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

[cmr2014]

2 hours ago, Zella said:

I wonder if there's an edict in Duggarville, if the others have drawn away from Jill because things got awkward after she left the show, or if the Dillards have drawn away from the others because things got awkward. Maybe all of the above. 

It's all so very odd, and it's odd that no one comments on any of it. They are on TV, and they all live their lives very publicly, and something is going on that has caused Jill to be off the show, and to spend much less time with her family, and no one comments on it -- even to put a positive spin on it. They just pretend that this glaring oddity doesn't exist.

[ginger90]

Jill’s comment on Jessa’s page was awkward. In the video, Jessa said she’s not buying things she doesn’t want the boys to eat. She said, they don’t do the grocery shopping so it’s up to her not to bring it home. Don’t buy it in the first place, was the thought.

Jill’s suggestion pretty much said, buy the junk food, but hide it from the kids.

Bathroom eating came to mind.

[dargosmydaddy]

9 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

I've never seen a picture of Joy visiting Jill, or vice versa. Since Jill documents EVERYTHING, that's a glaring omission. 

Jill was in at least one of the pictures when Joy was in the hospital after Annabell, which would imply that Jill is still someone she wants around when she needs comforting. I agree it's very odd they never seem to get together otherwise... maybe there is some kind of Duggar edict not to associate with Jill, and Joy and Jill just know better than to post on sm but do actually visit each other on the sly?

I feel worst for Jenni, who probably never gets to see her "Dill" at all.

[GeeGolly]

It kind of makes my head spin thinking Jill may not be a part of her family anymore. So many thoughts about whose choice it is - Jill's, Derick's or the Duggars'. How Jill might possibly feel, how her siblings are possibly treating her and why the split happened.

[BitterApple]

I know we tend to hone in on Jill, but if you think about it, none of the siblings really socialize outside of events at the TTH. You don't see Joy and Jessa doing lunches or hanging out with Jana at Starbucks. Joy doesn't appear to be particularly chummy with Kendra or Lauren, even though they're in the same age range, ditto for Jana and Abbie. Jinger's pretty much ghosted everyone, so I don't think they're as close as they try to portray themselves to be.

Edited December 7, 2019 by BitterApple

[crazy8s]

45 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I know we tend to hone in on Jill, but if you think about it, none of the siblings really socialize outside of events at the TTH. You don't see Joy and Jessa doing lunches or hanging out with Jana at Starbucks. Joy doesn't appear to be particularly chummy with Kendra or Lauren, even though they're in the same age range, ditto for Jana and Abbie. Jinger's pretty much ghosted everyone, so I don't think they're as close as they try to portray themselves to be.

I don't believe the older girls were ever close because that was not encouraged in their world. They were always set up to be accountability for each other.  they all know each others secrets whatever those might be.

I think they all like being away from that to some extent, so there is intentional distance now.

I remember a TH way back with Jackson and Hannie telling about this game their family played. something along the lines of all the kids sat together and JB/Michelle assigned them a task. The example given was something like "walk as fast as you can to the back door and touch the door knob 3 times" an accountability partner went with you to report if you walked fast and actually touched the doorknob the proper amount of times.

that was the last time I watched the show

Edited December 7, 2019 by crazy8s

[Churchhoney]

14 hours ago, cmr2014 said:

It's all so very odd, and it's odd that no one comments on any of it. They are on TV, and they all live their lives very publicly, and something is going on that has caused Jill to be off the show, and to spend much less time with her family, and no one comments on it -- even to put a positive spin on it. They just pretend that this glaring oddity doesn't exist.

No one commented on the multiple intra-family (and interfamily) child molestations that occurred at their house. Nor on the fact that these events were forcibly swept under the rug by the parents and in the aftermath they were all told that, in fact, it was NBD, and it happens in EVERY family.....So get over it and Smile Smile Smile! because We know the Correct Jesus! 

And they were on REALITY TeeVee very shortly after that event and for years and years thereafter. While the vague rumors that circulated from a few people made the whole world think that those rumor spreaders must be making a mountain out of a molehill and that Josh must just have engaged in a little consensual kissing with some teenage girl. 

Moreover, it seems pretty clear that, after the first "church meetings" in which people "confessed" crap, they didn't mention any of this in real life either, including to one another -- this "close and loving" family that portrays itself as America's role model in a degenerate world. 

They're masters at pretending that things JB and Meeechelle want to declare didn't happen did not, in fact, happen. 

Edited December 7, 2019 by Churchhoney

[floridamom]

Wow, Churchhoney, I had to sign in to applaud your astute comments. You said it all right there. The sad part is that it is true about these people. Someone needs to read this statement to them and ask for their comments on it. Great post. I give you 1,000 likes. I agree 100% with you.

Crazy8s: I remember that episode. Michelle said this 'game' was an exercise for instant obedience. It taught the kids to listen exactly to their parents' instructions and to carry them out as required. More like training animals for the circus  if you ask me. Awful people.

[ginger90]

Ben’s maternal grandfather:

[Churchhoney]

2 hours ago, ginger90 said:

Ben’s maternal grandfather:

He was really enjoying being with Ivy. Glad he got to do that. 

[GeeGolly]

Did Grandpa Eaton actually die? And was he the wrong kind of Christian? Because I thought getting into heaven was a given if you're a Duggar-like Christian. 

[Adeejay]

On 12/6/2019 at 11:44 PM, Barb23 said:

I know, that is very sad. I think she was more close to her buddy group than the other sister's & theirs. Especially with Joy & James.

I agree that Jill doesn't seem as close to her family as she used to be.  I remember Joy weeping uncontrollably at her wedding, and I will never forget the scene where the family went to the airport to greet them on their first trip back from South America. As soon as James saw her descending on the escalator he bolted to greet her. Viewers commented that he probably saw her more as his mother than his sister.  In the meantime, Jessa probably couldn't pick Justin and Jordan out of a lineup. I am pleasantly surprise at what a good mom she appears to be. She clearly adores her own children.   

Edited December 8, 2019 by Adeejay

[Zella]

29 minutes ago, Adeejay said:

I agree that Jill doesn't seem as close to her family as she used to be.  I remember Joy weeping uncontrollably at her wedding, and I will never forget the scene where the family went to the airport to greet them on their first trip back from South America. As soon as James saw her descending on the escalator he bolted to greet her. Viewers commented that he probably saw her more as his mother than his sister.  In the meantime, Jessa probably couldn't pick Justin and Jordan out of a lineup. I am pleasantly surprise as what a good mom she appears to be. She clearly adores her own children.   

One of the only Duggar anythings I have ever watched was a YouTube clip around the time the Josh molestation scandal broke. It was of Jill and Derick leaving to go to Danger America and being told bye by the Duggars. It might have been a return trip and not the first time. But I just remember one of the little girls (I assume one of Jill's buddies) sobbing uncontrollably. To her credit, Jill was trying to console her, but she was the only one. Everyone else just stood there like a lump on a log. The only other thing I remember was how stilted it was. I was like, "How have these people been on TV for years and not gained any ability to act natural while on camera?"

[floridamom]

There's definitely a schism there. How long has it been since the Duggar page had an entry about Jill and her family?.....forever, that's how long. They post about all of the other marrieds except her. This very vocal, 'influencing' family that shouts their beliefs and lifestyle from mountaintops are quite silent about what they want to be silent about, aren't they? Not a syllable regarding the Dillards status with them. Never a photo of them even in the background at those family night gatherings.....hmm.

[Churchhoney]

19 hours ago, Zella said:

The only other thing I remember was how stilted it was. I was like, "How have these people been on TV for years and not gained any ability to act natural while on camera?"

I guess it results from the combination of

being raised by parents who are 100-percent phoniness and talk only in preachy cliches and repeat false morality tales about divorces caused by their bikinis;

living in a giant crowd where you're rightly afraid that everybody else is required to be a snitch and where you have no chance to become an individual because you share one closet with a double-digit number of other people, live in giant tin bedrooms with a ton of other anonymous people of all ages, are kept in near-total ignorance of the world at large, and are required to behave in lockstep by parents who really can't tell one of you from another so they send everybody the same birthday card and sign their surname on it;

being indoctrinated into an almost literally insane cult that requires nutso behavior heavily focused on people snitching on each other and on imposing a rule of near-total isolation from other humans, to the point of not only requiring you not to attend any schools but also ordering you not to take jobs because you'd have to work with people other than your immediate family; and

depending for much of your family's livelihood on a "reality" TeeVee show where the entire point is that you'll all pretend to be something that you're not, repeat the same slogans about courtship and seasons of life over and over and over and over and over again for the supposed edification of America, and proceed in total denial of most of the major events that have ever happened in your life. 

"Act natural" isn't in there anywhere! 

(Re: the Gothard cult and the Duggar parents who embrace it. The cult literally preaches that you can't live in a world that has other people in it but must carefully isolate yourself.......That fact makes it, like most if not all cults, a literal death cult. Because the world, of necessity and by nature, has other people in it. And, of necessity and by nature, there are many different kinds of people. If your cult demands you cut yourself off from that lest you be contaminated, then it's a death cult, seems to me.

Is that too dark for this "cute" show presented as family entertainment, featuring all the sweet weddings and the wedding-dress selections and the "babeez"? I don't think so. The only concrete hope the Duggarlings are actually presented with is that when they get to heaven, all these bad people that they must now assiduously avoid will be gone forever to burn in hell.  No wonder they look so stiff and directionless when they're "enjoying" a holiday sitting on the bus-station couches.) 

Edited December 9, 2019 by Churchhoney

[farmgal4]

On 12/7/2019 at 6:55 PM, ginger90 said:

Ben’s maternal grandfather:

That’s heartbreaking. 😢 On a lighter note, Ivy appears to be the most laidback baby ever.

[rue721]

I’ve read that families with abuse, especially sexual abuse, often appear to have incredibly strict boundaries and rules to the outside world, because things are so transgressive and chaotic within the family itself. Sounds like the Duggars to me. Including the intractable stiffness and awkwardness and weird boundaries.

Edited December 9, 2019 by rue721

[GeeGolly]

3 hours ago, rue721 said:

I’ve read that families with abuse, especially sexual abuse, often appear to have incredibly strict boundaries and rules to the outside world, because things are so transgressive and chaotic within the family itself. Sounds like the Duggars to me. Including the intractable stiffness and awkwardness and weird boundaries.

And the exact opposite can be true as well.

I think the Duggar stiffness is due to fear and arrogance, though.

[MonicaM]

1 hour ago, GeeGolly said:

And the exact opposite can be true as well.

I think the Duggar stiffness is due to fear and arrogance, though.

This more than anything else.  

[GeeGolly]

Just now, MonicaM said:

This more than anything else.  

I agree, except with Jessa. Jessa, IMO, is the most arrogant Duggar until she's outside of Duggarland, then she becomes very insecure and fearful.

[Sew Sumi]

Jessa made a hair tutorial.

[GeeGolly]

35 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Jessa made a hair tutorial.

Oh no, here we go - Jessa the NWA influencer. I just can't.

[JoanArc]

Just now, GeeGolly said:

Oh no, here we go - Jessa the NWA influencer. I just can't.

The local trendy donut shops support her! 

[Sew Sumi]

4 minutes ago, JoanArc said:

The local trendy donut shops support her! 

If they support her, they certainly aren't trendy. 😀

[doodlebug]

23 hours ago, Sew Sumi said:

Jessa made a hair tutorial.

I don't consider spending 15 minutes a day curling my hair to be either super easy or a good use of my time.

[lascuba]

Well, at least a hair tutorial makes slightly more sense for her than a cooking one. And she's not doing the fake chipper thing she does during THs, which means I was able to watch more than half the video before noping out. 

I gotta say, the Duggar girls except for Jinger really won the genetic jackpot in the hair department. I mean they usually look awful because the length prevents any real style, but it's full and healthy despite all the heat styling. Most hair that long looks really thinned out at the ends. 

[JoanArc]

On 12/10/2019 at 8:03 PM, Sew Sumi said:

If they support her, they certainly aren't trendy. 😀

Donuts4life y'all!

[Jynnan tonnix]

On 12/11/2019 at 7:19 PM, doodlebug said:

I don't consider spending 15 minutes a day curling my hair to be either super easy or a good use of my time.

My hair curls by itself, so it's strictly wash-n-go. But I will admit that other than the length of Jessa's hair being outside the pale when it comes to really being flattering, it does actually look really good here. If I could get my hair to just have a nice wave and shine like hers, I might be willing to spend 15 minutes to achieve it. Every so often.

[louannems]

Can you even imagine going to bed with yards of wet hair on your pillow?  In winter?  That's what Jessa does, according to her hair video. It dries while she sleeps on it and that gives her natural curl a look that she is happy with.  Although it looked more like frizz to me, before she used the curling iron.

I agree the finished hair looked beautiful but those banana curls just remind me of Gothard.  And Jessa still needs to chop a couple feet of that mane to make it all more modern and manageable.

[Sew Sumi]

I think this is the first time she's publicly complimented Ben. 

[xwordfanatik]

She's been reading her sister's posts that praise their own headships.

It's about time Blessa appreciated Ben in that way.  He really does seem to love all his kids.

[Nysha]

It's a nice post. Besides being complimentary, she was very specific and didn't use a dozen hashtags to tell us what a great daddy/Christian/leader/provider/etc he is.

[awaken]

Shouldn't that say "Bin-GERM-in"?  😄

[Temperance]

I seem to recall her saying nice things about Ben before, but I can't remember. Check the last few posts for his birthday, their anniversary, etc. 

[OpieTaylor]

What about her saying that Bin mentions Ivy’s cankles and fat rolls - am I being over-sensitive in thinking that he notices those because she’s a girl (who should be slim)? 

[Sew Sumi]

Jessa has posted before about Ivy's plumpness. She's proud of it; reflects well on Jessa as a supplier of milk.

[Jynnan tonnix]

1 hour ago, OpieTaylor said:

What about her saying that Bin mentions Ivy’s cankles and fat rolls - am I being over-sensitive in thinking that he notices those because she’s a girl (who should be slim)? 

In all reality, what are the odds that Ben would even be familiar with the term "cankles" if Jessa had not maybe used it in lamenting her own less-than-ideally-tapered legs?  The Duggar girls in general don't seem to have been blessed with those. If I had to guess, I'd say it's far more likely that Jessa might have used the term in a fond way, the same as we might comment on a baby's Buddha Belly, understanding that fat rolls on babies are generally a temporary thing, and maybe with some measure of hope that Ivy's legs might profit from other genetic input.

[Sew Sumi]

Ben himself has a SEVERE case of cankles. It runs in his family as well. 

The Seewald kids are doomed.

[Sew Sumi]

Learn to organize your clothes with Jessa (another YT video).

[farmgal4]

48 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Learn to organize your clothes with Jessa (another YT video).

I watched.  I’m amazed that the entire family’s hanger clothes fit in ONE closet, with room on top for Memory Boxes.  Obviously they spend very little money on clothes.

[galaxychaser]

I thought most of their clothes were on the bed in a big unfolded pile? (Spare bedroom)

Its possible that they are storing stuff at JB storage place.

Edited December 16, 2019 by galaxychaser

[crazy8s]

didn't Jana just teach us all about clothing storage and donating about 2 weeks ago?

[Sew Sumi]

8 minutes ago, crazy8s said:

didn't Jana just teach us all about clothing storage and donating about 2 weeks ago?

Why yes she did. 😁

[Girl in a Cardigan]

8 minutes ago, crazy8s said:

didn't Jana just teach us all about clothing storage and donating about 2 weeks ago?

Well, sure, but she was talking about a single person. Jessa's obviously got hot tips for FAMILIES. Way different! /sarcasm

[Absolom]

LOL  I learned what Jessa just taught about four decades ago.  Don't buy 30 outfits for the kids when 8 to 10 will do.  My kids never had more than 10 outfits per season.  You will never have Mt. Washmore because you'll run out of clothes.  I also bought all matching socks so I didn't have to waste time making pairs or worry if one or two got lost or too stained.  Having fewer things to mess with does free up time and space.  She's right about that.  

[Sew Sumi]

I guess we can confirm that Ben's "job," whatever it is, doesn't require him to wear a suit. Or even business casual.

[Lunera]

The boys are with Grandma Seewald. Wonder if Germ is hooking up Jessa and Bin with their publicist. Looks like Jessa wants to be the next Marie Kondo.

[Zella]

24 minutes ago, Lunera said:

The boys are with Grandma Seewald. Wonder if Germ is hooking up Jessa and Bin with their publicist. Looks like Jessa wants to be the next Marie Kondo.

If it's the same publicist who tried to hook up Jinger and Jeremy with Fonuts and the Scientology Purser, Ben and Jessa should probably run. LOL

[JoanArc]

40 minutes ago, Lunera said:

Looks like Jessa wants to be the next Marie Kondo

“Touch the diaper pile; keep only what sparks joy!”

[BigBingerBro]

It looks like Grandma gave them haircuts too!