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

[auntieminem]

2 hours ago, scriggle said:

I took a "look inside" on amazon. I'd say there's no way Spurge is reading that text on his own. The author has an M. Div. from the Masters Seminary so maybe Jerm gifted it to Joy who regifted it to Jessa.

I did the same thing and I also wondered if Jeremy gave it to Joy.  It does seem like a book Spurge would/should not be reading on his own.  Those poor kids have to memorize bible verses they probably don't understand so I guess reading something you don't understand is more of the same.

 

[emmawoodhouse]

I don't know why Jer wouldn't have given it to Jessa directly. After all, he's buds with Ben. I've seen no indication that Jer even knows who Joy and Austin are. Does he even talk to them at weddings? 

[auntieminem]

7 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

I don't know why Jer wouldn't have given it to Jessa directly. After all, he's buds with Ben. I've seen no indication that Jer even knows who Joy and Austin are. Does he even talk to them at weddings? 

Joy & Austin visited Jing & Jer  when Michelle, James, Justin and Jana were there last month. Since the author graduated from his seminary he may have thought it was a good gift for Joy's kids and Joy then shared with Jessa. Or maybe Joy picked it up when they visited, they visited the church when they were there.

[emmawoodhouse]

Oh that's right! I forgot they were in LA, AND they brought their kids. Jinger might have had the book, and Joy may have remarked on it. 

[Westiepeach]

10 hours ago, scriggle said:

I took a "look inside" on amazon. I'd say there's no way Spurge is reading that text on his own. The author has an M. Div. from the Masters Seminary so maybe Jerm gifted it to Joy who regifted it to Jessa.

Unless Jerm got it for free, no way is he going to tap into his shoe/gourmet burger/fancy fountain pen/pocket square/24k gold cake/breakfast fund to buy a gift for a lowly Duggar SIL.

Edited March 11, 2022 by Westiepeach

[YupItsMe]

They’re packing up the old house. I didn’t realize the kids room had a piano in it.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/Ca8C0yrDTRc/?utm_medium=copy_link

[MunichNark]

2 hours ago, YupItsMe said:

They’re packing up the old house. I didn’t realize the kids room had a piano in it.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/Ca8C0yrDTRc/?utm_medium=copy_link

Please don't give them clicks. You can watch insta stories anonymously

[YupItsMe]

4 hours ago, MunichNark said:

Please don't give them clicks. You can watch insta stories anonymously

I didn’t watch it, just saw the preview on my page.

[emmawoodhouse]

7 minutes ago, YupItsMe said:

I didn’t watch it, just saw the preview on my page.

It just previewed today? She had already posted that when I found the Pilgrim's Progress crap.

[GeeGolly]

22 minutes ago, emmawoodhouse said:

It just previewed today? She had already posted that when I found the Pilgrim's Progress crap.

Jessa added about 3 seconds to the start of the video.

[Cinnabon]

5 hours ago, MunichNark said:

Please don't give them clicks. You can watch insta stories anonymously

Thank you. 

[emmawoodhouse]

4 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

Jessa added about 3 seconds to the start of the video.

Saw that with the packing. The rest of the video showed progress from her first one (for instance, installed cabinets).

[ginger90]

3 pictures:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbGLWnrrgfV/

[BigBingerBro]

[Westiepeach]

2 minutes ago, BigBingerBro said:

Staged much?

[GeeGolly]

13 minutes ago, Westiepeach said:

Staged much?

If it was anyone other than Henry I would think this is staged. But Henry frequently falls asleep while eating now, and this pic was a couple of years ago, so it seems pretty consistent. 

[Nysha]

Henry seems to be a child who would flourish with a regular routine of meals, naps/bedtime, preschool, and quiet time/outdoor play. The higgledy-piggledy way Jessa & Ben live isn't good for him.

[xwordfanatik]

18 minutes ago, Nysha said:

Henry seems to be a child who would flourish with a regular routine of meals, naps/bedtime, preschool, and quiet time/outdoor play. The higgledy-piggledy way Jessa & Ben live isn't good for him.

A schedule of some sorts would IMO help him a lot.  Poor little guy, with three siblings so close in age, and surely more to come.  

[Rootbeer]

1 hour ago, Nysha said:

Henry seems to be a child who would flourish with a regular routine of meals, naps/bedtime, preschool, and quiet time/outdoor play. The higgledy-piggledy way Jessa & Ben live isn't good for him.

I think it would help all of them.  Henry does seem to need some structure, though.  At the very least, regular mealtimes and he obviously needs a firm bedtime and probably a nap most days.  

Imagine how much less bored Spurgeon would be if he knew there was a set routine to his days.  If he could count on even half an hour of one on one time with Jessa while the others are napping most days, he would be so much better off and probably learning so much more.

[Ijustwantsomechips]

10 hours ago, ginger90 said:

3 pictures:

 

https://www.instagram.com/p/CbGLWnrrgfV/

So she took Ivy out with a whole on her leggings, then proceeded to take a picture of it and posted it online for the world to see?

[Rootbeer]

7 minutes ago, Ijustwantsomechips said:

So she took Ivy out with a whole on her leggings, then proceeded to take a picture of it and posted it online for the world to see?

My mom used to make us wear tights with smaller holes, at least at the end of winter, rather than buy new ones that we'd outgrow before the next winter.  It's a very small hole, better than no tights at all, IMO.  For all we know, the hole didn't appear until after they'd already left the house.

I've got problems with a lot of what Jessa does with her kids, a small hole in a little girl's tights is NBD to me.

[Ljohnson1987]

I'm sure Ivy plays in tights and they get holes in them. Not much to snark about. 

[BitterApple]

Fern and Ivy have the most beautiful blue eyes. 

[GeeGolly]

Is that a hole in Ivy's tights, or is she twinning with mom and wearing distressed skinny jeans?

Edited March 15, 2022 by GeeGolly

[Ljohnson1987]

How can Jessa and Ben raise their children with a schedule when Jessa wasn't raised with one? I hope that Ben's family had more stability, but I doubt it. 

[SMama]

14 minutes ago, Ljohnson1987 said:

How can Jessa and Ben raise their children with a schedule when Jessa wasn't raised with one? I hope that Ben's family had more stability, but I doubt it. 

While the senior Seewalds have horrible beliefs, Gwen appeared more involved with her children. The kids participated in a school co-op, Ben briefly played football, and earned an associate degree. Gwen taught her daughters enough that Danielle and another other sister taught Jessa how to make Ben’s favorite meal. 

Ben’s sister, Jessica, is a police officer, Danielle is a hair stylist. And the sisters old enough to work did so. That shows much higher level functioning than the fly by the seat of your pants Duggars. Pa Seewald signed off on Ben’s demise the day he sold his horny son to JB. 

[GeeGolly]

53 minutes ago, Ljohnson1987 said:

How can Jessa and Ben raise their children with a schedule when Jessa wasn't raised with one? I hope that Ben's family had more stability, but I doubt it. 

Each generation has options. Raise your kids like you were raised, raise them the opposite, or raise them using a mix. Jessa has had enough exposure now to know of all the different ways, and IMO, she chooses to let the kids run feral as long as they can spout Bible verses. 

[SMama]

34 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Each generation has options. Raise your kids like you were raised, raise them the opposite, or raise them using a mix. Jessa has had enough exposure now to know of all the different ways, and IMO, she chooses to let the kids run feral as long as they can spout Bible verses. 

Do you think Jessa truly believes the Duggar way is the best/only way, or is she hanging on by her fingernails to whatever benefits she can get from JB/SM/leg humpers to keep the grift going?

[crazy8s]

I think she chooses the duggar way because it fits her lack of interest in and/or boredom with her children. She does not have a heart for children at all.

Edited March 16, 2022 by crazy8s

[Cinnabon]

4 hours ago, Rootbeer said:

My mom used to make us wear tights with smaller holes, at least at the end of winter, rather than buy new ones that we'd outgrow before the next winter.  It's a very small hole, better than no tights at all, IMO.  For all we know, the hole didn't appear until after they'd already left the house.

I've got problems with a lot of what Jessa does with her kids, a small hole in a little girl's tights is NBD to me.

I insisted on wearing dresses with tights in kindergarten/1st grade, and I still remember my mom getting frustrated when I inevitably got holes in all of them. 

[SMama]

2 hours ago, crazy8s said:

I think she chooses the duggar way because it fits her lack of interest in and/or boredom with in her children. She does not have a heart for children at all.

Michele 2.0 indeed.

[andromeda331]

42 minutes ago, SMama said:

Michele 2.0 indeed.

I wonder why. Michelle picked this life with JB for fame, attention, and eventually money. She got kids to raise her kids so she could do whatever she want. What exactly is in it for Jessa? 

[emmawoodhouse]

6 minutes ago, andromeda331 said:

I wonder why. Michelle picked this life with JB for fame, attention, and eventually money. She got kids to raise her kids so she could do whatever she want. What exactly is in it for Jessa? 

Bonus points with Jesus? Ben may be Reformed, but Jessa has clung on to those IBLP teachings more than any sibling aside from Joe. 

[Mollysmom]

On 3/10/2022 at 4:35 PM, BigBingerBro said:

To spare them clicks

I'm a library director, and there is no way a 6 or 7 year old is reading this book. It is 220 pages long for one thing, and too many words for a beginning reader. He most likely is just flipping through looking at the pictures, not actually reading it. Kids that age like to look at the pictures and make up their own stories if they can't read it. 

[Absolom]

My granddaughter could read it, but she reads Harry Potter.  As her first grade teacher said about her and another little girl - they really aren't first graders.  

I'm guessing Spurgeon enjoyed the pictures and may have been able to read some of it.  

[SnapHappy]

23 hours ago, Ljohnson1987 said:

How can Jessa and Ben raise their children with a schedule when Jessa wasn't raised with one? I hope that Ben's family had more stability, but I doubt it. 

They have no need to.  None of the kids will go to real school or do anything of substance towards educational or personal growth.  The boys will find a trade among the Duggars and the girls will be auctioned off to whomever is paying any attention to them at that point.  

Time and schedules have no meaning to this particular family.  

Edited March 16, 2022 by SnapHappy

[libgirl2]

3 hours ago, Mollysmom said:

I'm a library director, and there is no way a 6 or 7 year old is reading this book. It is 220 pages long for one thing, and too many words for a beginning reader. He most likely is just flipping through looking at the pictures, not actually reading it. Kids that age like to look at the pictures and make up their own stories if they can't read it. 

When my son was that age, he had (and still has) a big book of the collected and original Thomas the Tank Engine stories by Wilbert Awdry. He would sit on the recliner and read. My son also knew his alphabet (and not reciting) by the time he could say his first works and was able to spell simple words by the time he was 16 months. I remember being in line at the grocery store and he would read labels. People would ask... he can read? 

So it can happen. I also read a lot to him and we played alphabet and world games.  I doubt Jessa does.  We also adhered to a schedule. 

Edited March 16, 2022 by libgirl2

[libgirl2]

45 minutes ago, Absolom said:

My granddaughter could read it, but she reads Harry Potter.  As her first grade teacher said about her and another little girl - they really aren't first graders.  

I'm guessing Spurgeon enjoyed the pictures and may have been able to read some of it.  

With some kids it just clicks. My son is smart, he isn't a genius but he could read. 

[crazy8s]

I have a first grade grand who could easily read that book if he had interest in the topic. He loves all the Nat Geo nature books and Pokemon graphic novels, anything with ocean creature facts, and he does sometimes read for hours on end, as do his older sibs.

We have not seen that reading ability or interest with Spurge at all, on any topic. When I think of Jessa's posts on spurge and reading, the few she has shown seem staged. Spurge in a chair with a great heap of books and all. Do I think Spurge can read? yes. Do I think he can read that book for 4 hours straight? No.

Sadly, I sort of thought spurge was in a 4hr time out and could only look at that book

[GeeGolly]

Yup, my kids could read books like that by first grade and they moved on to full chapter books soon after. In some grade (3rd maybe) one of my kids' classes was doing some sort of read-a-thon and were told to read 15 minutes a night. My kid asked if they had to stop at 15 minutes, lol.

I'm guessing Spurgie knew enough words, combined with pictures, to get the gist of the story. Or maybe he could read it.

[JoanArc]

Quote

I wonder why. Michelle picked this life with JB for fame, attention, and eventually money. She got kids to raise her kids so she could do whatever she want. What exactly is in it for Jessa? 

Nothing, but change opens her up to failure/criticism/ridicule. She simply CAN'T have that - AT ALL.

[emmawoodhouse]

Comparing your kids, the kids of educated professionals, to the Duggars really isn't fair. I've worked in enough schools with kids from families that aren't as educated or whose parents just don't care, and those kids would never have made it through that book in first grade. 

Jessa is marginally educated. Ben has a degree, but how much of his love of learning is he passing on to his kids? He's not their primary educator. 

I'm in the middle camp of Spurge understanding some but not all of what he "read."

[crazy8s]

1 hour ago, emmawoodhouse said:

Comparing your kids, the kids of educated professionals, to the Duggars really isn't fair. I've worked in enough schools with kids from families that aren't as educated or whose parents just don't care, and those kids would never have made it through that book in first grade.

This is a good point. I was mostly responding to the comment no 6-7 is reading that book. Also Spurge has not been shown to be the type of voracious reader who would.

Like you have said not all kids have reading instilled and encouraged early in life. my grands have been exposed to regular trips to the library and story time since they were each toddlers. They have been read to and been exposed to all sorts of reading opportunities, books, newspapers, kid's magazines, learning to cook by reading recipes and lists of ingredients. They also see their parents read for work or pleasure. All that makes a huge difference that has not ever been seen in the Seewald household as far as what we have been shown through Jessa's posts. If Jessa figured out that a kid loved to read and would go off for hours on their own with a book, I bet she would be more encouraging on the reading, just so they wouldn't bother her.

[SnapHappy]

14 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

My kid asked if they had to stop at 15 minutes, lol.

Same.  And the one nighttime behavior I NEVER busted mine for was reading under the covers with a tiny flashlight.  *LOL*

[GeeGolly]

Call me crazy, but I think Spurge could be able to read that book.

According to Jessa's IG Spurgie was reading a Sally, Dick and Jane type book a year and a half ago. Its my experience that once a kid gets it, there's no stopping them. Even if they don't have access to a lot of books, they start reading signs, cereal boxes, menus, etc. And there are books in the Seewald household, other than hymnals and the Bible.

Plus Jessa seems to take pride in her kids, in a trained animal sort of way.

I'm sticking with Spurgie is reading at that book's level, or just below it.

Edited March 17, 2022 by GeeGolly

[sheshark]

14 hours ago, JoanArc said:

Nothing, but change opens her up to failure/criticism/ridicule. She simply CAN'T have that - AT ALL.

So true, the picture of “Hinry” asleep with food falling over him has been deleted.

[SMama]

29 minutes ago, sheshark said:

So true, the picture of “Hinry” asleep with food falling over him has been deleted.

Still there, kid asleep on pew with a goldfish in his mouth.

[Suzn]

29 minutes ago, SMama said:

Still there, kid asleep on pew with a goldfish in his mouth.

Rather than taking a "cute" picture, I'd be concerned that he would inhale the goldfish or the other food he is always stuffing in his mouth and choke.  I would get it out of/off his mouth.

[SMama]

26 minutes ago, Suzn said:

Rather than taking a "cute" picture, I'd be concerned that he would inhale the goldfish or the other food he is always stuffing in his mouth and choke.  I would get it out of/off his mouth.

With the show $$ gone Jessa is constantly in need of clicks. Must keep the Gram going since doing a day’s honest work is beneath Jessa and Ben. 

[Minivanessa]

2 hours ago, SMama said:

With the show $$ gone Jessa is constantly in need of clicks. Must keep the Gram going since doing a day’s honest work is beneath Jessa and Ben. 

But Ben is a pastor! Doesn't all that time he devotes to pastor-izing count as work?