Bates Courtship

[meep]

I am with Chibi Author-- I can't help it, but the adorableness of these two is off the charts. I wonder if they aren't rarin' to get married RIGHT NOW, and mom and dad are saying "slow down, you two" (Good for Gil and Kelly, if so)

I like that Chad wears jeans & tshirts while working, instead of the stoopid fundy uniform of khakis & buttoned up polo.

[Full disclosure: Mr. HereticHick wears khakis & polos all the time too, but that's because he's just a lovable dork who is stuck in a fashion rut]

In response to a comment, Kelly Bates did actually say they don't believe in rushing engagements for the sake of rushing. Maybe this courtship/marriage will turn out successful after all.

I honestly don't think I've yet seen another fundie courtship couple look like they like each other as much as Chad and Erin.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Theyre kinda adorable together, and its good to see they like eachother and arent being forced into it. It seems natural for them, compared to the usual fundie awkwardness.

[EmiGirl]

I really wish there was a chance I could get into the wedding when it happens. You know the Duggars will be there and I would love to see the scowl on Michelle's face if none of her daughters were married by then. Of course maybe the scowl is only reserved for other women having babies.

[HereticHick]

If one of the J'Slaves hurries up and snags another Payne boy, we could have a Very Special Episode Double Wedding. With a bazillion bridesmaids. Preceded by a Say-Yes-to-the-Dress(es) crossover episode.

[littlehouse]

Michelle will only scowl for babies. I think she will be smug since all of her girls are still at home taking care of the howlers.

[Dandruff]

I really wish there was a chance I could get into the wedding when it happens. You know the Duggars will be there and I would love to see the scowl on Michelle's face if none of her daughters were married by then.

If they stick with the traditional, and why wouldn't they, the wedding will be in Tennessee. Maybe Gil will actually marry them, though on second thought he wouldn't be able to give her away/transfer authority if he did. Since all involved are tight with Gothard I'll bet Chad finds himself with a good steady job with HQ. I picture a frozen smile on Michelle's face during the wedding.

[3 ring circus]

If they stick with the traditional, and why wouldn't they, the wedding will be in Tennessee. Maybe Gil will actually marry them, though on second thought he wouldn't be able to give her away/transfer authority if he did. Since all involved are tight with Gothard I'll bet Chad finds himself with a good steady job with HQ. I picture a frozen smile on Michelle's face during the wedding.

If Michelle has a scowl on her face, then she needs to look to her authority(Boob) as to why her daughters have no prospects. Better yet, maybe she should do more around the house so that her daughters can leave.

[Dandruff]

If Michelle has a scowl on her face, then she needs to look to her authority(Boob) as to why her daughters have no prospects.

I think one reason might be that they want to keep all their children/grandchildren on the show while it lasts. If this is the case, any prospects would likely have to agree to live nearby and put up with being filmed when and where other people say so. There may not be many fundie guys who are willing to give up that much authority.

[Mela99]

If they stick with the traditional, and why wouldn't they, the wedding will be in Tennessee. Maybe Gil will actually marry them, though on second thought he wouldn't be able to give her away/transfer authority if he did. Since all involved are tight with Gothard I'll bet Chad finds himself with a good steady job with HQ. I picture a frozen smile on Michelle's face during the wedding.

I don't think she wants them married off any more than Boob does. She might have to raise her own kids then. I think the only Duggars who want the Duggar girls married are the Duggar girls.

[EmiGirl]

If they stick with the traditional, and why wouldn't they, the wedding will be in Tennessee. .

Exactly. I live about 40 miles west of Knoxville.

[Miggy]

Michelle = 19 kids, 1 marriage, 2 grandkids

Kelly = 19 kids, 1 broken courtship

Michelle won't care about a Bates child getting married as she will still be in the lead by two grandkids. The jealousy is going to kick in if (a) Kelly has a 20th child (b) a second Bates child gets married or © Erin overtakes Anna in babies. Personally, I can't see © happening soon if at all and (a) isn't looking likely any time soon, given all Kelly's miscarriages. I hoping for (b); a nice husband for Michael/a so she can have her own house and own babies to raise or else a nice little wife for Lawson, who could make someone a very good husband.

[xReems]

On Chad's blog, someone asked him what "yf" and "yg" means; he responded with the following:

Hey there Corrie! About the code letters, =D

...in corresponding with her, usually at the end of each of my txts or emails...and sometimes comments, I usually sign mine as "yf"...Your Fella...and when I am writing to other people...I put "hf"... "Her Fella" =D

And Erin usually signs hers as "yg"...Your Girl. ='D

It's the sweetest thing ever! I am so blessed to have the sweetest, most caring Girl I know as my forever friend. =)

God bless you, Corrie!

~ Chad

... hf... =)

Not going to lie but it is definitely cute. They remind me of my boyfriend and I 5 years ago when we were in our cutesy honeymoon phase. It's a refresher to see a courting couple express their love for one another, instead of waiting until engagement/marriage.

[Markie]

I am rooting for this couple. Chad and Erin seem to love one another and they are cute together. On a side note, I hope her sister, Michael, is not courting John Duggar. While he is the hardest working Duggar, he comes off as rude and a bit of a miser. Michael seems sweet and I hope if she marries, she finds someone who is also sweet and kind.

[pudding]

In the comment section on the Bates blog Kelly says:

[...] In Chad and Erin’s case, they have already expressed to us their desire to get married after Erin completes her college, [...]

( blog.thebatesfamily.com/2013/01/10/a-special-day )

btw, I really enjoy Kellys explanations, they seem comprehensible and not so over the top crazy like many others

[mausi]

On Chad's blog, someone asked him what "yf" and "yg" means; he responded with the following:

Not going to lie but it is definitely cute. They remind me of my boyfriend and I 5 years ago when we were in our cutesy honeymoon phase. It's a refresher to see a courting couple express their love for one another, instead of waiting until engagement/marriage.

It just feels so stunted to me that I have a hard time taking them seriously as a couple who could, potentially, have a child a year from now. I did that sort of thing as a teenager. Now, in my 20s and looking back, I'm sort of embarrassed by it.

[yewchapel]

I like the way Chad refers to Erin as his 'forever friend', seeing as friendship isn't usually valued as much as family in fundieland. It's really sweet.

[Closed Womb]

I really wish there was a chance I could get into the wedding when it happens. You know the Duggars will be there and I would love to see the scowl on Michelle's face if none of her daughters were married by then. Of course maybe the scowl is only reserved for other women having babies.

Perhaps she would be scowling if she were at her own daughter's wedding; after all, that means they'll start having babies and babies are the thing to be jealous of.

[veron1que]

While I do agree much of their cuteness is very "high school" and rather embarrassingly giddy. I'm glad that they are getting to experience the silly aspects of "first love" and aren't being forced to marry without ever really experiencing a first relationship. I think most people have graduated beyond this type of relationship post high school, but fundie kids are on a different timeline and don't mature as quickly as teens in mainstream society do. I think it's easy to criticize their childish behavior, but they also are extremely limited in exposure to young adults their age who don't behave in a similar manner. I imagine, especially with the oldest kids in a fundie family (who spend most of their time with siblings years younger) they are very youthful in their actions. I wouldn't be surprised if the younger Bates children are far more mature about their first relationship because by then they will have been exposed to numerous couples (their married siblings) much older than them.

I think their "yg" "yf" thing is adorable, and I'm happy Erin isn't entering into a loveless marriage.

[Jana814]

I hope their relationship works out! Erin seems like the type of girl who wants out of her house. So what if their relationship is "high School" they have not had any experience w/ the opposite gender till now.

[Mela99]

In the comment section on the Bates blog Kelly says:

( blog.thebatesfamily.com/2013/01/10/a-special-day )

btw, I really enjoy Kellys explanations, they seem comprehensible and not so over the top crazy like many others

How long before Erin finishes?

[Genk]

I think this summer. Kelly mentioned it in a comment.

[HereticHick]

Although it does seem high school-ish, I'd rather see Erin & Chad cooing to each other & using cutesy abbreviations than endlessly spewing bible verses and Gothardisms.

So much better to end a blog post with "I luv Erin" than with Sarah "Rejoicing in Christ" Maxwell's forced signoffs.

[meep]

How long before Erin finishes?

I think she's on her last year, so May? And then a wedding in summer/fall?

[Carla Bruni]

I know I've been corrupted by evil heathen norms and practices, and I do agree that Erin & Chad are lower on the creepy/weird scale than many of the others, but am I the only one who sees "man, I cannot wait to bang her" in Chad's eyes every time they're in a "gazing lovingly into each other's eyes" shot? I mean, maybe in his head it sounds more like "I cannot wait for long nights of sweet, sweet fellowship", but still.

[already hungover]

I know I've been corrupted by evil heathen norms and practices, and I do agree that Erin & Chad are lower on the creepy/weird scale than many of the others, but am I the only one who sees "man, I cannot wait to bang her" in Chad's eyes every time they're in a "gazing lovingly into each other's eyes" shot? I mean, maybe in his head it sounds more like "I cannot wait for long nights of sweet, sweet fellowship", but still.

That's why I'm hesitant to exclaim over how cute they are. Sure, they seem to really like each other and all that, but who hasn't felt that way about a boy or girl without ending up married to him or her? I just feel as though they would both have so much more living left to do if they weren't trapped in a fundie cult. If I'd married the first person I "<3"ed, I'd be miserable now, and I'm only 25.