The nearly 16 year old Wizzy Arndt & her stuffed animal

[shesinsane]

Lots of non-children have stuffed animals... but they tend to keep that private. I'll admit on FJ that I'm still very close to a Pound Puppy I got when I was little, but I don't carry him around or introduce him to people.

Imagine you're a kid in a big family, and that's your entire peer group. You aren't really allowed friends outside the family, but you're not close with any of your siblings. You need someone to talk to, someone that won't tell your parents and get you sent to the prayer closet, why not an penguin pal?

[kian]

Even if she's 13 in that photo, she looks much younger than her age.

6 or so years ago I was a member on a Large Family ezboard (before it went to yuku) and I *swear* Mama Arndt was on there. She just looks SO familiar to me, plus the son with alopecia, he's what made me remember them. The thing is, it didn't seem like they had all that many kids, I really do not remember "Wizzy" at all. One of the moms on that board was definitely featured on Kids by the Dozen because they were filming it when she was active on the board (Christie Cason, I think she was pregnant with #15).

[Terrie]

I think it's a combo of the way she dresses and just looking young. I'm in my early 30's and only now are people not asking me what grade I'm in. The immature behavior disturbs me more than the immature looks.

[TeaELSee]

I have no clue who these people are. I asked my almost 14 yr old son to guess her age and he thought she looked 8 years old.

The picture of the dad on their site (family profiles) is strange Why is he sitting at an empty white desk with only a white keyboard? No monitor, laptop, paper, pen.. Just a man and a keynoard. :?

[nokidsmom]

One the Kids By The Dozen episode of the Ardnts years back one of them was engaged. Obviously, that courtship did not lead to marriage. I havent found the story of why they broke up yet...does anyone have the scoop?

I would be curious too. Because that is one bizarre family. That many grown men still at home and still living basically like children? Something is seriously wrong there and I would not be surprised if the courtee / fiancee decided to bail.

[Morton Fan]

I've seen the Arndts mentioned in other threads, but this is my first time really realizing how bizarre they are. I went to their website and watched videos of all of their socially awkward, accented children, and was hooked. So, to those of you who aren't such Arndt latecomers like me, what is the best way to keep tabs on them? Their website is SO ugly and complicated. Do you have to listen to "Dad's" podcast things, or do they have an actual blog? Thanks for your help ... they seem like a real goldmine.

[0 kids n not countin]

I've seen the Arndts mentioned in other threads, but this is my first time really realizing how bizarre they are. I went to their website and watched videos of all of their socially awkward, accented children, and was hooked. So, to those of you who aren't such Arndt latecomers like me, what is the best way to keep tabs on them? Their website is SO ugly and complicated. Do you have to listen to "Dad's" podcast things, or do they have an actual blog? Thanks for your help ... they seem like a real goldmine.

If you click on the "Famteam Today" part of their webpage, it's basically a "blog" of their daily so called activities, or their daily postings. They don't have an actual blog. Luke has a diary section, but I think the last thing he wrote in it was in April of 2011.

[Morton Fan]

If you click on the "Famteam Today" part of their webpage, it's basically a "blog" of their daily so called activities, or their daily postings. They don't have an actual blog. Luke has a diary section, but I think the last thing he wrote in it was in April of 2011.

Perfect, thank you!

ETA: Ooooh, "updated constantly." How enticing!

[MamaJunebug]

Folks? I went to see what the "constant updating" looked like and clicked back a few pages. Found this:

I would like to let our visitors in on something that I have been thinking about recently.

I have been praying about the idea of hosting a special FamTeam Weekend during the upcoming holiday season (perhaps on New Year’s Eve and Day). I have told God — and others in the family — that I would only want to do it if there is an obvious need for it.

The goal of the weekend would be simple: to establish and/or deepen relationships — between individuals and God, husbands and wives, parents and children, and so forth.

I would envision the retreat to be one that flows with the love, life, and power of God’s Holy Spirit. Judging by the e-mail that I have been receiving, many people are feeling empty, ashamed, lost, burdened, and bound.

There would be no charge for the retreat, as visitors would take care of their own lodging and meals. In this way, registration costs would not be an issue.

I think that many individuals are thirsting for an “upper room†experience, and that is what our gathering would be designed to remedy.

Posted by Dad Arndt a few days ago.

[JenniferJuniper]

Here's what Luke - who was then about 25 - had to say about the occasion of Wizzy's 13th birthday.

Entitled "My Baby Wizzie"

One unexpected side effect of having Mary around is that she has helped me keep a high standard in what kind of girl I would be interested in. See, I realize that whoever I would marry would be several years older than my sister, and I would love to be able to encourage Wizzy to look up to her, where I could confidently say, “Go ahead and dress like she does, act like she does, watch what she watches,†and so on.

So I am really praying that if I get married, God will provide someone who would be a perfect role model for Wizzy, where I can safely tell her, “There! Be just like her.†I have got to believe there are such women out there! There may not necessarily be an abundance of them currently, but all I need is one.

And, in the interim, my goal is to try to personally live up to the standard of the kind of guy that I would recommend for Wizzy. That is a challenge. I love Wizzy so much, and I only want the best for her. Whoever I would marry would also be somebody’s little girl, somebody’s sister. She would also be a treasure, and I need to work hard to be worthy of her, just like I would expect a guy to meet a high standard in order to deserve Wizzy.

We’re still a ways off from all of that, thankfully. She is only 13, so we needn’t get too worried just yet. But bottom line… she’s my Number One girl. The Arndt Family has never been the same after January 5 of 1997. I’m so blessed to have such a wonderful little sister. Even though she may technically be a teenager now, I have a feeling that she is going to still be my baby Wizzy for quite some time.

That's some creepy shit.

And needless to say, Wizzie's perfect role model sister-in-law has yet to fall from the sky.

[ElphabaGalinda]

The Arndt's will never let any of their kids grow up. All of them, up to the 30 and over sons will live with mommy and daddy their whole lives, playing with stuffed animals and never doing adult things. They are all perpetual children, and that's more disturbing than how they may look (in a more recent photo discussed on another thread, Wizzy did look developmentally appropriate, though dressed very young.) They're fundie lite in terms of religion, but just as isolationist as the Maxwells.

[phoenissadido]

Am I the only one that thinks http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wild_Swans every time I hear of this family? Thank goodness they haven't got a stepmother...

[luckystone]

She was 13 when the picture was taken. It says that it was taken in 2010.

In that case, she looks a bit young but not TOO young. I was thinking it was recent and she was 15.

I had soft toys at that age. Would probably have only put in my shirt like that for a photo opportunity (as opposed to actually carrying around like that, I think that stopped at age 6) but I don't think it's too weird. Maybe they wanted a cute photo and it looked weirder because she looks so young. The plaits don't help, but they might not have even realised. I still do plaits sometimes.

In combination with the whole 15 billion brothers living at home and also apparently playing with soft toys (or was that a spoof video?), you do start to get the idea something's up...

[BoomerLynn]

If it was JUST the girl that was appearing significantly younger than her age, then it might be a health issue or whatever. But it's not just her - it's ALL OF THEM. An entire houseful of man/boys in delayed adolescense. When a half dozen 20 and 30 year olds act 12 and carry around stuffed animals and have no interest in becoming adults, there's something very wrong.

This. I just watched a couple of their videos for the first time (I think I just discovered a cure for insomnia) and the whole family seems very delayed. The way they relate to each other is just odd. They all seem very co-dependent, especially the mom. It appears that she is trying to keep her children from growing up so that they will always be her babies. It's just weird.

Side note: I thought that prank with the penguin was pretty mean. The younger kids come across as having the maturity level of 6-7 year-olds, and making a child believe that a treasured toy has been destroyed just seems cruel to me.

[JenniferJuniper]

Side note: I thought that prank with the penguin was pretty mean. The younger kids come across as having the maturity level of 6-7 year-olds, and making a child believe that a treasured toy has been destroyed just seems cruel to me.

Given that the older brothers know how the younger ones feel about the stuffed toys, it was very cruel. And I think very telling.

They pretend they are the happiest bunch of man children on the planet, but going to such an effort (I haven't seen the video in some time, but didn't they go to a craft store and actually buy material as part of the prank?) to freak out their younger siblings is very mean spirited and I think indicates some underlying anger issues.

But I do marvel at the Arndts ability to completely control men in their 20's and 30's. Most cults have to resort to providing lots of sex to keep men around. It's just the opposite with them.

[desertvixen]

But I do marvel at the Arndts ability to completely control men in their 20's and 30's. Most cults have to resort to providing lots of sex to keep men around. It's just the opposite with them.

QFT.

[freejoytoo]

On her profile:

Her brothers have long ago pledged to accompany her on her first date, right alongside of Dad.

UGH!

[ElphabaGalinda]

On her profile:

Her brothers have long ago pledged to accompany her on her first date, right alongside of Dad.

UGH!

She's never going to have a first date, so they don't need to worry about it. Her brothers who are over 30 are still waiting for their first date, which mommy and daddy will never allow to come. They strongly remind me of the Maxwells, just less modest dress.

[mockingbird]

As for the picture, my cousin has some sort of developmental disorder (don't know what, just know that she was born with a cleft palate if that helps you experts out there) that makes her absolutely TINY with a little girl's voice--and she's going to be 14 this winter. She is on growth hormones, but she still looks just like Wizzy and acts like a little girl because she can get away with it/looks like it/it's expected of her by society. I wonder if they have something similar going on health-wise?

I was going to say that and forgot... I always looked young for my age (it was due to medical things too) and I took advantage of that too when it benefited me. Like on vacation, I didn't have to worry about wearing all of my Elmo t-shirts because people would just assume I was younger. At school and around people I knew though, I was frustrated with people treating me like I was younger than my peers, so I always made extra effort to appear older (for example less cutesy t-shirts, less bows and ruffles, etc) and be polite/behave in class so teachers had a reason to respect me, etc. It would concern me if someone like Wizzy was acting younger than her age ALL the time and was not at all concerned about acting her age or being treated the same as her peers... but then again she doesn't really have a reference point since they are so isolated and childish :?

Now I am the least likely to get carded out of all of my friends :lol:

As for stuffed animals, I worship at the altar of St. Elmo with Tchotchkes's son :D I also have some of those Giant Microbes we were talking about in another thread. I'm definitely the last person to criticize anyone for sleeping with or collecting stuffed animals (or other toys) but if that is your main source of amusement as an adult and it seems to fit into a general pattern of childish behavior... something is off.

The prank with the penguin reminds me of my brother's best friend growing up. He had older cousins (in their 20s) who liked to play mean pranks and tell him scary stories just to see his reaction. They had him convinced for YEARS that there was a monster in the toilet that was going to attack him and that was just the beginning. He is still a pretty anxious person. It made us all pretty mad that the cousins didn't care that their "pranks" had such a long-lasting effect on this kid.

[Morton Fan]

She's never going to have a first date, so they don't need to worry about it. Her brothers who are over 30 are still waiting for their first date, which mommy and daddy will never allow to come. They strongly remind me of the Maxwells, just less modest dress.

I actually find them worse than the Maxwells. Initially, they seem more mainstream than the Maxwells (mostly because of their "fun" personalities and their "immodest dress"). But, while the Maxwells are certainly bizarre and cloistered, I don't get the creepy, incesty, "Deliverance" vibe with them like I do with the Arndts.

[lilah]

I saw the first part of the outer banks episode. If I didn't know better I'd think Mary Elizabeth was about 12.

And the production quality if very high, at least as high as a TLC show (I kept expecting little duggar pop ups with fake stastics about how if every Ardnts go through 5 rolls of toliet paper a day) a pity they are so boring. Maybe they could be coached or edited into having personalities.

If they weren't so insular I wonder if the the Ardnt boys are holding out for marrying a duggar and achieving the holy grail of being on a real tv show.

[Belle0000]

I would be curious too. Because that is one bizarre family. That many grown men still at home and still living basically like children? Something is seriously wrong there and I would not be surprised if the courtee / fiancee decided to bail.

I think you may be thinking of the Heppner family, who also had a lot of boys in their teens and 20s. One of them was engaged in their Kids by the Dozen episode.

[sippin0nsunshine]

Ugh this family is so boring. And what is with their accent? It sounds almost like an Amish//Mennonite/Pennsylvania Dutch accent, which they obviously are not.

Wizzy is a beautiful girl but she only looks about 11 or so. I understand looking young to an extent (I'm 21 and people always ask me If I should be in school, and most assume I'm 15), but It's not just the face, it's the hair the clothes the attitude. I don't think anything is "physically" wrong with her, but I do think she (and her brothers) may be emotionally stunted because momma and daddy don't wanna let them grow up.

[itsnikki05]

Who cares? I slept with a stuffed bear at 16. :P I did date a little later than a lot of people (18/19) but it wasn't for my family sheltering me. I see nothing wrong with liking stuffed animals. :P

ETA: And although I'm larger, I've always looked younger myself. Told I looked about 13 at 18, and at 22 when I had my daughter kept getting glares 'cause folks thought I was a pregnant teenager. (Jerks!)

[shesinsane]

There's a small stuffed Snoopy hanging from my rearview mirror and though I'm 36, today I got carded when buying beer. Judge away. :D