7 Little Johnstons - General Discussion

[TipseyGirl]

2 hours ago, SunnyBeBe said:

So what did they say to Elizabeth and Bryce?

That basically just because Elizabeth is getting her own place and mom and dad won’t be around all the time, does not mean that she has permission to have “sleepover parties” with Bryce. Oh, okay. Psssht.

[SunnyBeBe]

1 minute ago, TipseyGirl said:

That basically just because Elizabeth is getting her own place and mom and dad won’t be around all the time, does not mean that she has permission to have “sleepover parties” with Bryce. Oh, okay. Psssht.

They really are delusional.  One of the adult kids needs to explain the facts of life to Trent and Amber.  
 

Does anyone know how Amber’s mother died? She said she died at a very young age....just curious. Especially, when she was so focused on the cancer scare.  

[Adeejay]

So, Liz promised her folks that her boyfriend won't be spending the night.  Good one.  And, if you pull my right leg it plays "Jingle Bells".

[suev3333]

41 minutes ago, TipseyGirl said:

That basically just because Elizabeth is getting her own place and mom and dad won’t be around all the time, does not mean that she has permission to have “sleepover parties” with Bryce. Oh, okay. Psssht.

Uh, sorry, once your kids move out it's none of your business.  You're done raising them.   

[SunnyBeBe]

13 hours ago, suev3333 said:

Uh, sorry, once your kids move out it's none of your business.  You're done raising them.   

Apparently, Trent and Amber are control freaks.  They will be miserable trying to tend to everyone’s business.  My parents are a lot like that, even as seniors!  I really had to be firm with my parents, but they finally relented.  Some in the family never did that though.  They label it concern and wanting the best for you, but in reality it’s their insecurity and need to control others. Amber and Trent are only in their 40’s, but omg they are know it alls!

[Ms.Lulu]

14 hours ago, suev3333 said:

Uh, sorry, once your kids move out it's none of your business.  You're done raising them.   

Agreed!  

And it is inappropriate to ask your adult children for that type of a promise.  Trent and Amber married young, by the time they were 21 they already had a child.  Their experience is not the norm now.  The average person in Georgia marries for the first time between 26-28 years of age.  It is naive to think that your children will not have had a sexual relationship at that age.  

I do understand saying you can't sleep with an unmarried/not serious partner in the parent's home, but even that seems unlikely to happen in your late 20s.

Why set your children up to disappoint you?

 

 

[TwirlyGirly]

Am I the only one who practically choked when Amber said to Trent:

"I am the most selfless person in this house!"

[SunnyBeBe]

3 minutes ago, TwirlyGirly said:

Am I the only one who practically choked when Amber said to Trent:

"I am the most selfless person in this house!"

Most of the time, selfless people don’t have to tell people they are selfless.  Just saying......

[DNR]

How old is Jonah ? 
I’ve never thought to push my children out of the house like Amber & Trent are doing to Jonah ( 3 Months!) Jonah is working and seems interested in the podcast . GF Ashley is definitely NOT on the same page  .My sons   graduated college and saved money while trying to get their careers started (obviously if my child was well into adulthood and being lazy I’d put down some ultimatums)

Jonah obviously has some obstacles, some not in his control ( pandemic ) 

liz seems to have more on the ball than Jonah and seems like she’s determined to get away from Amber ( can’t blame her)

Each kid is different , what works for one , won’t work with another . Trent & Amber are control freaks 

[TwirlyGirly]

According to Road and Track, car sales (new and used) dropped 14.6% in 2020.

Also, car salesmen commission averages 10%.

I'm wondering how much Jonah knows about cars. I don't recall him ever demonstrating any knowledge of cars beyond "put the key in the ignition, turn the key, step on the gas, and go" during the course of the series.

Also, I have the same pedal extensions the Johnstons use, and they're not easy to put on. The angle of a car's accelerator and gas pedal and their distance from the seat is different on each model and it can take quite a while (up to an hour) to put them on and adjust them for length and angle for safe driving for a particular model. It's not something that should be rushed because your life literally depends upon proper installation and adjustment.

I don't think many prospective customers are going to be willing to wait around for that.

Hiring Jonah poses no financial risk to the dealership because if he doesn't sell, he doesn't get paid. But I believe the dealership does get some tax breaks for hiring a person with a disability, not to mention it's good PR for them, too.

I wonder if Jonah is still employed by them now? 

[Chalby]

On 6/9/2021 at 4:48 AM, Kid said:

I think being the perfect child was her coping strategy. In dysfunctional families, everybody plays a certain role. One acts out and is the scapegoat, one tries to disappear into the woodwork, one tries to please everybody and be perfect, etc.

Exactly what I've been saying to my spouse. Since Anna is deemed the "bad" child, the family can focus on Anna as being dysfunctional. However, once Anna moves out, they'll be forced to deal with their own dysfunction because they no longer can focus on their scapegoat 

[Chalby]

5 hours ago, DNR said:

How old is Jonah ? 
I’ve never thought to push my children out of the house like Amber & Trent are doing to Jonah ( 3 Months!)

I understand them wanting to show Jonah the door. I have a son who was equally as miserable and disrespectful, and I showed him the door at 19. After a few years on his own, he did come back (to save money) and his attitude did a 180. He matured into a wonderful man.

[TipseyGirl]

I'm not sure what all the talk about putting petal extensions on the car before a customer test drive was all about. I have never test drove a car and had the salesman drive it for me. That's the whole idea - to have the customer test it for themselves.

[bichonblitz]

15 hours ago, DNR said:

How old is Jonah ? 

He was 21 at the time of taping. Maybe 22 now. I get why they are pushing him out. Some kids need pushing, others can't wait to get out on their own.  He's the type of kid that will live at home in the basement smoking weed until he's 35 unless he's pushed. I nearly died when his girlfriends parents said that! So funny!

Emma is delightful. She has come a long way. 

[Chalby]

5 hours ago, TipseyGirl said:

I'm not sure what all the talk about putting petal extensions on the car before a customer test drive was all about. I have never test drove a car and had the salesman drive it for me. That's the whole idea - to have the customer test it for themselves.

You read my mind. Salesmen are usually the passengers of the prospective buyer.

[druzy]

That toilet paper fight was so stupid and produced for the show. It was cringey. 

[Ms.Lulu]

21 hours ago, TwirlyGirly said:

 

I wonder if Jonah is still employed by them now? 

Q1 auto sales are up, and that's great when you consider that covid didn't close us down until late March.  With pent up demand there should be money to be made.

According to LinkedIn Jonah is still there--he's been there for 5 months.  I don't necessarily believe all LinkedIn profiles but the Johnston kids do seem to keep their social media up to date.

[TwirlyGirly]

17 hours ago, TipseyGirl said:

I'm not sure what all the talk about putting petal extensions on the car before a customer test drive was all about. I have never test drove a car and had the salesman drive it for me. That's the whole idea - to have the customer test it for themselves.

At multiple dealerships I've visited over the decades - especially those with huge lots - several times, once the salesperson understood what I was looking for (and if they thought they had a car meeting my criteria but the car wasn't in the immediate vicinity of the showroom), they've told me to wait while they went to the back lot and brought the car around to the front so I could have a look and go for a test drive if I wanted.

I always thought they did this to prevent potential customers from having to wander through a sea of cars (especially if the customer knows what they're looking for) and also to avoid possibly risking a car getting dinged if a customer backs it out of its parking spot (at some lots they park the cars in the back lot very close together so they can fit as many cars as possible).

That's what I thought Jonah was referring to when he made that comment.

Edited June 24, 2021 by TwirlyGirly
It was awkwardly worded so I rewrote parts of it to make it more clear. Hopefully.

[suev3333]

Did I seriously just learn that Amber had no panties on in bed?  TMI  😐

[nytonc]

Jonah is an obnoxious know it all and has no clue how the real world works.  With his attitude, I’ll be shocked if he still has the car job in 3 months.  That said, has it never occurred to Amber and Trent that when your kids are sick and tired of listening to your bullshit, it’s time to stop trying to control their every move?  Let them move out and sink or swim on their own. I’m pretty sure Elizabeth and Anna will swim and Jonah will sink like a rusty, leaking tub.  Then, Amber and Trent can tell him, “We told you so!” which is which is really all they care about.  They can welcome Jonah back into their home, or not, and Amber can concentrate on making Anna’s life miserable, which is what she lives for.  

[SunnyBeBe]

Haven’t they already had that ordeal with Jonah?  He was attending college and getting poor grades....they laid down the law and.....I don’t think he made it.  Someone correct me if this isn’t correct.  It was a couple of seasons ago.  

[Kid]

Elizabeth has turned into Amber.

[humbleopinion]

Nice to see the 3 older kids banding together and not letting Amber manipulate them to play off each other anymore.

Jonah and Anna repairing their relationship is a positive.

Over confident Jonah has the clearest focus on the need to cut ties with his parents while Liz and Anna think that moving out of the house means that Amber won't be meddling in their affairs...au contraire, mademoiselles.

She will be desperate to hang on to them....

Amber will use the emergency house key to snoop, examine, insert herself...all with the best intentions....but totally inappropriate.

TLC make contracts with the Jonah, Liz and Anna separate from their parents.

Edited June 30, 2021 by humbleopinion

[bichonblitz]

I didn't realize Anna was only working part time. I hope she has a better plan to prove Amber wrong because I really want to see her flourish without the dark cloud of Amber hanging over her. 

Trent and Amber need to stop harping on Jonah. Let him fly on his own. If he fails then maybe he will be a little more humble and accept advice from his parents in the future.  

I thought the Anna and Eliz shopping venture was cute. For once they acted like sisters. Usually we see a house full of people that don't like each other. It was a nice change.  

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

Jonah acted like an ass at the kitchen counter, I would be fed up with his attitude as well. However, maybe his piss ass attitude is caused by things not seen and heard on tv. I thought it was so cute when they were at the store that Anna only wanted to buy for Cruiser.  Did Anna drop out of college? 

[salvame]

Seems like the producers have ruined another family.  The Johnstons started out as a cool family, fun to watch and learn about. Don't know if it's editing, actual, or what, but everyone has done a 180 this season, it seems. It's really not enjoyable anymore. I wish them all well, especially the 3 adopted kids, as they deserve much more than the sad editing they are getting of late. I just want to bring Anna to live with me. It's heartbreaking seeing her always being the scapegoat.

[Ms.Lulu]

Do you think the Johnstons watch the episodes?  And if they do, did Trent understand that Amber overreacted when talking with Anna about moving out?  That Anna was anxious, knowing that her mother was treating her differently from Liz?

And do you think they were both surprised at just how much Liz and the other kids want to move out?  It isn't because they want to be independent, they want to get away from their parents.

If they have open minds they should be thinking about what they can do to change their parenting styles.  No more Amber burdening Jonah, then Elizabeth with Anna sucks stories--I bet Amber is trying to share those with Alex now.

I do think after Ronnie's visit Trent started to understand why Jonah is so upset and wants recognition for what he is doing.  Amber still had that sucking on a lemon face.  

 

Edited July 5, 2021 by PDXlulu

[Hockey Addict]

I think the kids need to move out, never give Amber a key, and cut off contact permanently.

[Hockey Addict]

Then Emma might become the new scapegoat because Amber has to have someone to fight with and dominate. 

[druzy]

How did Jonah get the stick shift car home if he didn't know how to drive it?

[humbleopinion]

25 minutes ago, druzy said:

How did Jonah get the stick shift car home if he didn't know how to drive it?

Jonah said the dealership lent it to him to learn how to drive a manual and to figure out the pedal extension situation.

The production crew or the dealership must have dropped it off at the house.

[druzy]

3 hours ago, humbleopinion said:

Jonah said the dealership lent it to him to learn how to drive a manual and to figure out the pedal extension situation.

The production crew or the dealership must have dropped it off at the house.

They leave little details out of this show that would make a smoother storyline if they included them. For example, is Anna still in college? When did Amber go on a diet and why wasn't it part of her storyline? It would bring some reality to this show instead of sending the parents out for a random drive and coming back to an awkward scavenger hunt.

[Mahamid Frauded Me]

I thought the scavenger hunt was cute, but sourpuss Amber didn't even seem appreciative of the gift, at least I heard and say Trent go around and give hugs and thanks to the kids. And what was that BS that she claimed before she went into the pool, "I saved all of your lives"?... was that a dig on the adopted kids?  

[CouchTater]

22 minutes ago, Mahamid Frauded Me said:

I thought the scavenger hunt was cute, but sourpuss Amber didn't even seem appreciative of the gift, at least I heard and say Trent go around and give hugs and thanks to the kids. And what was that BS that she claimed before she went into the pool, "I saved all of your lives"?... was that a dig on the adopted kids?  

I thought the same thing.  And shouldn't she have been salty with Trent about that, and not the kids, since he was a part of her scavenger hunt team?  She really does just seem so joyless.

Edited July 7, 2021 by CouchTater

[all4mom2]

5 hours ago, druzy said:

They leave little details out of this show that would make a smoother storyline if they included them. For example, is Anna still in college? When did Amber go on a diet and why wasn't it part of her storyline?

If Anna isn't, I hope it's not because she's forced to pay for classes herself and can't afford it...  She was thriving while far away from toxic Amber at college...

Maybe Amber got gastric bypass and doesn't want to admit it?  You probably wouldn't have to be terribly obese to have a BMI that qualifies you for it at her height.

[druzy]

5 minutes ago, all4mom2 said:

Maybe Amber got gastric bypass and doesn't want to admit it?  You probably wouldn't have to be terribly obese to have a BMI that qualifies you for it at her height.

I thought maybe she got the lap band. 

[Whyyouneedaname]

19 hours ago, druzy said:

I thought maybe she got the lap band. 

I think she’s posted it is some kind of diet supplement that she’s using. She said she wasn’t getting paid to advertise it but she did mention what it was a while back. She can lose all the weight she wants she’s still an ugly person, it starts on the inside. 

[druzy]

59 minutes ago, Whyyouneedaname said:

I think she’s posted it is some kind of diet supplement that she’s using. She said she wasn’t getting paid to advertise it but she did mention what it was a while back. She can lose all the weight she wants she’s still an ugly person, it starts on the inside. 

I don't believe her that she isn't getting paid to mention it. I found this:

Quote

Back in September, in fact, she shared a post featuring before-and-after photos of herself, along with a candid explanation in hopes that her own weight-loss journey would "inspire or give encouragement" to anyone else in a similar situation. As Johnston wrote, she never really had trouble with her weight until a few years back when she underwent back surgery, which required her to take steroids. Then, she said, "weight began to pack on."

Struggling to keep up with the rest of her family during a hike turned out to be "literally my breaking point," and she decided to take charge. "I came home and knew I had to change my lifestyle. And I did!!" she wrote. At that point, she had lost 25 pounds. In the months since, she shed another 19, for a weight loss of 44 pounds and counting. In an exclusive interview with The List, Johnston reveals how she did it.

Amber Johnston says it's all about discipline
Instagram
"Well, it's really no secret," Johnston explained. "I'm in the Optavia plan, but also just a lot of discipline and training myself because I should have never let myself get as big as I did."

The Optavia plan, notes its website, provides participants with coaches to offer constant encouragement, based on a program that incorporates healthy habits into one's everyday life, in addition to special food "fuelings" purchased from the company. The plan also recommends daily moderate-intensity exercise. 

The plan has proven to be successful for Johnston, who admitted that it's helped her to adjust her lifestyle and cause the pounds to drop away. As she explained, "Due to back injury and then surgery, it became easy and a way of life. So, yeah, I had to change that and fix that, and I'm so thankful that I did, because I literally feel 20 years younger physically. But my goal is probably about another five or six more pounds and then [I'll] be good to go. [I'll] be back down to high school weight, which will be amazing."

 

[Kdawg82]

Yeah these parents Trent & Amber are wayyy too negative on their kids. I used to like them in previous seasons. I was in a similar situation with my mom & we didn't get along at all.  I moved out without telling anyone. Moved stuff little-by-little to a room I rented. Thing is, while I didn't have a spreadsheet & breakdown of gross income vs expenses etc, I always had no less than 8k-9k savings in the bank & worked my ass off. I knew what rent cost, car payment,  insurance,  cell phone vs what I made. I always had beer & cig $ back when I smoked. I had recreation $ though I didn't do *much.* There's miscellaneous expenses you can't always figure into the spreadsheet.  I think they're tough bc they worry the kids are irresponsible but nay-saying like my mom always did to me & at times still does, is not the way to a healthy relationship. 

[all4mom2]

I don't think Amber cares about having a healthy relationship with Anna.

[humbleopinion]

Season Finale…time flies when the  kids are so miserable they can’t wait to flee the nest…

Of course, Elizabeth’s departure is celebrated while  Anna’s hopes and dreams are….to be continued…

Amber cliffhanger. ….

Edited July 14, 2021 by humbleopinion

[SunnyBeBe]

It strikes me as odd when parents are overly invested and vocal about the sexual choices of their adult children. Just creepy. 

[all4mom2]

27 minutes ago, SunnyBeBe said:

It strikes me as odd when parents are overly invested and vocal about the sexual choices of their adult children. Just creepy. 

These two are creepy about sex just in general!

1 hour ago, humbleopinion said:

Season Finale…time flies when the  kids are so miserable they can’t wait to flee the nest…

Of course, Elizabeth’s departure is celebrated while  Anna’s hopes and dreams are shat upon once again.

Of course...  RUN, ANNA, RUN!

[SunnyBeBe]

So, the season cliff hanger is will Amber get cancer treatment or delay it until it’s too late? Man, that’s a really odd dynamic to put out there, imo. I wonder who’s idea that is.   Will there be another season with just Amber, Trent and two of the kids?  

[Teriacky]

Are there no apartments in the area? Why are the girls choosing to rent houses? If they’re out on their own, wouldn’t it be better to have neighbors nearby? 

[SunnyBeBe]

26 minutes ago, Teriacky said:

Are there no apartments in the area? Why are the girls choosing to rent houses? If they’re out on their own, wouldn’t it be better to have neighbors nearby? 

I’m not clear on the rentals, especially Elizabeth’s.  It looked like a one bedroom bungalow.  Perhaps, there were other rentals next to it that weren’t shown.  It appeared too small to be a regular house.  
 

Anna’s was definitely a free standing house. All I can figure is that a complex would require a credit history and a private owner might not.  Also, they may have not wanted apt complex in case TLC would be filming next season.  It’s easier on a private lot.  Just guessing.  

Edited July 14, 2021 by SunnyBeBe

[Emkat]

I am oddly fascinated by the dynamic of this family.

Who would talk about their child's ability to "clog any toilet" at ANY time but especially on a TV show?!  How humiliating!

Amber is narcissism personified. 

[druzy]

9 hours ago, Teriacky said:

Are there no apartments in the area? Why are the girls choosing to rent houses? If they’re out on their own, wouldn’t it be better to have neighbors nearby? 

This is exactly what annoys me about this show- we are left with so many questions after every single episode. The story runners, this season especially, suck.

[Lesia]

How is it that these people have time to do all these projects?  The toilet paper gun thing, the photo shoot, the cooking competitions, scavenger hunts, the sign making, gazebo building, the Tik Tok stuff... do they have jobs? It's getting aggravating.  I guess the TLC income stream is high, but then they leave their jobs and then there is nothing for them to film so they have to make stuff up.  So stupid.

[druzy]

17 minutes ago, Lesia said:

How is it that these people have time to do all these projects?  The toilet paper gun thing, the photo shoot, the cooking competitions, scavenger hunts, the sign making, gazebo building, the Tik Tok stuff... do they have jobs? It's getting aggravating.  I guess the TLC income stream is high, but then they leave their jobs and then there is nothing for them to film so they have to make stuff up.  So stupid.

I never thought of it like that but you are exactly right! They even had tap dancing lessons (I know it's called something else but I don't want to look it up) so they can do the Tik Tok video and the carnival swing stuff lessons.

Another question I have- did Trent and Amber leave their jobs?