Jessa, Ben and Their Brood: Making a (Diaper) Mountain out of a Mold House

[Spencer Hastings]

I can’t tell if Jessa’s hairstyle is supposed to be part of her costume or not but it actually really suits her! She looks like a lovely pastor’s wife from the 90s. 

[beagletime]

Ben is maturing into quite a handsome man.  The Seewalds look wonderful in their picture.  The boys are adorable.  Both Anna's and Jessa's children always look clean and appropriately dressed.  They also look happy.   Sam and Izzy always look like they aren't sure what to do.  

Edited December 11, 2018 by beagletime
my post was not clear.

[DangerousMinds]

3 hours ago, Spencer Hastings said:

I can’t tell if Jessa’s hairstyle is supposed to be part of her costume or not but it actually really suits her! She looks like a lovely pastor’s wife from the 90s. 

IF only Bin would actually get a job.

[Love2dance]

7 hours ago, QuinnInND said:

I had to live with my abuser and act like nothing happened until I left home at almost 15. It was hellish. 

I am so sorry, @QuinnInND. That must have been so awful for you. I hope things are better since you left. Hugs!

6 hours ago, zoomama said:

the picture of jill and jessa has to be hands-down the best photo of them i have ever seen.

I actually think they ALL look better and more natural than in any pictures I can remember.

[kaleidoscope]

Maybe they're all happy and relaxed without M and JB around ♥

[Minivanessa]

3 minutes ago, kaleidoscope said:

Maybe they're all happy and relaxed without M and JB around ♥

That was my thought too.

Also, it was actually some kind of theme party, which sounds like more fun than the usual "let's cram everybody in the TTH because a birthday/goingaway/engagement/birth" with no plan other than stand around and eat stuff off styrofoam plates and praise Jesus and feel superior to the unsaved. Although IIRC Anna had to throw praising Jesus into the last bit of her social media post about the party. Sheesh, lighten up, woman. I don't think Jesus would mind if you just got silly and had some fun. 

[Churchhoney]

5 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

IF only Bin would actually get a job.

What would you hire Bin to do? 

This is what always comes to my mind when I think about Bin and a job. ....

I mean, if I needed some nice guy to just run easy errands or something, I might hire Bin. But as a person to minister to my congregation or preach (which seems to be what he wants) or run some part of my organization? Seems Unlikely. 

Edited December 11, 2018 by Churchhoney

[OpieTaylor]

I posted more details about this on the thread that covers Amy, but she said on an Instagram story yesterday that Jessa is going to "model" for Amy's new clothing store/online shop. 

[BitterApple]

2 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

What would you hire Bin to do? 

This is what always comes to my mind when I think about Bin and a job. ....

I mean, if I needed some nice guy to just run easy errands or something, I might hire Bin. But as a person to minister to my congregation or preach (which seems to be what he wants) or run some part of my organization? Seems Unlikely. 

Bin seems like he's fun and good with kids. I'm surprised he doesn't try to become a Youth Pastor like Bobby Smith. 

[Churchhoney]

15 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Bin seems like he's fun and good with kids. I'm surprised he doesn't try to become a Youth Pastor like Bobby Smith. 

Good point. Honestly, though, maybe he's too dim to think of that .... The few times he's actually heard from, he seems just as obsessed as Jer and Der with spouting some pseudo-intellectual Calvinistic "theology." .... 

ETA: Just remembered that he also comes from the "family-integrated church" tradition espoused by Vision Forum and its heirs, among others.....And the few programs he's been on since he started working on that degree have also heavily featured members of the family-integrated-church gang.

They don't believe that there should evah evah be youth groups or women's groups or a toddler's nursery or the like within a church. Everybody's supposed to be together all the time because Jesus. (Although I'm pretty sure it's because the patriarchs feel their control can slip too easily if they let any of the chattel out of their sight for an instant ...). 

Wonder how much that view still permeates Bin's skull? It's certainly been reinforced by his life in Duggartown, where they espouse a similar philosophy under a different name. Because if he's still steeped in that mindset, then the idea of a "youth pastor" wouldn't even occur to him. 

Edited December 11, 2018 by Churchhoney

[QuinnInND]

8 hours ago, Love2dance said:

I am so sorry, @QuinnInND. That must have been so awful for you. I hope things are better since you left. Hugs!

 

Thank you! It took about 5 years after Ieft home for things to get better. Since I met my husband, things have been wonderful. I have an awesome life now and a wonderful family. My husband is the best man in the world, and I have 3 beautiful children. The nightmares are a thing of the past at last. I always say I'm the luckiest girl in the world.  And before I sound like Jilly Muffin, I'll stop now. Haha. 

[Readalot]

On 12/9/2018 at 10:21 AM, awaken said:

Ha, yes, I can only imagine they consider is an Italian dinner!  

Pizza?

[Scarlett45]

2 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Bin seems like he's fun and good with kids. I'm surprised he doesn't try to become a Youth Pastor like Bobby Smith. 

I could see Ben as a really good youth pastor! And I think he has a genuine love of kids and faith. With so many abusers entering the field for potential targets, there need to be good male role models like Ben in the Christian Youth space. 

[Temperance]

14 hours ago, Spencer Hastings said:

I can’t tell if Jessa’s hairstyle is supposed to be part of her costume or not but it actually really suits her! She looks like a lovely pastor’s wife from the 90s. 

She's channeling her mother from back-in-the day. As is Joy. Definitely part of the costume. 

[Christina87]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

I could see Ben as a really good youth pastor! And I think he has a genuine love of kids and faith. With so many abusers entering the field for potential targets, there need to be good male role models like Ben in the Christian Youth space. 

I think Bin would be excellent at this! I could also really see him becoming a teacher. No, he should NOT teach middle school; he would be eaten alive. I could see him teaching other grades, though. In high school, he could coach football, and maybe other sports. He would be known as the laid-back gym teacher who is passionate about health. I could see him doing an awesome job telling the kids about healthy living practices, since he seems to care so much about eating and wellness (sex Ed could be a sore spot, but we mostly had that in middle school, not high school). I think even non-athletes could respect him, and the girls would think he was cute. He taught Jessa and joy to work out without being judgmental, so maybe he could reach kids who otherwise wouldn't exercise. If he did elementary, he would be soooo good with that age, and could even still coach...though it wouldn't be as prestigious. I agree with you that he would be an excellent role model for kids, and they need one! I also think he is one of the few who would excel outside his bubble. I could see him realizing how hard life is for some of his poor students, and actually doing something about it. I also think Bin would be a good SAHD, but his cult would never allow it. He is so nurturing and good with children! Bin is one of the few in-laws I can actually get on board with. 

Edited December 11, 2018 by Christina87

[Churchhoney]

1 hour ago, Christina87 said:

I think Bin would be excellent at this! I could also really see him becoming a teacher. No, he should NOT teach middle school; he would be eaten alive. I could see him teaching other grades, though. In high school, he could coach football, and maybe other sports. He would be known as the laid-back gym teacher who is passionate about health. I could see him doing an awesome job telling the kids about healthy living practices, since he seems to care so much about eating and wellness (sex Ed could be a sore spot, but we mostly had that in middle school, not high school). I think even non-athletes could respect him, and the girls would think he was cute. He taught Jessa and joy to work out without being judgmental, so maybe he could reach kids who otherwise wouldn't exercise. If he did elementary, he would be soooo good with that age, and could even still coach...though it wouldn't be as prestigious. I agree with you that he would be an excellent role model for kids, and they need one! I also think he is one of the few who would excel outside his bubble. I could see him realizing how hard life is for some of his poor students, and actually doing something about it. I also think Bin would be a good SAHD, but his cult would never allow it. He is so nurturing and good with children! Bin is one of the few in-laws I can actually get on board with. 

Of course, the drawback is he might have to practically start all over again with his schooling! ....

He might be able to score a part-time coaching job somewhere, but to actually make a living from working in a school, even in athletics, he'd need some credits -- maybe a lot -- that he hasn't yet collected..... A private Christian school, especially, would almost certainly need him to teach something besides sports before they could pay him anything close to a living wage. .... That'd postpone his job getting for even more years, unfortunately. 

[Albanyguy]

7 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

They don't believe that there should evah evah be youth groups or women's groups or a toddler's nursery or the like within a church. Everybody's supposed to be together all the time because Jesus. (Although I'm pretty sure it's because the patriarchs feel their control can slip too easily if they let any of the chattel out of their sight for an instant ...). 

That infamous nutcase, Zuzu Anderson has a story about attending a church with a separate nursery where she was forced to sit during the service, which is an abomination unto the Lord and required her to call out the church leaders as the blasphemers they are. Apparently, this was one of the things that led her husband to start his own church, where she can make sure things are done the righteous way.

[Sew Sumi]

Even Faithful Word Baptist has a "cry room." It's Plexiglas, so one can still see and hear Stevie's hate-preaching.

[EmeraldGirl]

What IS Ben doing? Is he getting credits from some real school? It’s never been clear because of all the toilet cleaning jokes. But that was years ago now. 

Their kids are incredibly cute, and Spurge is so sweet and laid back (can’t tell on Henry yet).  But Jessa is parenting that way, and Ben has always seemed super chill. I’d imagine Jana and John David being those kind of parents also. 

[Sew Sumi]

After graduating with an Associates, he transferred to Moody Bible Institute. He should have graduated by now, even accounting for the semester he took off when Spurge was born. However, they've been dead silent regarding both his matriculation and work, aside from an internship at a church in Siloam Springs a while back.

[DangerousMinds]

2 hours ago, EmeraldGirl said:

What IS Ben doing? Is he getting credits from some real school? It’s never been clear because of all the toilet cleaning jokes. But that was years ago now. 

Their kids are incredibly cute, and Spurge is so sweet and laid back (can’t tell on Henry yet).  But Jessa is parenting that way, and Ben has always seemed super chill. I’d imagine Jana and John David being those kind of parents also. 

I doubt he's doing much, or Jessa would have gladly answered the fan who asked about him a month or so ago. Instead, she got incredibly defensive and refused to answer the questions.

Edited December 12, 2018 by DangerousMinds

[BitterApple]

I really hope Bin has a job we don't know about. At this stage, it's ridiculous for him not to be working, especially considering all his age-appropriate siblings are employed. 

[GeeGolly]

Not sure why Ben is given credit for being great with kids. Jessa did post a 2 minute video of him playing with his children. There was also a segment on Counting On where he struggled managing his kids at a park for a short time. And then the segment about his youth football camp where Ben appeared more like one of the kids being coached than one of the coaches.

I see Ben very much like I see Derick - maybe a little more cleaned up and maybe a tad more attentive to his wife and children. I also think Derick has the edge in the intelligence department. Ben appears to me to be one of those folks who gets stuck on the last thing he learned and was impressed with - then squirrel - and he's spouting the next thing.

[Heathen]

8 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Not sure why Ben is given credit for being great with kids. Jessa did post a 2 minute video of him playing with his children. There was also a segment on Counting On where he struggled managing his kids at a park for a short time. And then the segment about his youth football camp where Ben appeared more like one of the kids being coached than one of the coaches.

I see Ben very much like I see Derick - maybe a little more cleaned up and maybe a tad more attentive to his wife and children. I also think Derick has the edge in the intelligence department. Ben appears to me to be one of those folks who gets stuck on the last thing he learned and was impressed with - then squirrel - and he's spouting the next thing.

Maybe because he appears to actually enjoy the company of his children, unlike Derick. Also, those segments are heavily scripted and edited. 

[Christina87]

32 minutes ago, Heathen said:

Maybe because he appears to actually enjoy the company of his children, unlike Derick. Also, those segments are heavily scripted and edited. 

And though I found the football camp thing to be really scripted, Bin DOES seem to have an interest in mentoring / influencing kids. I think he would like to do something like coaching, but it's not highly regarded in his cult right now. I could totally see him majoring in PE if he were from a normal family, and maybe even playing football for a small college. 

ETA: managing children can be taught, if you're motivated and love them. I found Bin at the park to just be in a situation that he usually isn't in alone. For instance, controlling a class of 40 eighth graders doesn't come naturally for many people, but they can improve. The love of children, and relating to them, can't be taught. I don't see Derick having that at all! 

Edited December 12, 2018 by Christina87

[queenanne]

22 hours ago, Christina87 said:

I think Bin would be excellent at this! I could also really see him becoming a teacher. No, he should NOT teach middle school; he would be eaten alive. I could see him teaching other grades, though. In high school, he could coach football, and maybe other sports. He would be known as the laid-back gym teacher who is passionate about health. I could see him doing an awesome job telling the kids about healthy living practices, since he seems to care so much about eating and wellness (sex Ed could be a sore spot, but we mostly had that in middle school, not high school). I think even non-athletes could respect him, and the girls would think he was cute. He taught Jessa and joy to work out without being judgmental, so maybe he could reach kids who otherwise wouldn't exercise. If he did elementary, he would be soooo good with that age, and could even still coach...though it wouldn't be as prestigious. I agree with you that he would be an excellent role model for kids, and they need one! I also think he is one of the few who would excel outside his bubble. I could see him realizing how hard life is for some of his poor students, and actually doing something about it. I also think Bin would be a good SAHD, but his cult would never allow it. He is so nurturing and good with children! Bin is one of the few in-laws I can actually get on board with. 

A friend of mine went to school where the gym teacher/coach also taught Drivers Ed.  If that’s still a thing schools aren’t afraid to offer, he could double as driving instructor.

[Scarlett45]

1 minute ago, queenanne said:

A friend of mine went to school where the gym teacher/coach also taught Drivers Ed.  If that’s still a thing schools aren’t afraid to offer, he could double as driving instructor.

Yes many gym teachers still teach drivers ed. I could see Ben as that type of teacher if he got a solid education and wasn’t fundy. He could teach PE, driver’s ed, coach sports and inspire young people to get into fitness. 

[GeeGolly]

7 hours ago, Heathen said:

Maybe because he appears to actually enjoy the company of his children, unlike Derick. Also, those segments are heavily scripted and edited. 

All I can recall are 1 or 2 short video posts of Ben and his boys from maybe a year ago and I haven't seen a lot of evidence that he enjoys his kids. I also don't have any evidence he doesn't, however I just get a different vibe from him. It wouldn't surprise me if he finds reasons not to be home all day with Jessa and the boys. Just my take on it.

Edited December 13, 2018 by GeeGolly

[Brown eyed girl]

[Jynnan tonnix]

18 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Not sure why Ben is given credit for being great with kids. Jessa did post a 2 minute video of him playing with his children. There was also a segment on Counting On where he struggled managing his kids at a park for a short time. And then the segment about his youth football camp where Ben appeared more like one of the kids being coached than one of the coaches.

I see Ben very much like I see Derick - maybe a little more cleaned up and maybe a tad more attentive to his wife and children. I also think Derick has the edge in the intelligence department. Ben appears to me to be one of those folks who gets stuck on the last thing he learned and was impressed with - then squirrel - and he's spouting the next thing.

I couldn't tell you exactly why I see Ben differently. I suppose there's always the chance that I simply find him rather adorable, and naturally assign more attractive personality characteristics to him as a result. Between that and the fact that Jessa seems to have at least a comparatively better grasp of filming/photographing her children to appear more mainstream (aside from their being as cute as buttons) just gives the overall impression that when he is filmed with the kids, there's a far greater connection going on. My personal take on it is still that he does actually have a much more natural rapport with his boys, but I do realize that I might be biased.

[Sew Sumi]

It's okay. Most everyone has a pet fundie. 😁

[Jynnan tonnix]

14 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

It's okay. Most everyone has a pet fundie. 😁

Hahahahaha...most probably guilty as charged :)

[Oldernowiser]

2 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

It's okay. Most everyone has a pet fundie. 😁

Okay, if I really have to, but I’m getting mine neutered.

[GeeGolly]

6 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

It's okay. Most everyone has a pet fundie. 😁

3 hours ago, Oldernowiser said:

Okay, if I really have to, but I’m getting mine neutered.

Now that'll work. Who's first on your list? 

[graefin]

There are several videos of Ben interacting with his kids. It's really not a stretch to say he's a far better dad than Derick is.

[Oldernowiser]

8 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Now that'll work. Who's first on your list? 

Okay, I tried. It made my head hurt. But it’s like staring at a sleeve of no-salt Saltines and trying to pick a favorite. They’re all the same...tasteless and identical.

Closest I can get is Abby and she’s only a proxy Duggar.

[xwordfanatik]

12 hours ago, Oldernowiser said:

Okay, if I really have to, but I’m getting mine neutered.

Love that!  I'll pick Abbie, too.  Pet fundie for now.

[FakeJoshDuggar]

22 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

It's okay. Most everyone has a pet fundie. 😁

Well my gateway fundie was Emily and Dna from Under 1000. No one will ever compare. 

[Heathen]

3 minutes ago, FakeJoshDuggar said:

Well my gateway fundie was Emily and Dna from Under 1000. No one will ever compare. 

Emily made Jilly Dully look downright mainstream. Dollar store tube meat FTW. *gags*

[FakeJoshDuggar]

3 minutes ago, Heathen said:

Emily made Jilly Dully look downright mainstream. Dollar store tube meat FTW. *gags*

Every time I see tubes of meat I think of them. Can you imagine Jill trying some of Emily’s recipes? 

[Heathen]

2 minutes ago, FakeJoshDuggar said:

Every time I see tubes of meat I think of them. Can you imagine Jill trying some of Emily’s recipes? 

Gluedles and homemade "yogurt" and wasn't there kombucha, too? Gross! 

[Sew Sumi]

Therese the kefir! Skirt cheese! Power tools hanging off the walls. They were something.

[FakeJoshDuggar]

That was when the internet was a magical place. 

 

Full disclosure, I didn’t realize what thread we were in. Since it’s Jess’s, I’ll say this: if Jessa and Bin keep having babies One kid is going to have to sleep under the crib like one of Emily and Dna’s kids. 

 

Remember when one one of them was in a coma for four days and no one sought medical help? I looked it up it was over 8 years ago. They were pretty memorable. 

Edited December 14, 2018 by FakeJoshDuggar

[Heathen]

28 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Therese the kefir! Skirt cheese! Power tools hanging off the walls. They were something.

Wasn't there a full-size table lamp in the bathroom, very close to water, too? FUBAR. 

[FakeJoshDuggar]

1 hour ago, Heathen said:

Wasn't there a full-size table lamp in the bathroom, very close to water, too? FUBAR. 

Hanging over the sink. That’s where the portable washing machine was where she washed all the disposable diapers along with all the other clothes. 

[FakeJoshDuggar]

1 hour ago, Heathen said:

Wasn't there a full-size table lamp in the bathroom, very close to water, too? FUBAR. 

Hanging over the sink. That’s where the portable washing machine was where she washed all the disposable diapers along with all the other clothes. 

[Heathen]

28 minutes ago, FakeJoshDuggar said:

Hanging over the sink. That’s where the portable washing machine was where she washed all the disposable diapers along with all the other clothes. 

That sentence took me back to soap nuts and the fact that even the washed diapers were probably disgusting. Ewwwww. I feel like I should go cook some real food or clean something, properly. 

[Lunera]

Bin's little sister got engaged.

[xwordfanatik]

Is she the police officer?  Pretty ring.

[PikaScrewChu]

That better be a virgin martini Jess is drinking. ;)