Sweet Fellowship: Duggars and Friends (aka the Bates Family and Other Featured Families Thread)

[queenanne]

10 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

Sun can really prematurely age a person. I just turned 50 and I look a lot younger than many people I know who are younger than me.  I guess  the one up side of losing my bikini bod is that I've stayed away from the pool and the beach. Sunscreen makes a difference. Pris and David are both fair skinned, fair haired, and have light colored eyes...sunscreen is even more important for them.

When I go to the pool or beach, I burn pretty easily. So, wide brim hat, sunscreen, and big Lady Gaga sunglasses.  I look like a bug, but I could care less!

Wallers, take note...sunscreen, sunglasses, hats....NOW!

Hey, Nicole Kidman runs around like that in public unashamedly... I forget how long it's been or where, but I've seen 'er.  Long sleeves, wide brimmed hat, huge sunglasses.  She looked like a caricature of one of those mad scientists in the safari gear from the old movies, and clearly not ashamed about it either - I think she was running errands or something mundane.  I actually LOLed ruefully because I thought "and that's the way you do it!"

[Zella]

23 minutes ago, queenanne said:

Hey, Nicole Kidman runs around like that in public unashamedly... I forget how long it's been or where, but I've seen 'er.  Long sleeves, wide brimmed hat, huge sunglasses.  She looked like a caricature of one of those mad scientists in the safari gear from the old movies, and clearly not ashamed about it either - I think she was running errands or something mundane.  I actually LOLed ruefully because I thought "and that's the way you do it!"

I don't remember where I saw it, but I've read that because of her fair skin, when she was a child, she wasn't really allowed to play out in the sun because she was so susceptible to sunburn.

[Arwen Evenstar]

Nicole Kidman is a beautiful lady.  She reminds me of Grace Kelly. She is very much all about staying out of the sun.

And yes, genetics play a role in aging as well.  I remember a friend of mine once describing a coworker of his who was old and weather beaten  as "looking like a dried lizard".

[SpaghettiTuesdays]

I think Davia has the strong jawline of the Waller clan. If you look at Ma and Pa Waller's blog, you can see in the photo that most of David's siblings have that jaw. Davia's chubby cheeks just accentuate it.

[Churchhoney]

10 hours ago, Zella said:

I don't remember where I saw it, but I've read that because of her fair skin, when she was a child, she wasn't really allowed to play out in the sun because she was so susceptible to sunburn.

Very wise move in Australia, where the danger of skin cancer is high.

[Sew Sumi]

A tour? Really? His singing scares my cats! 

[louannems]

On TV, Lawson's voice, to my untrained ear, sounded wimpy and ineffectual.  I cringed listening to him sing.  No better than Amy.  At least, to me!

[BitterApple]

Wow, a tour?! Lawson is HORRIBLE. I mean, he wouldn't even pass muster for a high school talent show. I guess the promoters figure he'll sell based on his looks. I'm sure there's plenty of Christian girls who would love to deflower him after the show.

[NewDigs]

? ? ?

[Churchhoney]

Oh, my Lord. I just listened to a little on his website. Never heard him before. Has he heard himself? He sounds like a parody. He's vocally incompetent in every possible way.

Guess seeming cute and godly to a bunch of fundie girls at least gets you a couple of gigs in a church or somebody's house or whatever in Indiana. He should pass out earplugs.

I'll never criticize Erin's piano playing again. .... Well, I will, probably. But she's certainly way more competent -- and even palatable --  than he is. Can't believe I've heard that he's "trying" for some kind of actual career in music. Yeesh. He certainly isn't going to get one. They sure as hell are unaware of what the world actually has in it, aren't they?

Edited September 4, 2016 by Churchhoney

[GeeGolly]

The last Bates episode showed Lawson in the recording studio, and I thought well they work miracles with mixing and all. Unless he lip syncs his numbers will slowly dwindle as his tour goes on. People talk - on social media.

I do think he is better than Amy though, but that is a low bar.

[Churchhoney]

52 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

The last Bates episode showed Lawson in the recording studio, and I thought well they work miracles with mixing and all. Unless he lip syncs his numbers will slowly dwindle as his tour goes on. People talk - on social media.

I do think he is better than Amy though, but that is a low bar.

I've never heard Amy. Thanks for the warning. Now I know to avoid it at all costs.  ; )

Seems like the tour may just be being put together now. There's only one date listed on the website. In New Canaan, maybe? And then there's the Muncie "poster" above. There may not be much to dwindle from. On the other hand, I guess he's big in Indiana. They've probably already heard him in Tennessee. ha

Edited September 4, 2016 by Churchhoney

[GeeGolly]

New Castle, Churchie, New Castle. New Canaan is in CT, very close to my neck of the woods. Don't scare me like that.

[GeeGolly]

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

New Castle, Churchie, New Castle. New Canaan is in CT, very close to my neck of the woods. Don't scare me like that.

Oh, of course. I must just automatically type biblical names whenever I write about these people. Sorry for the scare.

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

I'd call it a draw.

At least Famy seems to have given up on the idea that she could make a career out of it though. (seems to have, anyway)  Take a note from that, Lawson.

[Fosca]

After having listened to a minute or two of each (couldn't take much more), they both sound like any random non-drunk person singing karaoke on a Saturday night.  Nothing special or noteworthy.  Certainly not enough to sell records to anyone other than a leghumper or a family member.

[kokapetl]

Lawson's music is incredibly twangy. Is there a market for his super affected yokel vocals? 

[Jynnan tonnix]

26 minutes ago, Fosca said:

After having listened to a minute or two of each (couldn't take much more), they both sound like any random non-drunk person singing karaoke on a Saturday night.  Nothing special or noteworthy.  Certainly not enough to sell records to anyone other than a leghumper or a family member.

Pretty much. I'd give a slight edge to Amy for having a bit more strength to her voice. Lawson sounds as though he has very little breath control. 

[Churchhoney]

32 minutes ago, Kokapetl said:

Lawson's music is incredibly twangy. Is there a market for his super affected yokel vocals? 

Yeah. Among young fundie women who have crushes on Lawson Bates. Otherwise, not so much.

[GeeGolly]

Is it harder for Fundy guys to find "suitable" wives? Both the Bates family and the Duggar family have married off 1 son and 3 daughters (counting Jinger).

I can only assume with such patriarchal leanings that JB would have more urgency in seeing this new generation/army carry his last name.

[RazzleberryPie]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

Is it harder for Fundy guys to find "suitable" wives? Both the Bates family and the Duggar family have married off 1 son and 3 daughters (counting Jinger).

I can only assume with such patriarchal leanings that JB would have more urgency in seeing this new generation/army carry his last name.

No, it is not difficult, bc no matter what they say, they're still men who choose the woman they're attracted to over all those 'holy' virtues and homemaking skills. 

It's more difficult to be able to support your future family with no education or vocational skills and the refusal to work for other people.

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

Is it harder for Fundy guys to find "suitable" wives? Both the Bates family and the Duggar family have married off 1 son and 3 daughters (counting Jinger).

I can only assume with such patriarchal leanings that JB would have more urgency in seeing this new generation/army carry his last name.

I think it's harder for a young man to marry because he has to be financially ready to support a family when he asks to court, a young woman just needs to be of legal age. Also there's no rush to marry men early to get those quivers full. 

[Sew Sumi]

On 9/4/2016 at 6:32 AM, Jynnan tonnix said:

Pretty much. I'd give a slight edge to Amy for having a bit more strength to her voice. Lawson sounds as though he has very little breath control. 

I totally read that as "birth control." *trudges off to prayer closet*

[Marigold]

Poor Priscilla. 

On the bright side, that made me feel good about myself. 

[satrunrose]

On September 4, 2016 at 0:30 PM, Scarlett45 said:

I think it's harder for a young man to marry because he has to be financially ready to support a family when he asks to court, a young woman just needs to be of legal age. Also there's no rush to marry men early to get those quivers full. 

I think there are a couple of big obstacles to patriarchal bliss. There's the economic one, as Scarlett45 said, but also the question of where exactly will they meet these girls. They home Church. They don't go to school. They work with their brothers. Really, it seems like they only get a bit more mobility than the girls. Plus, when and if they meet their future helpmeet/divinely ordained broodmare, they have to take the initiative to talk to the big scary patriarch before they even get to exchange Bible verses with their sweeties. 

[Arwen Evenstar]

10 minutes ago, satrunrose said:

I think there are a couple of big obstacles to patriarchal bliss. There's the economic one, as Scarlett45 said, but also the question of where exactly will they meet these girls. They home Church. They don't go to school. They work with their brothers. Really, it seems like they only get a bit more mobility than the girls. Plus, when and if they meet their future helpmeet/divinely ordained broodmare, they have to take the initiative to talk to the big scary patriarch before they even get to exchange Bible verses with their sweeties. 

One may ask, how any of them get to meet anyone given how they isolate themselves from everyone and everything.  In particular, those Fundy families that follow ideas similar to the Maxwells that discourage friends or any social relationships outside the family with the exception of approved business endeavors , necessary commerce, or limited occasions for fellowship (weddings, funerals, etc).

[Sew Sumi]

Guys, this young lady IN SHORTS could have been a Duggar by now! 

[maraleia]

Even though Marjorie is still super religious it's so good to see her in college in a dorm with a roommate who isn't white. I'm so glad she escaped Duggarville because she has ambition.

[CarolMK]

Since this thread is for other families like the Duggars, does anyone remember the Arndt family? They have 13 sons and one daughter and I think their kids range in age from about 11 to mid-30's. All of them live at home and all of the guys work in their dad's family business of court reporting (and I think they also do a side business of wedding photography). I think they were on Kids by the Dozen years ago. It's amazing that none of them have moved out of their family home to marry, all have the same job and all seem to be content with it. I'm not sure what their religion is, they have home schooled all of their kids and they also have a home church going on as well. The one hobby that they all shared was having their own family softball team. It just seems very bizarre how they live in what appears to be near total isolation from society. 

[fuzzylollipop]

Was that the family where one of the older boys had alopecia? @CarolMK

[Scarlett45]

53 minutes ago, CarolMK said:

Since this thread is for other families like the Duggars, does anyone remember the Arndt family? They have 13 sons and one daughter and I think their kids range in age from about 11 to mid-30's. All of them live at home and all of the guys work in their dad's family business of court reporting (and I think they also do a side business of wedding photography). I think they were on Kids by the Dozen years ago. It's amazing that none of them have moved out of their family home to marry, all have the same job and all seem to be content with it. I'm not sure what their religion is, they have home schooled all of their kids and they also have a home church going on as well. The one hobby that they all shared was having their own family softball team. It just seems very bizarre how they live in what appears to be near total isolation from society. 

Yes I remember them. They seemed more "normal" until they shared about how all the adult children still live at home. Now the youngest (the daughter) must be in her mid to late teens and the older son mid 30's. But I have to give them credit, given she had so many boys and no girls (until the last) the boys were expected to do housework etc and respect Mom's contribution to the household. I've noticed this a lot in mainstream families as well, male children tend to have more domestic skills if they had no sisters (even with only 2-3 kids). 

[RazzleberryPie]

On September 5, 2016 at 11:03 PM, satrunrose said:

I think there are a couple of big obstacles to patriarchal bliss. There's the economic one, as Scarlett45 said, but also the question of where exactly will they meet these girls. They home Church. They don't go to school. They work with their brothers. Really, it seems like they only get a bit more mobility than the girls. Plus, when and if they meet their future helpmeet/divinely ordained broodmare, they have to take the initiative to talk to the big scary patriarch before they even get to exchange Bible verses with their sweeties. 

The guys have far more freedom to go places unchapperoned to meet people i.e. The Bates boy who met his wife at Sonic. The guys also can date a little more fundie lite or just evangelical, and their wives are intended to shift their beliefs toward the husbands. 

Now we know in every culture, women do most of the matchmaking - whether covert or open, so there is opportunity to meet and greet.

between conventions and the Internet, there is a lot of socializing going on when it comes to matchmaking. Sort of like the Jane Austen ish house parties and ways country folk met and arranged marriages to people they barely knew way back in the day. 

[frenchtoast]

While we try to allow some so drift in topic, we've found that we need to keep this topic about families that have been on the show. We have to narrow the forum somehow, and keeping it to show helps us do that. 

[ms.o]

Truth be told, I cannot recall if the Willis family has actually been on a Duggar episode. However, since they are a TLC show and have been discussed here I'm posting this. Mods please remove if need be

http://www.wsmv.com/story/33061858/member-of-family-group-the-willis-clan-charged-in-child-rape-case

[Beaner]

Oh my!!!

[CarolMK]

The Willis clan were similar enough to the Duggars in that all 12 of their kids had J names, they were also fundamentalist Christians and were homeschooled. The parents started them in a family business of being entertainers several years ago but their kids were much more talented than the Duggars. 

First Mama June, then Josh Duggar and now Mr. Willis. TLC better find out a way to screen their applicants more thoroughly. Hire a private investigator before signing them up for a reality show. 

[ChiCricket]

Boy, oh boy. What a creepy bunch of pervs a lot of these "religious" guys turn out to be. Sick, sick, sick. :(

[GeeGolly]

Holy shit.

[frenchtoast]

In case you would like to discuss the Willis family and their transgressions further, here is the Willis family forum. 

[becca3891]

Oh, WOW. I maintained from day one that Toby was creepy. I did not, however, suspect this. Not only that, but they subscribe to the same patriarchal nonsense as the Duggars. The girls say they can't make future plans, because their future husbands will decide for them. And they also say they like the kids to learn ballroom dance because it teaches them about life, that the man leads and the woman follows. Ugh, ugh, ugh. So glad I'm not in that world anymore. Taking further comments to the appropriate forum.

On 9/7/2016 at 7:53 PM, RazzleberryPie said:

The guys have far more freedom to go places unchapperoned to meet people i.e. The Bates boy who met his wife at Sonic. The guys also can date a little more fundie lite or just evangelical, and their wives are intended to shift their beliefs toward the husbands. 

Now we know in every culture, women do most of the matchmaking - whether covert or open, so there is opportunity to meet and greet.

between conventions and the Internet, there is a lot of socializing going on when it comes to matchmaking. Sort of like the Jane Austen ish house parties and ways country folk met and arranged marriages to people they barely knew way back in the day. 

You're right that the guys have more leeway to do something like approach a young woman who works at Sonic. The girls can't do that. However, they can and do marry fundie lite, which is exactly what Jeremy and Derrick at least were. 

On 8/31/2016 at 4:16 PM, Zella said:

I know some people who went to John Brown, and it's apparently not quite as narrow-minded as some other Christian colleges can be. (I live nearby and went to another Christian college that veered much more toward the latter.)

One of my friends who went to John Brown for her first couple of years (she's an atheist now) was in their philosophy program and said that they talked about other religions/belief systems openly and respectfully. When I told her about my own negative experiences at another Christian college, she seemed quite shocked and told me she still looked back quite fondly on her time at JBU.

I'm so happy for Marjorie. A vibrant 17-year-old should not be getting married into a cult that expects her to immediately begin having baby after baby and never pursuing a career.  

[CarolMK]

I'm not sure that Jeremy and Derrick were exactly fundie light, but it sure seems like many of these families have a lot of problems.

I wanted to ask about Anna's sister Esther, though I only remember seeing her on the show a couple of times. Didn't she go to Africa with her husband who started a ministry a couple of years ago and has never returned? She had a lot of children, from what I recall, is it about 9 or 10 by now? I wonder how they are doing and if they will ever return to the US. Unlike Derrick and Jill, they very likely don't have enough money to fly their family back and forth to the US.

[Zahdii]

5 hours ago, CarolMK said:

I wanted to ask about Anna's sister Esther, though I only remember seeing her on the show a couple of times. Didn't she go to Africa with her husband who started a ministry a couple of years ago and has never returned? She had a lot of children, from what I recall, is it about 9 or 10 by now? I wonder how they are doing and if they will ever return to the US. Unlike Derrick and Jill, they very likely don't have enough money to fly their family back and forth to the US.

You're talking about John and Esther Shrader.  They're in Kafue, Zambia, with electricity, indoor plumbing, paved roads, and all the household amenities you could want.  He's making an ass of himself and posting it all on facebook.  You might wait weeks for a mention of his wife or kids, but if John has a tummy grumble or a loose stool, you'll get him begging for prayer reque$t$ in a heartbeat.

BTW, Esther was heavily pregnant with their 9th (I think) child when they moved.  Esther gave birth to a boy just a couple of months later.  She's since had another baby boy.

John's still the same narcissistic asshole that he was, and everything is still all about him.  He's still not accomplishing anything but he's sure every time he walks across a room without tripping it's because he's Gods Special Snowflake, and if he fails at something it's because Satan is attacking him because he's Gods Special Snowflake.  It's always a win-win situation with John.

Free Jinger has whole threads devoted to him.

[Sew Sumi]

Looks like the Duggar wimmenz, plus some other friends, threw Sierra a birthday party either today or over the weekend. Note that she's wearing that stupid "blessed mama" shirt that Jessa also has. Ugh. 

I'm also afraid that my prediction of more bad wedding planning is in the offing. The Duggars thought enough of her to buy a sheetcake and dip some strawberries. 

[Tabbygirl521]

"A friend loveth at all times and a brother is born for adversity." Happy birthday, y'all! Oh, and WTF??

Edited September 13, 2016 by Tabbygirl521

[kokapetl]

11 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Looks like the Duggar wimmenz, plus some other friends, threw Sierra a birthday party either today or over the weekend. Note that she's wearing that stupid "blessed mama" shirt that Jessa also has. Ugh. 

I'm also afraid that my prediction of more bad wedding planning is in the offing. The Duggars thought enough of her to buy a sheetcake and dip some strawberries. 

Cake and white dog shit. 

[BitterApple]

When they throw parties do they serve anything that isn't 90% sugar? Okay, I get the cake, but maybe buy a platter of deli wraps to balance it out or something. From the wording of Sierra's post it sounds like it was just strawberries, cake and that's it.

[sometimesy]

White chocolate covered strawberries are definitely a healthy treat. Fresh fruit is under that delicious white chocolate. mmmmm. Don't tell me anything different... I can't hear you lalalalalalalalalal.

[fuzzylollipop]

Who is the lost girl next to Sierra? She looks exactly like one of the middle boys, whose names I haven't bothered to learn in the last 10 years. I only know from Josh to Jinger, the rest are a blur of lookalikes.

[Aja]

36 minutes ago, fuzzylollipop said:

Who is the lost girl next to Sierra? She looks exactly like one of the middle boys, whose names I haven't bothered to learn in the last 10 years. I only know from Josh to Jinger, the rest are a blur of lookalikes.

Hannie?