Josiah and Lauren: He Has To Marry Somebody

[MunichNark]

My my my, that one isn't nearly as low-brow as she'd make us believe, is she? Her voice in that video was rather different, none of the simpering tones there. I do appreciate her admitting that she's simply not academic (whether thats right or because she makes incorrect assumptions) and doesnt want to continue though - that is her perfect right. Regardless of if she has a useful degree or not, she has attended a proper school and done something which is more than any Duggar ever has done or will do.

This is why homeschooling is illegal here thankfully. Just because you have children doesnt mean you can teach them.

I've read time and time again that people think Lauren has an agenda - it'll be interesting to see how their marriage pans out but I'm beginning to believe she's not at all as simpering and helpless as she makes out.

But! Just HOW does one remain a fundy when they gone and studies psychology and philosophy which apparently she had to do??

[BitterApple]

I wonder if Lauren's "slow learner" comment was the typical Fundie way of women dumbing themselves down so their men's fragile egos don't get bruised. Even if she struggled and had to put more study hours in, at the end of the day she passed all the courses and was done by 18. She can't be that much of a slow learner. 

[Nysha]

4 hours ago, Vaysh said:

I'm asking because I thought her degree would make her something akin to what we here call an 'under-nurse' or nurse's aide which is essentially a three year vocational high school program/degree that qualifies you for hospital work, but only the (mostly) non-medical stuff.

This would be a Certified Nursing Assistant or License Nursing Assistant here, but it's a lot less schooling. In my state, it's a one-year high school program or a one-semester online college program. Most of the people I know with this certificate work in nursing homes or home health care.

[xwordfanatik]

13 hours ago, BitterApple said:

I agree. He gives off the same oily vibe as Boob.

From one oily bohunk to another.  Cut from the same piece of cloth.  Ugh!

[madpsych78]

1 hour ago, BitterApple said:

I wonder if Lauren's "slow learner" comment was the typical Fundie way of women dumbing themselves down so their men's fragile egos don't get bruised. Even if she struggled and had to put more study hours in, at the end of the day she passed all the courses and was done by 18. She can't be that much of a slow learner. 

I've given lots of IQ tests as a school psychologist. Historically an individual with an IQ between 70 and 84 was labeled a "slow learner" - too high to have an intellectual disability, but not within the average range. Forrest Gump would be an example of a slow learner as I believe the movie had indicated his IQ was 75. 

I don't think that that was what Lauren was thinking of when she described herself as a slow learner, however. (Nor do I suspect her IQ is in that range if she passed college courses.) She may have literally meant that it took her more time to complete assignments and readings and such. 

[mimionthebeach]

On 2018-08-31 at 9:51 AM, BitterApple said:

I still can't figure Lauren out. She's apparently smart enough to pass college courses and her family is financially well off, so why did she marry Si? Nothing against the guy, but he's not particularly good-looking, not as charming as he thinks he is and has nothing on the ball career-wise. I know there's plenty of couples who are unevenly matched, but why wouldn't her parents encourage her to wait a few years and explore her options? Does the Duggar name really matter that much in their circles? 

Oh, come on. At her age she can't afford to be choosy. She'd already waited SO LONG to get married.  Another 3 weeks and she'd have been doomed to spinsterhood. 

[Lisa418722]

5 hours ago, floridamom said:

It seems to me that Lauren took only pre-requisites and earned an associates degree in the process. She isn't educated, trained or prepared to perform any type of healthcare work. In my opinion, she dropped out. Not surprised as she was really going for her lifetime MRS degree.....which she obtained.

Last year my (non-fundie) church hired a new minister. When he had his interview sermon, he and his wife were introduced to the church.  They met at a Christian College and the deacon introducing them said they both got their degrees from this college.  The minister interrupted and said, "oh, NO, she went to college to get her MRS and she did."  His wife just stood there and giggled.  She is not in her 20's, she is in early 50's.  I just rolled my eyes and voted "no" when we had the vote.  I think I was the only one to vote no, but I did not feel comfortable voting yes for someone who is proud his wife got her MRS and his wife is a giggler. 

Back on topic, there seems to be something off with Lauren and her family.   I cannot say what it is because I'm not sure, but they do not seem to be sincere in my opinion. I hope I'm wrong for Josiah's sake.  

[BitterApple]

32 minutes ago, Lisa418722 said:

Back on topic, there seems to be something off with Lauren and her family.   I cannot say what it is because I'm not sure, but they do not seem to be sincere in my opinion. I hope I'm wrong for Josiah's sake.  

I agree, but if it makes you feel any better I think Josiah's using Lauren as much as she's using him. Marrying was his way of getting out the house and putting the gay rumors to rest. They both seem to be role playing at this stage.

[Fostersmom]

On 8/28/2018 at 9:35 PM, Fuzzysox said:

Yes, I was trying to post the picture of her from the other page looking like she "won" the prize by being married. There is just something strange about her. I can't put my finger on it.

She comes off as very calculated in everything about her. Her voice, her answers, the way she holds herself. It's like she'a playing the dramatic reenactment of herself. 

On 8/30/2018 at 6:59 PM, queenanne said:

Would we set the goalposts for anyone else as "if you've finished a degree, in order to consider yourself anything it would have to have led to a job in your field", though?  It seems to me for the secular masses, we'd consider getting a degree to be the accomplishment which could stand alone.  My uncle used to work in management at a glass factory.  You can be sure that nobody in management in the glass factory who were degreed, held a degree which had anything remotely to do with glass, unless you count the person who had a BA in Ceramics, for example.  

I completely agree! That's the thing about these girls. These threads are full of posts saying they need to go to school, get an education. But then when we see Abbie and now Lauren have done just that, well, now it's not enough. They don't have the right eduction, the right degree, don't have full time jobs, and 17 other reasons why they still haven't lived up to the internet's expectations. I doubled majored in special education in college, learning disabilities and severe behavioral handicaps, with the initial plan of teaching. I knew before I graduated, that was not going to be my career and while I took and passed the testing, I never applied for a single teaching position. I had worked retail during high school and college and really liked it. I went into retail management instead. I always joked my degrees prepared me for the employees and the customers. I worked retail for like 20 years. I'm an office manager now. Most retailers now require a degree unless you have quite a few years of management experience. It's not like there's a retail management degree out there, and from what I've seen, no one cares what your degree is in or what level it was at. Bachelors in education? Great! Associates in nursing? Awesome! Masters in music? Awesome! They just want to see you can stick with something to achieve a goal.

I can't knock Abbie or Lauren's achievements, and I really can't knock the lack of the Duggar kids education either. Their idiot parents did them such a disservice, they are stuck. Outside of John David, they don't move out until they are married and it's not like any of them have enough guts or the funds to say screw you, I'm going to go enroll in school. And even worse, even if they did, their SDRT education is so lacking, I can't see any of them actually succeeding. I do wish at least some of the now marrieds who now seem to actually understand how lacking their education was would try to change things for the little kids now at home. It's probably too late for the older boys, but the younger teens on down could still be reached. 

[Sew Sumi]

9 hours ago, Vaysh said:

So she can't do any kind of actual work associated with nursing? I'm asking because I thought her degree would make her something akin to what we here call an 'under-nurse' or nurse's aide which is essentially a three year vocational high school program/degree that qualifies you for hospital work, but only the (mostly) non-medical stuff. Kind of like a mix between the LPN and AAS you mentioned in your post, I think? Under-nurses do work in hospitals and do a lot of the heavy lifting like making beds, taking inventory and serving food to patients but also some of the simpler medical tasks like dressing wounds, putting in catheters, blood tests etc, but they can't plan or perform any actual treatments of patients since they're not licensed nurses with a Bachelor's degree. They are fully qualified to start working in hospitals straight after graduation though.

Seems a bit daft to do a two year program without anything practical to show for it in the end.

 

The work you describe is typically handled by CNAs (Certified Nurses Assistants). I'm not sure about the program, although I know it's often offered at community colleges. The work is hard, and the pay is peanuts. They are at the lowest rung of the nursing ladder.

Edited September 1, 2018 by Sew Sumi

[sixlets]

I got my Star weekly mag delivered today, and this little gem was in a spread about "celebrities" getting engaged very quickly.  Apparently, it's the cool thing to do now.  I blame the Duggars for all of this.

 

[Lunera]

My local community college offers all of the classes Lauren took for her pre-nursing degree. I took most of the classes because I was interested in nursing at the time and those classes were the prerequisites for nursing school. If I had finished them I could have gotten an AA in Science or transferred into a nursing program. There is nothing clinical to those classe, we never worked with actual patients. 

[Marigold]

I'm just glad that Lauren did something.  Got to school, did some academic work, stayed on a time schedule, interacted with people, explored some new ideas, read a few things, etc.    THAT is way more than the genetic Duggars.  

Also:  Yes, Lauren does have calculating mannerism and vibe to her.   Maybe it is the cameras?   It might take her a while to settle down and feel comfortable with being filmed, TH etc.   Lauren is aware of the Vile Josh publicity.  Maybe she is trying way too hard to do everything right? 

I find Lauren kinda interesting, for a Duggar member.  

 

I always thought Josiah was OK.  Recently, i really don't like him and he reminds me a lot of Josh, unfortunately. 

[Caracoa1]

I'm curious to what grade level the Duggar kids would test out at....could they even pass the Arkansas GED?  Their diplomas from Duggar Academy are worthless....so sad.

[WalrusGirl]

On 8/28/2018 at 3:43 PM, bigskygirl said:

I guess being a wonderful follower of Christ is more important than being an excellent husband. *rolling eyes*

In their belief system (or degree thereof), it is. Plenty of my more evangelical extended family members and church friends I grew up with describe themselves first as “Christian” or “follower of Christ” in their social media bios, followed by some order of wife/husband (or navy wife, pastor’s wife, etc), mother/father of #, their own career or trade or SAHM identification, etc. (I mean, I think it can easily take on a performative aspect depending on the personality of the poster, and it’s the “correct” and “in” order/format of priorities and descriptions in their social circles, but in terms of their proclaimed belief system “follower of Christ” IS most important and fundamental. *shrugs* Theoretically that trickles down to how well one treats their spouse and parents their children, at least.)

[Rabbittron]

Where I live the state allows you to have an a s s degree and then test for your RN degree without having to go to school for four years.

[ginger90]

2 hours ago, Rabbittron said:

Where I live the state allows you to have an a s s degree and then test for your RN degree without having to go to school for four years.

Yes, you can have an associate degree and be a RN in every state, as far as I know. A bachelor degree can be the next step, but not necessary, in the grand scheme of things. A bachelor degree opens more doors.

[luvbadtv]

These people are crazy.  What parents encourage their 19 and 21 year old children to get married without any means to support themselves (yet alone the many children soon to be born)?  If my kids wanted to get married at that age, there would be a long discussion about how I was not giving them a house of their own to live in.

[graefin]

Does anyone have the deets on the property they're living in? It was captioned as the "Baylor House," but the only Baylor in Arkansas I found was a "Baylor Road" that is quite a distance from where they live.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

On 8/31/2018 at 7:37 PM, riverblue22 said:

Lauren's dad seems quite enamored with old Jim Bob and more than happy to forge tighter bonds with the Duggars.  Maybe it's a financial thing and he sees money to be made in Arkansas.  I still haven't figured out why they even moved there, and how they came to be in such a huge house.  But Lauren's dad seems to be a player to me, so he's cooking up some sort of plans.

Famewhores gonna famewhore, and Lauren's dad is a famewhore like Jim Bob.

He probably figures he has other kids to marry off and will try to match them with Duggar kids, too (and then he and his family can be featured on TV even more and move even higher up in the ranks of "Fundie Royalty").

[Absolom]

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 12:08 PM, Fostersmom said:

Outside of John David, they don't move out until they are married

Except according to John David even he didn't move out.  After and during the time, internet posters were saying he'd moved out (because he owned a house I guess), on the show John David said he lived at home and seemed to brag saying how great it was having his sisters do his laundry and cook for him.  

[cmr2014]

6 hours ago, Absolom said:

Except according to John David even he didn't move out.  After and during the time, internet posters were saying he'd moved out (because he owned a house I guess), on the show John David said he lived at home and seemed to brag saying how great it was having his sisters do his laundry and cook for him.  

Except that the Duggars lie -- all the time.

Maybe JD moved out, maybe he didn't. I could easily see him living at home and being waited on hand and foot. I can also see him moving out and showing up for filming as required.

[Pingaponga]

Could someone explain what an Associate's Degree is?  We don't seem to have them in Canada.  At least, not in Ontario.  The "easiest" degree one can get is a Bachelor's Degree.

I think Lauren will be the one "wearing the pants" in her marriage to Josiah.  I think she's a lot like Jessa, in that she's acting sweet and subservient, but now that the ring is on her finger it will be her way all the way. Josiah will be eating healthier, whether he wants to or not.  They'll have as many kids as she wants, and while she may consult him on various matters, I could see her convincing Josiah that her way is the best way.

Not that there's anything wrong with this. It's just not what the Duggars put forth as "their way".

[Marigold]

13 minutes ago, Pingaponga said:

Could someone explain what an Associate's Degree is?  We don't seem to have them in Canada.  At least, not in Ontario.  The "easiest" degree one can get is a Bachelor's Degree.

I think Lauren will be the one "wearing the pants" in her marriage to Josiah.  I think she's a lot like Jessa, in that she's acting sweet and subservient, but now that the ring is on her finger it will be her way all the way. Josiah will be eating healthier, whether he wants to or not.  They'll have as many kids as she wants, and while she may consult him on various matters, I could see her convincing Josiah that her way is the best way.

Not that there's anything wrong with this. It's just not what the Duggars put forth as "their way".

It's 62 (or 64?) credits in undergraduate.  It's like "half" of a college degree specializing in a particular field or more of a general degree that will roll into a 4 years college.  My sons rolled into a 4 year college. 

[Sew Sumi]

An Associates degree is simply a two-year degree from a Community (Junior) college. It's basically pre-reqs if one plans to transfer to a four-year college, plus a few courses targeted to the major. Ben also has an AA and was able to transfer many, if not all, of his units to Moody.

UC Berkeley took 72 units from my CC career (I changed majors mid-stream). However, I didn't earn an AA before transferring because it wasn't offered in my long-term major. 

Edited September 6, 2018 by Sew Sumi
Autocorrect strikes again

[tabloidlover]

Anyone surprised that Lauren isn’t pregnant yet?

[awaken]

Just now, tabloidlover said:

Anyone surprised that Lauren isn’t pregnant yet?

I’m sure she is, and they’re just waiting for the most opportune time to announce!  Have to carefully stagger those announcements for maximum media exposure!  

[Fuzzysox]

10 hours ago, tabloidlover said:

Anyone surprised that Lauren isn’t pregnant yet?

I think she probably is and is waiting for JD's wedding to debut her baby bump.

Nothing says, I'm happy that today is your wedding day , but, but, but, I have a big announcement, I'm soon to be BIG pregnant y'all. To kill the bride and groom's buzz from their "special day."

Edited September 6, 2018 by Fuzzysox

[RedheadZombie]

On ‎9‎/‎1‎/‎2018 at 6:30 AM, Vaysh said:

So she can't do any kind of actual work associated with nursing? I'm asking because I thought her degree would make her something akin to what we here call an 'under-nurse' or nurse's aide which is essentially a three year vocational high school program/degree that qualifies you for hospital work, but only the (mostly) non-medical stuff. Kind of like a mix between the LPN and AAS you mentioned in your post, I think? Under-nurses do work in hospitals and do a lot of the heavy lifting like making beds, taking inventory and serving food to patients but also some of the simpler medical tasks like dressing wounds, putting in catheters, blood tests etc, but they can't plan or perform any actual treatments of patients since they're not licensed nurses with a Bachelor's degree. They are fully qualified to start working in hospitals straight after graduation though.

Seems a bit daft to do a two year program without anything practical to show for it in the end.

Where I worked as a nurse in Illinois, only RNs inserted catheters.  When I moved to Georgia CNAs were responsible for the catheters, but that ended due to excessive UTIs.

[xwordfanatik]

14 hours ago, Pingaponga said:

Could someone explain what an Associate's Degree is?  We don't seem to have them in Canada.  At least, not in Ontario.  The "easiest" degree one can get is a Bachelor's Degree.

I think Lauren will be the one "wearing the pants" in her marriage to Josiah.  I think she's a lot like Jessa, in that she's acting sweet and subservient, but now that the ring is on her finger it will be her way all the way. Josiah will be eating healthier, whether he wants to or not.  They'll have as many kids as she wants, and while she may consult him on various matters, I could see her convincing Josiah that her way is the best way.

Not that there's anything wrong with this. It's just not what the Duggars put forth as "their way".

I earned 93 credits (3 PE credits were required) to get my AAS.  One had to earn 20/20/15 credits in three areas:  Social Science, Natural Science, and Humanities.  The remainder could be electives, or additional credits in the three areas mentioned.  Of course, I graduated from the community college I attended in 1976, so it's probably all different now.  My AAS afforded me junior year admission status at the local University.

Yep, Lauren will be another Jessa.  She's going to be the decision maker, behind a facade of keeping sweet.  

[Lunera]

13 hours ago, tabloidlover said:

Anyone surprised that Lauren isn’t pregnant yet?

There is speculation over on tumblr that she's already pregnant because she updated her baby section on Pinterest a few days ago. She added ideas about baby showers. 

Edited September 6, 2018 by Lunera

[Natalie68]

On 9/1/2018 at 10:09 AM, Lisa418722 said:

Last year my (non-fundie) church hired a new minister. When he had his interview sermon, he and his wife were introduced to the church.  They met at a Christian College and the deacon introducing them said they both got their degrees from this college.  The minister interrupted and said, "oh, NO, she went to college to get her MRS and she did."  His wife just stood there and giggled.  She is not in her 20's, she is in early 50's.  I just rolled my eyes and voted "no" when we had the vote.  I think I was the only one to vote no, but I did not feel comfortable voting yes for someone who is proud his wife got her MRS and his wife is a giggler. 

Back on topic, there seems to be something off with Lauren and her family.   I cannot say what it is because I'm not sure, but they do not seem to be sincere in my opinion. I hope I'm wrong for Josiah's sake.  

Desperate to ride the fame train?  Only reason I can think to move your family across state lines to farm out your teen to marry into a family of barely educated, lousy mannered, hypocritical bigots.  

[jennblevins]

28 minutes ago, Natalie68 said:

Desperate to ride the fame train?  Only reason I can think to move your family across state lines to farm out your teen to marry into a family of barely educated, lousy mannered, hypocritical bigots.  

I have wondered if the move was temporary and just for the time Lauren’s courtship (and engagement and wedding) was being filmed for the show.  It would explain the rented house and going back to Georgia for the baby’s birth. 

[libgirl2]

1 hour ago, Lunera said:

There is speculation over on tumblr that she's already pregnant because she updated her baby section on Pinterest a few days ago. She added ideas about baby showers. 

Good God! I know I shouldn't be surprised if this is true. 

[Ijustwantsomechips]

2 hours ago, Lunera said:

There is speculation over on tumblr that she's already pregnant because she updated her baby section on Pinterest a few days ago. She added ideas about baby showers. 

Lauren seems like the type to have all that stuff planned out long before the baby.  She probably had bouquets picked a year before she got married.  I have nursery ideas on my Pinterest boards, but no children, yet. She probably is preggie though. She seems to be checking her list off one by one.  

[DragonFaerie]

Would be curious to see - what is Lauren's Pinterest name or rather what do I search for to find her?

[graefin]

1 hour ago, DragonFaerie said:

Would be curious to see - what is Lauren's Pinterest name or rather what do I search for to find her?

I couldn't find it either, but the folks on FJ can be useful sometimes ;)

https://www.pinterest.com/laurensmilagro1/

[DangerousMinds]

2 hours ago, Ijustwantsomechips said:

Lauren seems like the type to have all that stuff planned out long before the baby.  She probably had bouquets picked a year before she got married.  I have nursery ideas on my Pinterest boards, but no children, yet. She probably is preggie though. She seems to be checking her list off one by one.  

Is she going to plan her own baby shower?

[Westiepeach]

2 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

Is she going to plan her own baby shower?

Apparently. 

[BitterApple]

15 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

Is she going to plan her own baby shower?

She probably doesn't want a repeat of that awful, half-assed bridal shower the Duggars threw for her. 

[DragonFaerie]

4 hours ago, graefin said:

I couldn't find it either, but the folks on FJ can be useful sometimes ;)

https://www.pinterest.com/laurensmilagro1/

Thanks!!  She has one for sewing projects.  I may have to look at that one.

[3 is enough]

On 9/5/2018 at 6:51 PM, Pingaponga said:

Could someone explain what an Associate's Degree is?  We don't seem to have them in Canada.  At least, not in Ontario.  The "easiest" degree one can get is a Bachelor's Degree

I don't know if you are at all familiar with the educational system in Quebec, but they graduate high school in grade 11 there and then they have a free (except for textbooks) junior college system known as CEGEP.  You can take a two year pre-university course, and then finish your degree in 3 years , or a three year "career course".  I took a three year chemical technology course, which qualified me as a chemical lab technician.  The chemistry courses we took were university level- my DH went on to get his Bachelor of Science degree at night school and he got credits for the all the chem courses we took. 

 Ontario used to have Grade 13 which was optional, but also basically replaced year one of university.

Edited September 7, 2018 by 3 is enough

[MunichNark]

She claims to be El Salvadorean? Because "Swanson" is such a typical spanish name...One grandparent does not make you anything dear.

[Sew Sumi]

@MunichNark, the Salvadoran comes through her mother's line. 

[Nysha]

41 minutes ago, MunichNark said:

She claims to be El Salvadorean? Because "Swanson" is such a typical spanish name...One grandparent does not make you anything dear.

Sure it does. I claimed to be Irish because my great-great-grandfather immigrated from Ireland and it sounds better than American mutt. Then I did a DNA test and found out I'm 99.4% Northern European, predominately Irish. A lot of Americans identify as whatever their single largest "Old Country" is. 

[Bayarea4]

On 9/5/2018 at 7:41 PM, tabloidlover said:

Anyone surprised that Lauren isn’t pregnant yet?

No, not at all. If the rumors about Josiah have any truth to them, we may have to wait a while until they figure out how to use a turkey baster.  I'll go check myself into the prayer closet now.

[Heathen]

6 hours ago, Bayarea4 said:

No, not at all. If the rumors about Josiah have any truth to them, we may have to wait a while until they figure out how to use a turkey baster.  I'll go check myself into the prayer closet now.

He wouldn't be the first gay man, if he is gay, to figure out hetero sex. TFDW, anybody? 

The turkey baster comment made me giggle. 

[doodlebug]

12 hours ago, MunichNark said:

She claims to be El Salvadorean? Because "Swanson" is such a typical spanish name...One grandparent does not make you anything dear.

Here in the US, we tend to count our grandparents' nationality as our own.  Remember, ours is a much younger country and virtually all of us have ancestors who came from someplace else that we know about.  In my case, my paternal grandparents were first generation from Poland and Austria and, yeah, I tell people I am Polish and German because of it.  In the case of my maternal line, I've got ancestors who came prior to the American Revolution, but I still consider myself German, Irish and English on that side.  Melting pot and all that.

If Lauran has a Salvadoran grandparent, she would certainly be considered to be Salvadoran around these parts.

[xwordfanatik]

Lauren does have nice skin that looks like it tans easily.  I envy that, being pale, with fish belly white legs.

I wonder when "Siah" will outgrow his pimples?  He always looks greasy to me.

LOL at turkey baster!

[Caracoa1]

I'm sure Josiah is a nice young man but he does appear to be very greasy and unshaven.  That is a turnoff.