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

[JoanArc]

3 hours ago, Albanyguy said:

Ben and Derick are both "students" who have never actually held down a real job

Derick worked at Walmart, but the real world is like totally hard you guys!

21 hours ago, Albanyguy said:

I wonder if Michael's original plan was to get his foot in the door by marrying Ben off to Jessa and then use that to broker marriages for his daughters with Duggar sons, thereby entrenching himself thoroughly in the family. More kids married to Duggars would mean more opportunities for him to get his face on "19 Kids and Counting" and maybe even get a spinoff series of his own. Then something happened to sour the relationship. 

 You’re forgetting that little tiny incestuous molestation case the cropped up.  Everyone witha a brain abandoned them as soon as the details of that little adventure was made public, but Jessa  was already married and knocked up at that point. I kind of wonder if Jill or Jessa  would’ve married their respective spouses had it been made public earlier. I doubt it. I’m sure the Scandal blew a few of Dericks circuits, too.

[Zella]

I've often wondered how Ben and Derick privately reacted to the news about the molestation. Regardless of what the Duggars say, I don't think they were really forthcoming about it with Anna, and I seriously doubt that anything was disclosed to either Ben or Derick before the scandal hit the fan. It would be a lot to take in that your wife and sisters-in-law were molested by their brother, and oh by the way, he's still welcome at all family-get-togethers. 

[FizzyPuff]

23 minutes ago, Zella said:

I've often wondered how Ben and Derick privately reacted to the news about the molestation. Regardless of what the Duggars say, I don't think they were really forthcoming about it with Anna, and I seriously doubt that anything was disclosed to either Ben or Derick before the scandal hit the fan. It would be a lot to take in that your wife and sisters-in-law were molested by their brother, and oh by the way, he's still welcome at all family-get-togethers. 

I always thought that Jessa might have told Ben when they was courting or engaged because I read a tweet it might have been on here not sure, that said Ben tweeted something along the lines of when you find out something about your gf that hurts you deeply or something along those lines I can’t remeber what it said exactly but after the molestation came out someone noticed that tweet from when they were courting/engaged and people were speculating that he knew before he married her, if he did know that and still married Jess then good for him. Or it could’ve been she did something to hurt him who knows. Anna I’d love to know how much she knew before she married Josh I bet not much, maybe JB told the Keller’s the truth or whatever version of the truth JB thought but I doubt Anna was told much other than he made some mistakes but it’s ok now because Jesus forgives him. Derick I don’t think he knew anything, no way could I see Jill telling him about Josh, if it never came out I doubt he’d ever know. 

[Zella]

4 minutes ago, Puffin said:

I always thought that Jessa might have told Ben when they was courting or engaged because I read a tweet it might have been on here not sure, that said Ben tweeted something along the lines of when you find out something about your gf that hurts you deeply or something along those lines I can’t remeber what it said exactly but after the molestation came out someone noticed that tweet from when they were courting/engaged and people were speculating that he knew before he married her, if he did know that and still married Jess then good for him.

That's very interesting--I hadn't heard that. I agree with you about Jill likely never saying anything to Derick. 

[Albanyguy]

2 hours ago, JoanArc said:

Derick worked at Walmart, but the real world is like totally hard you guys!

Oops, I forgot about that.

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

I've often wondered how Ben and Derick privately reacted to the news about the molestation. Regardless of what the Duggars say, I don't think they were really forthcoming about it with Anna, and I seriously doubt that anything was disclosed to either Ben or Derick before the scandal hit the fan. It would be a lot to take in that your wife and sisters-in-law were molested by their brother, and oh by the way, he's still welcome at all family-get-togethers. 

I believe Jessa and Jill told their husbands either during the engagement or soon after marriage. That’s something spouses talk about. I’m learning as I get older that there are a lot of people who are expected to eat family dinner with their abuser, to “keep the peace”. 

1 hour ago, Puffin said:

Anna I’d love to know how much she knew before she married Josh I bet not much, maybe JB told the Keller’s the truth or whatever version of the truth JB thought but I doubt Anna was told much other than he made some mistakes but it’s ok now because Jesus forgives him. Derick I don’t think he knew anything, no way could I see Jill telling him about Josh, if it never came out I doubt he’d ever know. 

I don’t think Anna was told the truth at all. Like myself she probably thought he got caught making out with another teen girl in a closet. 

[MichaelaRae]

I realize it's cosmetology school, but does that mean you have to set the makeup brush to SPRAY GUN on your graduation day? 

[Zella]

32 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I’m learning as I get older that there are a lot of people who are expected to eat family dinner with their abuser, to “keep the peace”. 

Yes, I'm unfortunately aware of that because it's something my mother expected me to do. 😞

But I feel like that is something that those who married into the Duggar realm would be more inherently uncomfortable with, simply because they've not had the years of programming the Duggar kids themselves have had. I can see how the poor Duggar kids have had it beaten into their heads about forgiving Josh and playing nice, but I just feel like that would be a harder pill for the in-laws.

I'm also not sure with the Duggar courting rules that they'd have had the alone time/the chance to share that with their prospective in-laws, as one would in a more normal dating situation.

Edited March 2, 2019 by Zella

[Christina87]

11 hours ago, floridamom said:

Ben should become a real-world qualified teacher. I think he has a knack for it. HOWEVER, there is no sane reason why a guy who is married and has his own children should be nanny-teaching his little brother and sisters-in-law. This grown man needs his own means of support, like a real job, and begin educating his own children. Those scenes really emasculated Ben IMO. Jessa and JB really to have Ben's balls in a jar on their night stands. It looked demeaning to me for Ben to have been shown doing this.

The behavior of the Duggar children in a grocery store still was appalling to me. I really doubt that they go anywhere outside of their 'bubble". Who acts like that in a supermarket? No need for Jackson and Johanna to have been lumped in with Jenny and Josie for that math lesson, even for TV sake. Jackson should be doing 9th grade work or better. Don't they claim that their homeschooling curriculum is superior to brick and mortar schools? Yes, they have. Those children have no set school schedule and that is not good for continuity in learning.

I'm thinking Bin would be a great teacher too. He is patient and good with young people, and he could be a beloved coach. I could see JB wrinkling his nose and saying, "that doesn't pay much," but it pays more than being the toilet boy, and offers good benefits!

Edited March 3, 2019 by Christina87

[cmr2014]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

I don’t think Anna was told the truth at all. Like myself she probably thought he got caught making out with another teen girl in a closet. 

I think she may have been. I think this may have been presented to her as an "opportunity" from God to help redeem a sinner. Anna's family are hard-core Gothardites and it's part of their beliefs that Josh can be redeemed by the love of a good woman. The fact that Anna "turned" Josh would give her huge Jesus points in their world. The fact that in reality, she didn't, has probably been a bigger blow than his actual infidelity.

I also thing that Josiah was sold to Lauren the same way. Regardless of whether they think he's gay, they clearly think that there is something wrong with him, and he is in need of special "help" and "guidance." I think that's one of the reasons that Lauren is so smug towards Josiah, and Josiah is expected to post over and over how "grateful" he is for her "love."

[GeeGolly]

I have a different impression of Ben and don't see any qualities of him being a good teacher. He seems hesitant in anything he does or says, more than he seems patient to me. I also see Ben much like I see Derick, as a dreamer and not a doer.

In regard to the girls being molested by Josh, I'm guessing Ben and Derick felt bad for their wives and moved on. They were both young and they probably followed their wives and in-laws lead. 

[OpieTaylor]

When did Bin’s voice get so high? Photos and videos:

[Jenilane6]

6 minutes ago, OpieTaylor said:

When did Bin’s voice get so high? Photos and videos:

When Jessa twisted off his testicles?

[BitterApple]

2 hours ago, OpieTaylor said:

When did Bin’s voice get so high? Photos and videos:

I'm guessing the neutering Bin underwent upon joining the Duggar clan accounts for the voice change.

[jcbrown]

On 3/2/2019 at 7:57 AM, BitterApple said:

Duggar vortex of sloth

I wish we could re-name the entire forum this. Screw the show title; this is more accurate.

[GeeGolly]

Hot liquids using a straw?! Poor Henry probably burned his mouth.

[madpsych78]

Good Lort, Bin looks my age with that beard, and in reality, I'm old enough to be his teenage mother...

[GeeGolly]

5 hours ago, madpsych78 said:

Good Lort, Bin looks my age with that beard, and in reality, I'm old enough to be his teenage mother...

His head also looks like it's 1/4 of his body in length with the 2" pompadour and the 2" of scraggle hanging off his chin.

[PikaScrewChu]

On 3/1/2019 at 6:42 PM, Albanyguy said:

I wonder if Michael's original plan was to get his foot in the door by marrying Ben off to Jessa and then use that to broker marriages for his daughters with Duggar sons, thereby entrenching himself thoroughly in the family. More kids married to Duggars would mean more opportunities for him to get his face on "19 Kids and Counting" and maybe even get a spinoff series of his own. Then something happened to sour the relationship. Ben is married to Jessa and part of the show, but Michael is definitely on the outside looking in.

I think the Seewald girls are happy they dodged a bullet there. If it hadn't been Duggars it could have been one of the higher up fundie families. Jessica Seewald would be on her 2nd kid by now rather than being a cop.

I had some thoughts around females and jobs in this cult but I think I'm too exhausted to expand upon it. They have to luck into being born into a well off family (the Duggars) or marry into a well off family (Kendra, Lauren) in order to continue with their belief system. If they don't, they have to go out there and get jobs in the Big Bad Ungodly World. It's completely unsustainable. The Duggar daughters had a bit more freedom than others in choosing a spouse because Momma and Daddy Duggar (for now) can subsidize their lifestyles. So of course Jessa could marry Ben who was barely an adult and had no job. Put Jessa as a daughter of the Swansons or Caldwells and she probably has a lot less choice in if she marries and who she marries.

[PradaKitty]

What is with these people and the deep facial lines? They all look so much older than their actual ages. 

[BigBingerBro]

I'm pretty sure Bin modulates his voice to be deeper for the show in order to be more manly and alpha.  The higher voice actually sounds more natural and fitting to his mannerisms.

[Vaysh]

11 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

I'm pretty sure Bin modulates his voice to be deeper for the show in order to be more manly and alpha.  The higher voice actually sounds more natural and fitting to his mannerisms.

He's also using that overly perky 'I'm talking to kids now' voice that some people adopt. Men, in my experience at least, are less likely to use it than women are which could be why it sounds like Bin's voice is higher pitched compared to other guys'.

[queenanne]

Heh... Small Druid Spurgeon in the backyard, cute!

[OpieTaylor]

Jessa was hawking some clothing company on Instagram yesterday. I can’t remember if it was women’s or kids clothes. It wasn’t the Rhealana sale that they’re all gushing about lately, but one of those paid partnership deals.

Why do people do those shilling things as Instagram stories that don’t last forever, instead of regular posts that do last?

[Ohiopirate02]

1 hour ago, OpieTaylor said:

Jessa was hawking some clothing company on Instagram yesterday. I can’t remember if it was women’s or kids clothes. It wasn’t the Rhealana sale that they’re all gushing about lately, but one of those paid partnership deals.

Why do people do those shilling things as Instagram stories that don’t last forever, instead of regular posts that do last?

I think they use the story feature instead of a regular post because it can give them plausible deniability about the nature of the posts.  Jessa wants to monetize her social media but she also does not want to alienate her followers.  She also probably does not have to copy and paste any legal disclaimer into the story as she would if it was a regular post.  

[ginger90]

jessaseewald

I often am asked where I shop for my kids’ clothes and other baby related items. Growing up, we shopped at thrift stores for most things. However, that can be a lot to wade through, and sometimes it’s really hit and miss.
.
When I was pregnant with my first, I was delighted to discover a one-stop shop to get everything I needed to prep for baby, while staying on a budget! Crib, swaddles, baby monitor, nursing pillow, double-stroller, pack & play, baby swing, books, toys, kids bday/Christmas gifts, maternity clothes, CLOTHING, and so much more!
.
Check them out! 👉🏼 @rhealanasofnwa!! There’s a sale running right now in our area from now until Saturday!! This consignment event takes place 4x a year— 2x in the spring, and 2x in the fall. I believe they’ve now spread to 24 states across the US, so google to see if they’re in your area! Jinger doesn’t have one in Laredo, but she’ll literally drive a couple of hours up to San Antonio bc it’s so worth it!
.
I keep a running list of items needed, and pretty much 99% of everything in our home that’s kid-related is from these sales. The savings can’t be beat! I usually spend an average of about $3-5 per clothing item, and there are tons of name brand and boutique things.
.
I seriously went through ALL 13 RACKS of boys 4T clothing, and found so many adorable things for Spurgeon. 😍 He’s especially excited about his new tiger shirt! This sale, I also scored a practically new Britax Elite carseat for #BabySeewald3, at only 40% of the price I would’ve paid for it new. 😎
.
If you want save big on kids clothing and baby items, you’ve got to check this out. @rhealanasofnwa 😍👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 You won’t be disappointed.

[Jenilane6]

Maternity clothing?  Jessa, really. You never purchased, borrowed or wore maternity clothing.

[GeeGolly]

Good thing Jessa has Henry too. Those clothes don't look like they'll fit Spurge much past Spring, never mind Summer.

[FizzyPuff]

When Jessa was pregnant with her first she was thinking about getting a double stroller? 🤣I call BS. 

The clothes do look nice though, Spurg doesn't look very happy in the first photo though. 

[Barb23]

So now the thrift stores they have their followers believe they go to are not so great anymore.   "However, that can be a lot to wade through and sometimes, it"s really hit and miss."

They are nothing but hypocrites.

[Vaysh]

17 minutes ago, Barb23 said:

So now the thrift stores they have their followers believe they go to are not so great anymore.   "However, that can be a lot to wade through and sometimes, it"s really hit and miss."

They are nothing but hypocrites.

To be fair, she's not wrong and the thrift store thing was really her parents' schtick. Jessa stuck with it for some time after marriage, likely for teevee reasons, but I can't really fault her for moving on to better things. I mean, that's what we want for the Duggarlings, right? If she can get new things for thrift store prices and without wading through tons of crap then bully for her. I don't really see any hypocrisy in that. Thrift is thrift. YMMV of course.

[louannems]

Isn't Jessa hawking consignment kids' stuff, which is still used.  Consignment stores generally only accept items in very good condition, and usually only name brands.

I shop thrift stores, and it is hit or miss, but even at department stores, I have to wade through lots of crap!

[Lunera]

Anna also posted about the consignment shop on her stories. 

[DangerousMinds]

2 hours ago, Puffin said:

When Jessa was pregnant with her first she was thinking about getting a double stroller? 🤣I call BS. 

The clothes do look nice though, Spurg doesn't look very happy in the first photo though. 

She continues to lie.

[Jynnan tonnix]

3 hours ago, Puffin said:

When Jessa was pregnant with her first she was thinking about getting a double stroller? 🤣I call BS. 

The clothes do look nice though, Spurg doesn't look very happy in the first photo though. 

To be honest, my first thought when I saw the top photo was that Spurge was somehow being made to memorize another Bible verse, though I know that at least Jessa doesn't claim he can read yet. I'll admit that the other photos were cute, though, and I do like the tiger shirt. Actually it reminds me of the bird shirt that I got my younger son for his birthday, and he's 28 (and really into bird shirts- he has ducks, flamingoes, puffins, penguins...these were parrots LOL)

[Churchhoney]

14 hours ago, DangerousMinds said:

She continues to lie.

Well, she's a TeeVee star. So I guess she can consider it acting. 

Plus, she's an author (of a book full of (I think) made-up anecdotes constructed to bring the world the much-needed messages of Gothardland and Duggartown) so she can consider it writing, too. Writing for the same reason the four evangelists did. 

And it's one of her parents' hallmark activities. So she can see it as being a chip off the old holy blocks. 

Seriously. Her life circumstances tell her that lying for the reasons she does it is an act of principle and good purpose. 

I don't see that as a good thing. Especially for somebody who's going to not only raise but be, perhaps, the sole educator of a bunch of children.

It's a kind of weird set of values she may pass on. Because surely the kids will see all the lying, just as we do. And it'll be a good and perfectly unremarkable thing. Some confusions will brew there. 

Edited March 9, 2019 by Churchhoney

[yogi2014L]

6 hours ago, ginger90 said:

I seriously went through ALL 13 RACKS of boys 4T clothing, and found so many adorable things for Spurgeon. 😍 He’s especially excited about his new tiger shirt! This sale, I also scored a practically new Britax Elite carseat for #BabySeewald3, at only 40% of the price I would’ve paid for it new. 😎
 

I'll admit I am terrible at thrifting and tend to buy new just out of laziness ( I don't want to sort through piles) but should you buy a used car seat when you don't know the seat history??

[Jynnan tonnix]

5 minutes ago, yogi2014L said:

I'll admit I am terrible at thrifting and tend to buy new just out of laziness ( I don't want to sort through piles) but should you buy a used car seat when you don't know the seat history??

I'm far from an authority on such things, but it seems to me that if the seat is within what has been released during the current safety guidelines, and doesn't appear to have had any damage, any possible risks in it's use are probably less than they were for car seats produced anytime at least during the last couple of times the guidelines were changed, which probably means it's as safe as anything which was top-of-the-line even 10 years, ago, way, way beyond anything that existed 20 years ago, a veritable Rolls Royce of carseats compared to anything I had for my kids, and...well...practically science-fiction compared to the baskets in the backseat of the car that kids of my vintage rode around in. I very much doubt that it would make any sort of difference in the outcome of anything short of a truly catastrophic accident.

[louannems]

1 hour ago, Lunera said:

Anna also posted about the consignment shop on her stories. 

Remember a much earlier episode where Jessa and Anna and kids went thrift shopping?  It was a huge quarterly sale, with no one else shopping of course. And Marcus fell and had to get stitches.

[ChaChaSlide]

11 minutes ago, yogi2014L said:

I'll admit I am terrible at thrifting and tend to buy new just out of laziness ( I don't want to sort through piles) but should you buy a used car seat when you don't know the seat history??

THIS! I’m a foster mama so I am a consignment shop frequent flyer (my favorite is Just Between Friends), but the one thing I will never buy used is a car seat. There is no way to verify if the original owner has been truthful about accidents; even the smallest fender bender can compromise the integrity of a car seat. I always tell my new mom friends that they’re safer getting the entry level Evenflo seat from Walmart than a used Britax or Chicco seat.

[Sew Sumi]

Abbie also jumped on the consignment shop bandwagon, posting a bunch of outfits in her Stories.

[lookeyloo]

11 hours ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

I'm far from an authority on such things, but it seems to me that if the seat is within what has been released during the current safety guidelines, and doesn't appear to have had any damage, any possible risks in it's use are probably less than they were for car seats produced anytime at least during the last couple of times the guidelines were changed, which probably means it's as safe as anything which was top-of-the-line even 10 years, ago, way, way beyond anything that existed 20 years ago, a veritable Rolls Royce of carseats compared to anything I had for my kids, and...well...practically science-fiction compared to the baskets in the backseat of the car that kids of my vintage rode around in. I very much doubt that it would make any sort of difference in the outcome of anything short of a truly catastrophic accident.

Indeed.  And yes, kids rode in the backseat in the part of their baby carriage that lifted out.  One time we drove cross country in a station wagon with a playpen in the back back, and both kids in it.  And not a care about safety.  What were we thinking?  Kids are 50 plus now, so, all ended well.  We did get one of the first "real" car seats for first son, but, while it looked more sturdy, it really wasn't.  It was a Bunny Bear if I remember.

[ginger90]

Just for some info: ( there’s also recall lists that should be checked before purchasing, I wonder if Jessa is aware of that.)

[Jenilane6]

14 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Abbie also jumped on the consignment shop bandwagon, posting a bunch of outfits in her Stories.

I only see baby clothes.  Is she trying to tell us something?

[Brown eyed girl]

From Jessa’s IG story. Its half price day at the consignment shop. 

[Fostersmom]

17 hours ago, yogi2014L said:

I'll admit I am terrible at thrifting and tend to buy new just out of laziness ( I don't want to sort through piles) but should you buy a used car seat when you don't know the seat history??

I live in Ohio and you can't even donate a carseat to Goodwill. Other than a garage sale or getting one as a hand me down, no one will touch them. My sister had 3 boys and when the youngest finally moved out of the booster seat, she had an assortment of them, differing types and ages. He's almost 17 now, so this was a good 12 years ago, but even then, no one would take them. We ended up taking them all to my apartment complex and just putting them by the dumpsters with a sign saying her youngest had out grown them. I don't know if anyone took any or if the maintenance guys just threw them away, but we tried. The car seat her oldest was in when they were rear-ended, she kept using for a while. He was 3 and honestly, no one even thought of replacing it. That would have been 21 or 22 years ago. Hell, the paramedics just pulled the whole car seat out of the car, taped his head to it, and put him in the ambulance with my sister, who was pregnant with her second. We carried the carseat out of the hospital when we took him back to my mom's house, she had a carseat in her car for him already. I'd imagine now the hospital would tell you to get a new one, but yeah, not back then. 

[Ijustwantsomechips]

I wonder if Jessa knows that carseats also expire, and if she thought to check the date.  Just because a seat was bought in 2018 doesn’t mean that’s when it was made, so there’s no telling how far into the expiration period it is.  And I agree with @ChaChaSlide that I’d rather have the new $60 Cosco carseat from Walmart than a used Chicco, Britax or Diono unless it was from a trusted source and never used since it was in the second car.   Carseats tend to get filthy too, so there’s that.  

[BitterApple]

Jessa might want to try running a brush through her hair at some point in 2019.

[winsomeone]

And comb Spurge's hair too please.

[Love2dance]

Spurgeon is just the most perfect model. I can’t stop looking at him. Such a cutie.