Season 6 of 19 Kids and Counting. God help us all!

[infooverload]

I thought it was nice to see the library trip and Mack's response to it. Anna's nervousness seemed genuine, she strikes me as someone who doesn't like to talk in front of people. When they checked out I was actually surprised they had a decent sized stack. As far as the baby thing with Anna & Josh I think there is a lot of tension there. I see her still wanting a big family and him giving the vibe of I'm good with where we are at. Plus I think he maybe secretly doing his own natural family planning. I mean after all he maybe clueless about a lot of things, but growing up they did have the fertility calendar in plain sight. At a certain point he could have gone on google and figured out Anna's cycle. I do remember during an interview after Mack's gender was revealed on a GMA episode one of the people asked him how many kids are you planning. I remember him saying something like the standard line and then adding 4-5 would be nice. At which point I was yelling at the tv how the hell are you going to make that happen without bc. Maybe in the back of his mind he was going I can do natural family planning and still be towing the party line for appearance sake.

[kian]

I think we should institute a drinking game for every time Michelle mentions Jubilee.

( I am sorry for the loss, but COME ON NOW)

[Deleted03]

I think that Anna appeared really uninformed when she was surprised at how easy it was to get a library card, and that the library had all electronic stuff. It is also telling that none of the other duggars are actually using the library (yes forbidden reading and all). Hopefully her kids will get to hang out in the library for a while and enjoy the perks.

[jesssnerch]

I haven't watched the episode, but how can Anna have been homeschooled and never have been in a library? I'm homeschooling this year and the library is a huge resource for us! Added to the fact that I used to be a librarian (my career choice stems from my childhood love of the library) and we had many religious homeschoolers come through and take home stacks of books that were appropriate for them. And, Zsu, if you happen to be reading this Duggar thread, we never begrudged anyone who checked out a huge number of books. Higher circulation numbers always mean a better budget to work with!

[CrazySister]

I haven't watched the episode, but how can Anna have been homeschooled and never have been in a library? I'm homeschooling this year and the library is a huge resource for us! Added to the fact that I used to be a librarian (my career choice stems from my childhood love of the library) and we had many religious homeschoolers come through and take home stacks of books that were appropriate for them. And, Zsu, if you happen to be reading this Duggar thread, we never begrudged anyone who checked out a huge number of books. Higher circulation numbers always mean a better budget to work with!

That'd be the difference between The SOTDRT Method and actual homeschooling.

[3 is enough]

As far as the baby thing with Anna & Josh I think there is a lot of tension there. I see her still wanting a big family and him giving the vibe of I'm good with where we are at.

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall and hear the conversations between those two when the cameras aren't present?

Anna: Josh, isn't it time for another baby?

Josh: Anna, we are fine the way we are now. Look at this house! We can't fit another kid in here.

Anna: But Josh, we have to trust in the Lord! He'd never give us more than we could handle!

Josh: Yeah, right. YOU didn't grow up with 13 little brothers and sisters in a 3 bedroom house. NO WAY am I going through that again. And the ratings are down. Have you ever thought about what happens when the show ends? Unless my mother gets pregnant again soon, we are going to be out of luck.

Anna: We promised to accept children willingly from the Lord...

Josh: And the Lord helps those who help themselves. NO NEW BABY! Enough of this! I'm going out for a snack. Don't wait up.

[lilwriter85]

I haven't watched the episode, but how can Anna have been homeschooled and never have been in a library? I'm homeschooling this year and the library is a huge resource for us! Added to the fact that I used to be a librarian (my career choice stems from my childhood love of the library) and we had many religious homeschoolers come through and take home stacks of books that were appropriate for them. And, Zsu, if you happen to be reading this Duggar thread, we never begrudged anyone who checked out a huge number of books. Higher circulation numbers always mean a better budget to work with!

I think Anna's mom was probably a shitty teacher and I wouldn't be surprised if Pa Keller told her not to go to the ebil librarry. She probably only used certain resources and the books they used were probably crap like Character Tales. I knew a fundie lite homeschooling family that went to the library at least twice a month.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

Wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall and hear the conversations between those two when the cameras aren't present?

Anna: Josh, isn't it time for another baby?

Josh: Anna, we are fine the way we are now. Look at this house! We can't fit another kid in here.

Anna: But Josh, we have to trust in the Lord! He'd never give us more than we could handle!

Josh: Yeah, right. YOU didn't grow up with 13 little brothers and sisters in a 3 bedroom house. NO WAY am I going through that again. And the ratings are down. Have you ever thought about what happens when the show ends? Unless my mother gets pregnant again soon, we are going to be out of luck.

Anna: We promised to accept children willingly from the Lord...

Josh: And the Lord helps those who help themselves. NO NEW BABY! Enough of this! I'm going out for a snack. Don't wait up.

Good job!!!

Though I still say they'll have, maybe, four kids all together.

[Paisy]

Definitely not surprised that quiverfullers eschew libraries. After all they're chock full of wordly ideas. It is sad though as I imagine it's surely more difficult to gain an appreciation for reading when one has little from which to choose. I have always loved to read but I was never one of those who could pick up just any book and read it to the end whether I liked it or not. If it doesn't capture my interest it's usually gone by the third chapter. When I enjoy a book I really, really enjoy it and I need lots of choices to find ones to enjoy.

[lilwriter85]

I also think Josh and Anna are going to have at least four kids.

[3 is enough]

I think they may have more, but I wouldn't be surprised if they space them out a bit. Anna is only 24- she can wait a few years and then have a couple more. That might work better for them- let themselves get a little more settled financially first.

[Witsec7]

I thought it was nice to see the library trip and Mack's response to it. Anna's nervousness seemed genuine, she strikes me as someone who doesn't like to talk in front of people. When they checked out I was actually surprised they had a decent sized stack. As far as the baby thing with Anna & Josh I think there is a lot of tension there. I see her still wanting a big family and him giving the vibe of I'm good with where we are at. Plus I think he maybe secretly doing his own natural family planning. I mean after all he maybe clueless about a lot of things, but growing up they did have the fertility calendar in plain sight. At a certain point he could have gone on google and figured out Anna's cycle. I do remember during an interview after Mack's gender was revealed on a GMA episode one of the people asked him how many kids are you planning. I remember him saying something like the standard line and then adding 4-5 would be nice. At which point I was yelling at the tv how the hell are you going to make that happen without bc. Maybe in the back of his mind he was going I can do natural family planning and still be towing the party line for appearance sake.

Anna and Josh are both dolts. I understand it was the way they were raised. Now that they are 'adults' with their own family it is time for them to look out for the best interests of their children. I pity the kids. Mack seems bright, but that light will dim as soon as her Mother starts the SODRT. Josh may know that Jimboob will set them up in a new house if Anna squirts out a few more blessings but not before. He seems to be weighing his choices, new kid or Chik Fil A for lunch everyday?

The phoney reading to Mack scene with Josh is pure bullshit. He'd rather read the wrapper on his Whopper. And the library trip is still a major source of agro for me. Mack didn't know how to behave in a library since she had never been to one. Anna just let her smash the books on the shelves and then toss others about, I would guess that is a behavior that is acceptable in their home too. Anna reading to the moms and kids was as staged as it could be. I wonder if they had to review the book before Anna read it to ensure it was up to Gothard standards?

I used to think that Jcheele and Jboob were the worst parents ever but I think Josh and Anna are running a close second.

[Sprocket]

Anna and Josh are both dolts. I understand it was the way they were raised. Now that they are 'adults' with their own family it is time for them to look out for the best interests of their children. I pity the kids. Mack seems bright, but that light will dim as soon as her Mother starts the SODRT. Josh may know that Jimboob will set them up in a new house if Anna squirts out a few more blessings but not before. He seems to be weighing his choices, new kid or Chik Fil A for lunch everyday?

The phoney reading to Mack scene with Josh is pure bullshit. He'd rather read the wrapper on his Whopper. And the library trip is still a major source of agro for me. Mack didn't know how to behave in a library since she had never been to one. Anna just let her smash the books on the shelves and then toss others about, I would guess that is a behavior that is acceptable in their home too. Anna reading to the moms and kids was as staged as it could be. I wonder if they had to review the book before Anna read it to ensure it was up to Gothard standards?

I used to think that Jcheele and Jboob were the worst parents ever but I think Josh and Anna are running a close second.

If we're talking about this family, I vote the Keller's as worst. Nothing says bad parenting like shunning your children in for not following your religion -- says the daughter-in-law of a child who is shunned for leaving the IFB fold. :evil:

[mebeforee]

I get the feeling that in the Keller family, if someone needs to go to the library for resources, either the mother or father will go and bring back appropriate resources. I also seem to remember one of the Bates kids saying that if they need to use the computer for something, they go to the library (or maybe just the older sisters go? I forget, but I don't think all the children were allowed to use computers). So the Bates family is at least familiar with the library and probably use it for some things.

The Duggars, on the other hand, don't seem to ever go to the library. I've never heard any of them even mention a library. I don't know how they managed homeschooling before they got on the TLC dime, since they now can afford computers and control software to keep the young children and all males from having access to the whole of the internet. I guess they think that having the money for computers means that they don't actually need books (it's pretty telling imho that all the girls list the same two or three titles when asked what books they like, as if they have never read any other books.) Part of the problem is also probably the fact that JB thinks every trip anywhere, ever, has to be done by the entire group of children. At least, if he's going along it does. No way any library would be pleased with the whole Duggar clan tearing in and storming the place.

Not that JB would ever suggest that kind of a trip anyway, since they wouldn't get extra freebies out of it. Library books are available to everyone, after all, and the only publicized events the group goes to are ones where someone gives them something expensive for free. That's why we never saw any of the broomball events, supposedly happening every week or so. It's just not TV worthy if it's not proving that you had way more children than you could normally afford to raise, and yet everyone else goes out of their way to pay for you to do stuff.

[EmmieJ]

I think Anna is definitely up for having more kids. I remember how she described her family (in the Gayvid/Prissy wedding episode) as "only" having 8 children, as if that's hardly any at all.

But Josh's shrug and non-committal response was funny to watch. I think that's the first time he hasn't given the party line response. He looked irritated that the question was repeated when his first response was just a shrug. I don't like Josh but I can still feel some sympathy for his situation. It has to be demoralizing to be a grown man, yet still dependent on your father and his good will in order to keep a roof over your family's head and have a place to wander into at 10:00 a.m. or later every day, to pretend to work. Add to that possible pressure from the wife to have a third child, and I can see the walls closing in on Joshie.

[snickerz]

I don't like Josh but I can still feel some sympathy for his situation. It has to be demoralizing to be a grown man, yet still dependent on your father and his good will in order to keep a roof over your family's head and have a place to wander into at 10:00 a.m. or later every day, to pretend to work. Add to that possible pressure from the wife to have a third child, and I can see the walls closing in on Joshie.

This.

I think a big part of Josh's issues is that he DIDN'T leave & cleave. When you live in grandma's house and daddy owns your business and your real money comes from TLC via toeing mom & dad's party line, you're pretty much screwed. Josh has no control over his own life. I think he wants to go fundy lite (and I think he's pretty much over Anna) but his income depends on pleasing mom & dad & living the Gothard lifestyle. He's between a rock & a hard place, and I think that's driving a lot of the eating - the one thing that HE controls & that gives him pleasure in his miserable life. I think he's going to have some sort of midlife crisis before he's 30 years old. Maybe he'll be the one who snaps and writes the tell-all book. Josh - if you did that, you'd have your own money and could be your own man.

[Naga Viper]

Second episode, @17:22: Holy shit, the crazy eyes are strong with that one. I almost looked for the Kool-Aid IV drip.

[Witsec7]

This.

I think a big part of Josh's issues is that he DIDN'T leave & cleave. When you live in grandma's house and daddy owns your business and your real money comes from TLC via toeing mom & dad's party line, you're pretty much screwed. Josh has no control over his own life. I think he wants to go fundy lite (and I think he's pretty much over Anna) but his income depends on pleasing mom & dad & living the Gothard lifestyle. He's between a rock & a hard place, and I think that's driving a lot of the eating - the one thing that HE controls & that gives him pleasure in his miserable life. I think he's going to have some sort of midlife crisis before he's 30 years old. Maybe he'll be the one who snaps and writes the tell-all book. Josh - if you did that, you'd have your own money and could be your own man.

Josh can be spending his money wisely and going off to Patrick Henry to study law and taking his family with him. It would be a great storyline and at least open some doors for him.

[marmalade]

Second episode, @17:22: Holy shit, the crazy eyes are strong with that one. I almost looked for the Kool-Aid IV drip.

Who was it?

[DarkAnts]

Who was it?

The girls that are on the Journey.

[Maude]

The Duggars, on the other hand, don't seem to ever go to the library. I've never heard any of them even mention a library. I don't know how they managed homeschooling before they got on the TLC dime

The truth is likely that they didn't. I don't think any of them have had anything but a lousy education.

[CynicMom]

Michelle's method of teaching 'penmanship' to Johanna - having her copy a letter exactly - is antithetical to the current methods of teaching writing. Michelle's about 15 years behind the times. Of course to know that she'd have to have interactions with actual educators. Still, it hurts to watch her actively hurt Johanna's writing enthusiasm in the name of helping her learn.

I say this as the parent of a kindergartener who has been getting a lot of help with his writing lately.

[Buzzard]

Oh, and I REALLY hope that Anna starts going to the library regularly. It may have been orchestrated by TLC, but it was obvious how much Mack wanted to be there and she does seem to like reading and looking at the pictures in the books. At this point, Anna does have the time to devote to her children individually and I hope they encourage Mackynzie's interest in books. It doesn't surprise me that neither Anna or Josh are big readers, but Mack is already showing enthusiasm for books, which is a great thing. It's true that an interest in reading is often related to parents reading with/to their children, but if they encourage Mack & their other kids, they could easily create a more literate future generation. Homeschooling or not, a lot of learning can be done individually just by reading for pleasure, and it would be despicable if they didn't try and encourage Mackynzie to be as literate and learned as she can be.

Allowing Mack to read only opens her up to the ebil sin of imagination! ZOMG she could ask questions! There isnt much depth of literature of the fundie sort, and we all know the classics are out of the question because they may inlude sex or prostitutes or, the sin of all sins: strong women!

Where are we in time? We've seen the episode where he took all the instagram shots at the abandoned house. I didnt see an explanation for WHY they picked that house but I wasnt really paying attention. If we stick to instagram time, shouldnt we see fake fourth of july soon?

[Witsec7]

I don't know the name of the child Jchelle was teaching in the closet but she really seemed to have some attention issues. Did anyone else with a bit more insight notice this?

[emmiedahl]

I don't know the name of the child Jchelle was teaching in the closet but she really seemed to have some attention issues. Did anyone else with a bit more insight notice this?

I think that was Johanna--I always remember her because I had a friend named that and it was pronounced Yo-hah-na and I desperately wanted to name a daughter that.

She has shown attention issues before and seems to be extremely behind for her age. Michelle calls it "social" but I have a social child who could sit and write a letter at that age--without out it being written out for her ahead of time.

I don't necessarily think it is ADHD or similar, either. She reminds me of my now 10 year old daughter at that age. Some call it willful, I call it opinionated and have great expectations for her in some field involving world domination. :lol: Some children spring from the womb knowing what they need to do in life and all a parent can do is make sure they have the tools and then get the fuck out of their way.

But all Johanna has are roadblocks and expectations that are unrealistic for her personality. That will make a person distracted and twitchy.