The Duggalos: Jinger and the Holy Goalie

[leighdear]

It's good that Jing & Jerm are getting Felicity accustomed to travel at an early age.  It definitely makes things easier as more kids come along.  I hope for their sake she travels easily.  My oldest brother was a fussy, irriatting and cranky traveller, but my mom says the rest of us travelled really well.  And as a military family, we didn't have much choice!  

Even babies that are happy & content at home can turn into little terrors at 30,000 feet!  

[Lunera]

[jcbrown]

5 minutes ago, Lunera said:

I do love that the Vuolos look completely delighted with their granddaughter. I don't get a sense that Felicity will be raised completely like a Duggar-borg.

[libgirl2]

14 minutes ago, jcbrown said:

I do love that the Vuolos look completely delighted with their granddaughter. I don't get a sense that Felicity will be raised completely like a Duggar-borg.

She is a wanted and adored grand daughter that they take genuine delight in, not just hold up as another number or quiver. 

[awaken]

Oh no, why is Cade from American Idol with Jeremy?  My worlds are colliding in a really bad way!  😟

[Ijustwantsomechips]

For the love of all things holy, will Jeremy please lose that cheap ass fuddy duddy Towncraft (remember them?) blazer with the cheesy gold buttons?  For someone who thinks he’s so fashion forward, he dresses like a middle school boy on awards day.  He can’t find a Jos. A. Bank, Express or Men’s Warehouse to buy a nice jacket?  There are some awesome modern suits in nice shades of blue and grey that would be more appropriate for a younger man.  He literally dresses like his dad.  

[louannems]

I think Felicity looks like Grandpa Vuolo!

[Churchhoney]

42 minutes ago, libgirl2 said:

She is a wanted and adored grand daughter that they take genuine delight in, not just hold up as another number or quiver. 

That appears to be true in the case of the grandchildren in the Dillard and Seewald families. too.  It's unfortunate that JB and M's crap gets so normalized because of their outsized presence that we forget that most grandparents -- including many of the ones in this situation -- are actually crazy about their grandchildren..... 

JB & M are hideous. And are hideous to their own children, not just the grandchildren. Everybody's just a number to them. And that's not normal, let alone the mark of role models, which they and their children, unaccountably, seem to believe they are. 

[OpieTaylor]

59 minutes ago, awaken said:

Oh no, why is Cade from American Idol with Jeremy?  My worlds are colliding in a really bad way!  😟

Cade was also at their house in Laredo a few days ago - Jerm did an Instragram story with Cade playing guitar and singing in their living room. Then Jinger got on the piano and she and Cade played Amazing Grace together. I haven't seen any explanation of how/why Cade has hooked up with Jerm, except that it appeared he and Jerm were on a Laredo Christian radio talk show. They were with another man - who is either on crutches or in a wheelchair - named Justin Peters, and he seemed to be some Christian bigwig. 

[leighdear]

Jeremy and Jinger's world just keeps expanding to encompass different people and experiences.  I think it's a rare and nice thing to see without it being a Jim Bob & Michelle led jaunt, scripted, organized and televised courtesy of TLC. 

None of the other Kidults seem to care about learning or growing as individuals.  The pathetic attempt at being "Missionaries" by the Dullards and Christian pseudo-rapping by Bin are just laughable.   

[fonfereksglen]

1 hour ago, leighdear said:

Jeremy and Jinger's world just keeps expanding to encompass different people and experiences.  I think it's a rare and nice thing to see without it being a Jim Bob & Michelle led jaunt, scripted, organized and televised courtesy of TLC. 

None of the other Kidults seem to care about learning or growing as individuals.  The pathetic attempt at being "Missionaries" by the Dullards and Christian pseudo-rapping by Bin are just laughable.   

Who is financing these experiences?  

[leighdear]

49 minutes ago, fonfereksglen said:

Who is financing these experiences?  

No clue.  Obviously they manage their money just fine, like millions of adults do.  

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, fonfereksglen said:

Who is financing these experiences?  

Well, I'd be surprised if this kind of experience -- with Justin Peters, somebody who wants to spread the word of his own evangelism -- didn't happen mainly on that person's dime. (to the extent that it costs something)

Jer's wife has a million social-media followers and she and he are on television. I'm pretty sure a lot of people who want to spread the word about their own beliefs or ideas or whatever are happy to spend something to potentially increase their exposure via people who follow Jingle and Jer. If Jer reaches out just a bit, I imagine he can get quite a few takers for a meetup. And of course he does reach out, because he's counting on this same tool to build his own career. 

A lot of the religious guys that Jer's been seen with would definitely want to plug into that source of new followers for themselves, if they could. They'd want to try riding a Duggar-adjacent coattail -- especially when it's one far enough from the actual Duggars to lend a sort of plausible deniability to the whole Duggar connection. Win win. 

Edited March 6, 2019 by Churchhoney

[Christina87]

1 hour ago, fonfereksglen said:

Who is financing these experiences?  

Weirdly enough, people throw expensive experiences at them. I don't understand why, but I guess those people can spend their money however they want. 

[Churchhoney]

16 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

Weirdly enough, people throw expensive experiences at them. I don't understand why, but I guess those people can spend their money however they want. 

A lot of ordinary folks really like to throw gifts, including expensive ones, at media celebs of all kinds, it seems. 

I guess it must be the same impetus that got people to leave offerings to the gods. They're on high. And for this I admire and worship them. And who knows? Maybe their on-highness can rub off on me. 

[awaken]

5 hours ago, OpieTaylor said:

Cade was also at their house in Laredo a few days ago - Jerm did an Instragram story with Cade playing guitar and singing in their living room. Then Jinger got on the piano and she and Cade played Amazing Grace together. I haven't seen any explanation of how/why Cade has hooked up with Jerm, except that it appeared he and Jerm were on a Laredo Christian radio talk show. They were with another man - who is either on crutches or in a wheelchair - named Justin Peters, and he seemed to be some Christian bigwig. 

Thanks for filling me in. I dislike the thought of one of my AI favorites whirling closer to the Duggar vortex, and being sucked in by Jeremy’s famewhoring. 

[Albanyguy]

7 hours ago, awaken said:

Cade was also at their house in Laredo a few days ago - Jerm did an Instragram story with Cade playing guitar and singing in their living room. Then Jinger got on the piano and she and Cade played Amazing Grace together. I haven't seen any explanation of how/why Cade has hooked up with Jerm, except that it appeared he and Jerm were on a Laredo Christian radio talk show.

This should be enough to start media rumors that Cade and Jana are in a courtship and headed to the altar!

[Ijustwantsomechips]

16 hours ago, OpieTaylor said:

Cade was also at their house in Laredo a few days ago - Jerm did an Instragram story with Cade playing guitar and singing in their living room. Then Jinger got on the piano and she and Cade played Amazing Grace together. I haven't seen any explanation of how/why Cade has hooked up with Jerm, except that it appeared he and Jerm were on a Laredo Christian radio talk show. They were with another man - who is either on crutches or in a wheelchair - named Justin Peters, and he seemed to be some Christian bigwig. 

Didn’t Justin Peters sign that nonsensical doctrine that Jeremy also signed a while back?  He has some interesting sermons regarding heavenly tourism and prosperity gospel.  I used to enjoy listening to him until one sermon where he kept using the word “liberal” as if it was sinful.  That did it for me you self-righteous asshole! 

[Churchhoney]

42 minutes ago, Ijustwantsomechips said:

Didn’t Justin Peters sign that nonsensical doctrine that Jeremy also signed a while back?  He has some interesting sermons regarding heavenly tourism and prosperity gospel.  I used to enjoy listening to him until one sermon where he kept using the word “liberal” as if it was sinful.  That did it for me you self-righteous asshole! 

Yeah, like Jer he was one of the "initial signers" of that racist, misogynistic document... Jer really did get up among the high muckety-mucks of his bigoted heroes when he was included in the "exclusive" "initial signers" list.

That can probably be attributed to his Duggar TeeVee-and-social-media fame and following, too. Can't imagine another reason why a super-fledgling pastor with non-existent sermonizing skills would be included in among those well-known names. There have got to be at least scores if not hundreds more guys like that out there, and I'm sure most of them are also trying to climb the ladder. 

He's definitely making productive use of his connections -- and getting to do it because of the smart move of staying OUT of Arkansas so people who hook up with him can get some Duggar-fame benefit while retaining plausible deniability of an actual Duggar connection.

I expect most of the people on this list are among those who'd shy well away from actual contact with Duggars or Gothard -- not so much trying to avoid the wrongdoing taint (because there's surely enough of that to go around among people that most of them don't shun or shun less assiduously, I think), but because these are a more "intellectual" crowd who likely disdain JB and M for their lack of class. 

We've seen Jer up close and personal now with at least three of the other "initial signers." I'm sure he'd like to run the table on this. I kind of expect he's getting help from Chuck with this PR offensive in-search-of-a-top-church job. I get the feeling CV may have some skills in this kind of thing and he's certainly built up connections with other Calvinist/reformed types over the years that he can help Jer get noticed by. 

https://statementonsocialjustice.com/

Initial Signers

John MacArthur

PASTOR, GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH

Voddie Baucham

VBM

Phil Johnson

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, GRACE TO YOU

James White

DIRECTOR, ALPHA AND OMEGA MINISTRIES

Tom Ascol

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, FOUNDERS MINISTRIES, GRACE BAPTIST CHURCH, PASTOR

Josh Buice

PASTOR, PRAY'S MILL BAPTIST CHURCH, DIRECTOR OF G3 CONFERENCE

Justin Peters

JUSTIN PETERS MINISTRIES / KOOTENAI COMMUNITY CHURCH

Tom Buck

SR. PASTOR, FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH LINDALE

Jeremy Vuolo

PASTOR, GRACE COMMUNITY CHURCH OF LAREDO, TEXAS

Darrell Harrison

ROCKDALE COMMUNITY CHURCH (RCC)

Michael O'Fallon

FOUNDER AND PRESIDENT, SOVEREIGN NATIONS

Anthony Mathenia

PASTOR, CHRIST CHURCH

Craig Mitchell

PRESIDENT, ETHICS AND POLITICAL ECONOMY CENTER

ETA: Note that they really didn't want anybody to think their racist, misogynist statements were actually racist and misogynist. So a black man, Voddie Baucham, gets second billing on this list. And on the list of regular signees, place number one went to a woman, Vesta Sproul. So with tokens in place, they figure we won't notice that there aren't a heckuva lot of other members of these lesser groups among this crowd. So, hey, we're NOT racist and misogynistic!

Edited March 6, 2019 by Churchhoney

[JoanArc]

50 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

 I used to enjoy listening to him until one sermon where he kept using the word “liberal” as if it was sinful.

Wait till they find out what Jesus did!

Quote

 black man, Voddie Baucham

"Our black friend"

Quote

Vesta Sproul

I got a case of that after a bar hook-up. Shot of rocephin cleared it right up.

Edited March 6, 2019 by JoanArc

[Oldernowiser]

If my parents named me Vesta Sproul I’d be a serial killer.

[Churchhoney]

2 minutes ago, Oldernowiser said:

If my parents named me Vesta Sproul I’d be a serial killer.

Actually, they named her Vesta Voorhis. The "Sproul's" by marriage....

I can't quite decide, but I think Vesta Voorhis might be worse. ... Maybe you'd be an especially prolific serial killer?  

[queenanne]

On 3/5/2019 at 4:19 PM, Lunera said:

Aw, testing her stance... what a sweetie full of innocent joy.  I remember doing that with a friend's child in a restaurant, until all of a sudden I realized that I had very little to do with the process and was pretty much simply "spotting him" by keeping my hands under his little squeezed fists.  I love visibly seeing "learning".  It was a magical moment.

[BitterApple]

40 minutes ago, queenanne said:

Aw, testing her stance... what a sweetie full of innocent joy.  I remember doing that with a friend's child in a restaurant, until all of a sudden I realized that I had very little to do with the process and was pretty much simply "spotting him" by keeping my hands under his little squeezed fists.  I love visibly seeing "learning".  It was a magical moment.

It's nice to see an adored, doted-upon grandchild. Boob and Michelle don't care about the kids beyond them adding to the head count and while Cathy is loving, I don't think she's all there mentally. I think the Seewalds would be like the Vuolos, except they don't really get the chance. Jessa keeps Bin tethered to the TTH, so they only get to see the boys a handful of times a year. Jinger really lucked out in the in-law department.

[FizzyPuff]

[questionfear]

22 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

Actually, they named her Vesta Voorhis. The "Sproul's" by marriage....

I can't quite decide, but I think Vesta Voorhis might be worse. ... Maybe you'd be an especially prolific serial killer?  

I feel like Vesta Voorhis is the name of the headlining stripper at a truck stop off a two lane highway somewhere. 

[Churchhoney]

14 hours ago, BitterApple said:

It's nice to see an adored, doted-upon grandchild. Boob and Michelle don't care about the kids beyond them adding to the head count and while Cathy is loving, I don't think she's all there mentally. I think the Seewalds would be like the Vuolos, except they don't really get the chance. Jessa keeps Bin tethered to the TTH, so they only get to see the boys a handful of times a year. Jinger really lucked out in the in-law department.

I agree. Except that I don't think Cathy's any more nuts than Mike or Chuck.

Have you read Mike's rants? Have you heard Chuck's sermons?

They're entirely on the same page as Cathy on pretty much everything. And in Chuck's case there are some even more extreme remarks, because he puts quite severe limits on what roles ought to be allowable for women and clearly casts a suspicious eye on women in managerial positions of any kind and especially when some of the managed are men -- And Cathy had several of those, so while he might not order her to quit those roles he'd be highly skeptical about its being right for her to take them. He's said so on numerous occasions.

I suppose it comes off differently because they're guys making formal or at least semi-formal presentations as sermons or sermonizing blogs (in Mike's case) while Cathy's comments are confined to Twitter and other social-conversation venues. Chuck seems to confine his extreme talk to sermons, presumably because he knows it's found less socially acceptable when uttered in other forms. But the 19th-century beliefs they all publicly espouse are pretty much identical. 

Nevertheless, as grandparents they're all loving people in the normal pattern. And completely unlike JB and M.

Edited March 7, 2019 by Churchhoney

[Christina87]

3 hours ago, Puffin said:

Wow! Look at this! Clothing from 3130 that doesn't look frumpy! It can be done. 

[DangerousMinds]

1 hour ago, Christina87 said:

Wow! Look at this! Clothing from 3130 that doesn't look frumpy! It can be done. 

Is she wearing a blanket?🤣

[Lunera]

We can finally see her hair!

[queenanne]

4 hours ago, Lunera said:

We can finally see her hair!

And her baby blue jeans!!  Though they're under a dress, so we're not out of the woods yet... and the head flowers are particularly hideous IMO, sorry to see she's got them in two colors.  It looks like she's heading for the enclosure at Ascot.

[madpsych78]

11 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

I agree. Except that I don't think Cathy's any more nuts than Mike or Chuck.

Have you read Mike's rants? Have you heard Chuck's sermons?

They're entirely on the same page as Cathy on pretty much everything. And in Chuck's case there are some even more extreme remarks, because he puts quite severe limits on what roles ought to be allowable for women and clearly casts a suspicious eye on women in managerial positions of any kind and especially when some of the managed are men -- And Cathy had several of those, so while he might not order her to quit those roles he'd be highly skeptical about its being right for her to take them. He's said so on numerous occasions.

I suppose it comes off differently because they're guys making formal or at least semi-formal presentations as sermons or sermonizing blogs (in Mike's case) while Cathy's comments are confined to Twitter and other social-conversation venues. Chuck seems to confine his extreme talk to sermons, presumably because he knows it's found less socially acceptable when uttered in other forms. But the 19th-century beliefs they all publicly espouse are pretty much identical. 

Nevertheless, as grandparents they're all loving people in the normal pattern. And completely unlike JB and M.

I'd put Chuck as more extreme than Mike or Cathy then. Cathy's clearly got conservative views about a lot of things, but I don't remember her saying anything about women in the workplace since she clearly works at Walmart. And Mike hasn't said anything about Jessica not only working, but working in a male-dominated field.

[Minivanessa]

N/M - I'll put this in Small Talk.

Edited March 8, 2019 by Jeeves

[Christina87]

kind of shocking, but I actually like this "artsy" Instagram post! This seems like something that would happen organically, where Jeremy saw it and thought, "this would make an awesome picture!" It doesn't seem so try hard to me, or like something he put in the effort to stage, like 99% of his pictures. This seems more genuine, and it looks cool. 

[Snow Fairy]

This made me smile

[BitterApple]

That's a really cute video, and wow, I'm surprised Felicity's hair is coming in so light. I was sure she'd take after Jeremy and be a dark brunette really young.

[libgirl2]

54 minutes ago, Snow Fairy said:

This made me smile

Me too. I hope she will play like her mother does when she is older. 

[Zella]

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

That's a really cute video, and wow, I'm surprised Felicity's hair is coming in so light. I was sure she'd take after Jeremy and be a dark brunette really young.

Her hair might darken up quite a bit as she ages, too, though I also am surprised her hair isn't darker, given how dark Jeremy's is. Kids' hair colors always amuse me. I was born with jet black hair and ended up as an adult with hair that is about as brown as it can be without being black. But I had a random blonde phase as a toddler. 😁

[Ohiopirate02]

27 minutes ago, Zella said:

Her hair might darken up quite a bit as she ages, too, though I also am surprised her hair isn't darker, given how dark Jeremy's is. Kids' hair colors always amuse me. I was born with jet black hair and ended up as an adult with hair that is about as brown as it can be without being black. But I had a random blonde phase as a toddler. 😁

Hair color on kids is really interesting.  My best friend who had thick black hair as a teen and adult was a blonde as a toddler.  The first time I saw pictures of her at that age I thought that she was her cousin.  

[drafan]

On 3/7/2019 at 10:22 AM, questionfear said:

I feel like Vesta Voorhis is the name of the headlining stripper at a truck stop off a two lane highway somewhere. 

Joshley ? Is that you ?

[leighdear]

Such sweet shots of Lissie in the light from the glass window.  Jing & Jerm both have a very good eye for pleasing composition, use of light and balance in their photographs.  None of the other family members even come close.  But then, they may not care. 

And I like the piano video.  Have any of the kidults introduced their own kids to musical instruments early they way they were?  One thing I won't slam Michelle & Jim Bob on was getting their kids into playing instruments.  I think musical education in some form is great for kids, even if they aren't naturally gifted.  

Edited March 8, 2019 by leighdear

[Fostersmom]

Jinger has a gentle touch when she plays. It's nice to see and she plays like she actually enjoys it. Unlike the Bates girl who plays like she's trying to inflict pain on the poor piano. It looked like Felicity was trying to mimic Jinger's hand movements and was quite adorable. Does Jeremy play an instrument? We know his mom and sister play, but I don't remember him saying if he played anything. 

14 hours ago, leighdear said:

And I like the piano video.  Have any of the kidults introduced their own kids to musical instruments early they way they were?  One thing I won't slam Michelle & Jim Bob on was getting their kids into playing instruments.  I think musical education in some form is great for kids, even if they aren't naturally gifted.  

I'd like to give them credit for music education, but honestly, I can't. They forced the kids to play to increase the freak show value, not for a love of music. Other than Jana with her harp, and Jinger with the piano, did any of the Duggar kids actually enjoy it? And they've obviously stopped caring about it, I don't think the kids Johanna and under have ever had a lesson. I do remember hearing Josh actually played piano very well, but never heard any of the other boys had any talent at music. Which is fine, not everyone does. I was given a piano when I was a kid, but never learned to play, and later played flute and for a hot second, the baritone, but I wouldn't say I was talented. I played, and for the most part had fun with it, but there's a difference between playing in junior high and high school, and actual talent. 

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, Fostersmom said:

Jinger has a gentle touch when she plays. It's nice to see and she plays like she actually enjoys it. Unlike the Bates girl who plays like she's trying to inflict pain on the poor piano. It looked like Felicity was trying to mimic Jinger's hand movements and was quite adorable. Does Jeremy play an instrument? We know his mom and sister play, but I don't remember him saying if he played anything. 

I'd like to give them credit for music education, but honestly, I can't. They forced the kids to play to increase the freak show value, not for a love of music. Other than Jana with her harp, and Jinger with the piano, did any of the Duggar kids actually enjoy it? And they've obviously stopped caring about it, I don't think the kids Johanna and under have ever had a lesson. I do remember hearing Josh actually played piano very well, but never heard any of the other boys had any talent at music. Which is fine, not everyone does. I was given a piano when I was a kid, but never learned to play, and later played flute and for a hot second, the baritone, but I wouldn't say I was talented. I played, and for the most part had fun with it, but there's a difference between playing in junior high and high school, and actual talent. 

Agree about JB and M. I wish I could think the music was anything but a stunt for them, but I doubt it.

Nevertheless, even doing it in the way and to the extent they did may have left at least some of the kids with some long-lasting feeling for music, I think. 

Recently, Jana mentioned JD playing the piano pretty well. Don't know if he really does or did, since it's hard to know what standard they apply in their closed little world. But she mentioned him playing it in various situations and together with different people so he must have been good enough to be flexible. .... And we also saw recently that he sings, cause he was in the balding boy band. 

A couple of years ago, Jilly Muffin came in for a bit of bashing for playing a somewhat serious hymn tune on her violin for Izzy when he was pretty little. I forget what the hymn was, but I do remember that it was one I quite like, and, contrary to what seemed the general opinion, I actually thought she played it pretty well, with feeling and some grace, decent phrasing and an apparent appreciation for its beauty, which isn't that easy to do on a violin as far as I know. And I thought it was perfectly appropriate to play for Izzy, even though it wasn't a lively song. So she may keep it up in at least minimal way. The violin was in tune and she clearly can still play it. Hope she does. (ETA: Now I remember. It was Fairest Lord Jesus aka Beautiful Savior.)

Another recently surfaced older video mentioned that Jessa played the guitar, which I didn't know. We haven't seen any other evidence of that around that I remember. But it'd be nice if she did play it, even if she could only strum her way through four or five chord changes. It could be fun for the boys to sing along with and get their own feelings for music going, now and when she starts teaching them, since you don't need major guitar skills to provide good accompaniment for singing. And kids love to make up silly songs that help them remember things and so on. ... 

Edited March 9, 2019 by Churchhoney

[Fostersmom]

44 minutes ago, Churchhoney said:

Another recently surfaced older video mentioned that Jessa played the guitar, which I didn't know. We haven't seen any other evidence of that around that I remember. But it'd be nice if she did play it, even if she could only strum her way through four or five chord changes. It could be fun for the boys to sing along with and get their own feelings for music going, now and when she starts teaching them, since you don't need major guitar skills to provide good accompaniment for singing. And kids love to make up silly songs that help them remember things and so on. ... 

Now that you mention guitar, I'm having a vague memory of seeing a couple of guitars in one of the Duggar homes, but for the life of me, I can't remember which one. 

[Barb23]

Felicity is adorable & it is  nice seeing her without anything on her head. I love her pleated dress & shrug sweater.  She looks determined but having fun in her piano playing, trying to play along with Jinger. 

This is a lot nicer to see than Derelict getting upset with Izzy while teaching him the piano when he was young. (I am remembering correctly  aren't I?)

[Churchhoney]

9 minutes ago, Barb23 said:

Felicity is adorable & it is  nice seeing her without anything on her head. I love her pleated dress & shrug sweater.  She looks determined but having fun in her piano playing, trying to play along with Jinger. 

This is a lot nicer to see than Derelict getting upset with Izzy while teaching him the piano when he was young. (I am remembering correctly  aren't I?)

Rings a tiny bell with me as well. 

[kokapetl]

Those poor, poor, athletic children. They never overcome being athletic and popular. 

[Albanyguy]

1 hour ago, Churchhoney said:

But it'd be nice if she did play it, even if she could only strum her way through four or five chord changes. It could be fun for the boys to sing along with and get their own feelings for music going, now and when she starts teaching them, since you don't need major guitar skills to provide good accompaniment for singing.

If Jessa can play songs on the guitar for her kids to sing along with, it's odd that she doesn't do it for the camera; she's always looking for ways to show off what a good mother she is and how adorable her boys are (and generally, she's much better at it than Jill). My guess would be that she was forced to learn the guitar back in the days when Jim Bob and Michelle pushed the kids into performing like trained monkeys (remember those delightful violins?) and she HATED it. Perhaps she had no natural gift for it or perhaps there was severe punishment for failure to perform to her parents' expectations. If that was the case, she probably burned her guitar as soon as she was married and semi-independent, vowing never to touch one again as long as she lived. 

[ginger90]

Found this picture. I want to know who is in the background.

[Churchhoney]

35 minutes ago, Albanyguy said:

If Jessa can play songs on the guitar for her kids to sing along with, it's odd that she doesn't do it for the camera; she's always looking for ways to show off what a good mother she is and how adorable her boys are (and generally, she's much better at it than Jill). My guess would be that she was forced to learn the guitar back in the days when Jim Bob and Michelle pushed the kids into performing like trained monkeys (remember those delightful violins?) and she HATED it. Perhaps she had no natural gift for it or perhaps there was severe punishment for failure to perform to her parents' expectations. If that was the case, she probably burned her guitar as soon as she was married and semi-independent, vowing never to touch one again as long as she lived. 

Yeah, that's my guess, too. ....

Still, I keep hoping she (and the others) will cough up some redeeming features for me...and, even more so, for her children, who'll likely be deprived of most of the positive outside resources and influences most other kids have at least some access to...so they'll need a lot from her and Bin.

If I had planned to school my own kids, I'd've been preparing for it in every way I could think of beforehand. That ought to be a daunting prospect that would rev your engines to get ready, seems to me. (And it has been for people I know who've done it....) But of course we don't see much of that here.

Probably at least in part because, as you say, the essential nothingness of a Duggarling childhood likely left a lot of the kids cold about a lot of stuff, and "vowing never to touch [that stuff] again as long as [they] lived." 

But I can't help thinking of the resources they could grasp that would help their own kids have better homeschooling experiences than they did ..........I think the same thing about the Seewald's big back yard. I'd've been putting some of that in garden for years now, not just so we could have some vegetables, berries, herbs and stuff to eat. But because gardens can be such a great, fun teaching tool for kids in so many ways. And their parents will be their only teachers so, ideally, they need to marshal every resource they can get. But, no, hasn't happened. 

If the boys want to learn to take duck-lip selfies and perform sexy pregnancy poses, though, their mother has a ton of experience in those enterprises. 

I'd be much less concerned with all this lazy nothingness if the kids were going to go to school. The idea of all these babies finishing high school as Duggar-taught-grads drives me kind of crazy. I do think Jingle will do better, under her in-laws' influence. And I wonder whether Cathy's proximity might even push Jill to do a little better and supply her with some more ideas or resources or something. After all, Cathy's kids went to school and she was a decent achiever in the workplace. But Jessa's in-laws are too far away to exert much influence, even if they'd be inclined to. And who knows about that.

Edited March 9, 2019 by Churchhoney