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

[Churchhoney]

2 hours ago, Lunera said:

In another life Lawson would have been a Disney Channel teen heartthrob, or maybe a male version of Taylor Swift.

Well, he would if he were one of the tiny handful of lucky ones who managed to scramble his way past the hundreds of thousands of other guys with identical bland good looks trying for the same very small number of spots.

And he wouldn't help his cause any by being an absolutely terrible singer. Every high school in the land has at least one guy singer as good as he is and most have one who's better, I conclude from my observations, at any rate.

I think the only reason he keeps plugging hopefully away is that, like the rest of this Gothard crew, he and his family know so little about the world and the people in it that they actually think he's a really good singer. And he is terrible. So he wouldn't have that as a leg up. He'd have to depend entirely on luck and viciousness to climb to the top of the pack, and we don't know whether he even has viciousness. Wouldn't be worth it in any case, though, since the top of that particular pack gives you only a tiny time window of actual success. 

[doodlebug]

Lawson really does have a mediocre voice and matters aren't helped by the gawdawful twang and lousy song.  If his family wasn't starring in a minor reality TV show, he wouldn't have gotten this far.

I agree though, whether it's hubris or ignorance of the larger world, he and his family undoubtedly think he's a major singing talent.

[floridamom]

Count me among the Catholic school kids who didn't ever wear a rosary as jewelry. Yes, it is considered disrespectful to do so. It's a means for prayer, which should never be boastful or advertised. It's a private devotion to God. I'm Italian NY Catholic.

Whenever I was a family member of a hospital patient, I looked like the cat dragged me in. No time to think of makeup, jewelry etc..I hoped my clothes were clean as we rushed out the door 'as we were'. I'm not picking on Erin, but it does seem to be self serving of her to post those pedicure photos, showing us how devoted to the bible she is etc. We all assume she would be praying for her daughter.

[madpsych78]

There's something ironic about Lawson's character in the video being a high school student at what looks like a real brick-and-mortar school. And oh look, there's Sadie Robertson and that cutout is NIKE!

[floridamom]

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be mean or pick on Erin, but she always came across to me as a baby. She's a delicate, unchallenged in life, woman, almost child-like. Her world is filled with rainbows and roses. Most of these children have had sibling responsibility put on them, but their lives were totally insulated from ANY disappointment. Their parents made sure they didn't 'suffer' through anything by sheltering them from life; even the good stuff that's out there in the world....Erin cried and moaned like a child when she was delivering her first baby almost like a 12 year old girl who got pregnant and was in labor. I was surprised at what I thought upon seeing that birth. I hope Chad realizes that he married a little blonde haired girl. Erin Bates Paine needs to grow up and become a woman. Life will hand her it's realities and she needs to be ready and prepared to handle them (much like Jill Dillard), sometimes without a bible in her hand.

I also find Lawson's 'high school athlete in love' video totally unbelievable....because of what we know about his family's beliefs in attending school, this scenario is totally out of character for him. I wonder if this was written because he 'wonders' what it would have been like to actually go to a real high school, play football on the school team and have a girlfriend? Nothing sinful there, IMO. Just strange to me.

[xwordfanatik]

19 hours ago, louannems said:

I worked 31 years at a huge VA hospital, going into patients' rooms to take x-rays.  Over the years, I saw just a few bibles. Some patients, though, were unwilling to remove rosary beads from around their necks.  Or native American beads.  That meant a lot of pain in the ass taping on my part to keep artifact off the X-ray.

Thank you for serving vets.  Mr. Xword has spent time in VA hospitals, and we truly appreciate the kindness we've been shown.

[xwordfanatik]

5 hours ago, laurakaye said:

I want to join the "Old & Crabby" club too.  I wish nothing but the best for the baby, but Erin's pose with her eyes gently closed, while wearing an abundance of make-up, is a photo-op on her part, as is the tanned legs and pedi photo.  Having been to the hospital with my kids a time or two, my face was usually devoid of makeup due to the stress of having a sick child, and my clothing of choice was typically a t-shirt and leggings sans jewelry.  Plus, in all honesty, I feel like it's an invasion of the child's privacy when a parent posts photos of them in a hospital.

 

Stepping on your lawn to say that I also can't stand it when complaining moms hashtag their complaints with crap like #needwine.  No, you don't, and no, your struggles are not unique.  Every damn thing does not have to go on social media for "likes" and "hugs."  

I also don't get showcasing oneself when in hospital with a sick child, spouse, parent, partner, or friend.  I'm very uncomfortable with so much of social media, being on the other side of middle age.  

My kindle has a bible on it.  If I ever want to read it in any situation, it's there and ready.  I would never feel the need to broadcast it to the world.

Just my 2 cents worth.  

[xwordfanatik]

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

Lawson really does have a mediocre voice and matters aren't helped by the gawdawful twang and lousy song.  If his family wasn't starring in a minor reality TV show, he wouldn't have gotten this far.

I agree though, whether it's hubris or ignorance of the larger world, he and his family undoubtedly think he's a major singing talent.

I had EXACTLY that same top in high school circa 1970's.  That is just weird!  Same color too.

No doubt, that would defraud a fundy!  Shame on me!

54 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

There's something ironic about Lawson's character in the video being a high school student at what looks like a real brick-and-mortar school. And oh look, there's Sadie Robertson and that cutout is NIKE!

[Nysha]

2 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

I think the only reason he keeps plugging hopefully away is that, like the rest of this Gothard crew, he and his family know so little about the world and the people in it that they actually think he's a really good singer. And he is terrible.

Kind of like the Duggar are great violin players and the Rodriquez family's performances are excellent Christian music. They're all terrible and no one will tell them.

[BitterApple]

Isn't Lawson a little old to be doing a video set in high school?

[riverblue22]

That video is not Lawson at all.  I guess Lawson will do what it takes to make a buck.  I'll stop there with my opinion of Lawson making a video like that.

[Genevrier]

My goodness, this Lawson Bates is TERRIBLE. Where did he get the idea that he can sing? I'm embarrassed for him.

[Temperance]

I disagree that Lawon is terrible. He's average, probably a little better than average. He sounds fine to me.The problem is there are so many people who are just as good as he is.  

The song itself is annoying (not sure anyone make it sound great).  I'm a little defrauded by his arms. Also noticed the non-Gothard clothes on the girl. 

Edited July 28, 2017 by Temperance

[Arwen Evenstar]

On 7/27/2017 at 5:29 PM, doodlebug said:

 I guess we should be grateful that in the midst of her prayer sessions and caring for her sick child, Erin found time to apply false eyelashes and a metric shit-ton of spackle to her puss.  Wonder how she's going to cope as she ages and actually might need makeup.

And her bra strap showing...

[queenanne]

34 minutes ago, Temperance said:

I disagree that Lawon is terrible. He's average, probably a little better than average. He sounds fine to me.The problem is there are so many people who are just as good as he is.  

The song itself is annoying (not sure anyone make it sound great).  I'm a little defrauded by his arms. Also noticed the non-Gothard clothes on the girl. 

I agree, he's mostly on pitch.  He's been better on pitch the times I've heard him and he wasn't being taped, ironically; but he's nothing spectacular.  At least he gets credit for having a modicum of ambition.  

[ariel]

10 hours ago, Lunera said:

In another life Lawson would have been a Disney Channel teen heartthrob, or maybe a male version of Taylor Swift.

I think Lawson may stold  some lyrics from that eville liberal Jon Bon Jovi.
 

[Temperance]

I keep listening cause once it starts it don't stop. It's like a song from a Hallmark movie probably written by one of the characters in the movie. 

Which song of Bon Jovi's does it remind of you?

Edited July 29, 2017 by Temperance

[Jynnan tonnix]

I don't pay any attention to country music to start with - I don't actually hate it, I guess, but it does nothing for me, and this song (or snippet thereof) sounds exactly the same as any other. He's not noticeably bad, nor good to my ears. If I was somewhere where country music was being played and this song came on the radio, it would be just more of the same. I'm not fond of the twangy voices. but his is not significantly worse or more annoying than the average. Kind of like his looks...his features are fine in that all-American-wonder-bread category, but I'd never look twice at him if he was walking down the street; he's just not my type.

As Temperance and Churchhoney said upthread, it's probably possible that he, or someone exactly like him might get a big break and a moment of popularity, but he's so generic, and there are so, so many others out there with that same unexceptional level of looks and talent (not even mentioning those who have significantly more of each yet still never get beyond the coffeehouse or roadhouse bar scene) that parlaying that into a successful career in entertainment is literally like winning the lottery.

[lianau]

18 hours ago, queenanne said:

I agree, he's mostly on pitch.  He's been better on pitch the times I've heard him and he wasn't being taped, ironically; but he's nothing spectacular.  At least he gets credit for having a modicum of ambition.  

He's Adele compared to the Rodriguii . He's bland but I don't want to stab my ears .

[Jynnan tonnix]

8 hours ago, lianau said:

He's Adele compared to the Rodriguii . He's bland but I don't want to stab my ears .

Yes, yes, yes!!

[Pinke]

God, that picture of Jill... Ughjhnghhgdkhukw. I just wanna say:

[Sew Sumi]

Speaking of Jill, what a selfish see you next Tuesday. It would have been more impressive had they brought back, I don't know, maybe some FOOD?

 

[kokapetl]

Animal? 

[Sew Sumi]

Hopefully, not a live one. They were rumbling around making bus videos as recently as two days ago. 

[Temperance]

Well, I hope this means the girls are no longer with what's his face. Pearl.  

[Sew Sumi]

They came back a couple of weeks ago. I just finished watching the video they made a couple of days ago. It featured the four oldest kids, but Jill's self-righteouness still managed to be front and center. One of her kids (Renee, I think) started crying when talking about people coming after Jill, and Jill had the nerve to say that if she wasn't being persecuted that she wasn't being a good Christian (paraphraising, but that's the gist). 

The video, should you choose to torture yourself, is on their FB page. 

[zenme]

I know this is an unpopular comment, but I don't mind Lawson Bates. I get that he's a mediocre singer who now has an opportunity, thanks to the show, to try to live out his dream. I'm sure his family telling him he's the next Garth Brooks has something to do with his persistence.  I like that he started his landscaping business, which was apparently successful, so he's not averse to hard work.  I can appreciate that. 

Erin's posting her perfectly manicured toes and tanned legs at the hospital makes think a little less of her. Also, I can't stand when people like to remind us how Godly they are.  To me, scripture-ing, praying, etc., are personal things.

[queenanne]

10 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Speaking of Jill, what a selfish see you next Tuesday. It would have been more impressive had they brought back, I don't know, maybe some FOOD?

 

Well, the primary problem I have with this is that I assume they're spending THEIR OWN MONEY earned from working for the Pearls/whatever else enterprising the non-Pearl teens might do to earn money, rather than spending their parents' money.  (Like their parents have ever returned the favor.)

[Genevrier]

11 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Speaking of Jill, what a selfish see you next Tuesday. It would have been more impressive had they brought back, I don't know, maybe some FOOD?

If they have any sense, they ate the food before they went home. 

[lianau]

13 hours ago, Kokapetl said:

Animal? 

I hope they haven't bought a  pet to take up more space in the  RV .

[queenanne]

31 minutes ago, lianau said:

I hope they haven't bought a  pet to take up more space in the  RV .

My money says she omitted the word "stuffed".

[Sew Sumi]

Jill can get stuffed.

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎7‎/‎28‎/‎2017 at 3:48 PM, madpsych78 said:

There's something ironic about Lawson's character in the video being a high school student at what looks like a real brick-and-mortar school. And oh look, there's Sadie Robertson and that cutout is NIKE!

Yes!  That drives me crazy.  But I'm sure her mother and grandmother, as well as daddy per phone, were only inches away, vigilantly and tirelessly guarding her virginity.  They were insufferable on Dancing with the Stars.

[OpieTaylor]

 I just can't believe that the Bates today are the same family that we first saw on 19KaC wearing those homemade prairie clothes! Even the Duggars were snickering about how the Bates were dressed on that episode. I wonder when/why/how they decided that attractive fashion was OK? 

[yogi2014L]

1 hour ago, OpieTaylor said:

 I just can't believe that the Bates today are the same family that we first saw on 19KaC wearing those homemade prairie clothes! Even the Duggars were snickering about how the Bates were dressed on that episode. I wonder when/why/how they decided that attractive fashion was OK? 

Carlin is the one in the middle? She is beautiful

In regards to the clothing upgrade, I am SURE that has to do with the Girls getting older and deciding they were embarrassed looking like clowns. Thankfully Gill and Kelly allowed them to dress themselves better. Also more money helped, I am sure. 

ETA; All three girls are pretty, but Carlin looks like she could easily be on TV/famous/WAG/wife of a famous person

Edited July 31, 2017 by yogi2014L

[Adeejay]

in my humble opinion, Erin and Josie are arguably the prettiest Bates girls.  

[RazzleberryPie]

On 7/30/2017 at 1:19 AM, Sew Sumi said:

They came back a couple of weeks ago. I just finished watching the video they made a couple of days ago. It featured the four oldest kids, but Jill's self-righteouness still managed to be front and center. One of her kids (Renee, I think) started crying when talking about people coming after Jill, and Jill had the nerve to say that if she wasn't being persecuted that she wasn't being a good Christian (paraphraising, but that's the gist). 

The video, should you choose to torture yourself, is on their FB page. 

Nobody's coming after Jill, unless it's to donate a food basket for her scrawny kids.

Is Renee the really scary Fundie Squeaky Frome? The maybe third daughter? She terrifies me.

jill truly takes the cake on the nut case scale.

Also - all the Bates are pretty good looking. I don't think there's a plain one out of teh whole bunch, and these three daughters are stunning. Not just young and cute like the Duggar and Keller girls, who to me are sort of average as soon as they hit 21 or so. 

Now if one of the Bates lands a conservative evangelical Robertson (I wouldn't even rank them as fundy lite with their wine, pants, school and birth control), Jim Bob will pop a vein. 

[BitterApple]

Sleeveless dresses, heels and haircuts? Those tramps. 

[dargosmydaddy]

I think the one who is actually sleeveless isn't a Bates? (Someone correct me if I'm wrong...)

[GeeGolly]

33 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

I think the one who is actually sleeveless isn't a Bates? (Someone correct me if I'm wrong...)

All 3 are Bates. Josie is the light blonde to the right, wearing the sleeveless dress.

[ariel]

On ‎7‎/‎30‎/‎2017 at 0:22 AM, Sew Sumi said:

Speaking of Jill, what a selfish see you next Tuesday. It would have been more impressive had they brought back, I don't know, maybe some FOOD?

 

I hope the animal brought back is a fake stuffed animal.  Fundies & live animals don't seem to be a good match.

[dargosmydaddy]

2 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

All 3 are Bates. Josie is the light blonde to the right, wearing the sleeveless dress.

Oh, wow, my mistake. She didn't look very Batesy to me, and its been forever since I watched their show.

[BitterApple]

7 hours ago, yogi2014L said:

Carlin is the one in the middle? She is beautiful

In regards to the clothing upgrade, I am SURE that has to do with the Girls getting older and deciding they were embarrassed looking like clowns. Thankfully Gill and Kelly allowed them to dress themselves better. Also more money helped, I am sure. 

ETA; All three girls are pretty, but Carlin looks like she could easily be on TV/famous/WAG/wife of a famous person

She is gorgeous, which is why I can't figure out how she'd settle for Evan. She could do way better.

[Sew Sumi]

Does Evan even have a paying job? I get that what's left of his family has a fundie singing band, but that doesn't pay the bills. Every fundie family seeems to have ensembles of some sort playing at a church near you. Do the Rodriguii ring a bell? 

Evan just posts pictures of Carlin or his nieces. Nothing about himself, which is pretty much the purpose of social media in his age group. I wonder what gives? 

[Nysha]

7 hours ago, yogi2014L said:

In regards to the clothing upgrade, I am SURE that has to do with the Girls getting older and deciding they were embarrassed looking like clowns. Thankfully Gill and Kelly allowed them to dress themselves better. Also more money helped, I am sure. 

It also shows the difference between allowing your children to have their own personalities and expecting them to be an extension of yourself. Gill & Kelly WANT their children to follow all their beliefs yet they still allow them to be individuals and think for themselves. JB demands that his kids follow in his exact footprints and parrot his words and manner. They've been so brainwashed with the "buy used, save the difference" bs and JB's extreme view of modesty that they have no sense of individual style. They're still dressing the "modern modest" via Goodwill style from 5-6 years ago when they ditched the Little House in the Prairie dresses. The only one branching out is Jinger and I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Jeremy is strongly influencing her dress choices.

[ChaChaSlide]

3 hours ago, Nysha said:

It also shows the difference between allowing your children to have their own personalities and expecting them to be an extension of yourself. Gill & Kelly WANT their children to follow all their beliefs yet they still allow them to be individuals and think for themselves. JB demands that his kids follow in his exact footprints and parrot his words and manner. They've been so brainwashed with the "buy used, save the difference" bs and JB's extreme view of modesty that they have no sense of individual style. They're still dressing the "modern modest" via Goodwill style from 5-6 years ago when they ditched the Little House in the Prairie dresses. The only one branching out is Jinger and I'd bet dollars to doughnuts that Jeremy is strongly influencing her dress choices.

Meh you give them a lot of credit. I don't see the Bates as especially progressive at all, I think they're just adjusting their approach to go along with the times. The days of cultivating a "super special Gothard angel" who wears homeknitted frocks and crunchy curls are gone; fundy guys want their wives to be considered as conventionally attractive as women in the mainstream. This, amongst the general insanity that is her mother, is why Nuri Rodrigues is struggling to court. Jill dresses her in the exact clothing and makeup style she wore as a fundie teen girl in the mid 90s, which makes Nuri look unattractive and out of place much of the time.  Gil is a true believer in the whole IBLP/ATI as a board member, and will make the adjustments required to ensure his daughters are easily married off within their group. His goal is for his daughters to leave and cleave, and for his sons to be self sufficient. 

 

JB on the other hand subscribes to his own religion of narcissism and self involvement; if you marry a Duggar girl you are the one that leaves and cleaves to them, not the other way around. He doesn't want his daughters married off period, let alone to a self sufficient man he can't control (i.e. Babe), so he goes after controllable dudes for his daughters, after making them jump through bizarre hoops. There's no need for them to update their style choices in JBs eyes because he doesn't want "normal" fundy men around his daughters to begin with. Even so I bet many have overlooked the girls outdated looks and asked about them anyways, but were resoundingly shut down by JB. I wouldn't be surprised if Lawson Bates, Cooper Dauer and Skyler Weiss were all interested in Duggar girls but were promptly shut down because they weren't going to be pseudoheadships like Derrick and Ben. Jeremy slipped through the cracks caused by the Josh scandal and its fall out; he wouldn't have been allowed anywhere near Jinger prior to 2015. 

[GeeGolly]

I guess I'm the cynical one of the bunch. I believe JB wants self-sufficient Fundy men for his daughters. I agree though, that he doesn't want to be upstaged or outshined by any of them. I also think that JB really has no power when it comes to making the choice. First I don't think there's been many options for them and second, once the girls, like Jessa, find a man/boy they're attracted to, the choice is made.

I think JB tries to appear as an all and powerful husband and father but really is an insecure man that found two roles of a lifetime; Gothard Headship and TLC Celebrity.

[Genevrier]

11 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Do the Rodriguii ring a bell? 

Far too often, usually just slightly off-key and out of tempo. ?

[Annb67]

On 7/30/2017 at 0:22 AM, Sew Sumi said:

Speaking of Jill, what a selfish see you next Tuesday. It would have been more impressive had they brought back, I don't know, maybe some FOOD?

 

Don't get too excited Jill, they might have laced it with Anthrax. And/or the perfume is that generic stuff from Walmart and smells like ass.

[kokapetl]

I somehow doubt that Jill Rodrigues needed more perfume.