high school. 

 

I figure that JB got the private school education because he was the Golden Male Child. Mary may hang out with Deanna a fair bit, but look who she's living with, adopting skirts-only, etc. 

[GEML]

Ok. Now see, this is where it's interesting. I would never think going to the Christian school is a privilege. So I would assume Deanna simply didn't want to go and Jim Bob maybe couldn't handle being in a public school. But I freely admit that's based on my own prejudices.

[Sew Sumi]

I'm going based on what JB has written of his childhood. That's the way he portrays himself; he saw Shiloh Christian as the "privilege." 

[Joe Jitsu913]

Didn't Jim Bob have a learning disability? I wonder if they felt the private school could better address those issues. Just guessing.

[farmgal4]

Ok. Now see, this is where it's interesting. I would never think going to the Christian school is a privilege. So I would assume Deanna simply didn't want to go and Jim Bob maybe couldn't handle being in a public school. But I freely admit that's based on my own prejudices.

I live in a small rural town in the south. The Christian school is the only private school here and tuition is quite costly, so some folks think you really are somebody special if your child is enrolled there.

[Wellfleet]

I think that JB has a LOT of resentment for his father -- despite his carefully constructed image, the resentment toward his father really shines through. I also think that his relationship with his father was like his relationship with his own sons -- competitive to the point of bullying (mocking JD for not having a girlfriend, shooting Jxxx at the paintball range, etc.). I think that his whole life plan was set up as a statement against his father. His father was a used car salesman and a real estate salesman -- probably a gregarious man who was well known and well liked.

 

I think that JB went into politics to show up his father who probably had some small level of prestige in his community. JB wanted to make a name for himself on a larger scale.

 

The father had only two children, JB has 19 -- so he's both more virile and a better father (in his own eyes).

 

The father attended church, but perhaps in more of a social way, so JB makes a big deal of devoting his life to Christ.

 

The father made a good living, but had financial difficulties from time to time, so JB makes a huge point of never using credit or getting into debt.

 

And so on. Gothardism essentially gave JB the framework to prove to himself that he was the better man.

 

Spot-on accurate post, IMO. Boob has seemed, from the very beginning, to be an extraordinarily-competitive individual. Like that skit on SNL.. he always seemed to be giving off a "You think you're better than me?" vibe.

Edited June 10, 2015 by Wellfleet

[Sew Sumi]

Didn't Jim Bob have a learning disability? I wonder if they felt the private school could better address those issues. Just guessing.

Back then, what would have been diagnosed? Maybe dyslexia. My brother, who is a year younger than JB, was diagnosed, but not until he was about 15. I suspect he also had ADHD, but back then, kids were just labeled hyperactive and kept back a grade (also happened to my brother). 

 

I honestly don't remember JB talking about that; I just remember him talking about how small and scrawny he was in high school. Doesn't mean that he didn't have a LD of some sort. I am usually pretty reliable with this stuff, but I can't definitively answer this either way.

[GEML]

Im already on the record of saying I think the way Jim Bob portrays himself and the way I see him are nor exactly the same! :)

[Joe Jitsu913]

Back then, what would have been diagnosed? Maybe dyslexia. My brother, who is a year younger than JB, was diagnosed, but not until he was about 15. I suspect he also had ADHD, but back then, kids were just labeled hyperactive and kept back a grade (also happened to my brother).

I honestly don't remember JB talking about that; I just remember him talking about how small and scrawny he was in high school. Doesn't mean that he didn't have a LD of some sort. I am usually pretty reliable with this stuff, but I can't definitively answer this either way.

Here you go:

http://www.tlc.com/tv-shows/19-kids-and-counting/michelle-duggars-blog/homeschooling-how-michelle-duggar-approaches-learning-difficulties/

[Wellfleet]

Back then, what would have been diagnosed? Maybe dyslexia. My brother, who is a year younger than JB, was diagnosed, but not until he was about 15. I suspect he also had ADHD, but back then, kids were just labeled hyperactive and kept back a grade (also happened to my brother). 

 

I honestly don't remember JB talking about that; I just remember him talking about how small and scrawny he was in high school. Doesn't mean that he didn't have a LD of some sort. I am usually pretty reliable with this stuff, but I can't definitively answer this either way.

 

Actually learning disabilities were becoming a big part of teacher training starting in the mid-70s. I ended up getting dual certification for both "regular" N-6 education and for K-12 learning disabilities. Graduating in 1978, we were one of the first classes that could have opted for both certifications. Of course, it wouldn't be beyond the realm of possibility that rural Arkansas school districts were not particularly up on the research and treatment for learning disabilities at the time Boob was in primary and intermediate grades, when mediation would have been the most effective.

[Sew Sumi]

That timeframe would have missed both my brother and JB until they were in middle school! But as I noted, they DID catch it in my brother (at a private, secular school) when he was 15. 

 

eta: "Really struggled with reading" doesn't say much. It could be an undiagnosed LD, or maybe he just didn't/doesn't like to read. He doesn't strike me as overly intellectual. :D As for the speech issue, listen to his kids. I think that's environmental rather than inherited. Listen to his young kids. They end up growing out of it, as JB obviously did. 

Edited June 10, 2015 by Sew Sumi

[RazzleberryPie]

JB went to public school until high school, then he went to private Christian school. I presume he and his sister chose where they went to school, or logistically, it would've been easier to send them both to the same place. As for cost, prestige and academic rigor, that can all vary drastically based on the school.  

 

For comparison, the three closest religious schools to me are 1) a very strict old school conservative Baptist K-12 that isn't that expensive, has decent academics, but really hardcore rules (girls wear culottes and elbow length sleeves to cheer, no dances, no movies, courting with parents approval only, etc.), and they're struggling with the Very Religious who can now homeschool and avoid tuition; 2) a non-denominational, pricey, barely religious Protestant school that has such excellent academics that it's become the choice school for a lot of Muslim and also Indian and Asian physician/engineer/sciencey people's kids., 3) a Catholic school with not so great academics that is mostly families who've sent several generations there, or transplants who want a Catholic education and that's the only option. All three schools are the most impressive to the people who have kids there - the first one is Fundie Heaven, 2nd is academic/multi-culturally superb, but heathen to the Fundies and Catholics, and the 3rd is too heathen for the Fundies, to dull for the academics, but a cherished tradition for its own.

 

My point is, JimBob going to a private Christian school just doesn't impress me as a sign of wealth, piety or academic challenge. More like he was an insecure dork who found solace in the Lord laying it on his heart to purpose during this season of his life to set aside childish desires and instead seek the wisdom of building character and harvesting souls for the Kingdom of Heaven, especially that cute but misguided cheerleader who home visitation to hear about the Lord. Totally. 

[PityFree]

I have often wondered why it was Jim Bob who "got to go to a private Christian school" and his sister went to public school? Was a young Jim Bob in need of a stricter Christian atmosphere due to some behavioral problems of his own? Does anyone know why he went and Deanna didn't? After this Josh thing, and Jim Bob's constant and continuing sexual innuendos and jokes on TV, can't help but think if he was difficult as a boy to "keep in line". I am asking any poster out there who maybe grew up with him or went to school with him and knows what the motivation was for this?

I'm giving my 2 cents as a person who went to 12 years of Catholic school but had a younger sibling who went to public HS. It was her poor grades. My parents were not happy with her grades, so they decided they weren't going to spend so much money on her tuition if she wasn't taking school seriously. 

 

There can be lots of reasons why one kid might go to private school and another might go to public. Maybe JB's sister wanted to be part of a team or club that wasn't available at the religious school JB went to? 

[RazzleberryPie]

eta: "Really struggled with reading" doesn't say much. It could be an undiagnosed LD, or maybe he just didn't/doesn't like to read. He doesn't strike me as overly intellectual. :D As for the speech issue, listen to his kids. I think that's environmental rather than inherited. Listen to his young kids. They end up growing out of it, as JB obviously did. 

Honestly, I can't tell if most the Duggars are skimming average intelligence at best, or if they've just never been challenged or educated. We know they lack education. Josh and Josiah may be the most articulate of the bunch, but articulate doesn't mean intelligent or vice versa. Jill the Idiot likes to study and read what interests her, but she retains the most dumbass and twisted pieces of information - ie 2/3rds of families face sibling molestation, all those facts and figures about midwifery, but then she let her own labor go on way too long just so she could say she had a natural midwife birth (until she couldn't).

 

Look at the Duggar kids, any of them, in a talking head interview and then look at the Bates kids. You can compare kids of the same age, gender, etc., and the Bates kids are just so much more articulate and expressive, and they can actually form sentences and opinions. Even Anna's two eldest can describe what's going on around them and have conversation, but those Duggars just.......can't communicate without regurgitating some brainwashed phrase or just being incoherent.

[riverblue22]

In my neighborhood growing up there  was a Catholic family with six children that they sent to public school.  This was unusual and there were a number of Catholic schools to choose from.  Their oldest boy wanted to go to the elite (and not cheap) Catholic high school.  He told his father he wanted to be a priest and so they paid for him to go there (and they did not have much money).  He didn't want to be a priest and he really thought he got something over on his parents, but he did get that expensive education (and didn't become a priest).

 

Anyhow, maybe Jim Bob convinced his father that he was so religious he should be able to go to the Christian school, or that it was laid on his heart to become a pastor or missionary.

[bluebonnet]

As a teacher, I've come across several cases where siblings might be split between public and private school.  Sometimes it's due to behavior, grades, acceptance rates, scholarship, etc.  It's really not that unusual.  

[DangerousMinds]

Clown Car please tell me why you are going to blame the girls for losing the show when in fact it was your Golden Boy Smuggar who lost the show for you. Please put blame where it belongs. Thank you. :)

Because, as females (of any age), they were the ones who stirred up Josh's sexual thoughts and urges. Period. That's what they believe.

[DangerousMinds]

This was Dr. Wheat, who wrote the infamous Gothardite sex books that Josh got for his honeymoon. If he was at some rinky dink clinic, maybe it's the only place he could practice while espousing the garbage he fed the Duggars, who were apparently ripe for the picking. It's pretty much acknowledged now that this meeting is what sent them over the edge into fundamentalism.

I would love to have a look at one of these Gothardite sex books.

[DangerousMinds]

Confessing to their parents. That is so invasive, I just can't imagine. Josh running to tell his parents would sound so strange to people learning about this family for the first time. How many teen boys would do that? Jim Chelle are so creepy

Jill also gave an interview some time back in which she also spoke about confessing every sexual thought she had to her parents. And said she really struggled a lot. So no surprise she was he first girl married off.

[JocelynCavanaugh]

Because, as females (of any age), they were the ones who stirred up Josh's sexual thoughts and urges. Period. That's what they believe.

 

I have not heard or read the Duggars saying anything like this. They have messed up in so many ways, but I have never seen the Duggars blame their daughters for what happened to them. There is no evidence that they believe their young daughters enticed Josh. 

[Sew Sumi]

I'm giving my 2 cents as a person who went to 12 years of Catholic school but had a younger sibling who went to public HS. It was her poor grades. My parents were not happy with her grades, so they decided they weren't going to spend so much money on her tuition if she wasn't taking school seriously. 

 

There can be lots of reasons why one kid might go to private school and another might go to public. Maybe JB's sister wanted to be part of a team or club that wasn't available at the religious school JB went to? 

Deanna preceded Boob in school by 3 years, so I doubt there was really a discussion about where to send her. I get the feeling the JB asked to go to Shiloh Christian, and his parents, who probably had to go without some things to send him, managed to pay for 4 years. Even if Deanna had wanted to go there for her senior year, from what Boob has told us, it doesn't seem that there was enough money for both to go. 

[floridamom]

I thought maybe Jim Bob might have been a wild child and his parents thought a Christian school would straighten him out...thanks guys for your input on my question.

[Sew Sumi]

I have not heard or read the Duggars saying anything like this. They have messed up in so many ways, but I have never seen the Duggars blame their daughters for what happened to them. There is no evidence that they believe their young daughters enticed Josh. 

The Duggars may not have blamed the girls per se, but just look at what they do. Mechelle almost had an aneurysm when Josie ran around without her shrug at Jill's wedding reception. So, it's not a case of what they say, it's a case of what they do. Mechelle obviously thinks that the little girl is potentially enticing someone if she does not cover her shoulders. It's sad in retrospect, knowing what we know now, but that's not the only example of this. It's just the most blatant one that we all saw. 

Edited June 11, 2015 by Sew Sumi