Mary and Joseph and the (Operation) Christmas Child

[Trynn]

35 minutes ago, deborahlynn1979 said: I wonder if they will make Mary babysit one night while the Smug Marrieds go out for dinner?

I thought about that but would Mary be allowed to stay in a hotel room alone with the baby? Is she even allowed to be alone? I know we learned that Sarah was allowed out by herself but who knows how old she was when she was first allowed out alone.

It would have made more sense for just the three sisters to make the trip but they likely can't go too far from home without male protection. 

Or it's too expensive for all the girls to go?

[Bethella]

3 minutes ago, Trynn said:

Or it's too expensive for all the girls to go?

All three girls can't go- there wouldn't be anyone to do the work back at the compound.

[Granwych]

6 hours ago, ladyamylynn said:

Dollars to doughnuts there's a godly young man involved. 

We can only hope!

[SoybeanQueen]

I wouldn't be uncomfortable with siblings sharing a room, but my kids are pretty used to falling asleep all together while watching a movie or camping. My standards are different than Maxwells, I'd guess.

I, too, hope there's a young man waiting to sweep her off her feet and show her how much fun life can be.

[Granwych]

5 minutes ago, SoybeanQueen said:

I wouldn't be uncomfortable with siblings sharing a room, but my kids are pretty used to falling asleep all together while watching a movie or camping. My standards are different than Maxwells, I'd guess.

I, too, hope there's a young man waiting to sweep her off her feet and show her how much fun life can be.

You do know that the only "fun" allowed there is in "fundie"

[mango_fandango]

2 hours ago, Granwych said:

You do know that the only "fun" allowed there is in "fundie"

There's a reason my phone likes to change "fundies" to "fun dies". Well, actually, "fundies" is now in my phone's dictionary. What that says about me I don't know...

[Diggingupdirt]

8 hours ago, donnal said:

When she said to look out for Mary and Joseph I was thinking for a brief second that Joseph and Elisa were going to be working while dressed up in costume as the Mary and Joseph. You know, being Christmas and all, lol. I don't kniw why this was my first thought, but it was.

Don't feel bad i thought the same thing

[Lynni87]

I think it's actually kind of nice Mary gets to do this without Sarah and Anna there. They're together 24/7, 52 weeks a year. Some time apart might do her some good! If Joe and Elissa plan on taking trips like this somewhat regulary, maybe they can bring Sarah next time and Anna the time after that, so they all get the opportunity?

[Eternalbluepearl]

If I had to listen to the Bible on audio on a long trip, I'd ask to stop at a rest area and make a break for it. I think that would be a breaking point for me. This lifestyle must just BREED depression! Like really, the Bible study, when does it end?! I feel claustrophobic...

[LurkerOverThePond]

10 hours ago, accountingstar said:

I wonder how they entertain themselves on the journey. Are they allowed Christian music or is it the bible on tape?

They alternate between singing "Trust Eeeeeeeeend Obey" and listening to Daddy Tapes.

[Eternalbluepearl]

1 minute ago, LurkerOverThePond said:

They alternate between singing "Trust Eeeeeeeeend Obey" and listening to Daddy Tapes.

Oh my gosh, daddy tapes, how freaking creepy! Their worship of Steve knows no bounds. It's like programming. 

[LurkerOverThePond]

5 minutes ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

Oh my gosh, daddy tapes, how freaking creepy! Their worship of Steve knows no bounds. It's like programming. 

Wanna bet Calia already has her own Daddy Tape...

[accountingstar]

46 minutes ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

Oh my gosh, daddy tapes, how freaking creepy! Their worship of Steve knows no bounds. It's like programming. 

Those daddy tapes reminds my of the FLDS tapes. Warren Jeffs records sermons then makes his followers listen to them. He has even made some from jail. He speaks in a monotone voice that would put me to sleep. You can find them on youtube. I agree that those tapes are creepy and are like programming. The Maxwell Family really does have their own cult.

[MissBitters]

14 hours ago, Screamapillar said:

Sarah is Steve and Teri's servant and Anna is their cook/assistant servant. If any of the Maxwell girls were to marry, my money is on Mary. And soon, so the wedding pictures posted on the blog can feature bright-eyed young bride Mary. 

I've had the same thoughts for awhile. Steve has to let one of his daughters go if he wants to revitalize the lecture circuit. It's hard to justify their views on courtship when only three sons are married off and the adult daughters still live at home. At this point, potential mates for Sarah and possibly Anna are severely limited. Most fundie males their age are already paired up. Mary, though, is at the perfect age (in fundie land, not the real world) to find a husband. Even more important, a young man around Mary's age would be easier for Steve to control than someone around Sarah's age.

[Eternalbluepearl]

3 minutes ago, accountingstar said:

The Maxwell Family really does have their own cult.

I believe this more everyday. It's not even Kind of scary. It's just scary. The control over there is too much. And none of the adults have left? How? 

[meee]

I've thought before that it makes no sense that none of the girls are married. You'd think the Maxwells would want the girls specifically to be married off and start having babies, or at least one if not all of them. WIth all the lecturing and books and blog posts they have about all things family-related (cooking, scheduling, homeschooling), wouldn't they want to show off their daughters doing what they were taught? It's been said here before that Melanie seems a bit more liberal than the Maxwells, and Anna Marie more resourceful/efficient and regardless not on the blog much. But I've always thought that a "Maxwells: The Next Generation" would sell better if Sarah who's always blogged continues to do so while showing off her home/husband/children, rather than the occasional glimpses we get of Melanie and the ABC girls and even rarer ones of Anna Marie.

Off topic: I've wondered for awhile, do any of the Maxwells have middle names? I don't see them mentioned anywhere on the blog (except the grandkids), and it was NR-Anna and not R-Anna who had to change, as well as NR-Anna's sister I think? Do the kids just not have other names to go by so they have to make others do it? (not touching the topic of whether changing other people's names is okay, just curious about the Maxwells' names in particular.)

I hope that made sense. Please excuse typos and rambling, I'm not feeling well.

[Eternalbluepearl]

6 minutes ago, meee said:

I've thought before that it makes no sense that none of the girls are married. You'd think the Maxwells would want the girls specifically to be married off and start having babies, or at least one if not all of them.

I would think that Teri and Steve would try to help their daughters find guys since they isolate them so much that it's unlikely that they will just happen to meet someone on their own. Much like how Kelly Bates has helped her kids. (Or so I've heard, I don't follow the Bates much.)

[Jana814]

I think the Maxwell's have middle names because the next generation does. 

[meee]

30 minutes ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

I would think that Teri and Steve would try to help their daughters find guys since they isolate them so much that it's unlikely that they will just happen to meet someone on their own. Much like how Kelly Bates has helped her kids. (Or so I've heard, I don't follow the Bates much.)

Right, it would make sense if the parents or the brothers were doing some scouting for the girls, even if it all happened "off-screen" like with Elissa (who we didn't hear anything about until they were married, right?) But I don't know if they might be against that, or if it just hasn't worked yet.

[Trynn]

Daddy tapes? What the heck are those? Are those like the tapes my dad would make for me when he went on a business trip, wherein he told funny jokes so I could laugh/hear his voice even though he was gone?

[sparkles]

I think the Daddy Tapes are what put the Maxwells over the edge for me—they went straight from rigid to downright totalitarian, 1984 style. Steve is Big Brother and his tapes are the Maxwell version of the telescreen—always on, always watching, always indoctrinating. I'm sure he'd love nothing more than to find a way to be the Thought Police as well. No escape. Ever.

[Eternalbluepearl]

42 minutes ago, sparkles said:

I'm sure he'd love nothing more than to find a way to be the Thought Police as well. No escape. Ever.

In a way, he has. His programming surely does control their thoughts as well. *shudder* 

[iweartanktops]

57 minutes ago, Trynn said:

Daddy tapes? What the heck are those? Are those like the tapes my dad would make for me when he went on a business trip, wherein he told funny jokes so I could laugh/hear his voice even though he was gone?

Prepare yourself. 

http://articles.titus2.com/daddy-tape/

[ladyamylynn]

43 minutes ago, sparkles said:

I think the Daddy Tapes are what put the Maxwells over the edge for me—they went straight from rigid to downright totalitarian, 1984 style. Steve is Big Brother and his tapes are the Maxwell version of the telescreen—always on, always watching, always indoctrinating. I'm sure he'd love nothing more than to find a way to be the Thought Police as well. No escape. Ever.

I always thought it was noteworthy that Warren Jeffs from the FLDS also made his followers listen to tapes of his sermons constantly, too.

[iweartanktops]

44 minutes ago, sparkles said:

I think the Daddy Tapes are what put the Maxwells over the edge for me—they went straight from rigid to downright totalitarian, 1984 style. Steve is Big Brother and his tapes are the Maxwell version of the telescreen—always on, always watching, always indoctrinating. I'm sure he'd love nothing more than to find a way to be the Thought Police as well. No escape. Ever.

Definitely. The daddy tapes put me completely over the edge! They are downright scary.