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

[madpsych78]

Why didn't Jessa just spill food on herself?

[Zella]

12 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

Why didn't Jessa just spill food on herself?

Or roll around in some dirt. 

[emmawoodhouse]

32 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

Why didn't Jessa just spill food on herself?

Food was probably run of the mill for them. Same with dirt. Urine? That's special. 😁

[GeeGolly]

Jessa and the rest were raised with some skewed beliefs but I hardly think every family rule was for power and control. As much as that did things a little different, much of their family dynamics was run of the mill.

This is not to say their belief system didn't screw them up - it did.

[Panopticon]

7 hours ago, madpsych78 said:

Why didn't Jessa just spill food on herself?

Maybe that would have been something she could have been blamed for: you’re old enough not to spill food, your punishment is XYZ. Or, you obviously did that so you could change your clothes, your punishment is XYZ.

But as long as she didn’t personally pee on the couch (it would add a whole new wrinkle to this story if she did…) and wasn’t “buddy” to the kid who DID pee on the couch, she would be blameless enough to be justified in changing her dress without repercussions.

[BetyBee]

The Duggars have crazy beliefs, but limiting their bajillion kids to one outfit a day isn't one of them. Kids love to change clothes and tend to throw anything they've worn in the laundry even if it's not necessarily dirty. I've heard of kids who threw their clean clothes back in the laundry rather than put them away. I think it was probably a rule to cut back on crazy amounts of laundry....which could lead to another laundry room breakdown for someone! I think the most interesting part of Fedosky's story is Jessa's sly (see what I did there?) plan to get around the rule. It's also interesting that a puddle of urine just stays on the sofa without being cleaned up. The Duggars do things a little differently = gross!

[AgathaC]

1 hour ago, BetyBee said:

The Duggars have crazy beliefs, but limiting their bajillion kids to one outfit a day isn't one of them. Kids love to change clothes and tend to throw anything they've worn in the laundry even if it's not necessarily dirty. I've heard of kids who threw their clean clothes back in the laundry rather than put them away. I think it was probably a rule to cut back on crazy amounts of laundry....which could lead to another laundry room breakdown for someone! I think the most interesting part of Fedosky's story is Jessa's sly (see what I did there?) plan to get around the rule. It's also interesting that a puddle of urine just stays on the sofa without being cleaned up. The Duggars do things a little differently = gross!

Agreed. While I don’t have kids myself, I’ve witnessed this phenomenon with my stepson and my sisters’ kids. One family beach trip, one niece went through her entire wardrobe in one day. After that, the clothes rule was reinforced, despite vacation. My husband has now finally informed his son that just because clothing touched his body, it doesn’t mean it’s dirty. There’s no reason we should be washing all his clothes every other week. And, yes, rather than put clean clothes away, he started leaving them in his hamper (used to transport clothes to and from laundry room) and then just tossing dirty stuff on top. So, I don’t really fault them too much for that.

While I cannot wrap my head around purposefully sitting in urine, I find Jessa’s sneakiness interesting. But, yeah, why was the pee just there? If I knew someone had had an accident I would have been cleaning it or notifying someone else, if I didn’t know how.

Edited December 20, 2021 by AgathaC

[Absolom]

I expect notifying Jim Bob or Michelle would have resulted in an order to go clean it up.  It's more fun to wait and see if Jim Bob sits in it.

Edited December 20, 2021 by Absolom

[Cinnabon]

8 hours ago, BetyBee said:

The Duggars have crazy beliefs, but limiting their bajillion kids to one outfit a day isn't one of them. Kids love to change clothes and tend to throw anything they've worn in the laundry even if it's not necessarily dirty. I've heard of kids who threw their clean clothes back in the laundry rather than put them away. I think it was probably a rule to cut back on crazy amounts of laundry....which could lead to another laundry room breakdown for someone! I think the most interesting part of Fedosky's story is Jessa's sly (see what I did there?) plan to get around the rule. It's also interesting that a puddle of urine just stays on the sofa without being cleaned up. The Duggars do things a little differently = gross!

Wait - maybe I haven’t followed this closely enough, but the issue is that the kids couldn’t wear more than one outfit a day?

[cmr2014]

9 hours ago, BetyBee said:

The Duggars have crazy beliefs, but limiting their bajillion kids to one outfit a day isn't one of them. Kids love to change clothes and tend to throw anything they've worn in the laundry even if it's not necessarily dirty. I've heard of kids who threw their clean clothes back in the laundry rather than put them away. I think it was probably a rule to cut back on crazy amounts of laundry....which could lead to another laundry room breakdown for someone! I think the most interesting part of Fedosky's story is Jessa's sly (see what I did there?) plan to get around the rule. It's also interesting that a puddle of urine just stays on the sofa without being cleaned up. The Duggars do things a little differently = gross!

I agree. The statement that there was a "puddle of urine" on the sofa seems to be getting glossed over while people debate Jessa's behavior.

The TTH was (and is) disgusting. JB and J'chelle were not able to handle even half of the children that they had. Having small children in the house means the occasional bit of gross, but I don't believe for one second that the gross was "occasional." Jessa grew up in a disgusting, filthy house where people didn't bathe regularly, wear pajamas to bed, or sleep on sheets. She thought that a stack of dirty diapers on her dresser was just "ha ha" part of being a mom! 

[Zella]

1 hour ago, Cinnabon said:

Wait - maybe I haven’t followed this closely enough, but the issue is that the kids couldn’t wear more than one outfit a day?

I interpreted it not so much that you couldn't wear more than one per day but that you couldn't change the clothing you were wearing that day without cause (aka it was dirty). So it kind of enforces one outfit per day but it doesn't forbid you from changing clothing if it's necessary. I may be splitting hairs too much here, but I would consider not changing outfits more than once a day and not changing your outfit for the day without it being dirty two slightly different rules, even if they overlap in actual results. 

[emmawoodhouse]

Hell, I interpreted it to mean that they had to wear the same clothes for days on end until they got dirty, as Meech defined it. 

[Cinnabon]

5 minutes ago, Zella said:

I interpreted it not so much that you couldn't wear more than one per day but that you couldn't change the clothing you were wearing that day without cause (aka it was dirty). So it kind of enforces one outfit per day but it doesn't forbid you from changing clothing if it's necessary. I may be splitting hairs too much here, but I would consider not changing outfits more than once a day and not changing your outfit for the day without it being dirty two slightly different rules, even if they overlap in actual results. 

Yeah, I don’t see what’s wrong with limiting kids to one outfit a day, unless they get filthy. Seems pretty common to me 🤷‍♀️

3 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Hell, I interpreted it to mean that they had to wear the same clothes for days on end until they got dirty, as Meech defined it. 

Then that’s different. 

[Absolom]

I had the wear it until it's dirty (days possibly) from that also.  I don't think one outfit per day is strange at all nor would I expect to see kids deliberately sitting in urine to get to change in the one outfit per day situation.  My kids never seemed to resort to odd measures and I admit they didn't necessarily get to change if they got dirty especially if we weren't going out or it was near the end of the day.  

[Zella]

I suspect one of the issues is these folks aren't particularly articulate and we're more aware of language nuances than they are. So, we're in overdrive trying to interpret this rule, and it probably never occurred to them that the rule, whatever it was, is that vague and confusing. (Also probably doesn't help we're getting it secondhand from someone who likely would never have noticed it if Jessa hadn't dunked herself in piss to skirt it.) 

Maybe if we get a Duggar AMA with an actual Duggar, we can ask them this question, and be confused all over again by whatever their answer is. 😂

[GeeGolly]

I don't think the kids went weeks in the same clothing. If they did, then laundry would never had been such a big deal. We know they don't change sheets that often, or even always use them, they seemed to bathe once or twice a week, so its not like they had excessive towels to wash either.

But one outfit a day times 12+ is a lot of laundry. And Jessa was shown packing at least an outfit a day, per person, when they went on trips.

Edited December 21, 2021 by GeeGolly

[lascuba]

I wonder if they were doing matching outfits and Jessa just didn't want to wear whatever that day's color was.

[GeeGolly]

11 minutes ago, lascuba said:

I wonder if they were doing matching outfits and Jessa just didn't want to wear whatever that day's color was.

According to Michelle, they only wore matching outfits on family outings. That way it was easier to keep track of everyone.

[Albanyguy]

56 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

According to Michelle, they only wore matching outfits on family outings. That way it was easier to keep track of everyone.

Oh, please, Michelle. When did you ever give a crap about keeping track of all your kids in public? You put them in the matching outfits to ensure that you'd get the maximum amount of attention.

[emmawoodhouse]

7 minutes ago, Albanyguy said:

Oh, please, Michelle. When did you ever give a crap about keeping track of all your kids in public? You put them in the matching outfits to ensure that you'd get the maximum amount of attention.

Yeah Meech, remember when you lost 3 year old Jackson at Newark airport? Oh right, after he was found, he ran to his real mother, Jana. 🙄

[Nysha]

3 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Hell, I interpreted it to mean that they had to wear the same clothes for days on end until they got dirty, as Meech defined it. 

This is how I interpreted it. There's common sense (can only wear one outfit a day unless it gets dirty) and there's control (can't change clothes, no matter how long you've worn them, until Mother of the Year declares them dirty.) Since this is the Duggars I'm going with the control explanation.

[cmr2014]

4 hours ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Hell, I interpreted it to mean that they had to wear the same clothes for days on end until they got dirty, as Meech defined it. 

This is my take on it, too. Remember, they slept in their clothes because modesty and whatever, and they bathed once a week or so. I'm thinking that they couldn't change unless the clothes they were wearing had actual, identifiable filth on them.

[Tikichick]

On 12/19/2021 at 1:29 PM, crazy8s said:

i find humor in then Jessa wanting to change her clothes and now Jessa boasting on SM that everyone in her family only owns 4 outfits so there is less laundry.

That's makes any possible SM deals with clothing companies unlikely.

[BigBingerBro]

[auntieminem]

I guess not having kids has made me unable to appreciate Jessa's sayings of...  She has posted 4 or 5 today. They are not funny or clever and of course there is another kind of dark one from Spurge about buying an extinguisher in case Henry or Ivy set the house on fire. Yet she get so many likes and comments. So is it me (barren old maid) not understanding how humorous her kids are?  OK, Ivy is cute and kind of funny. Spurge not so much. 

[emmawoodhouse]

Spurge is a little creeper. He's not funny, he's scary!

[Zella]

I love how Jessa doubles down on the criticism and just broadens the #SpurgeonSays franchise to #SeewaldKidsSay. I think she thinks she's teaching snarkers a lesson. LOL 

[Cinnabon]

9 minutes ago, auntieminem said:

I guess not having kids has made me unable to appreciate Jessa's sayings of...  She has posted 4 or 5 today. They are not funny or clever and of course there is another kind of dark one from Spurge about buying an extinguisher in case Henry or Ivy set the house on fire. Yet she get so many likes and comments. So is it me (barren old maid) not understanding how humorous her kids are?  OK, Ivy is cute and kind of funny. Spurge not so much. 

They’re not funny, and Jessa makes it all up.

[VioletWitch]

The one she posted about the paparazzi makes me think they are probably talking about all the current drama within Spurgeon’s earshot 

[beckie]

I thought Henry's was kind of funny. 

[BigBingerBro]

[GeeGolly]

I wonder if Spurge caught a glimpse of a tabloid at a checkout somewhere. I also wonder if Jessa doesn't know the definition of paparazzi. 

[Portia]

1 hour ago, beckie said:

I thought Henry's was kind of funny. 

My take is that even when she's got the germ of a funny anecdote, Jessa doesn't have the writing ability to pull it off. Case in point: "Henry's face appeared concerned as he hesitatingly asked." The grammar is fine, but the syntax is wordy and just plain weird. We English teachers (and there are several of us here) have seen it many times: she's the student writer trying much too hard to sound smart. Her writing would improve if she'd just simplify, calm down with the adverbs, and brainstorm a few new verbs. 

And please tell me they already own at least one fire extinguisher!

[lascuba]

Jessa's "Sayings of..." anecdotes are mundane enough that I usually assume they're real, just poorly written and/or boring,  but not even video evidence will convince me that that paparazzi one isn't pure fiction.

[Ijustwantsomechips]

Ivy’s was kind of cute. It was the only believable one so far.

[AgathaC]

3 hours ago, Portia said:

My take is that even when she's got the germ of a funny anecdote, Jessa doesn't have the writing ability to pull it off. Case in point: "Henry's face appeared concerned as he hesitatingly asked." The grammar is fine, but the syntax is wordy and just plain weird. We English teachers (and there are several of us here) have seen it many times: she's the student writer trying much too hard to sound smart. Her writing would improve if she'd just simplify, calm down with the adverbs, and brainstorm a few new verbs. 

Exactly! She’s trying way too hard and ruins whatever impact she was trying to have. It reminds me of the people who misuse “I.” “They bought a gift for Henry and I.” Many people I run into think it sounds smarter and classier to say “I,” as if it’s more formal. It’s not. It’s just wrong.

[zenme]

Jesse’s kids are  neither witty nor clever. Typical Duggars.

[sagittarius sue]

15 minutes ago, AgathaC said:

Many people I run into think it sounds smarter and classier to say “I,” as if it’s more formal. It’s not. It’s just wrong.

At the same time they chronically use "me and ---" when it's the subject where they should be using "I".  It's become such a low bar on TLC shows that snarkers call attention to when people use correct grammar!

[Churchhoney]

10 hours ago, auntieminem said:

They are not funny or clever and of course there is another kind of dark one from Spurge about buying an extinguisher in case Henry or Ivy set the house on fire. Yet she get so many likes and comments. So is it me (barren old maid) not understanding how humorous her kids are?  

I doubt your sense of kid humor is impaired at all by not having kids. 

Jessa's got lots and lots of nostalgia, group identification (in a group that currently tends to feel itself persecuted) and inertia going for her when it comes to her fans sticking with her and showering her with "likes," no matter what, I think. 

I'm pretty sure she could write. "Spurge said, ';uatn89u08waehrjk pao8ng &*(HH Ipihohgs.' #SayingsofSpurgeon" and most of her fans would respond with a like and "Love!!" "He's SO bright!"    etc. 

[laurakaye]

4 hours ago, BigBingerBro said:

..........................................huh??!  Is this Jessa humble-bragging, using her kid as a mouthpiece?

Get a job, Jessa.  Have Bin get one too while you're at it.

 

[Churchhoney]

I think she's inventing a bigger proportion of them these days. Which is understandable given that she's made it one of her main social-media shticks.....and they're desperate for more social-media income..........

To keep her posting balls in the air, she's gotta supply a steady stream of stuff that seems to attract and please the followers. ....And you can count on nobody, kids included, to provide actual good quotes day after day after day....

On the bright side, maybe all the practice will improve her writing skills and powers of invention. 😁

Edited December 22, 2021 by Churchhoney

[Tikichick]

39 minutes ago, laurakaye said:

..........................................huh??!  Is this Jessa humble-bragging, using her kid as a mouthpiece?

Get a job, Jessa.  Have Bin get one too while you're at it.

 

It's the Duggar way.   Watched the pros do it and became a professional herself.

[Zella]

I don't believe for a minute that the paparazzi one happened, but if it did, I think Jessa just has her head too far up her own ass to recognize someone singing Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" at her. Ivy, I like that one, too, but my favorite is "Bad Romance." Play it until you cause your uptight parents' heads to explode. 

Edited December 22, 2021 by Zella

[GeeGolly]

I wonder if Jessa sees the little power dynamic going on with Spurge and Ivy. It seems Spurgie is able to keep a piece or two of candy in his personal candy box at all times. Ivy seems to be obsessed with that. I wonder if that's why Spurge keeps it stocked.

[CalicoKitty]

1 hour ago, AgathaC said:

Exactly! She’s trying way too hard and ruins whatever impact she was trying to have. It reminds me of the people who misuse “I.” “They bought a gift for Henry and I.” Many people I run into think it sounds smarter and classier to say “I,” as if it’s more formal. It’s not. It’s just wrong.

Like Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like it Hot".  She is trying so hard to sound smart.  (I love that movie.)

[iwantcookies]

I doubt Henry can say all that. His speech isn’t great. Hey Jessa take Henry to a speech therapist.

[Cinnabon]

2 hours ago, AgathaC said:

Exactly! She’s trying way too hard and ruins whatever impact she was trying to have. It reminds me of the people who misuse “I.” “They bought a gift for Henry and I.” Many people I run into think it sounds smarter and classier to say “I,” as if it’s more formal. It’s not. It’s just wrong.

That and “myself.” 
And I still think Jessa makes these up. 

[madpsych78]

1 hour ago, Zella said:

I don't believe for a minute that the paparazzi one happened, but if it did, I think Jessa just has her head too far up her own ass to recognize someone singing Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" at her. Ivy, I like that one, too, but my favorite is "Bad Romance." Play it until you cause your uptight parents' heads to explode. 

Ivy needs to play "Born That Way" to her parents. Especially Ben.

[Zella]

6 minutes ago, madpsych78 said:

Ivy needs to play "Born That Way" to her parents. Especially Ben.

Indeed. I wonder if any of them have ever listened to Lady Gaga. When I was at C of O, the people who picked music for dances and events used to play "Poker Face" a lot, which made me and one of my friends laugh our asses off every time we heard it. I think someone finally tipped them off, and it left the rotation and we were just stuck with shitty alternative Christian rock as a soundtrack. But I always wondered what in the world they thought the lyrics were about. 

Actually, asking Duggars to interpret Lady Gaga lyrics is something I never knew I wanted before today. 

[lascuba]

2 hours ago, Zella said:

I don't believe for a minute that the paparazzi one happened, but if it did, I think Jessa just has her head too far up her own ass to recognize someone singing Lady Gaga's "Paparazzi" at her. Ivy, I like that one, too, but my favorite is "Bad Romance." Play it until you cause your uptight parents' heads to explode. 

I'm partial to Poker Face, though I doubt either Ben or Jessa will understand "I ain't bluffin with my muffin."