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

[GeeGolly]

12 minutes ago, crazycatlady58 said:

So children do have physical issues that cause bedwetting and it is not within their control. 

Yes, I agree. Aren't all bedwetting issues beyond their control?

[Rootbeer]

9 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

They were thinking about immediate needs, not a long-term plan. 

They are going to have 6 people living in a 2 bedroom home in a month or so.  I'd say the need for more rooms is pretty immediate.  In their situation, more indoor space is an immediate need while a deck is a long term issue, IMO.

 

Edited June 3, 2021 by Rootbeer

[Rootbeer]

20 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Yes, I agree. Aren't all bedwetting issues beyond their control?

It could be something as simple as Spurgeon is afraid to climb down the ladder to go to the bathroom in the dark.  Jessa is lazy, I could see her putting him in pull-ups rather so she doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night to help him get to the bathroom.

Jessa's kids are practically feral and seemingly have no bedtime routine.  Perhaps something as simple as limiting his fluids after dinner and making sure he stops in the bathroom on the way to bed would be enough to help him stay dry at night.  But, Jessa is simply too dam* lazy to make the effort and Bin is too checked out to bother.

[Cherry Cola]

On 5/31/2021 at 2:29 PM, Ohiopirate02 said:

And in sweatpants.  She looks like someone who has given up.  

Leggings and that type are trendy right now. I think she looks fine. 

[Tikichick]

1 hour ago, Rootbeer said:

It could be something as simple as Spurgeon is afraid to climb down the ladder to go to the bathroom in the dark.  Jessa is lazy, I could see her putting him in pull-ups rather so she doesn't have to get up in the middle of the night to help him get to the bathroom.

Jessa's kids are practically feral and seemingly have no bedtime routine.  Perhaps something as simple as limiting his fluids after dinner and making sure he stops in the bathroom on the way to bed would be enough to help him stay dry at night.  But, Jessa is simply too dam* lazy to make the effort and Bin is too checked out to bother.

Doesn't seem like Ben is stepping up to care for the children where Jessa can't or won't -- same with taking care of the home.   Especially right now while she's very pregnant and probably has just a few things weighing on her mind.    "Checking out" isn't any kind of an excuse.   If he has real problems with Jessa he should step up and deal with them like an adult.   Bottom line is the children need to be cared for properly. 

[BitterApple]

I agree with all the above. I feel like both Bin and Jeremy are stuck in perpetual adolescence. If Bin can't adequately support his family off his pastor's salary, then he needs to quit and do something else or supplement with a part-time job. Dicking around when you're a single guy is one thing, but when you have a wife and four kids, it's time to put on your big boy pants and make a few sacrifices. Their current situation is absolutely ridiculous.

[Minivanessa]

9 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

I agree with all the above. I feel like both Bin and Jeremy are stuck in perpetual adolescence. If Bin can't adequately support his family off his pastor's salary, then he needs to quit and do something else or supplement with a part-time job. Dicking around when you're a single guy is one thing, but when you have a wife and four kids, it's time to put on your big boy pants and make a few sacrifices. Their current situation is absolutely ridiculous.

I wonder how much we really know about the Bin/Jessa situation.

We see that he looks checked out in those happy family videos Jessa posts. But do we know what discussions they have had about jobs, housing, etc.? I wonder if Jessa has blocked Bin from pursuing jobs in the ministry that would require them to move away from the orbit of the TTH. Or if Bin has had some interest in a job of another kind but Jessa's vetoed it. I think Jessa wants to keep herself and her family firmly planted within her father's sphere of control. That's got to severely limit Bin's options for work.

For all the Duggars' bullsh*t talk about husbands being their family's "headships," I'm not buying it when it comes to Jessa's situation. I think Bin's a wholly owned subsidiary of Duggar Enterprises and so far he has either been unwilling or unable to break free. 

[farmgal4]

17 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

It's Amazon unboxing time at the Seewalds'! 🙄

https://www.instagram.com/p/CPoecFhLjtJ/?utm_medium=copy_link

I think Ivy is a little doll.  She’s as sharp as a tack and has the sweetest little personality.  I feel so bad for all three of those children. They have to be bored out of their minds.  Ben and Jessa are just going through the motions at this point, but by all means, keep churning out those babies! 😤

[Tikichick]

1 hour ago, Jeeves said:

For all the Duggars' bullsh*t talk about husbands being their family's "headships," I'm not buying it when it comes to Jessa's situation. I think Bin's a wholly owned subsidiary of Duggar Enterprises and so far he has either been unwilling or unable to break free. 

One truth I firmly believe time has proven is that when it comes to the Duggars and headships JB's is primary and perpetual whenever it is in his power to make it so.   Let's face it, he has largely engineered a system where finances almost always make it within his power to make it so.       

[xwordfanatik]

26 minutes ago, Tikichick said:

One truth I firmly believe time has proven is that when it comes to the Duggars and headships JB's is primary and perpetual whenever it is in his power to make it so.   Let's face it, he has largely engineered a system where finances almost always make it within his power to make it so.       

That is a real shame.  That house is small with two kids, let alone four, or more.  

Poor Ivy got handed boxes from Amazon, unwrapped.  Not even in a new/washed pillowcase.  I couldn't watch the whole video.  Once I saw that ant on Spurgeon, I had to stop.  Yuck.

[FizzyPuff]

11 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Zoning laws are all over the place and I'm not sure how many of them apply to owner occupied homes, but the Seewalds are reaching the limits. Bedroom occupancy goes from "2 + 1" to 4, and square footage should be 165 per person. I'm guessing the Mold House is somewhere between 900 - 1200 sq ft. That puts them at 150 - 200 sq ft per person, once Seewald child #4 is born.

But regardless of regulations, the Seewalds are outgrowing their home. Jessa is concerned about having a place for guests to sleep when there's barely enough room for their own family to sleep or for everyone to be awake and moving about the house, without guests.

I’m sure Jessa thinks the size of the house is just fine after all her best parents ever! had about 14 kids in a three bedroom house.

Edited June 3, 2021 by FizzyPuff

[BradandJanet]

5 minutes ago, FizzyPuff said:

I’m sure Jessa thinks the size off the house is just fine after all her best parents ever! had about 14 kids in a three bedroom house.

Maybe she is expecting history to repeat itself and TLC will build her a new TTH. 

[Rootbeer]

1 hour ago, xwordfanatik said:

That is a real shame.  That house is small with two kids, let alone four, or more.  

Poor Ivy got handed boxes from Amazon, unwrapped.  Not even in a new/washed pillowcase.  I couldn't watch the whole video.  Once I saw that ant on Spurgeon, I had to stop.  Yuck.

Poor little Ivy.  I remember being so excited on my birthday, seeing wrapped presents with ribbons, getting cards, having special decorations.  And, I had a sibling only a year older with the same birth month, so we celebrated together, but, yet, I didn't feel deprived.  Opening gifts is a big part of the fun at Ivy's age.  Why not get some brown paper and let her brothers color on it and use that to wrap the gifts?  At least have them put some cute stickers and a bow on top of the Amazon box.

I also don't care how much Ivy loves ice cream, it isn't hard to make some cake from a mix and toss some sprinkles and put a couple of candles on it.  Jessa's lack of interest in making her kids feel special on their birthdays says a lot about her.  I suppose, like MOTY, she is raising the kids to thank HER on their birthdays and reminding them of how she could've died giving birth to them on the filthy sofa.  And needed an ambulance to take her to the hospital when she hemorrhaged with two of them.

[Teriacky]

With regard to 6 people living in a 2 bedroom house, didn’t Jessa and 13 siblings live in a 3 bedroom house along with their parents prior to the Duggar Manse being built? 

When I was growing up there was a family of 12 who lived down the street in a 3 bedroom house. They seem to have managed. 

[Tikichick]

28 minutes ago, Rootbeer said:

Poor little Ivy.  I remember being so excited on my birthday, seeing wrapped presents with ribbons, getting cards, having special decorations.  And, I had a sibling only a year older with the same birth month, so we celebrated together, but, yet, I didn't feel deprived.  Opening gifts is a big part of the fun at Ivy's age.  Why not get some brown paper and let her brothers color on it and use that to wrap the gifts?  At least have them put some cute stickers and a bow on top of the Amazon box.

I also don't care how much Ivy loves ice cream, it isn't hard to make some cake from a mix and toss some sprinkles and put a couple of candles on it.  Jessa's lack of interest in making her kids feel special on their birthdays says a lot about her.  I suppose, like MOTY, she is raising the kids to thank HER on their birthdays and reminding them of how she could've died giving birth to them on the filthy sofa.  And needed an ambulance to take her to the hospital when she hemorrhaged with two of them.

Is Jessa the sister who doesn't like cake and therefore served guests at her wedding ice cream instead?

[BetyBee]

I watched the video and like so many here, I really don't understand handing a kid an Amazon box to open. Gift bags are easy and can be re-used. It just makes me sad that it's all so half-a**ed! And no cake or candles. 😢 A two year old doesn't care, but since Jessa goes to the trouble of filming several days in a row, how about stepping it up so she'll enjoy the video more in years to come? Spurgeon looks so bored. Do those kids ever have any real fun?

[Crochetlady]

The whole video made me sad. The house and kids are so filthy. The kids look so unhappy. And I'll take Jessa wearing sweatpants over the unitard I saw a pregnant woman wearing this weekend. 

[CouchTater]

I didn't even realize the ice cream was part of the "celebration."  Wow.

[GeeGolly]

4 minutes ago, CouchTater said:

I didn't even realize the ice cream was part of the "celebration."  Wow.

I didn't have the volume on and wasn't even sure what she was eating. If that was ice cream, it was hard as a rock.

[BitterApple]

Just now, CouchTater said:

I didn't even realize the ice cream was part of the "celebration."  Wow.

If you didn't know the context and watched that video with no sound, you'd never be able to tell it was a child's birthday. It looks like a family going about their day and opening their regular Amazon delivery. 

Neither Jessa nor Bin seems to put the barest amount of effort into anything. They could've gotten Ivy a cute little birthday tiara to go with her Princess dress and taken the kids out for Happy Meals and sundaes. That would've been an inexpensive way to celebrate and more fun than tossing freezer-burned ice cream on the table.

[CouchTater]

1 minute ago, GeeGolly said:

I didn't have the volume on and wasn't even sure what she was eating. If that was ice cream, it was hard as a rock.

Ben actually mentioned that it was very hard.  It probably had freezer burn, if that's possible for ice cream!  😄

For real, though, that was a lame celebration for a 2-year-old's birthday.  

Jessa, Ben and Spurgeon all seem low-energy and depressed.  I'm still baffled by Spurgeon playing with the ant, even if he was "training" it as someone upthread suggested.  If that's the level of that kid's stimulation and activity, I'm sad for him.  Contrast that birthday video with some of Jill's recent activities with her kids (including their Fenna fun) and it's clear, at least to me, whose kid I'd want to be! 

I know Jessa is very pregnant, but I don't think the lethargic household is a recent development.

[madpsych78]

Yeah, I've been blaming Jessa primarily for the half-assery that has been happening in their household, but now I'm going to have to transfer some of the blame onto Ben too. He generally presents as more submissive compared to the other male Duggars and adjacents, but I can't tell if he really doesn't care either or doesn't have the balls to stand up to Jessa. Probably a bit of both. Both of them strike me as passive aggressive, but especially Ben. 

[Heathen]

The people who owned my grandmother's house before she did (1960s) had four kids and two adults in two bedrooms in less than 700 square feet. The four kids had two sets of bunk beds in one bedroom, which I can tell you from experience would now be considered small for one person. My point is, square footage isn't the issue as much as cleanliness and organization. 

[Cinnabon]

1 hour ago, BetyBee said:

I watched the video and like so many here, I really don't understand handing a kid an Amazon box to open. Gift bags are easy and can be re-used. It just makes me sad that it's all so half-a**ed! And no cake or candles. 😢 A two year old doesn't care, but since Jessa goes to the trouble of filming several days in a row, how about stepping it up so she'll enjoy the video more in years to come? Spurgeon looks so bored. Do those kids ever have any real fun?

Amazon also gives the option to send the gift  items wrapped. I guess Jessa just won’t pay the extra $$.

[CouchTater]

I did like the bunk beds for the baby dolls.  But then I thought:  oh, no!  More beds in that room!!!  😆

[irisheyes]

4 hours ago, farmgal4 said:

I think Ivy is a little doll.  She’s as sharp as a tack and has the sweetest little personality.  I feel so bad for all three of those children. They have to be bored out of their minds.  Ben and Jessa are just going through the motions at this point, but by all means, keep churning out those babies! 😤

I thought it last year, but I believe it even more now. We got a taste of their life last year at the beginning of the pandemic (besides the trips to the TTH).  No where to go, nothing to do. And it was soul draining. Imagine thinking that’s your life forever. They don’t go to the library, they don’t go to parks, they don’t really take the kids anywhere. I can’t imagine thinking that was all there was to life. 

[xwordfanatik]

20 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

Amazon also gives the option to send the gift  items wrapped. I guess Jessa just won’t pay the extra $$.

Their gift bags are great.  Mine get reused a lot, especially at Christmas.  Dollar stores have paper gift bags at little cost, as does Walmart.  

It seems like Benessa have given up on quality, and are going for quantity, just like Boobchelle.  I know it's possible to live with small square footage homes, but they don't seem to have the knack for doing it well.

[libgirl2]

8 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

He is wearing a pull-up. Is that the norm these days - to have a 5 year old in pull-ups? I come from an era when we potty-trained our kids by two or at least before their third birthday. And my kids rarely woke up to pee during the night, he certainly should be able to make it a whole night without peeing. Maybe he has bedwetting issues.

My son was a late one at nearly 4 but he never had an accident once he was trained. 

[GeeGolly]

48 minutes ago, Heathen said:

The people who owned my grandmother's house before she did (1960s) had four kids and two adults in two bedrooms in less than 700 square feet. The four kids had two sets of bunk beds in one bedroom, which I can tell you from experience would now be considered small for one person. My point is, square footage isn't the issue as much as cleanliness and organization. 

In addition to being clean and organized, I'm guessing the family before your grandmother had lives outside of the house. Maybe work, school, bridge club, picnics in the park, swimming at a lake, sports, etc. The Seewald kids have the tiny Mold House or the cavernous TTH and that's it.

[libgirl2]

42 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

Amazon also gives the option to send the gift  items wrapped. I guess Jessa just won’t pay the extra $$.

When I was a kid, people who ran out of gift paper would use aluminum foil or the comics. 

5 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

In addition to being clean and organized, I'm guessing the family before your grandmother had lives outside of the house. Maybe work, school, bridge club, picnics in the park, swimming at a lake, sports, etc. The Seewald kids have the tiny Mold House or the cavernous TTH and that's it.

What a depressing and stifling life. 

[JoanArc]

22 hours ago, Madtown said:

That house is a disgusting mess. All I can think of is how bad it has to smell.

"Toddler Hands"

Quote

I have seen people add 2nd stories to trailers (I so wish I had not seen that), so obviously small lots don't stop the true innovators, but I have a hard time envisioning them building up rather than out. 

The carport could be enclosed.

[Westiepeach]

4 hours ago, BetyBee said:

I watched the video and like so many here, I really don't understand handing a kid an Amazon box to open. Gift bags are easy and can be re-used. It just makes me sad that it's all so half-a**ed! And no cake or candles. 😢 A two year old doesn't care, but since Jessa goes to the trouble of filming several days in a row, how about stepping it up so she'll enjoy the video more in years to come? Spurgeon looks so bored. Do those kids ever have any real fun?

Nope. No fun shall be had by anyone!

[galaxygirl76]

If you compare poor little Ivy's birthday celebration to Izzy's most recent one, this is just heartbreaking. Jill put thought in Izzy's special day, this is a thrown together mess that barely looks like a birthday party.

[farmgal4]

7 hours ago, BetyBee said:

I watched the video and like so many here, I really don't understand handing a kid an Amazon box to open. Gift bags are easy and can be re-used. It just makes me sad that it's all so half-a**ed! And no cake or candles. 😢 A two year old doesn't care, but since Jessa goes to the trouble of filming several days in a row, how about stepping it up so she'll enjoy the video more in years to come? Spurgeon looks so bored. Do those kids ever have any real fun?

Spurgie IS bored.  I mean, he has a pet ant, for Pete’s sake!  Years ago someone I knew bought an ant farm for her handicapped child.  It was kind of like an aquarium but it was smaller/slimmer and filled with dirt.  There were entire colonies of ants in that ant farm, and her child would sit for hours and watch those ants just doing what ants do.  Spurgeon needs an ant farm.  He also needs a new & improved set of parents.

[awaken]

Jessa said on IG in response to comments, that she does the Amazon boxes to be eco-friendly 😂

as if anyone believes that for a second!

[emmawoodhouse]

1 minute ago, awaken said:

Jessa said on IG in response to comments, that she does the Amazon boxes to be eco-friendly 😂

as if anyone believes that for a second!

Yeah, she claims to recycle the boxes. Right, to the next set of birthday gifts. 

[SMama]

2 hours ago, galaxygirl76 said:

If you compare poor little Ivy's birthday celebration to Izzy's most recent one, this is just heartbreaking. Jill put thought in Izzy's special day, this is a thrown together mess that barely looks like a birthday party.

Barely? Man, you are really generous, there was no celebration there. 

[Cinnabon]

29 minutes ago, farmgal4 said:

Spurgie IS bored.  I mean, he has a pet ant, for Pete’s sake!  Years ago someone I knew bought an ant farm for her handicapped child.  It was kind of like an aquarium but it was smaller/slimmer and filled with dirt.  There were entire colonies of ants in that ant farm, and her child would sit for hours and watch those ants just doing what ants do.  Spurgeon needs an ant farm.  He also needs a new & improved set of parents.

And a new name!

6 minutes ago, awaken said:

Jessa said on IG in response to comments, that she does the Amazon boxes to be eco-friendly 😂

as if anyone believes that for a second!

She is full of crap. Amazon as a whole is certainly not eco friendly. Jessa is just lazy and has proven time and time again that she has no issues with lying.

[JoanArc]

33 minutes ago, awaken said:

Jessa said on IG in response to comments, that she does the Amazon boxes to be eco-friendly 😂

as if anyone believes that for a second!

Maybe just have less kids instead?

[Lady Whistleup]

I mean let's face it Jessa's never really had a jolly disposition. 

[GeeGolly]

Eco-friendly would be placing one order from Amazon and reusing giftbags she already owns. 

The sad thing is, I think Jessa is putting thought into these weekly celebrations. Maybe Jessa remembers meager or forgotten birthdays from the early years of her life and is 'over compensating' in her mind, thinking the gifts matter and not the pageantry. Jill, on the other hand, is doing birthdays like they did in the later years and still do. I also wonder if Ivy had a TTH celebration and Jessa thought it best not to post it, although it seems Anna handles those now.

Either way, Jessa actually films these week long, lame affairs, so she must think they're special. I did notice Ivy didn't get a family gift like a bird feeder or a shared gift like bows and arrows.

And the dolls. Ivy is two and already has at least a half dozen dolls and now has a bed, stroller and clothes for them. Even if Jessa is going to insist on "girl" gifts, how about some crayons and coloring books, or pink Duplos/Legos, some bath/pool toys. Or even a toy vacuum. I don't know a kid, boy or girl, that doesn't like a toy vacuum. 

[Tikichick]

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Eco-friendly would be placing one order from Amazon and reusing giftbags she already owns.

 

Wouldn't it be more eco-friendly to serve the birthday girl her ice cream with flatware from the kitchen drawer instead of plasticware?

[Westiepeach]

5 hours ago, Tikichick said:

Wouldn't it be more eco-friendly to serve the birthday girl her ice cream with flatware from the kitchen drawer instead of plasticware?

Silly. Then someone would actually have to wash some dishes!

Besides, Ivy is way too short to reach the sink to wash the dishes!

Edited June 4, 2021 by Westiepeach
Edited to add to my original post!

[FizzyPuff]

21 hours ago, BradandJanet said:

Maybe she is expecting history to repeat itself and TLC will build her a new TTH. 

Haha she wishes. 

19 hours ago, Tikichick said:

Is Jessa the sister who doesn't like cake and therefore served guests at her wedding ice cream instead?

Yes in the parking lot in November! I’d be pissed off if I went to someone’s wedding and all I got served was ice cream in a parking lot in November and I love ice cream and will happily eat it all year round but I still think that’s wrong not everyone likes ice cream!  but then again what would anyone expect really from the cheap ass Duggar’s?

I do have to say Ivy is only two it’s not like she’ll remember her birthday so I kinda give Jessa a pass for not doing much even the Amazon boxes she’s won’t remember,Spurgeons age I think it’s inappropriate and she should at least wrap the Amazon boxes but hey they’re not my kids. They probably did go to the big house and have a party but she didn’t wanna show it. 

[BigBingerBro]

I refuse to watch their videos.  What did she receive for her birthday?

[jacourt]

I honestly thought that they used the same box just putting something else in it.  

[GeeGolly]

1 hour ago, jacourt said:

I honestly thought that they used the same box just putting something else in it.  

I don't think so. One box Jessa didn't pre-open all the way.

[xwordfanatik]

13 hours ago, awaken said:

Jessa said on IG in response to comments, that she does the Amazon boxes to be eco-friendly 😂

as if anyone believes that for a second!

Meanwhile, they probably use styrofoam plates like she grew up on.  😁

[Heathen]

19 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

In addition to being clean and organized, I'm guessing the family before your grandmother had lives outside of the house. Maybe work, school, bridge club, picnics in the park, swimming at a lake, sports, etc. The Seewald kids have the tiny Mold House or the cavernous TTH and that's it.

You guess wrong. Sunday mass (they were hardcore Catholic) and school, that's it. How do I know this? They built the house next door to my grandmother's and lived next to her for thirty years. The husband of the family was an ass. 

Topic: Any guesses for S4's name? 

Edited June 4, 2021 by Heathen
Topic

[GeeGolly]

Just now, Heathen said:

You guess wrong. Sunday mass (they were hardcore Catholic) and school, that's it. How do I know this? They built the house next door to my grandmother's and lived next to her for thirty years. 

Oh goodness. Well at least the kids were gone for a good chunk of the day.