Jill, Derick & the Kids: Moving On!!

[Suzn]

1 hour ago, Jynnan tonnix said:

I call Cora my Calendar Girl...and I swear I could actually put out a few years worth of calendars just off the photos I've taken of her over the years. She always manages to be the most decorative thing in any picture.

 

She is a beauty!

[auntieminem]

Not understanding the issue with calling your dog (pet) girl or boy, anyone who has had a beloved pet dog/cat etc. has referred to them as my girl or boy. Also she said graduating from obedience class which is probably a class she or Dereck attend with her. I have taken many classes with my dogs. I train them with the help of (a positive only) trainer.  Also the whole alpha dog thing is a myth, check out the latest research.   They all look happy together.  To quote Jill "Yay". 

I finally watched the Q&A video and even though I do not agree with Jill's young earth thing at least she feels comfortable disagreeing with Derick and he was ok with it as well. I hope she will continue to assert herself but also educate herself more. 

 

Edited April 1, 2021 by auntieminem

[Annb67]

11 hours ago, leighdear said:

She's a prop.  And why the need to always identify her as a girl? 

Is Deertick at it again with his gender identification issues?  To me it sounds stupid.  

Wow. Ok. My elderly parents have a dog, who is a girl, and we always greet her with “Hey girl”, in a sweet voice. Same with my best friend who has a beloved old dog, who is a female and she is greeted and talked about the same way; i.e., sweet old girl; etc. I honestly think the dogs will be fine. Lol

Edited April 1, 2021 by Annb67

[rue721]

Totally normal to call your pet Sweet Girl, Baby Girl, Miss Baby, all that stuff. Or at least I hope it is 🤐😂

I also think it’s normal to say the dog graduated obedience school... even though Jill or Derick were in class with her, it would be bizarre to say “Jill graduated obedience school”! Although now I sort of want to say that in reference to the kidults graduating Duggar Academy.

Anyway, I’m so glad that Fenna looks so happy and the Dillards look so happy to have added her to their family. They seem to be taking good care of her, which is such a delightful relief! Guess dogs really are the new babies 😂 

[ginger90]

[Tikichick]

I think it's been common practice to call dogs/cats boy or girl for at least 100 years.   I'm sure if you check out a movie from the 30's that includes a dog you're liable to find someone with the line -- here, boy.   

[auburn-waves]

Just jumping in to change it up, somewhat......I call my hamster “my little baby girl” even though she’s almost 2 and an old lady 😂

[Slakkie]

The bar is not high with the Duggars but I am happy that they are doing their thing including getting a dog and taking the dog to class and treating her like part of the family.  In a normal world this would not be a big thing but when you think of where Jill started and where she is and the fact they look truly happy is a good thing.  I think her boys have a great chance of being closer to normal.  I hope they continue on this path.  

 

There are a lot of people who do less with their dogs than Jill and Derrick so I am going to give them an A+ in beginning dog ownership

[YupItsMe]

Jill reminds me of a young Marie Osmond in those pictures. 

[Natalie68]

On 3/31/2021 at 4:15 PM, emma675 said:

What's wrong with referring to a beloved pet as your sweet girl? I think it's cute that Jill is including Fenna in the family pics and posts, she's the newest member of their family. It's the most normal thing I've seen her do in a while.

Jill looked the best I have seen her in a long time in that photo.  I am also very happy they have a pet and that they are taking her seriously.  My kitties are baby boy and baby girl.  Neither are babies.  HA!  The males is also called old man from time to time.  He is 17.

[crazy8s]

good again for Jill on responsible pet ownership

from Recovering Grace - Gothard's views on pet ownership

"Bill Gothard allowed families to have one small pet dog, but not to give it too much love as it might become an idol."

[MargeGunderson]

Just now, crazy8s said:

good again for Jill on responsible pet ownership

from Recovering Grace - Gothard's views on pet ownership

"Bill Gothard allowed families to have one small pet dog, but not to give it too much love as it might become an idol."

I wouldn’t be surprised if he said the same thing about children (minus the just one part).

[Tikichick]

31 minutes ago, crazy8s said:

good again for Jill on responsible pet ownership

from Recovering Grace - Gothard's views on pet ownership

"Bill Gothard allowed families to have one small pet dog, but not to give it too much love as it might become an idol."

Just when I think the nonsense cannot possibly get more absurd.    I am now convinced there is no bottom.

[rue721]

44 minutes ago, crazy8s said:

"Bill Gothard allowed families to have one small pet dog, but not to give it too much love as it might become an idol."

My dog would NOT be having this 😂

To be fair, she does have a full wardrobe, and when her stomach was upset yesterday I was trying to tempt her to at least eat a little doggie ice cream. But spoiling pets is SO. FUN. 😁

Oh, that explains it... once again, Gothard is against anything fun.

[Zella]

1 minute ago, rue721 said:

My dog would NOT be having this 😂

To be fair, she does have a full wardrobe, and when her stomach was upset yesterday I was trying to tempt her to at least eat a little doggie ice cream. But spoiling pets is SO. FUN. 😁

Oh, that explains it... once again, Gothard is against anything fun.

Yeah I was gonna say, the Emperor is practically worshipped in my house. 😄 Suck on that Gothard. 

[xwordfanatik]

My almost 8 year old cat is Baby Girl, when I'm not calling her Lucy.  My departed-at-almost-19 cat was otherwise known as Little Boy Blue.

I see nothing wrong with pets being treated as a member of the family.  It's good to see the Dillard's dog getting the love she deserves.

[TeeMo]

On 3/31/2021 at 7:17 PM, Jeeves said:

I called my dog my sweet boy, or handsome boy, all the time. 

Yeah, aside from her actual name, the two other things I call my dog most are “buddy” and “sweet girl.” I was really worried  about Fenna when things seemed a but hairy in the beginning but they seem to be trying to really make this work by getting her into obedience classes. It’s more than I expected from them honestly. 

Edited April 6, 2021 by TeeMo

[doodlebug]

On 3/31/2021 at 7:11 PM, leighdear said:

Nope, not buying it.  Jill has been surrounded by women all her life and supposedly has many, many "sweet" friends that she always drags into her posts.  Her looking to a new dog to fulfill some sort of sisterhood is just ludicrous to me.  

And who is actually training the dog?  Does she just jump on the bus with her little leash & take herself off to doggie school every few days?  I attended obedience school WITH my dog, in my teens.  That's how he knew I was the "alpha" dog, not him.  I've never know of a well behaved family dog that didn't have to train with their actual owner. 

 

Having had multiple dogs over the last 30 years, it never occurred to me NOT to refer to them using the pronouns of their respective sexes.  Nowhere do I see Jill trying to pretend the dog is her sister or is taking the place of sisters or friends in her life. Didn't you ever watch Lassie as a kid?  EVERYONE called her 'girl' and no one thought a thing about it.  This is particularly interesting because all of the various dogs used on the show over the years were male.  Just because Jill refers to the dog as Fenna girl doesn't mean she has any sort of unnatural attachment to her.  My current puppy is a male and I refer to him as 'little man' all the time.  Well, that and 'bad boy'.

As for obedience training, where did Jill ever say that the dog was going to these classes alone?  Anyone who's ever had a dog knows the classes are to train the owner. I presume that Jill and or Derick are doing the classes with Fenna.  As for graduating, I have proudly participated in graduation ceremonies at Pet Smart for a couple of my dogs.  They got diplomas with their names and wore caps and gowns and I took a lot of pictures.  It never occurred to me that I should've insisted on a cap and gown and diploma for with my name on it.  And, apparently, announced to the world that I had completed obedience school, not the dog.

[CouchPotato]

8 hours ago, crazy8s said:

good again for Jill on responsible pet ownership

from Recovering Grace - Gothard's views on pet ownership

"Bill Gothard allowed families to have one small pet dog, but not to give it too much love as it might become an idol."

Minimal love and attention from his/her owners and no furry playmate is a recipe for a well-behaved dog. 🙄 Sadly, I think most of the kids raised in Gothardism would love to get half as much love and attention as my dogs receive. I can even describe their personalities beyond their favorite foods. 

[GeeGolly]

I'm not convinced yet that Fenna is a fully integrated, welcomed and loved part of the family. Bringing her to obedience school tells me the Dillards want a well behaved dog. Fenna is still a puppy, a puppy with a lot of energy. Jill and Sammy are home alone with the dog during the day. I can see Jill putting the dog out back and not giving her much attention.

I hope I'm wrong. Time will tell.

[Trillium]

3 hours ago, GeeGolly said:

I'm not convinced yet that Fenna is a fully integrated, welcomed and loved part of the family. Bringing her to obedience school tells me the Dillards want a well behaved dog. Fenna is still a puppy, a puppy with a lot of energy. Jill and Sammy are home alone with the dog during the day. I can see Jill putting the dog out back and not giving her much attention.

I hope I'm wrong. Time will tell.

Puppies still benefit from training classes and puppies should go to training. Especially for inexperienced dog owners like them, they will gain a lot of knowledge on canine behaviors. Class is really to train the owners. We currently have a puppy and are experienced dog owners, and still go to class. It’s as much for the puppy as it is for us. I will never like Derick, ever, but it’s great they are getting Fenna into classes sooner than later. 

[farmgal4]

17 hours ago, crazy8s said:

good again for Jill on responsible pet ownership

from Recovering Grace - Gothard's views on pet ownership

"Bill Gothard allowed families to have one small pet dog, but not to give it too much love as it might become an idol."

I hope the room that’s waiting for Gothard when he dies is especially hot.

[GeeGolly]

43 minutes ago, Trillium said:

Puppies still benefit from training classes and puppies should go to training. Especially for inexperienced dog owners like them, they will gain a lot of knowledge on canine behaviors. Class is really to train the owners. We currently have a puppy and are experienced dog owners, and still go to class. It’s as much for the puppy as it is for us. I will never like Derick, ever, but it’s great they are getting Fenna into classes sooner than later. 

Oh yes! I'm not saying obedience training is a bad thing. I think its great. My post was more about the Dillards being seen as attentive, loving dog owners because Fenna is being trained. IMO, just because a dog attends training does not necessarily mean its humans will be great dog parents.

[cmr2014]

I think things could still go either way with Fenna.

I think that all of the Duggars are affection-starved, and Jill could really benefit from the unconditional love an affection that a dog has to offer. Not only will Fenna not mind Jill's clinginess and need for 24/7 reassurance, she'll thrive on it.

It's a good sign that she's already been to an obedience class, and a good sign that they called it a first level class -- possibly implying that there will be more levels to come. Spending quality time like that will not just bond the dog to them, but will bond them to the dog.

On the other hand, the Duggars have a shameful track record with animals and, of course, Gothard managed to suck another of life's pleasures away with his "teaching" on pets. Derick doesn't seem to have grown up with pets, and he's not really known for his patience, or his affectionate nature. He does seem to be in a better frame of mind recently, so perhaps he'll bond with the dog.

I hope that things work out for the best for Fenna. If the Dillards aren't going to treat her as a family member, then the sooner she is rehomed with "sweet friends" the better.

[dargosmydaddy]

 

[doodlebug]

16 minutes ago, dargosmydaddy said:

 

I like that Jill is asking Israel what he likes and wants for his birthday and then trying to meet his wishes.  No generic gooey free sundae and equally generic birthday post.

[xwordfanatik]

I hope they stick with their two boys.  Jill especially seems to enjoy them, much more than baby-every-year or two sister Jessa.  It's nice that Jill realizes they are individuals.

1 hour ago, doodlebug said:

I like that Jill is asking Israel what he likes and wants for his birthday and then trying to meet his wishes.  No generic gooey free sundae and equally generic birthday post.

Me too.  Israel and Sam are going to be ahead of their Seewald cousins in many ways.  

[coconspirator]

2 hours ago, doodlebug said:

I like that Jill is asking Israel what he likes and wants for his birthday and then trying to meet his wishes.  No generic gooey free sundae and equally generic birthday post.

She's able to individualize his birthday in good part because she doesn't have 15 other children. In all likelihood Jessa's brood and Joe/Kendra's kids will get the generic cake or sundae because it's overwhelming to do anything else. Israel and Sam are going to be much better off by growing up in a family that is manageable in size and with plenty of attention to go around. 

[ginger90]

[doodlebug]

1 minute ago, ginger90 said:

And, once again, Jill shows the world that she actually knows her kid; what he likes to eat, how he wants to celebrate his birthday.  And Israel looks just delighted with his Lucky Charms (ick! those marshmallows were awful!)

[cmr2014]

5 minutes ago, doodlebug said:

And, once again, Jill shows the world that she actually knows her kid; what he likes to eat, how he wants to celebrate his birthday.  And Israel looks just delighted with his Lucky Charms (ick! those marshmallows were awful!)

It's really a huge step forward.

At the TTH, birthdays aren't about the birthday boy/girl, they're about J'chelle (If I remember correctly, JB had them writing special messages to J'chelle to thank her for giving birth to them). The "celebration" is the opportunity to have a free sundae with mom and dad -- yeah!

At Jessa's house, the celebrant gets to open random Amazon boxes that may or may not contain birthday gifts that mom is too super-crazy lazy to wrap.

As awful as that cake looks, it's just the sort of thing that kids remember -- getting a blue cake with a fish on it may well be a fond memory for Israel. All in all -- good job Jill!

[doodlebug]

7 minutes ago, cmr2014 said:

 

As awful as that cake looks, it's just the sort of thing that kids remember -- getting a blue cake with a fish on it may well be a fond memory for Israel. All in all -- good job Jill!

Israel is also going to remember that his mother asked him what kind of cake he wanted and made him the exact cake he was hoping to get.  It means a lot to kids when adults listen to them and their ideas.

[ginger90]

15 minutes ago, cmr2014 said:

At the TTH, birthdays aren't about the birthday boy/girl, they're about J'chelle (If I remember correctly, JB had them writing special messages to J'chelle to thank her for giving birth to them).

Wasn’t there also mention of the fact that she could have died in labor?

[Tikichick]

20 minutes ago, cmr2014 said:

It's really a huge step forward.

At the TTH, birthdays aren't about the birthday boy/girl, they're about J'chelle (If I remember correctly, JB had them writing special messages to J'chelle to thank her for giving birth to them). The "celebration" is the opportunity to have a free sundae with mom and dad -- yeah!

At Jessa's house, the celebrant gets to open random Amazon boxes that may or may not contain birthday gifts that mom is too super-crazy lazy to wrap.

As awful as that cake looks, it's just the sort of thing that kids remember -- getting a blue cake with a fish on it may well be a fond memory for Israel. All in all -- good job Jill!

Of course all the birthdays would be about JB & M, it is what they're all about after all.

I don't think that cake looks like a professional made it, but I wouldn't say it looks awful.   Attempting to decorate a cake is well and truly out of my wheelhouse, so I give Jill a lot of credit for putting in the effort to live up to what Israel requested.   Considering what her childhood birthdays consisted of, the fact that she made the birthday about Israel is commendable.  

[coconspirator]

57 minutes ago, cmr2014 said:

It's really a huge step forward.

At the TTH, birthdays aren't about the birthday boy/girl, they're about J'chelle (If I remember correctly, JB had them writing special messages to J'chelle to thank her for giving birth to them). The "celebration" is the opportunity to have a free sundae with mom and dad -- yeah!

At Jessa's house, the celebrant gets to open random Amazon boxes that may or may not contain birthday gifts that mom is too super-crazy lazy to wrap.

As awful as that cake looks, it's just the sort of thing that kids remember -- getting a blue cake with a fish on it may well be a fond memory for Israel. All in all -- good job Jill!

Bolding mine. It's a homemade cake that I wouldn't expect to look professional. Homemade and made with love by his mom. I think that will be more memorable and special than an ice cream cake bought from the store.  Truth be told, I've tried to decorate a cake before and Jill did a much better job than I did. 

[auntieminem]

I am happy for Israel that his birthday is all about him. It was cute how he wanted to be at school on time so he could hear his birthday announcement and also funny she made a joke about him being like Uncle Josiah milking his birthday. Glad she still has a good relationship with some of her sibs. They did have her at their daughter's birth and made a point of saying so on the show so I guess they continue to be ok.  As painful as it must be to be estranged from her parents, it is the best thing that for her and her kids.  

[JoanArc]

Jill didn't even explain to Israel that she could've died on this day 6 years ago.

Progress.

Edited April 6, 2021 by JoanArc

[emma675]

1 hour ago, cmr2014 said:

At Jessa's house, the celebrant gets to open random Amazon boxes that may or may not contain birthday gifts that mom is too super-crazy lazy to wrap.

Or presents stuffed in used pillow cases. She really comes off as a lazy, unimaginative mom compared to Jill, who made her son's day unique and special for him in a number of small ways. I loved the homemade fish cake, too, I'll bet Izzy was thrilled. 

[crazy8s]

So 6yr old Izzy got to wear a birthday boy ribbon just like Uncle Jason wore on his 20th birthday last year.🤣

Edited April 6, 2021 by crazy8s

[doodlebug]

1 hour ago, ginger90 said:

Wasn’t there also mention of the fact that she could have died in labor?

Yes, indeed.  The kids had to thank Meechelle for risking her life by getting pregnant and delivering them as part of the birthday tradition.

Edited April 6, 2021 by doodlebug

[hathorlive]

On 4/5/2021 at 4:24 PM, rue721 said:

My dog would NOT be having this 😂

To be fair, she does have a full wardrobe, and when her stomach was upset yesterday I was trying to tempt her to at least eat a little doggie ice cream. But spoiling pets is SO. FUN. 😁

Oh, that explains it... once again, Gothard is against anything fun.

My dog has her own closet.  We design and sew coats, award winning Halloween costumes, holiday dresses and back to school dresses for school pictures at daycare.  My dog is an Idol and demands to be worshiped.  And the kicker is, she's a beagle.  My hound is a purse puppy.  Or more like a duffle bag puppy. 

As for calling dogs by their gender, Jill is totally normal.  I call my two Little girl and Fat boy.  Dogs have vaginas and penises.  Therefore, they have sex/gender.  I don't see Jill making a statement other than she has a dog and it's a girl.  They are doing a good job with taking Fenna to Obeisance training. They will make mistake.  Even experienced dog owners make bad decisions.  But the dog looks happy and comfortable with he family.

Attaching a picture of Little girl in her Carnival costume.

[graefin]

I never thought I'd say this, but it seems Jill is becoming a better mom to her kids than Jessa is to hers.

While Jill's parenting skills are improving with time, Jessa's (who I was initially impressed by--but, hey, when it comes to this family it's a very low bar) seem to be deteriorating.

[GeeGolly]

Just one question, why did Jill talk to Izzy (or Derick) about taking him to school late? 

[dargosmydaddy]

1 minute ago, GeeGolly said:

Just one question, why did Jill talk to Izzy (or Derick) about taking him to school late? 

There was going to be a birthday announcement for him on the radio, but it was 5 minutes before school started. They managed it so that he heard the announcement in the car and was still on time for school. 

[Zella]

54 minutes ago, GeeGolly said:

Just one question, why did Jill talk to Izzy (or Derick) about taking him to school late? 

I thought it was cute Izzy was so jazzed about his birthday announcement, but I was confused by that too. I have a complex about being punctual, thanks to my dad, so my family would never have had that conversation. LOL  We would have been 10-15 minutes early because being 5 minutes early is the same as being late according to my folks. 

Edited to add: I don't intend this as a criticism of my family. I'm glad they taught me to be punctual. It's something that has served me well as an adult. 

Edited April 7, 2021 by Zella

[crazy8s]

Was it Izzy and Sam who had the allergies to dust and Jill put the stuffed toys in the freezer? If so, they must be over that because Izzy got a giant stuffed bear that is bigger than he is.

[ginger90]

2 minutes ago, crazy8s said:

Was it Izzy and Sam who had the allergies to dust and Jill put the stuffed toys in the freezer? If so, they must be over that because Izzy got a giant stuffed bear that is bigger than he is.

It was Sam.

[Lady Whistleup]

I think it's cool that Jill understood that while Izzy wanted to celebrate his birthday, he also wanted to be in school. He clearly likes the routine of school and being part of that community. So Jill did things to celebrate Izzy's birthday that wouldn't interfere with Izzy's school schedule. That's actually incredible progress.

[BigBingerBro]

Jill's birthday planning is by far much better than Jessa's birthday week full of Amazon tool gifts arriving by the day and a box of crackers 

[hathorlive]

1 minute ago, BigBingerBro said:

Jill's birthday planning is by far much better than Jessa's birthday week full of Amazon tool gifts arriving by the day and a box of crackers 

I'm confused as to why they have so many kids when they clearly don't care much for children or exerting energy to do anything special for anyone.  It's nice that Izzy didn't get a generic "you are a child of god, and a godly person whom god loves in a godly way" tripe that they recycle for each kid.  I think Jill is really seeing the benefit of not having kids in litters and getting to give her boys the attention she never received.

As for that awesome fish cake, it beats a store bought cake any day.  It's hard to get all that icing to cooperate.  Good job, Jill! Now go send Sam off to Grandma's and pour yourself a cocktail.