Josh & Anna Smuggar: A Series of Unfortunate Events

[Temperance]

52 minutes ago, Oldernowiser said:

I can see them all naming them Mary. After all, any notion of individuality needs to be stomped out early and often and the Mary hook seems to be working, so...

I could see them all being named for Mary as well, mainly because there are so many choices.  Mary and its variations, as well Leona and some variations (Mary's middle name) for the girls. 

For the boys, they might use some masculine form of Leona, like Leon, Leo, Leonardo, etc. Or Mary's maiden name, which was Lester. 

[Ohiopirate02]

21 minutes ago, Temperance said:

I could see them all being named for Mary as well, mainly because there are so many choices.  Mary and its variations, as well Leona and some variations (Mary's middle name) for the girls. 

For the boys, they might use some masculine form of Leona, like Leon, Leo, Leonardo, etc. Or Mary's maiden name, which was Lester. 

Everytime I hear the name Lester, I think of this classic Golden Girls moment.

Edited June 22, 2019 by Ohiopirate02
forgot to include the link

[galaxychaser]

Lester the molester?

[Absolom]

I'm the odd person out who hopes they name no child "in memory" of the deceased.  I hate that custom.  Let each child have their own life and own name.  I was married to someone named after a recently deceased person and he always resented it and thought they should have given him his own personal identity as his siblings were allowed. 

[floridamom]

I don't think any of the Duggar granddaughters will ever be named 'Mary". The name is too "Catholic". I read that somewhere about them a while ago; can't remember where.

[Jynnan tonnix]

2 minutes ago, Absolom said:

I'm the odd person out who hopes they name no child "in memory" of the deceased.  I hate that custom.  Let each child have their own life and own name.  I was married to someone named after a recently deceased person and he always resented it and thought they should have given him his own personal identity as his siblings were allowed. 

I suppose a lot of it comes down to family dynamics. I can see it maybe being a bit more awkward if the person one is named after is recently deceased, but even in cases where someone is named after their (living) father, or a long-dead ancestor, it more or less comes down to whether someone feels more honored to bear the name, or feels they have a path they are now expected to follow.

Mr. Jyn is a "Jr.", and wanted to give our older son the same name. I was not a fan of that concept, though. 

On my father's side of the family, though, three of those eight first cousins have boys named "Josef" (though a couple of them spell it "Joseph") after one of the family patriarchs, so obviously repeating a name within the family isn't necessarily a problem. It's more whether you are named in memory of someone or in honor or them, I guess...which isn't exactly the same thing.

[Twopper]

On 6/20/2019 at 5:27 PM, awaken said:

Total desperation. Anna and grandma started the gender reveal trend?! 🙄 nice try. 

No,  they are claiming they jumped on a trend near its beginning which according to this article seems to be about right.   Her writing could use some editing as it is confusing and could imply that theirs was the first one baked by the Cake Boss, but I think she means that the first gender reveal cake in their family was made by the Cake boss.  If Grandma was the real puppet master behind the show, I am sure they saw this cake reveal on national tv as a way to kindle interest in the second generation of TV Duggars especially with its larger female audience.   And it looks like reveal parties have grown in popularity since that time. 

Reveal parties have been around ever since the sex could be determined before birth which I guess was early 80's, but they were mostly low key affairs for family and a few friends.  At least that's been my experience.    Now so many people have larger parties and paste the pictures all over social media.

https://bumpreveal.com/blogs/content/when-did-gender-reveal-parties-start-getting-popular

[Zella]

30 minutes ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

On my father's side of the family, though, three of those eight first cousins have boys named "Josef" (though a couple of them spell it "Joseph") after one of the family patriarchs, so obviously repeating a name within the family isn't necessarily a problem. It's more whether you are named in memory of someone or in honor or them, I guess...which isn't exactly the same thing.

This is my family. So many cousins named David and John. But they all go by some variation (David vs Davey), and it works out. 

I think it's nice to name a child in honor of someone you're close to in the family. But I am probably biased because it is pretty common in my family, and I don't really remember anyone complaining about it. But I also have seen a fair amount of bureaucratic confusion with some of my relatives who have the same name, so there's a definite practical downside. 

I was actually named after a relative I wasn't particularly close to, but I never really felt like I was being saddled with the name, though the name itself took me some time to get used to.

I don't have kids, but I'd probably go that route with mine, though possibly through a middle name rather than first name, so they'd still get to be an individual but also honor someone in the family. 

So, I think it would be nice if someone in the family named their next daughter after Mary Duggar, even if it was a variation or a middle name, but I also think it would be much more meaningful coming from one of the grandkids who actually seemed close to her. 

[Temperance]

28 minutes ago, Twopper said:

No,  they are claiming they jumped on a trend near its beginning which according to this article seems to be about right.   Her writing could use some editing as it is confusing and could imply that theirs was the first one baked by the Cake Boss, but I think she means that the first gender reveal cake in their family was made by the Cake boss.  If Grandma was the real puppet master behind the show, I am sure they saw this cake reveal on national tv as a way to kindle interest in the second generation of TV Duggars especially with its larger female audience.   And it looks like reveal parties have grown in popularity since that time. 

Reveal parties have been around ever since the sex could be determined before birth which I guess was early 80's, but they were mostly low key affairs for family and a few friends.  At least that's been my experience.    Now so many people have larger parties and paste the pictures all over social media.

https://bumpreveal.com/blogs/content/when-did-gender-reveal-parties-start-getting-popular

I think determining started in the early 90s as far as I remember. 

Reveal parties were officially started as a way to get gifts for later children. The first child gets the benefits of a baby shower, but there are less and less gifts for the second, third, etc. So people started doing sex reveals for the second or third child so they'll get more gifts. It particularly works when families have kids of mostly one sex. (Like two boys and baby #3 is ....)

[lookeyloo]

3 hours ago, Absolom said:

I'm the odd person out who hopes they name no child "in memory" of the deceased.  I hate that custom.  Let each child have their own life and own name.  I was married to someone named after a recently deceased person and he always resented it and thought they should have given him his own personal identity as his siblings were allowed. 

You would hate our Jewish tradition where it is customary to name new children after a deceased relative.  I am named for my grandmother that I never met.  I think some of the younger generations are getting away from it, but not all.  All three of my grandchildren are named for deceased relatives, the youngest for my father who passed while my daughter in law was pregnant.

[Absolom]

My daughter's Jewish MIL reinforced my dislike when granddaughter was born.  MIL rejected family pressure and named her sons as she wished.  She didn't try to push anything for grandson.  BUT granddaughter came along after FIL died, and MIL first said she wouldn't try to influence them and then would not shut up about it.  The child already had a name, but she wouldn't shut up so granddaughter has three first names.  I had to come up with that as a solution since daughter and SIL were not caving on first or second name.  All MIL ended up getting was a first letter after all that.  

So may the Duggars name their children as they wish and immortalize Mary with stories and photos.

[lookeyloo]

51 minutes ago, Absolom said:

My daughter's Jewish MIL reinforced my dislike when granddaughter was born.  MIL rejected family pressure and named her sons as she wished.  She didn't try to push anything for grandson.  BUT granddaughter came along after FIL died, and MIL first said she wouldn't try to influence them and then would not shut up about it.  The child already had a name, but she wouldn't shut up so granddaughter has three first names.  I had to come up with that as a solution since daughter and SIL were not caving on first or second name.  All MIL ended up getting was a first letter after all that.  

So may the Duggars name their children as they wish and immortalize Mary with stories and photos.

That is too bad. My first mother in law insisted she name our children. Of course she didn’t. No one in our family exerted any pressure and we all seem happy with our names and who we are named for. Different experiences I guess. 

[doodlebug]

5 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

You would hate our Jewish tradition where it is customary to name new children after a deceased relative.  I am named for my grandmother that I never met.  I think some of the younger generations are getting away from it, but not all.  All three of my grandchildren are named for deceased relatives, the youngest for my father who passed while my daughter in law was pregnant.

Isn't the Jewish tradition to not name children after living people?  My mom had a Jewish friend who told her it was an old superstition that, when the angel of death came for the old person, the namesake child might get taken by mistake; so it was very bad luck to name a child after an older relative

My dad was one of 7 kids in a huge family.  His parents named every single kid after a relative or close friend.  In order to avoid confusion-NOT!-all of the kids ended up with various nicknames instead of their given names.  My Dad, named after an uncle, went by his middle name. Only one of my aunts got to use her first name because, as she used to say, "I was named after the DEAD one", my grandfather's sister who died in her teens.  My Aunt hated the name, BTW. Very confusing, really.  When my brother came along, my mom wanted to give him my dad's name since he didn't use his first name anyway..  My father was adamantly opposed to anything resembling a 'junior' and so my bro got his own name.

I do think Mary is a little too heretical Catholic for this crowd and doubt it would be given to any of the upcoming babies except as a middle name maybe.  The Duggars also seem to favor uncommon or quirky names which also rules out Mary.

Edited June 23, 2019 by doodlebug

[Zella]

I'd never realized Mary was considered a Catholic name. My dad's family is very Protestant--all NC Baptists--and we have several Marys in the family. I tend to think of it more as one of those classical names that is nowhere near as popular as it was but not really with the religious connotations, though those are there.

Edited June 23, 2019 by Zella

[Temperance]

I wasn't trying to suggest that the Duggars must or should name their babies after Mary, but that they probably some of them will. 

Josh and Anna are trying to get back in the public's good graces; naming their baby after Mary in some way would help with that. Since they are having a girl, maybe a form of Mary (Marie? Molly?) or just a middle name.

Joe and Kendra named their son after Joe's grandfather Garrett David Ruark. So they like to use family names. 

Amy was close to her grandmother, and might chose something like Leo for Mary's middle name Leona or use Lester as a middle. 

Lauren and Joy seem less likely to name their kids after family, but I could see them maybe deciding to honor her anyway.

People should name their kids what they want; I think some of them may want to name their kids after their grandmother. 

[Sew Sumi]

Anna has already said that her M girl will not be Mary.

[lookeyloo]

8 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Isn't the Jewish tradition to not name children after living people?  My mom had a Jewish friend who told her it was an old superstition that, when the angel of death came for the old person, the namesake child might get taken by mistake; so it was very bad luck to name a child after an older relative

My dad was one of 7 kids in a huge family.  His parents named every single kid after a relative or close friend.  In order to avoid confusion-NOT!-all of the kids ended up with various nicknames instead of their given names.  My Dad, named after an uncle, went by his middle name. Only one of my aunts got to use her first name because, as she used to say, "I was named after the DEAD one", my grandfather's sister who died in her teens.  My Aunt hated the name, BTW. Very confusing, really.  When my brother came along, my mom wanted to give him my dad's name since he didn't use his first name anyway..  My father was adamantly opposed to anything resembling a 'junior' and so my bro got his own name.

I do think Mary is a little too heretical Catholic for this crowd and doubt it would be given to any of the upcoming babies except as a middle name maybe.  The Duggars also seem to favor uncommon or quirky names which also rules out Mary.

Yes that’s what I was trying to say. There are outliers here and there but other than my first mother in law trying to take over, it seems to have worked out for our family at least.  We named my oldest son after my grandpa and when a stranger heard the name, said “what kind of name is that for a baby?” In a horrified tone. I was taken aback and said “he will only be a baby for a while and then a grown up”!  His name is Nathan and he is 52 and guess what. He loves his name and has never gone by any nickname. Even as a little boy if people called him Nat or Nate he would look at them and say “my name is Nathan”. So every family has its naming issues I guess. 

[McManda]

2 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

We named my oldest son after my grandpa and when a stranger heard the name, said “what kind of name is that for a baby?” In a horrified tone. I was taken aback and said “he will only be a baby for a while and then a grown up”!  His name is Nathan

That's not even that weird of a name for a kid, imo. It's not like you named him Harold or something. (When was the last time you met a baby Harold? 🤔)

[FizzyPuff]

2 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

Yes that’s what I was trying to say. There are outliers here and there but other than my first mother in law trying to take over, it seems to have worked out for our family at least.  We named my oldest son after my grandpa and when a stranger heard the name, said “what kind of name is that for a baby?” In a horrified tone. I was taken aback and said “he will only be a baby for a while and then a grown up”!  His name is Nathan and he is 52 and guess what. He loves his name and has never gone by any nickname. Even as a little boy if people called him Nat or Nate he would look at them and say “my name is Nathan”. So every family has its naming issues I guess. 

Nathan is a nice name, that stranger was rude! I wouldn’t dream of telling a stranger that I didn’t like their kids name, it’s none of my business and it was none of hers. 

Im torn on this Mary name a part of me thinks it’s nice another part thinks what if I was named after a dead relative, I’m not sure I’d like it. Mary as a middle name will be fine for one of the grandkids though.

Edited June 23, 2019 by Puffin

[BuddyMom2]

It would be hilarious if all the future spawn were named after Grandma Duggar. Mary Catherine, Mary Elizabeth, Mary Brigid, Mary Therese. The SODT would resemble my Catholic school days!

[Ohiopirate02]

4 minutes ago, BuddyMom2 said:

It would be hilarious if all the future spawn were named after Grandma Duggar. Mary Catherine, Mary Elizabeth, Mary Brigid, Mary Therese. The SODT would resemble my Catholic school days!

I know a family where all the girls have Mary in their names.  Apparently it was the thing to do as Catholics in the 50s-60s.  They all have worked their names to suit as adults.  My favorite is the one known as Shotgun Mary.  

[heckkitty]

1 hour ago, McManda said:

That's not even that weird of a name for a kid, imo. It's not like you named him Harold or something. (When was the last time you met a baby Harold? 🤔)

https://images.app.goo.gl/vbELQJ5xJxJEvQJd8

of course that book is 60 years old so that might make your point 😂

Um - topic? Don’t give them ideas or someone will end up with a Harold 

Edited June 23, 2019 by heckkitty

[Oldernowiser]

1 hour ago, BuddyMom2 said:

Edited June 23, 2019 by Oldernowiser
Oops.

[lookeyloo]

2 hours ago, McManda said:

That's not even that weird of a name for a kid, imo. It's not like you named him Harold or something. (When was the last time you met a baby Harold? 🤔)

Funny you should mention - in first mr lookeyloo's family, he has a cousin named Harold.  We are friendly with him and his wife and child.  It is an old fashioned name for sure, and he is in his late 70s, but, names are personal and we shouldn't make fun of anyone's name.  Some will have a harder life with their names (Spurgeon?) but they are stuck with them or coming up with a nickname.  Well maybe Spurgeon won't if he doesn't go out into the real world.  There could be a story behind it.  I don't like a lot of names I hear, but, not my place to say anything, since obviously, my choice of name for my first son was criticized.  

[irisheyes]

4 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

Yes that’s what I was trying to say. There are outliers here and there but other than my first mother in law trying to take over, it seems to have worked out for our family at least.  We named my oldest son after my grandpa and when a stranger heard the name, said “what kind of name is that for a baby?” In a horrified tone. I was taken aback and said “he will only be a baby for a while and then a grown up”!  His name is Nathan and he is 52 and guess what. He loves his name and has never gone by any nickname. Even as a little boy if people called him Nat or Nate he would look at them and say “my name is Nathan”. So every family has its naming issues I guess. 

My (almost) 16 year old is named Nathan.  While it’s not the most common name, it’s not that weird. (He has decided to start going by Nate, however. 😀)

I wonder how upset Jessa is that she gave birth to her girl two weeks before Grandma died.  Cause you KNOW she would have snapped that name up if she had the opportunity. 

Edited June 23, 2019 by irisheyes

[PikaScrewChu]

13 hours ago, doodlebug said:

Isn't the Jewish tradition to not name children after living people?  My mom had a Jewish friend who told her it was an old superstition that, when the angel of death came for the old person, the namesake child might get taken by mistake; so it was very bad luck to name a child after an older relative.

Depends on the sect, level of observance, and cultural background. People tend to think of Judaism as a monolith when there are just as many flavors as Christianity. 

For instance I had friends wait until the bris (for boys) or when the Torah is read with a minyan (for girls) to announce the name of their child. Meanwhile I have other friends that announced the baby's name as soon as they found out the sex.

Some sects are fine with naming after living people. Others are not. It is not a set in stone rule across all of Judaism. 

[lookeyloo]

8 minutes ago, PikaScrewChu said:

Depends on the sect, level of observance, and cultural background. People tend to think of Judaism as a monolith when there are just as many flavors as Christianity. 

For instance I had friends wait until the bris (for boys) or when the Torah is read with a minyan (for girls) to announce the name of their child. Meanwhile I have other friends that announced the baby's name as soon as they found out the sex.

Some sects are fine with naming after living people. Others are not. It is not a set in stone rule across all of Judaism. 

Yes. I said it is our tradition. Not that is goes across the board. I think in the way back years it was much more common 

[PikaScrewChu]

2 hours ago, lookeyloo said:

Yes. I said it is our tradition. Not that is goes across the board. I think in the way back years it was much more common 

My poor friends always have to clarify either way. I have to explain to people why Couple X haven't said what the baby's name is yet and the baby has been here for several days but Couple Y told us at 20 weeks what they were naming the baby. "But they're both Jewish!"

Anyway. This is far and away from the Smuggars so I will stop there.

[galaxychaser]

Anyone come across a kid under 10 named Gary? 

Not me. 

[GeeGolly]

29 minutes ago, galaxychaser said:

Anyone come across a kid under 10 named Gary? 

Not me. 

It's a well kept secret that Garys are kept at home until their 10th birthday. 

[Portia]

1 hour ago, galaxychaser said:

Anyone come across a kid under 10 named Gary? 

Not me. 

It's just a matter of time. In the past ten years I've seen people revive some truly godawful names to inflict on their offspring. Then again, my two-year-old grandson is named Walter, so who am I to talk? I love it, but it's all a matter of taste. 

Edited June 23, 2019 by Portia

[galaxychaser]

It would be funny if no one named a kid after Michelle, but all of them wound up with a Mary!

[galaxychaser]

Anna is 31 today. She posted Instagram videos and pics of Josh. The food was ice cream and cheesecake. 

And the melting sundae. It’s free or something?

Edited June 24, 2019 by galaxychaser

[ginger90]

[truebluesmoky]

Josh is disgusting, but Anna looks very pretty in that picture. 

Interestingly, Jana wished her a happy birthday via Instastory and referred to her as her best friend, which is not a vibe I’ve ever gotten from the show or social media.

[awaken]

She looks really nice here!  The softer, flowy fit of the dress, and lighter hair look so much more natural and younger than the knee length skirts with heavy eyebrows and dark hair. 

[Zella]

Anna does look nice there. The less said about Josh, the better.

The verbiage in that post cracks me up, though. It's like they were actively casting about for individual things to say about her--maybe they've been paying attention to our rants after all--and literally just listed them in order they thought of them, without thinking of how it seems like order of importance. And 1/3 of them ended up being about food. 

Quote

Your laughter, love for cheesecake, cheerful attitude, pet expertise, ability to whip up the most delicious meals, and example of unconditional love

Way to bury the "thanks for not divorcing our worthless ass son and embarrassing the family" lede. 

Edited June 24, 2019 by Zella

[Lunera]

Sad. Why is she making herself a birthday post?

Smugs looks the worst he's ever looked.

[awaken]

She’s still convincing herself that he’s the man of her dreams?  Some dream!  😔

[Zella]

4 minutes ago, Lunera said:

Smugs looks the worst he's ever looked.

I'm sure I have said this before on here--and I apologize if it is becoming repetitive--but every time I see a picture of him, I think of the phrase "eating his feelings." Like, holy shit, he looks unwell and miserable. 

[BitterApple]

Josh looks unhealthy and miserable. What is going on in their marriage? Is Anna in complete denial? Band-aid babies obviously aren't doing the trick. 

[Sew Sumi]

45 minutes ago, Zella said:

I'm sure I have said this before on here--and I apologize if it is becoming repetitive--but every time I see a picture of him, I think of the phrase "eating his feelings." Like, holy shit, he looks unwell and miserable. 

Wanna bet Smuggar had more of that chocolate mess than all his kids combined?

[Zella]

24 minutes ago, Sew Sumi said:

Wanna bet Smuggar had more of that chocolate mess than all his kids combined?

No doubt in mind! 

That was another thing that struck me as a bit wonky about the Duggar site commenting on her ability to whip up delicious meals. All I could think is I guess that's one explanation for how Josh looks, but he doesn't seem like someone who's happy and content with his domestic life. 

He really comes across as a guy who is so miserable with his life that he is routinely hiding in the next room and gorging on an entire bag of mini chocolate doughnuts by himself just to cope with life and make it through the day. 

Edited June 24, 2019 by Zella

[Snow Fairy]

Damn, 31 and 6 kids? That's... I don't have the words.

I thought she was older

[kaleidoscope]

Radar's lead story this morning: "Big Cover-Up! Duggars Hired Lawyers, Set Up Josh With Anna After Molestation Scandal"   https://radaronline.com/exclusives/2019/06/josh-duggar-sex-molestation-scandal-michelle-jim-bob-cover-up/

[Portia]

Anna's appearance has changed so much, I am really starting to feel like I'm being gaslighted. Are you guys SURE that's really her?  'Cuz I'm imagining a scenario in which Original Anna threatened divorce, met with an "unfortunate accident," and was replaced by Stepford Anna . . . and somehow it all seems within the realm of possibility in Smuggar World.

[Scarlett45]

8 hours ago, Zella said:

No doubt in mind! 

That was another thing that struck me as a bit wonky about the Duggar site commenting on her ability to whip up delicious meals. All I could think is I guess that's one explanation for how Josh looks, but he doesn't seem like someone who's happy and content with his domestic life. 

He really comes across as a guy who is so miserable with his life that he is routinely hiding in the next room and gorging on an entire bag of mini chocolate doughnuts by himself just to cope with life and make it through the day. 

Some people gain weight more attractively than others. If you’re tall and your face doesn’t swell you can gain weight and still look like yourself just bigger. Not counting the weight gain, Josh doesn’t look WELL. His skin looks awful and his smile isn’t reaching his eyes. He’s a garbage human being so I’m not upset that he’s miserable, but it’s clear as day he’s not living the good life. 

[jukie]

4 hours ago, Snow Fairy said:

Damn, 31 and 6 kids? That's... I don't have the words.

I thought she was older

My Mum had 6 by 30 just (I was born exactly 1 month after her 30th birthday) but we are talking the 60' and 70's in Ireland where precautions were not readily available and she was done after me, literally lol!

[Jynnan tonnix]

1 minute ago, jukie said:

My Mum had 6 by 30 just (I was born exactly 1 month after her 30th birthday) but we are talking the 60' and 70's in Ireland where precautions were not readily available and she was done after me, literally lol!

I guess my mother in law would have had 7 by 30...She had Mr Jyn  when she was 19, and went on to have six more at more over the course of the next nine years. And her birthday is in December, so she would not have quite been 31 when the last was born. 

That would have been from the mid 50's to mid 60's in New Jersey, so I'm sure there were probably precautions available, but she was a pretty devout Catholic. Her husband ended up getting a vasectomy after the 7th baby anyway.

[Zella]

58 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Some people gain weight more attractively than others. If you’re tall and your face doesn’t swell you can gain weight and still look like yourself just bigger. Not counting the weight gain, Josh doesn’t look WELL. His skin looks awful and his smile isn’t reaching his eyes. He’s a garbage human being so I’m not upset that he’s miserable, but it’s clear as day he’s not living the good life. 

Yep. His eyes look so dead.