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

[RazzleberryPie]

On 7/12/2017 at 8:57 PM, ginger90 said:

Cute video

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1082658011867847&id=510067475793573&__tn__=*s

Spurgey taking direction from a WOMAN. The HORROR. They should just sign him up for ALERT right now if he's ever going to be a headship. 

I seriously find it quite amusing that Jessa's spawn is the follower, and not the leader.

[Arwen Evenstar]

7 minutes ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Spurgey taking direction from a WOMAN. The HORROR. They should just sign him up for ALERT right now if he's ever going to be a headship. 

I seriously find it quite amusing that Jessa's spawn is the follower, and not the leader.

Maybe Spurgie is being a gentleman.

[madpsych78]

15 minutes ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Spurgey taking direction from a WOMAN. The HORROR. They should just sign him up for ALERT right now if he's ever going to be a headship. 

I seriously find it quite amusing that Jessa's spawn is the follower, and not the leader.

If Spurgie watches Ben defer to Jessa all the time, it actually makes sense that he is following Meredith.

[Beth64]

46 minutes ago, RazzleberryPie said:

Spurgey taking direction from a WOMAN. The HORROR. They should just sign him up for ALERT right now if he's ever going to be a headship. 

I seriously find it quite amusing that Jessa's spawn is the follower, and not the leader.

To be fair, Meredith is older. That is probably what is driving her leadership here. 

[GeeGolly]

38 minutes ago, Beth64 said:

To be fair, Meredith is older. That is probably what is driving her leadership here. 

You just got me thinking, Israel, Meredith and Spurgeon were all born in 2015. Henry, Samuel and M #5 will all be born in 2017. If Jinger, Joy and Kendra have babies in 2018 and Anna, Jill and Jessa keep up at every other year, JB & M will be counting trophies babies every year.

[RazzleberryPie]

1 hour ago, Beth64 said:

To be fair, Meredith is older. That is probably what is driving her leadership here. 

Nope. Satan has built a fortress in his little toddler heart and she's clearly a Jezebel. 

2 hours ago, Arwen Evenstar said:

Maybe Spurgie is being a gentleman.

Is that possible in Duggarland?

Seriously, they're just two cute toddlers playing, but since Gothard etc. doesn't allow any sort of normal child development on the grounds that everything has to be purposed to have some sort of 'moral' compass and service to God, they clearly have fallen out from under the umbrella of protection, are being tempted by Satan, blah blah blah. 

[Sew Sumi]

Can we hope that they married Laura off? eta: It's not the compound. I got on the laptop and saw the walkways in the background. Too manicured for the dumpster fire that is the Duggar back 20. 

Edited July 16, 2017 by Sew Sumi

[BitterApple]

That's a sweet picture of the boys, but who got married? It had to be someone pretty close to the family if Jeremy and Jinger traveled for the wedding.

[peachybean]

It could be a mutual friend. I feel like Jeremy is more willing to travel for non-Duggar centric events. Or it could be in Texas.

 

Side note: if the wedding was today, does that mean that Jeremy will miss yet another Sunday...you know, at his job? How does he spend his week when he plans to be out of town on Sunday?

Edited July 16, 2017 by peachybean

[GeeGolly]

Poor Jessa, she tries and tries to increase interest in her family by saying - maybe twins- and withholding the names of her kids, etc.  Whenever one of her siblings, or cousin Amy has a marriage or birth she posts something about herself. She must measure interest by how low her thread is on here.

Henry's 5 month pics are up, as of 2 days ago.

[Churchhoney]

41 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Poor Jessa, she tries and tries to increase interest in her family by saying - maybe twins- and withholding the names of her kids, etc.  Whenever one of her siblings, or cousin Amy has a marriage or birth she posts something about herself. She must measure interest by how low her thread is on here.

Henry's 5 month pics are up, as of 2 days ago.

Of course the sooner Jessa figures out that she and her family are only normal, average-to-below-average people, who are very uninteresting and have no right of any kind to "celebrity" or monetary rewards therefrom, the better off she and her family -- especially its children -- are going to be in the long run. "Realistic" is a whole lot better frame of mind for a mom than "delusional and increasingly desperate for fame."

[Churchhoney]

3 hours ago, Genevrier said:

Which would be the worse name, do you guys think? Spurgeon or Wilberforce? 

Spurgeon. If you're "Wilberforce" people can call you ... will call you... Willie or Wilber or Will. All, you know, names, and none of them completely horrible. Even "Wilberforce" sounds like actual names, like William and so on. 

The truly horrible thing about Spurgeon, to me, is that it's not just horrible itself. Every nickname you can think of is pretty horrible, too. "Spurgie?" "Spurge?" Even "Spur?" The first two always sound to me like some kind of medical name for stuff you cough up in the final stages of the flu. And "Spur" is just ... weird. .... Maybe it gives you the image of a bone spur or horseback riding. But it's kind of reminiscent of some kind of porn actor, mainly, to me. 

The poor kid has no available names at all until you go to his middle name. And who's going to go there when they're busy laughing at how he sounds like some kind of phlegm or a bit player in a porn film. This will be a young boy we're talking about. Horrible fate. Luckily for him, of course, he won't know anybody outside the family.

Edited July 17, 2017 by Churchhoney

[kalamac]

If I had to nickname a Spurgeon, I'd probably go with the sound at the end of his name, and call him Jon.

[jilliannatalia]

7 hours ago, Genevrier said:

Which would be the worse name, do you guys think? Spurgeon or Wilberforce? 

Wilberforce would, in my opinion,  be worse if it were either a first name or what the kid was called.  I'm hoping even THEY are not  clueless enough to call a child 
"Wilberforce," but who would ever have thought they would have called a child "Spurgeon"?

[jilliannatalia]

On 7/15/2017 at 10:26 PM, Sew Sumi said:

Can we hope that they married Laura off? eta: It's not the compound. I got on the laptop and saw the walkways in the background. Too manicured for the dumpster fire that is the Duggar back 20. 

However much I think they're all raving lunatics [I I think that a whole lot except where the babies are concerned], I find the picture adorable.

Edited July 17, 2017 by jilliannatalia

[jilliannatalia]

6 hours ago, kalamac said:

 

Quote

NOTE: I'm not sure from whom this quote is, but it may not be kalamac as printed above.

 

There have been a few leaks from the Seewald family. It was a relative of Ben's that outed the courtship (and I will always believe that Jessa would have ended things if their relationship hadn't been made public); Ben's sister announced the birth of Spurgeon; and that family member let it be known that they were given instructions on how to talk to Jessa. Not to mention the few mild, backhanded criticisms from Ben's sister, who once posted that she's strongly against sidehugs. I think the whole fame thing is ridiculous, but honestly, if I were famous at all and had to deal with strangers being in my business (and I suffered from some brain malfunction that made not being famous impossible), I wouldn't associate much with people--even family members--who talked about me to the press or social media. Yes, there's a lot of just wanting everything secret to ensure a bigger paycheck later, but there is a lot to be said about being able to relax around people when out of the public eye, and I couldn't do that if I know someone I'm in the room with might repeat things I say to the outside world. All of which is why I don't ever want to be famous and don't understand people who do--it would take a lot more money than the Duggars make for me to be willing to deal with the hassle of fame. 

 

This quote is from another thread, but I didn't want to irk the moderator by continuing to discuss Ben/.Jessa on Jill's thread, so I'm responding here.  I suspect Jessa  has potential to be difficult as an in-law, but I wouldn't be especially appreciative if ANY family member, in-law or otherwise,  made my announcements before I did, whether or not PEOPLE magazine or TLC were involved..  My husband called my nephew at my request from the recovery room after I'd given birth to my son by c-section so that I could tell him that the baby had been born and that we'd given the baby his name as a middle name, only to find out that my father-in-law had already called and told him.   I got over it because it's stupid to carry around anger over something so inconsequential in the grand scheme of things, but it seriously irritated me at the time that my husband's father had not let me tell my nephew.

Edited July 17, 2017 by jilliannatalia

[floridamom]

Spurgeon COULD prefer to go by S. Elliott Seewald when he's of age. I would do that if I were him. It would tick off his parents and that's a bonus.

Henry is OK with Henry, IMO.

[xwordfanatik]

Cute kids, for sure.  I'm partial to #2 (grumpy baby.)  Mr. Xword and I are both #2 kids in our families.  

I just think Henry will be the wise one.  He's so serious, like he's studying everyone.  Bow tie is a nice touch.

I like Elliot's curly hair a lot.

[flyingdi]

Why do so many people believe Jessa would have ended the courtship if Ben's sister had not reported the engagement?

[Sew Sumi]

Maybe because it was right at the beginning of the courtship, so it would have been acceptable for her to dump the boy?

[Temperance]

20 minutes ago, flyingdi said:

Why do so many people believe Jessa would have ended the courtship if Ben's sister had not reported the engagement?

Wait Ben's sister reported their engagement? I thought Ben's sister leaked what they were going to name their baby. When did she leak their engagement?

Edited July 17, 2017 by Temperance

[Sew Sumi]

No one leaked the engagement. I think the OP meant the courtship, which was leaked by a relative of Ben's on FB. 

Edited July 17, 2017 by Sew Sumi

[flyingdi]

Yes, sorry, I meant the courtship.  I got confused. I just don't remember anyone but Jim Bob seeming to have second thoughts about Jessa and Ben.

[lascuba]

3 hours ago, flyingdi said:

Yes, sorry, I meant the courtship.  I got confused. I just don't remember anyone but Jim Bob seeming to have second thoughts about Jessa and Ben.

I'm majorly projecting because Ben reminds me of certain guys I knew: Jessa and Ben were so incredibly awkward together in the beginning, and the way the whole thing started, with Ben being a Duggar fanboy who went out of his way to attend Jim Bob's church in the hopes of meeting Jessa, well he was basically one of the weirdos that teen Jessa once called out. And they are so different, with Jessa being openly turned off by Ben's overly "romantic" mannerisms, and Ben sometimes looking annoyed when she would tease him about something. I think she liked him well enough at the time, and she was exited about being in a courtship, but that's it. I've always felt that if the courtship hadn't been made public, they never would have announced it or featured it on the show at all until the unlikely (to me) event of their engagement. But the cat was out of the bag, so they had to make it a part of the show, forcing Ben and Jessa to spend more time together, and he grew on her more. Plus, Jessa being Jessa, she wouldn't want the speculation that a breakup would cause, so here's this guy who she likes and is attracted to and acts like he adores her and seems pretty laid back and not controlling at all, and she made a tactical move with regards to her marriage. 

[flyingdi]

Lascuba, I think i see what you mean. I don't necessarily think Jessa Duggar runs on emotion.  She seems to me a very practical girl who likes to think about her decisions.  Ben's probably emotional enough for both of them.

Edited July 18, 2017 by flyingdi

[floridamom]

Why was Ben so worried about breaking their courthship rules when holding hands, saying I love you and a little kissing are not sins? Things change and their rules could have also. These couples admitted that they married so quickly so they can have some affection in their relationships....just not the reason to rush in to a lifetime commitment. That was done back in the 50s & 60s...young couples were 'heated' for each other and married so they could 'go further'. Many marriages were not happy ones and I know a few of those. Nothing wrong with appropriate affection and actually getting to know that person over TIME and see them at their worst....angry, tired, sick (and not so pretty looking) etc. THEN when your sweetie has let their hair down in front of you and perhaps snaps at you when they're frustrated and angry, you'll know who they are and can make a more informed lifetime decision to stick with them OR NOT. Unnecessary pressure on the Duggar way of doing things.

[Churchhoney]

27 minutes ago, floridamom said:

Why was Ben so worried about breaking their courthship rules when holding hands, saying I love you and a little kissing are not sins? 

Because like the rest of these people, Bin's dumb enough and superstitious enough and fearful and easily cowed enough to believe the trivial crap about God's laws and damnation and what gets you God's approval that idiots like Jizm Bob, Meeechelle, Bill Gothard et al tell him and to be either too stupid or too lazy or too scared to consult his own (albeit likely quite limited) reason. 

It's depressing enough that the Duggars have raised 19 kids all of whom (up to this point, anyway) appear to be too stupid and cowardly to seriously question the nonsense their parents base their lives on. But i's almost worse to see them snaring into the mess other idiot children like Bin who wander by. 

Edited July 18, 2017 by Churchhoney

[mimionthebeach]

16 hours ago, lascuba said:

I'm majorly projecting because Ben reminds me of certain guys I knew: Jessa and Ben were so incredibly awkward together in the beginning, and the way the whole thing started, with Ben being a Duggar fanboy who went out of his way to attend Jim Bob's church in the hopes of meeting Jessa, well he was basically one of the weirdos that teen Jessa once called out. And they are so different, with Jessa being openly turned off by Ben's overly "romantic" mannerisms, and Ben sometimes looking annoyed when she would tease him about something. I think she liked him well enough at the time, and she was exited about being in a courtship, but that's it. I've always felt that if the courtship hadn't been made public, they never would have announced it or featured it on the show at all until the unlikely (to me) event of their engagement. But the cat was out of the bag, so they had to make it a part of the show, forcing Ben and Jessa to spend more time together, and he grew on her more. Plus, Jessa being Jessa, she wouldn't want the speculation that a breakup would cause, so here's this guy who she likes and is attracted to and acts like he adores her and seems pretty laid back and not controlling at all, and she made a tactical move with regards to her marriage. 

A marriage "life sentence" seems like pretty extreme damage control for a social media overshare. Surely they could announce the two were not formally courting when God made it clear to Jim Bob that Bin was not the one he had for Jessa. 

[Marigold]

I think Jessa had a list of thing she wanted in a guy.  Ben scored pretty well and she decided to go for it. They do seem like they have grown together and made a marriage out of a "deal". 

I do notice that Ben seems very uncomfortable and intimidated when in a big Duggar group.  He gets awkward and starts to look very immature. Something or someone throws him off, not sure what it is exactly. 

Edited July 18, 2017 by Marigold

[Readalot]

Was at my dad's friends house and there was a book on Spurg in her library. And the yesterday while in another town on business I came across this street. Ugh can't escape 

[mimionthebeach]

1 minute ago, Marigold said:

I think Jessa had a list of thing she wanted in a guy.  Ben scored pretty well and she decided to go for it. They do seem like they have grown together and made a marriage out of a "deal". 

I do notice that Ben seems very uncomfortable and intimidated when in a big Duggar group.  He gets awkward and starts to look very immature. Something about the Duugars throw him off, not sure what it is exactly. 

Let's remember that he was, what, 17 at the beginning. Suddenly surrounded by hordes of not-OF-the-world teens grilling him on his intentions, a swarm of feral howlers AND a freaking tv crew -- intimidated is hardly a weird response. Imagine trying to get to know your fantasy girl when you can't even talk to her. And you know Jim Bob would be doing his thing to keep this poor kid on eggshells. 

[Marigold]

1 minute ago, mimionthebeach said:

Let's remember that he was, what, 17 at the beginning. Suddenly surrounded by hordes of not-OF-the-world teens grilling him on his intentions, a swarm of feral howlers AND a freaking tv crew -- intimidated is hardly a weird response. Imagine trying to get to know your fantasy girl when you can't even talk to her. And you know Jim Bob would be doing his thing to keep this poor kid on eggshells. 

Maybe Ben has anxiety from the bad experiences that you described and he falls to pieces in a Duggar group...flashbacks to being a dopey 17 year old and being made to feel like an idiot. 

Ben just looks like he wants to slink under the sofa at all of these group interviews.  

[Barb23]

3 hours ago, floridamom said:

Why was Ben so worried about breaking their courthship rules when holding hands, saying I love you and a little kissing are not sins? Things change and their rules could have also. These couples admitted that they married so quickly so they can have some affection in their relationships....just not the reason to rush in to a lifetime commitment. That was done back in the 50s & 60s...young couples were 'heated' for each other and married so they could 'go further'. Many marriages were not happy ones and I know a few of those. Nothing wrong with appropriate affection and actually getting to know that person over TIME and see them at their worst....angry, tired, sick (and not so pretty looking) etc. THEN when your sweetie has let their hair down in front of you and perhaps snaps at you when they're frustrated and angry, you'll know who they are and can make a more informed lifetime decision to stick with them OR NOT. Unnecessary pressure on the Duggar way of doing things.

It drives me nuts that the Duggars treat the wedding as just a pass for them to get it on later. It seems they could care less about the ceremony & what it means. Thanks to their upbringing & stupid rules, SEX is all they care about on their wedding day.  I hope they realize there's more to marriage than  sex ......& babies.

[Churchhoney]

19 minutes ago, mimionthebeach said:

A marriage "life sentence" seems like pretty extreme damage control for a social media overshare. Surely they could announce the two were not formally courting when God made it clear to Jim Bob that Bin was not the one he had for Jessa. 

It does. But on the other hand, considering the limited vision the Duggarlings (especially but not only the females) have for their lives as a whole, maybe it's not all that farfetched.

Jessa doesn't seem to have had any doubt that her entire destiny would be a young-to-youngish marriage to some guy presented to her by Daddy, followed by producing a lot of kids and, if she stayed lucky, being on TeeVee so there'd be no tremendous looming money problems and there'd also be fans and fame.

And the good parts of that destiny -- TeeVee Money! Fans! Fame! -- are all entirely dependent (so she thought, anyway) on her completing the other part. So she was looking at a short slate of options -- the guys Daddy would present her with. And not only did she apparently have no thought of going off to look for a guy on her own (let alone do any of the other millions of things she might do with her life if she didn't live unquestioningly by the laws of NutsoLand), she'd certainly met relatively few men in her life -- and most of them were Gothardites. (i.e., either half-cracked in one way or another or miserably depressed because their families had dragged them into Gothardville). So her vision of the husband she might land was probably pretty constrained as well.

So why not Bin, once the alternative would be to publicly admit that her heart was missing pieces in his wake? I doubt Jessa has the imagination to realize that a TeeVee audience, at least, might have seen her as more interesting and watchable if she'd done the unthinkable and lost those heart pieces. Unfortunately, even the so-called rebels of the Dugg clan -- Jessa, Josh, and, uh... anyone? anyone? -- are too dumb and timid to consider really moving outside the umbrella.

Which is all to say -- Yeah, seems extreme. But given the life she lives, I fear it's possible.

[Annb67]

8 minutes ago, Barb23 said:

It drives me nuts that the Duggars treat the wedding as just a pass for them to get it on later. It seems they could care less about the ceremony & what it means. Thanks to their upbringing & stupid rules, SEX is all they care about on their wedding day.  I hope they realize there's more to marriage than  sex ......& babies.

Well according to Ben's demeanor he already has. And according to Joshley's actions and Jill/Derick..they all have.

[Adeejay]

46 minutes ago, Marigold said:

I do notice that Ben seems very uncomfortable and intimidated when in a big Duggar group.  He gets awkward and starts to look very immature. Something or someone throws him off, not sure what it is exactly. 

Perhaps it's his ball-busting wife.  They are starting to give me Jon and Kate flashbacks.  Not a good thing.  

[toodles]

3 hours ago, Churchhoney said:

Because like the rest of these people, Bin's dumb enough and superstitious enough and fearful and easily cowed enough to believe the trivial crap about God's laws and damnation and what gets you God's approval that idiots like Jizm Bob, Meeechelle, Bill Gothard et al tell him and to be either too stupid or too lazy or too scared to consult his own (albeit likely quite limited) reason. 

It's depressing enough that the Duggars have raised 19 kids all of whom (up to this point, anyway) appear to be too stupid and cowardly to seriously question the nonsense their parents base their lives on. But i's almost worse to see them snaring into the mess other idiot children like Bin who wander by. 

I have a picture of a giant net filled with Bible tracts, a fake TV contact and the next duggar kid in the marriage line sitting on the outside.  Maybe watching the trap all day is mechelle's jurisdiction these days.

[Jynnan tonnix]

1 hour ago, Churchhoney said:

It does. But on the other hand, considering the limited vision the Duggarlings (especially but not only the females) have for their lives as a whole, maybe it's not all that farfetched.

Jessa doesn't seem to have had any doubt that her entire destiny would be a young-to-youngish marriage to some guy presented to her by Daddy, followed by producing a lot of kids and, if she stayed lucky, being on TeeVee so there'd be no tremendous looming money problems and there'd also be fans and fame.

And the good parts of that destiny -- TeeVee Money! Fans! Fame! -- are all entirely dependent (so she thought, anyway) on her completing the other part. So she was looking at a short slate of options -- the guys Daddy would present her with. And not only did she apparently have no thought of going off to look for a guy on her own (let alone do any of the other millions of things she might do with her life if she didn't live unquestioningly by the laws of NutsoLand), she'd certainly met relatively few men in her life -- and most of them were Gothardites. (i.e., either half-cracked in one way or another or miserably depressed because their families had dragged them into Gothardville). So her vision of the husband she might land was probably pretty constrained as well.

So why not Bin, once the alternative would be to publicly admit that her heart was missing pieces in his wake? I doubt Jessa has the imagination to realize that a TeeVee audience, at least, might have seen her as more interesting and watchable if she'd done the unthinkable and lost those heart pieces. Unfortunately, even the so-called rebels of the Dugg clan -- Jessa, Josh, and, uh... anyone? anyone? -- are too dumb and timid to consider really moving outside the umbrella.

Which is all to say -- Yeah, seems extreme. But given the life she lives, I fear it's possible.

I just love this phrase...Ad even though I don't subscribe to the Gothard definition, I can see quite a lot of people identifying with it in regards to at least one person in their past. I know I certainly do.

[GeeGolly]

When Jessa was tripping over her words saying "they have sexual urges like everybody else so a quick marriage is an obvious solution", JD jumped in and said they "try to live with the least amount of regrets". I couldn't figure out if he was saving Jessa or himself.

Ben went from oldest child to an extra when he married into the Duggar family. And while it seems his siblings looked up to him, his parents seem a little rigid and harsh. His dad wanted to rush the marriage so Ben would "grow up" just like he did and his mom thought he wasn't "good enough" to marry into the Duggar fold. He was also young and I'm guessing his self-esteem was a little wobbly.

Now he has to deal with the forever competitive JB and Duggar boys and as @Adeejay said, his ball-busting wife. Ben also does not appear to be the brightest crayon in the box. He seems to have no choice but to keep his head down.

[Marigold]

I think Ben is suffering from "bad first impression" syndrome.  When he met the Duggars, he was young and dumb. He is now married with two kids, is attempting to further his (weak) education and trying to act like a grown up.  Poor Ben is always gonna be the "young and dumb teenager" to the Duggars, i guess. He knows it and it makes him anxious and uncomfortable, making him look even stupider.

Too bad Ben and Jessa don't move far, far away. 

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

I just love this phrase...Ad even though I don't subscribe to the Gothard definition, I can see quite a lot of people identifying with it in regards to at least one person in their past. I know I certainly do.

I think most everyone has given away pieces of their heart over time.  The thing is, we've also received pieces of the hearts of others in exchange.  The notion that having prior relationships makes one LESS is something most of us don't subscribe to.  Loving and being loved by others doesn't diminish us, it makes our hearts bigger and more open.  That's what the Duggars miss.

[Lunera]

49 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

When Jessa was tripping over her words saying "they have sexual urges like everybody else so a quick marriage is an obvious solution", JD jumped in and said they "try to live with the least amount of regrets". I couldn't figure out if he was saving Jessa or himself.

What is it with fundies not being able to suppress their sexual urges?

[GeeGolly]

22 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

I think most everyone has given away pieces of their heart over time.  The thing is, we've also received pieces of the hearts of others in exchange.  The notion that having prior relationships makes one LESS is something most of us don't subscribe to.  Loving and being loved by others doesn't diminish us, it makes our hearts bigger and more open.  That's what the Duggars miss.

Too true. It also makes us wiser about ourselves and others. It teaches us about compromise, tolerance and forgiveness. It lets one learn that every relationship moves beyond the giddy stage. And contrary to the Duggar beliefs, not every romantic relationship includes sex. 

[Annb67]

1 hour ago, Lunera said:

What is it with fundies not being able to suppress their sexual urges?

This is glorious!

[GeeGolly]

Sometimes Ben sounds like the male version of Priscilla Waller. 

[JoanArc]

Pretty much sums it up.

[floridamom]

None of the Duggar children, NOT ONE OF THEM, IMO, is prepared to handle disappointment in life. Their 'careful not to screw up ANYTHING' kind of life doesn't prepare them for life's DOWNS..and life has those downs like it has those 'ups'. Their parents also have controlled them to a point where they started out wanting to protect their children from sin and any disappointment in life. It didn't help them AT ALL; it caused them to be ill-prepared FOR life. Look at Jill; she is a perfect example of this. She was all starry eyed over Derick and being a missionary AND being a mother to LOTS of children. None of that I think, has been turning out as she absolutely expected, has it? She is an emotional mess because of it. They think they have all the answers, but they really have none of them.

Having one's heart broken, can be one of the BEST things that can happen to someone. It helps them become a more caring, feeling person towards others' pain; because you, yourself, know what pain is. This is why I have called Jessa an Ice Princess. She has no real sympathy for anyone...most of them life clueless about REAL life experience. It's not all rainbows and roses all the time.

[BitterApple]

I think the Duggars' childhood was the Fundie equivalent of Lord of the Flies. Everything was a competition for resources, whether it was for food, access to the ugly mustard cardigan, a chance to take a hot shower or two seconds of parental attention. Qualities like empathy and consideration wouldn't serve you well in that environment. Case in point: Jana. Jessa learned to manipulate and play the game, and she got rewarded for it. She may be married to a derpy man-child, but she has more control over her life than Jana ever will.

Edited July 18, 2017 by BitterApple

[lascuba]

8 hours ago, Adeejay said:

Perhaps it's his ball-busting wife.  They are starting to give me Jon and Kate flashbacks.  Not a good thing.  

Has there ever been a moment on the show between Ben and Jessa that even remotely resembles how John and Kate interacted with each other? 

[Sew Sumi]

As of June 27th, Benessa now own the Mold House! Now, how the purchase went down is a bit of a mystery; it says the estate sale was for $100k, but the code is "unvalid." I've never seen that before.  Can anyone shed light on what this may mean? Maybe Mary just deeded them the house? They can't be planning on living there forever or even after one more kid. 

I wonder what's going on with the other Duggar properties? Certainly, the Mold House will be just about everyone's "starter house," and Benessa will likely slide into another one of Boob's properties?