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

[madpsych78]

The bigger question for me is why the other three ladies look professionally dressed while Laura is wearing jeans.

[Churchhoney]

12 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

The bigger question for me is why the other three ladies look professionally dressed while Laura is wearing jeans.

She mentioned that she got to hang out with their sales team..... So I wonder whether that means that those three are sales reps while Laura's something different....somebody just observing the company's products, or a designer doing some kind of on-the-spot decorating work or something? ... What she wrote suggested to me that she was definitely not one of their sales reps (but that those other three women likely were -- and they're dressed like it ...) But what she wrote left me completely in the dark about what she was. I also can't tell whether she works for this company (although I don't think she does) or was with them temporarily in some kind of contractor capacity -- or whether she was working for somebody else (as a contractor, probably, since she suggests that she's a total freelancer of some kind)....like maybe the company that puts on these expos or something? .... 

Edited January 19, 2019 by Churchhoney

[latetotheparty]

2 hours ago, madpsych78 said:

The bigger question for me is why the other three ladies look professionally dressed while Laura is wearing jeans.

Huh, those ARE jeans. At first glance I thought they were sweatpants. 

[Churchhoney]

8 hours ago, latetotheparty said:

Huh, those ARE jeans. At first glance I thought they were sweatpants. 

Maybe she has some kind of Gothardism-derived textile sensitivity that causes you to go into physical shock if you're more than 2 inches away from denim. 

[galaxychaser]

And she got sneakers on. Those jeans do look like sweatpants.

[louannems]

Sarah Maxwell turned 37 years old today and she spent the day organizing her closet. (She described this under comments).  Her mother, Teri, wrote a birthday greeting on their blog basically telling Sarah that although she always wanted to be a SAHM homeschooling mom, oh well, God never sent you a man.

I wish Sarah would leave, go away to college, get a job and apartment or something!

[Sew Sumi]

By "her closet," I assume that's a carefully measured portion of a shared "girls' closet. No way they have a walk-in. 

[galaxychaser]

17 hours ago, louannems said:

Sarah Maxwell turned 37 years old today and she spent the day organizing her closet. (She described this under comments).  Her mother, Teri, wrote a birthday greeting on their blog basically telling Sarah that although she always wanted to be a SAHM homeschooling mom, oh well, God never sent you a man.

I wish Sarah would leave, go away to college, get a job and apartment or something!

37 year old freshman who is a virgin? It’s a movie in a making.

[Barb23]

On 1/20/2019 at 12:27 AM, louannems said:

Sarah Maxwell turned 37 years old today and she spent the day organizing her closet. (She described this under comments).  Her mother, Teri, wrote a birthday greeting on their blog basically telling Sarah that although she always wanted to be a SAHM homeschooling mom, oh well, God never sent you a man.

I wish Sarah would leave, go away to college, get a job and apartment or something!

This has been on my mind all weekend.   What parent starts off a birthday message by saying the plans you wanted for your life  (that have been drilled into you since you were born)  aren't happening but God still has led you to do worthwhile things like writing books?  Why couldn't Terri just have said they are proud of her & her accomplishments like her writing & leave it at that. Then since they mentioned that Sarah is still unmarried at her age, she has to be kind & reply to all the posters telling her to hang on, there's a man out there for her, someone a poster knows got married late in life,  etc. 

Is there a specific reason why Steve doesn't want to marry off his daughters or is it assumptions on our part?  I think he would have allowed at least one of the girls to marry or God forbid, let the girls buy a house together & have them remodel it. There is still an unmarried son at home, Jesse.  But since he has bought a debt free house & fixed it up, I think his bachelor days are numbered & he'll be the next one married off. 

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Barb23 said:

This has been on my mind all weekend.   What parent starts off a birthday message by saying the plans you wanted for your life  (that have been drilled into you since you were born)  aren't happening but God still has led you to do worthwhile things like writing books?  Why couldn't Terri just have said they are proud of her & her accomplishments like her writing & leave it at that. Then since they mentioned that Sarah is still unmarried at her age, she has to be kind & reply to all the posters telling her to hang on, there's a man out there for her, someone a poster knows got married late in life,  etc. 

Is there a specific reason why Steve doesn't want to marry off his daughters or is it assumptions on our part?  I think he would have allowed at least one of the girls to marry or God forbid, let the girls buy a house together & have them remodel it. There is still an unmarried son at home, Jesse.  But since he has bought a debt free house & fixed it up, I think his bachelor days are numbered & he'll be the next one married off. 

We don't know for sure, Stevehovah doesn't talk about preventing the girls from marrying, but the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  He has a lot of writing out there for the world to see and there is no question that he is a controlling, misogynistic, a**hole.  We also know that, as in other fundie families, all relationships with the opposite sex require parental approval and consent.  We also know that all of the kids, especially the girls, are very isolated and sheltered.  They spend the vast majority of their time at home, their internet activity is strictly controlled and monitored, they rarely go anywhere by themselves and the bulk of their contact with others is at the various fundie churches and conferences where they peddle their wares.  Sarah isn't going to meet anyone on her own, and anyone who wants to court her is going to have to go through Steve first.  Perhaps there have been men who have asked and whom Steve has given permission who were then rejected by Sarah; but, if she has rejected suitors, I would suspect that it is because her parents have cowed her to the point that she is afraid of anyone and anything outside the immediate circle; so it's indirectly on Steve anyway.

The fact that all of Sarah's brothers were out in the world, working at various jobs, saving and buying homes and courting when they were more than a decade younger than Sarah also indicates to me that there is something going on.  She's not like Jana Duggar who has multiple sisters who have already been married off.  Her other sisters, while younger than her, are all in their 20's, the youngest is 22, and, yet, not a one has entered a courtship.

Nathan married at 25, Christopher at 23, Joseph at 25 (after a broken engagement at 23), John at 26.

Edited January 21, 2019 by doodlebug

[Scarlett45]

5 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

The fact that all of Sarah's brothers were out in the world, working at various jobs, saving and buying homes and courting when they were more than a decade younger than Sarah also indicates to me that there is something going on.  She's not like Jana Duggar who has multiple sisters who have already been married off.  Her other sisters, while younger than her, are all in their 20's, the youngest is 22, and, yet, not a one has entered a courtship.

None of the Maxwell girls have entered a courtship and they are all over 22? Yes something is going on. 

Most of these fundy parents DO want their children to marry (and marry young)- if only so they don’t engage in partnered sex outside of marriage! Human nature being what it is, someone will stray from the path just for that need alone, much less their emotional and social needs. 

If Sarah really did want to be a SAHM and a wife, I have to believe her parents (or specifically Steve) stood in her way. No gentlemen of their belief system has approached her for marriage?

[Churchhoney]

2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

None of the Maxwell girls have entered a courtship and they are all over 22? Yes something is going on. 

Most of these fundy parents DO want their children to marry (and marry young)- if only so they don’t engage in partnered sex outside of marriage! Human nature being what it is, someone will stray from the path just for that need alone, much less their emotional and social needs. 

If Sarah really did want to be a SAHM and a wife, I have to believe her parents (or specifically Steve) stood in her way. No gentlemen of their belief system has approached her for marriage?

Neither have the Botkins (now well over 30). 

Not clear to me what's going on with the Mally sisters. I saw people reporting that both were engaged during the past couple of years. However, Grace -- who's maybe 29 -- is still posting as Grace Mally on the family website.

And while Sarah ( author of Before You Meet Prince Charming: A Guide to Radiant Purity) was rumored to be engaged in 2018, I haven't seen anything about an actual wedding. If she did marry last year she was around 39 at the time. 

She published a new book in 2018 that's still listed on Amazon as having Sarah Mally as its author. That doesn't necessarily mean that she hasn't married and changed her name by now. But she and her rumored fiance, Zack Robertson?, put up a page on The Knot last year and listed a wedding registry. But they've entered nothing else into the Knot pages, which seems odd -- though not unheard of -- if they actually did get married. 

In this case, though, I don't think their son, Stephen, is married either. He's somewhere between the two daughters in age. 

Seems like there's something going on with a lot of these people. 

Edited January 21, 2019 by Churchhoney
Got my Sarah-written "Prince Charming" titles confused. h/t to @Doodlebug

[doodlebug]

24 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

Neither have the Botkins (now well over 30). 

Not clear to me what's going on with the Mally sisters. I saw people reporting that both were engaged during the past couple of years. However, Grace -- who's maybe 29 -- is still posting as Grace Mally on the family website.

And while Sarah (Sally Mally, author of Waiting for Prince Charming) was rumored to be engaged in 2018, I haven't seen anything about an actual wedding. If she did marry last year she was 39 at the time. 

She published a new book in 2018 that's still listed on Amazon as having Sarah Mally as its author. That doesn't necessarily mean that she hasn't married and changed her name by now. But she and her rumored fiance, Zack Robertson, put up a page on The Knot last year and listed a wedding registry. But they've entered nothing else into the Knot pages, which seems odd -- though not unheard of -- if they actually did get married. 

Seems like there's something going on with a lot of these people. 

Sarah Mally is at least 36, her sister about 10 years younger.  Like a lot of these fundie families, it looks like they make their livelihood running conferences, blogging, writing books.  No signs that either sister is married as of December when Grace last posted on their blog.

Sally Smale wrote Waiting for Prince Charming, but she's a married woman with grown kids.  Sarah Mally wrote a different Prince Charming tome.

Edited January 21, 2019 by doodlebug

[Normades]

32 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

None of the Maxwell girls have entered a courtship and they are all over 22? Yes something is going on. 

 

If seeing some woman accidentally flash a small part of her bra and cleavage caused Steve to burst into tears, imagine that thought of allowing some man deflower his precious daughters!  He will never allow it.  I think allowing a son to have sex is ok in his mind, but he would never get through the thought of his daughter having sex.  He would have a breakdown.  

The only good thing I can say about that is he isn't like creepy JimBoob salivating over the new bed in his daughter's room just before she is getting married.  So disgusting!!

[Churchhoney]

2 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I think you mean Sally Smale, but, otherwise, I agree; for some reason these prominent fundie families are not marrying off their daughters.

Yeah, you're right. I get those book titles mixed up!  Sarah Mally's title is "Before You Meet Prince Charming: A Guide to Radiant Purity." Sally Smale is the "Waiting" one. 

[Scarlett45]

2 minutes ago, Normades said:

If seeing some woman accidentally flash a small part of her bra and cleavage caused Steve to burst into tears, imagine that thought of allowing some man deflower his precious daughters!  He will never allow it.  I think allowing a son to have sex is ok in his mind, but he would never get through the thought of his daughter having sex.  He would have a breakdown.  

The only good thing I can say about that is he isn't like creepy JimBoob salivating over the new bed in his daughter's room just before she is getting married.  So disgusting!!

At least JB gets that his daughters may want a life outside of his house. A home of their own, a partner, SEX etc. I’d prefer JB to Steve (although they are both awful)

[doodlebug]

30 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

Neither have the Botkins (now well over 30). 

Not clear to me what's going on with the Mally sisters. I saw people reporting that both were engaged during the past couple of years. However, Grace -- who's maybe 29 -- is still posting as Grace Mally on the family website.

And while Sarah (Sally Mally, author of Waiting for Prince Charming) was rumored to be engaged in 2018, I haven't seen anything about an actual wedding. If she did marry last year she was 39 at the time. 

She published a new book in 2018 that's still listed on Amazon as having Sarah Mally as its author. That doesn't necessarily mean that she hasn't married and changed her name by now. But she and her rumored fiance, Zack Robertson, put up a page on The Knot last year and listed a wedding registry. But they've entered nothing else into the Knot pages, which seems odd -- though not unheard of -- if they actually did get married. 

Seems like there's something going on with a lot of these people. 

What is particularly interesting is that both the Mally and Botkin sisters are very pretty women by any standard; far more attractive than any Duggar daughter and better dressed and seemingly better educated to boot.  It doesn't make sense that no fundie guy has ever attempted to court one of them.  In fundie world, with so much emphasis on the 'countenance', there is no logical reason why none of these women has found a husband.

Now, the Maxwell sisters, God bless 'em; make the Duggar sisters look like movie stars, both in looks and dress.  They do seem to be better educated than the Duggars, but so are my dogs.

[Temperance]

4 hours ago, doodlebug said:

We don't know for sure, Stevehovah doesn't talk about preventing the girls from marrying, but the proof is in the pudding, so to speak.  He has a lot of writing out there for the world to see and there is no question that he is a controlling, misogynistic, a**hole.  We also know that, as in other fundie families, all relationships with the opposite sex require parental approval and consent.  We also know that all of the kids, especially the girls, are very isolated and sheltered.  They spend the vast majority of their time at home, their internet activity is strictly controlled and monitored, they rarely go anywhere by themselves and the bulk of their contact with others is at the various fundie churches and conferences where they peddle their wares.  Sarah isn't going to meet anyone on her own, and anyone who wants to court her is going to have to go through Steve first.  Perhaps there have been men who have asked and whom Steve has given permission who were then rejected by Sarah; but, if she has rejected suitors, I would suspect that it is because her parents have cowed her to the point that she is afraid of anyone and anything outside the immediate circle; so it's indirectly on Steve anyway.

The fact that all of Sarah's brothers were out in the world, working at various jobs, saving and buying homes and courting when they were more than a decade younger than Sarah also indicates to me that there is something going on.  She's not like Jana Duggar who has multiple sisters who have already been married off.  Her other sisters, while younger than her, are all in their 20's, the youngest is 22, and, yet, not a one has entered a courtship.

Nathan married at 25, Christopher at 23, Joseph at 25 (after a broken engagement at 23), John at 26.

 

This is a really good sum up of the Maxwells and it deals with the issues well. They cut way back on going to churches and conferences since their van died and more of the boys got married. 

There is one small thing and that is Christopher Maxwell was 31 when he got married. He married Anna Marie who was 24.  The internet is not sure how old Joseph Maxwell's wife, but Anna Marie and Melanie were married at 24 and Chelsy was 26 almost 27.  

Edited January 21, 2019 by Temperance

[Zella]

3 hours ago, Normades said:

If seeing some woman accidentally flash a small part of her bra and cleavage caused Steve to burst into tears

I'm not familiar with this batch of fundies. I'm sure I'll regret asking, but details? 

[Sew Sumi]

Steve claims that he got an eyeful when a female co-worker bent over. He left his lucrative career as an engineer at Boeing not long after.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Sew Sumi

[Zella]

15 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Steve claims that he got an eyeful when a female co-worker bent over. He left his lucrative career as an engineer at Boeing not long after.

Wow. 

[doodlebug]

50 minutes ago, Temperance said:

This is a really good sum up of the Maxwells and it deals with the issues well. They cut way back on going to churches and conferences since their van died and more of the boys got married. 

There is one small thing and that is Christopher Maxwell was 31 when he got married. He married Anna Marie who was 24.  The internet is not sure how old Joseph Maxwell's wife, but Anna Marie and Melanie were married at 24 and Chelsy was 26 almost 27.  

I stand corrected, you're right.  Christopher did have a broken courtship at age 28.  And, as you noted, all of the brides of the Maxwell sons have been mid 20's or so; no matter how old their groom was. The Maxwell girls are outliers within their own family.

[doodlebug]

45 minutes ago, Zella said:

I'm not familiar with this batch of fundies. I'm sure I'll regret asking, but details? 

Google Maxwell Family blog/titus 2.  Prepare to be appalled.  Both parents, Steve and Terry, dole out advice via monthly screeds.  Lots of crazy crap including Steve's assertion that fun is not part of God's plan and that doing stuff like playing games and watching TV or movies is sinful.  All of the kids at home have to participate in daily scripture readings and lectures conducted by Steve in the early morning hours.  Steve ranted about the orthodontist taking care of his youngest daughter because she had the nerve to ask the kid whether she understood the plan and was ok with it when there were problems with her braces.  Steve and Terry are the parents!  They make all decisions for all of their children!  That's what's wrong with America today, people think children should have opinions!  Terry also confesses to an addiction to Pepsi which caused her to go off the rails emotionally and which Steve has now forbidden her to drink anymore.

I will say that, with his engineering background, Steve seems to be quite handy and he and the sons have done a lot of work on their house and on the bus they used to travel on and it looked to be good quality.  Their home looks large and well appointed, it is also clean and neat, at least in photos. All of the kids are clean and neat even though the girls often dress like they've made their outfits out of a set of curtains, ala The Sound of Music.

[Sew Sumi]

16 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I stand corrected, you're right.  Christopher did have a broken courtship at age 28.  And, as you noted, all of the brides of the Maxwell sons have been mid 20's or so; no matter how old their groom was. The Maxwell girls are outliers within their own family.

I want to say Elissa was 22–ish when she married Joseph. So, Mary's age now, without a suitor in sight.

[latetotheparty]

5 hours ago, doodlebug said:

What is particularly interesting is that both the Mally and Botkin sisters are very pretty women by any standard; far more attractive than any Duggar daughter and better dressed and seemingly better educated to boot.  It doesn't make sense that no fundie guy has ever attempted to court one of them.  In fundie world, with so much emphasis on the 'countenance', there is no logical reason why none of these women has found a husband.

Now, the Maxwell sisters, God bless 'em; make the Duggar sisters look like movie stars, both in looks and dress.  They do seem to be better educated than the Duggars, but so are my dogs.

Hee! ILU @doodlebug

[Zella]

36 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

Google Maxwell Family blog/titus 2.  Prepare to be appalled.  Both parents, Steve and Terry, dole out advice via monthly screeds.  Lots of crazy crap including Steve's assertion that fun is not part of God's plan and that doing stuff like playing games and watching TV or movies is sinful.  All of the kids at home have to participate in daily scripture readings and lectures conducted by Steve in the early morning hours.  Steve ranted about the orthodontist taking care of his youngest daughter because she had the nerve to ask the kid whether she understood the plan and was ok with it when there were problems with her braces.  Steve and Terry are the parents!  They make all decisions for all of their children!  That's what's wrong with America today, people think children should have opinions!  Terry also confesses to an addiction to Pepsi which caused her to go off the rails emotionally and which Steve has now forbidden her to drink anymore.

I will say that, with his engineering background, Steve seems to be quite handy and he and the sons have done a lot of work on their house and on the bus they used to travel on and it looked to be good quality.  Their home looks large and well appointed, it is also clean and neat, at least in photos. All of the kids are clean and neat even though the girls often dress like they've made their outfits out of a set of curtains, ala The Sound of Music.

Yikes! Thanks for the info. I just pulled up their blog and am falling down the demented rabbit hole. . . . 

[Normades]

2 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Steve claims that he got an eyeful when a female co-worker bent over. He left his lucrative career as an engineer at Boeing not long after.

Didn't he actually say he broke into tears over accidentally seeing down the lady's blouse?  

Also, wanted to mention for those going down the Maxhell rabbit hole:  they have daughters in their mid twenties to early thirties sleeping on bunk beds!!!!

[Sew Sumi]

To be fair, Poor Sarah has her own bed. The Reversal Girls share a bunk bed. 

Oh yeah, five of the Maxwell spawn came after Steve had a vasectomy reversal. eta: The reversal, and the spawn, were celebrated during John and Judgy Chelsy's wedding. John being one of the reversals. 

Edited January 22, 2019 by Sew Sumi

[Heathen]

Didn't Christopher Maxwell also have a failed engagement? An almost left-at-the-altar situation? 

The Maxwells are cleaner and far more industrious than the Duggars. Perhaps Jim Bob and Mullet should invite the Maxwells to visit, give them gallons of bleach, Pine Sol, and furniture polish, and turn them loose on the TTH. John David could fly the Maxwells down, a planeload at a time. 

ETA: I un-hid a post above and saw confirmation that Christopher, the creepiest of the Maxwell boys in my opinion, did have failed relationship, whether courtship or actual engagement. 

Edited January 22, 2019 by Heathen
Oops

[Zella]

I'm just dying laughing at the idea of him crying because he saw some random woman's cleavage. Like, with as many asses as I had to see at my job at the public library from people with plumber's crack bending down to look stuff on the bottom shelf, I guess I should have been incapacitated with weeping. 

Let's just say in poker terms I see Steve's random boob and raise him a million Joe Blow's and Jane Doe's asses. 

Edited January 22, 2019 by Zella

[Sew Sumi]

3 hours ago, Heathen said:

Didn't Christopher Maxwell also have a failed engagement? An almost left-at-the-altar situation? 

The Maxwells are cleaner and far more industrious than the Duggars. Perhaps Jim Bob and Mullet should invite the Maxwells to visit, give them gallons of bleach, Pine Sol, and furniture polish, and turn them loose on the TTH. John David could fly the Maxwells down, a planeload at a time. 

ETA: I un-hid a post above and saw confirmation that Christopher, the creepiest of the Maxwell boys in my opinion, did have failed relationship, whether courtship or actual engagement. 

 

Joseph also had a failed engagement. His first girl bailed at the bridal shower, a WEEK before the wedding. She's now happily married with at least one kid. I guess the loss of f*n finally began to dawn on her, and she got the he'll outta Dodge.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Sew Sumi

[Temperance]

Not sure if it's true, but according to FJ, (which tends to reputable and has followed the Maxwells far longer than I) Joseph and his ex had mostly a long distance and it was unclear if she had even visited the family in their homestate. It's also hinted that they didn't know each other too well. 

[Sew Sumi]

Yeah, it was a long-distance relationship for the most part. But so was Christopher and Anna Marie. Then again, Anna Marie is a sheep who was used to not having f*n. John and Chelsy were also long-distance, but they saw each other pretty frequently during their courtship/engagement.

[Abstract]

Even worse, in the original story, the real reason Steve cried was because he was afraid the woman would think he was looking at her cleavage on purpose. He was angry at the woman and her husband for putting him in that “situation” by not covering her up appropriately.

Edited January 22, 2019 by Abstract

[BitterApple]

8 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Joseph also had a failed engagement. His first girl bailed at the bridal shower, a WEEK before the wedding. She's now happily married with at least one kid. I guess the loss of f*n finally began to dawn on her, and she got the he'll outta Dodge.

Whoa, in their circles that must have been quite the scandal. A week before the wedding?! Damn.

[Normades]

10 hours ago, Zella said:

I'm just dying laughing at the idea of him crying because he saw some random woman's cleavage. Like, with as many asses as I had to see at my job at the public library from people with plumber's crack bending down to look stuff on the bottom shelf, I guess I should have been incapacitated with weeping. 

Let's just say in poker terms I see Steve's random boob and raise him a million Joe Blow's and Jane Doe's asses. 

Imagine the weeping and hysteria gynecologists must go through!!

[andromeda331]

Joseph was originally engaged to Elizabeth Munch, her mother used to have a blog but hasn't posted anything in a few years and they seemed to have lot of fun. They were engaged and then suddenly a week before the wedding it was called off. Not sure who called it off I kind of think it was Elizabeth mostly because everything about their courtship was scrubbed off the Maxwell blog and they ended up waiting so long to announce Joseph was courting the woman he married. I could have sworn Steve had post or rant that people assume were veiled remarks about Elizabeth but I can't seem to find it. So maybe I'm wrong. She married someone else and I think has a kid. 

[latetotheparty]

6 hours ago, Abstract said:

Even worse, in the original story, the real reason Steve cried was because he was afraid the woman would think he was looking at her cleavage on purpose. He was angry at the woman and her husband for putting him in that “situation” by not covering her up appropriately.

Oh boo hoo. Grow up Steve. 

[Heathen]

I'm pretty sure Christopher is the one who got dumped a week before the wedding. 

Edited January 23, 2019 by Heathen

[doodlebug]

36 minutes ago, Heathen said:

I'm pretty sure Christopher is the one who got dumped a week before the wedding. 

I'm pretty sure Christopher is the one who got dumped a week before the wedding. 

It's hard to tell because the blogs got scrubbed of all references to the courtships and engagements, and its tough to tell who got left at the altar mainly because, like the rest of the extreme fundie world, these guys all had short courtships and engagements.

Fundie wiki says Joseph began courting Elizabeth Munck in May 2012, they were engaged by June and the breakup was announced in August and he said she was the one who initiated it.

Meanwhile, Christopher, who I agree is the creepiest of the creepy Maxwell boys, began courting Sarah Smith in Dec. 2006, was engaged to her by February 2007 with the wedding planned for that October.  They only note that the engagement ended sometime before the wedding day.

Edited January 23, 2019 by doodlebug

[Sew Sumi]

Liz Munck definitely dumped Joe a week before the wedding. I remember the Munck's blog on this like it was yesterday. Liz called it off right before her shower. 

[Churchhoney]

I feel kind of good about these women dumping the Maxwell men at or near the last minute.

For one thing, given that the "courtships" are so short, the last minute isn't far distant from the first minute....so you could really view it as dumping them after a perfectly reasonable spell in a dating sequence (if you used such a heathen term).

Plus, it shows that at least some of these women retain perceptiveness, instincts for self-preservation and the willingness to act to save their own sanity before it's too late. 

[Minivanessa]

22 hours ago, Abstract said:

Even worse, in the original story, the real reason Steve cried was because he was afraid the woman would think he was looking at her cleavage on purpose. He was angry at the woman and her husband for putting him in that “situation” by not covering her up appropriately.

 

 

16 hours ago, latetotheparty said:

Oh boo hoo. Grow up Steve. 

All these people - Maxwells, Bateses, Duggars, Jill R's crowd, and the rest  -  are just nutjob a**holes. IMO of course.

Edited January 23, 2019 by Jeeves

[Churchhoney]

22 minutes ago, Jeeves said:

 

All these people - Maxwells, Bateses, Duggars, Jill R's crowd, and the rest  -  are just nutjob a**holes. IMO of course.

Exactly.

And they do the stuff they do not because of faith. But because it satisfies some warped psychological need they have -- or, sometimes, some evil desire they have and make no effort to quell....such as the desire to have a whole bunch of people living like robots under your control all the time forever. 

[NotFundie]

On 1/21/2019 at 12:58 PM, Barb23 said:

Is there a specific reason why Steve doesn't want to marry off his daughters or is it assumptions on our part?  I think he would have allowed at least one of the girls to marry or God forbid, let the girls buy a house together & have them remodel it. There is still an unmarried son at home, Jesse.  But since he has bought a debt free house & fixed it up, I think his bachelor days are numbered & he'll be the next one married off. 

Steve is never going to let those young women get married.  If he did, who would take care of him and Teri as they get older?  Who'll take care of the house and carry on his newsletter "ministry"?  He might let the youngest daughter marry (or not), but Sarah and Anna are stuck for the rest of Steve's life.  He is imprisoning them and they're too brainwashed to do anything about it.  I despise Steve Maxwell.

Edited January 23, 2019 by NotFundie

[BitterApple]

I think Stevie likes his harem of dutiful, obedient women. Those girls are never leaving the house unless they pack a bag and run.

[louannems]

27 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I think Stevie likes his harem of dutiful, obedient women. Those girls are never leaving the house unless they pack a bag and run.

I've read all of the Maxwell's blog, and I also cannot stand Steve and Teri.  But, at least they don't publicly brag about their daughters' purity and obedience and submissiveness like the Rods do!

[Barb23]

I read this thought on another Duggar site.  The poster was commenting on the preparation of Carlin Bates engagement to Evan.  Evan was shown getting help and ideas of what Carlin would like from Erin & Kelly on the Bates show. The poster made a good point that if Evan would have known Carlin longer & better, he would have known her likes & dislikes & wouldn't have had to depend so much on Erin & Kelly to get that info. (I didn't see the episode so not sure how much info they gave him.)

It's not just Carlin & Evan either. This thought applies to most, if not all, of the couples who have the 3 month courtship followed by the 3 month engagement.  I was thinking something along the same lines that depending on how the total 6 month courting & engagement falls on the calendar,  they may not even have celebrated their birthdays together before getting married.  Good grief.   Maybe this is why  they have to have date nights after they marry - to get to talk & learn about one another privately. 

[Normades]

31 minutes ago, Barb23 said:

I read this thought on another Duggar site.  The poster was commenting on the preparation of Carlin Bates engagement to Evan.  Evan was shown getting help and ideas of what Carlin would like from Erin & Kelly on the Bates show. The poster made a good point that if Evan would have known Carlin longer & better, he would have known her likes & dislikes & wouldn't have had to depend so much on Erin & Kelly to get that info. (I didn't see the episode so not sure how much info they gave him.)

It's not just Carlin & Evan either. This thought applies to most, if not all, of the couples who have the 3 month courtship followed by the 3 month engagement.  I was thinking something along the same lines that depending on how the total 6 month courting & engagement falls on the calendar,  they may not even have celebrated their birthdays together before getting married.  Good grief.   Maybe this is why  they have to have date nights after they marry - to get to talk & learn about one another privately. 

I completely agree with you that these people need to take the time to actually date and get to know each other, but I'm assuming he was asking for her likes/dislikes relating to her ring.  If that's the case, I can't hold it against him too much.  Some guys don't have an eye for jewelry and need help.  My son recently proposed and he asked me and other family for ring input.  I also think he was really excited and wanted to share the experience.  I don't follow the Bates, but those short courtships are crazy to me.  Do they allow the couple to have real conversations?  I find the way the Duggars don't allow couples to go out without some random kid tagging along is really horrible!!!!!

[Heathen]

2 hours ago, louannems said:

I've read all of the Maxwell's blog, and I also cannot stand Steve and Teri.  But, at least they don't publicly brag about their daughters' purity and obedience and submissiveness like the Rods do!

And at least the Maxwells look like they get decent meals, albeit sans Pepsi. The Maxwells also don't wear 1940s mismatched rejects while Teri spends the household money on makeup, nail polish, hair bleach, and new clothes. Go ahead and laugh at the thought of Teri doing that.