Real life survival guide for Duggar kids who rebel

[Edhelfin]

A few ideas were shared under another topic about Duggar kids who are likely to rebel, about what they may do to economically and socially survive, if they ever leave the compound. But I could not come across a separate topic dedicated to that during my search (sorry if I missed it if there is one!), so I decided to ask people about creating a mini idea guide for the lucky Duggar rebel who may read it. About how they would start working, how they would get a place they can pay for or co-share etc.

 

I live in the UK so I am not very familiar with the type of government help that is offered in the US to people in need of income or educational support.

 

I tried and tried but could not think of a job apart from giving music lessons or childcare for the J'slaves. Not sure the x 19 Duggar orchestra is skilled enough, though.

[tabitha2]

any one can work at Wal-Mart.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Im not sure how much school work theyve actually done, but if its anything like the average fundie education, theyd probably have to go and catch up on the education they didnt get at the SOTDRT.

I think they could probably get a job somewhere that doesnt really require an education, like in a supermarket or McDonalds or something.

I think it would probably take them a while to adjust to the real world, but theyve got better chances than most fundie kids because theyve travelled a lot and talked to the camera people and fans.

[mypsychoticself]

If they make it public, tons of people will offer monetary assistance. They could also get some money by writing a tell-all memoir. If they're careful with the money, I can see them being able to afford a small apartment and tuition at a community college. Once they have their basic educational needs met, they may want to attend a university. The financial aid office there will be able to help them find grants, scholarships, etc that they qualify for.

As far as public resources, what's available varies from state to state. I'm not sure how much or what kind of assistance is available in Arkansas, or how they'd go about accessing it.

[ThatSnark]

For some of the older daughters (I am making myself not type "girls"as they all hit 18 and are women, not perpetual girls) they could look into teaching at a preschool or assistant teaching in early elementary. If any of them decided on community college, they could be in and out in two years with a variety of vocational options: dental hygiene, daycare certification, biotech lab technician, some nursing and other medical allies. Same deal for the sons: two years vocational training with an apprenticeship, and they're set up to make a boatload of money in the trade of their choice.

Or the men can go for preschool assistantships and the women plumbing-- but I think it's stretching to think that they'll step too far outside of lifelong gender roles.

[Joan of Snarc]

One of the older girls could land a live-in nanny position with a wealthy family -- say in New York or San Francisco. The family she works for could hook her up with a lawyer or literary agent who could get her a deal for a tell-all book written with a ghostwriter. She -- maybe Jana -- could work with the ghostwriter during her time off while also experiencing New York or San Francisco. *her mind is blown*

Once the book came out, she'd go on press junkets and start living the high life, which she'd already had a taste of while working for her wealthy family. She'd go on Oprah and answer all the questions we've had for years about the Duggars and others like them.

She'd make enough money from the book to move to Southern California where she'd sell the movie rights and buy a house in Hollywood Hills for herself. She'd start a foundation to help young fundie women escape oppression. Eventually, it would help women worldwide. In her thirties, she'd marry an agent or lawyer and have two kids. By this time, every one of her siblings -- except Josh and Jill because they drank too much damn kool-aid [Josh is a corrupt local Arkansan politician and Jill is a head-covering midwife] -- have left the fundie fold and Jana helps guide them in secular world, providing loans, housing, and advice on jobs and education when needed.

In her forties, with her kids a little older, Jana goes back for that bachelor's degree she's always wanted. She divorces, which causes much sadness in her life and forces her to review her life choices. She reconnects with Jim Bob and Michelle, who she has barely spoken to since leaving the cult. The last time she saw them was Grandma Duggar's funeral back in Arkansas. Jim Bob and Michelle are too old, tired and forgotten to hold a grudge at this point and they have a tearful, touching reunion.

Jana (or Jessa, or Jinger, or Joy), after re-examining her life, decides she wouldn't change a thing -- except all that fucking laundry and child care she had to do growing up.

[FloraKitty35]

I hope that reconnect with one of Michelle's family who could help them along, such as Michelle's lesbian sister.

[Edhelfin]

These idiot parents deprived the kids of so many chances, but if any of them gets out and has to rely on an unskilled day job to survive, they may miss the fundie fame and travelling around the world, if not the chaos at the house and being live-in childminders. I guess it all depends on how hard they are willing to work to claim their "freedom".

[SPHASH]

I know the military isn't for everyone, but it's an option. You get on the job training, (JD would get real training as a pilot instead of learning how to fly a crop duster plane), housing, medical car, tuition assistance, and a pension and other bennies if you stick it out long enough. Course the downside is you may get KIA but I would think that would be better than being under Boob and Mullet's thumb.

[Drina Adams]

Their attitude might hold them back in the real world. They seem to feel quite superior and I can't see the boys dealing well with female bosses. Plus, with no formal qualifications how would they get a foot in the door anywhere? Maybe some churches mighty hire them?

[thekate]

I know the military isn't for everyone, but it's an option. You get on the job training, (JD would get real training as a pilot instead of learning how to fly a crop duster plane), housing, medical car, tuition assistance, and a pension and other bennies if you stick it out long enough. Course the downside is you may get KIA but I would think that would be better than being under Boob and Mullet's thumb.

The military is downsizing though. A GED won't cut it; in fact, a GED wasn't accepted even when the wars were going on. The military is much more technical now and not as reliant on just having a body. They'd need a successful semester or two at community college first to show they had an adequate education and ability.

JB and Michelle have really screwed them over.

[salex]

I would think that there are lawyers somewhere who would take on a suit for money earned by the individual on the show over the years. Child actors are protected from their families taking all their earnings in many / most cases. And several of the "kids" are adults as the show is filmed, so they should have money (and I'm sure a good attorney would be able to prove that paying rent for half a bed in a bedroom and board for tater tot casserole isn't enough to consume all earnings)

But, I think it will be a while after the show is over. Right now, they have too much to lose by leaving-- they are the "cool kids" as unskilled as they are, and don't live with the drudgery they would otherwise.

I am not sure if any of the kids have what it takes to work for other people. However, there are some service jobs that their earnings could help them get into--if they are able to learn the trade. Frankly, lawn care is a moneymaker, but it requires work (my yard guy started with a used push mower and some serious learning disabilities, and 8 years later had parlayed his willingness to work hard into all new equipment and a house on the lake)

Yard care, honey wagons, house painting, office cleaning services, etc are all viable earning options. House cleaning, pet sitting, car detailing, shopping services, etc earn less, generally. But to make anything on any of these, one has to hustle. I see little hustle in these kids.

[Coconut Flan]

Child actors are protected from their families taking all their earnings in many / most cases.

Reality shows frequently are not covered as "actors" with the flimsy excuse that the children are going about their regular activities and thus are not performing or working. PA, NY, and CA are not in agreement with that excuse.

[salex]

Reality shows frequently are not covered as "actors" with the flimsy excuse that the children are going about their regular activities and thus are not performing or working. PA, NY, and CA are not in agreement with that excuse.

I expect they could find attornies to sue over earnings even in Arkansas.

[Coconut Flan]

They probably could find a lawyer to take their case, but would a Duggar sue Jim Bob? First, they'd have to work up the mythical nerve to move out and be not under his umbrella of protection. I can hear the guilt trip he'd lay on the kids now "after all your mother and I have done for you."

This is to my mind one of the biggest problems with children being on reality TV. The parents are presumed to have the best interest of the children in mind when all too often they don't. I believe that any time a child is employed that they should be guaranteed a trust with a hefty percentage of their earnings, if not all, to be held until they are of age.

[fundyfunland]

Sadly, I don't see them needing a survival guide, because I don't really see any of the kids rebelling. I used to have hope for Jinger, but then she got drunk on the kool-aid. Then I was hoping Joy-Anna would be the one to get out, but she too, seems to have had her rebellious nature quashed.

I'm also not sure they'd be willing to seek out the assistance (tuition assistance, food stamps, etc.) they'd need if they did leave. They've been brainwashed to think government assistance is ebil, so it's a big stretch for them to wrap their heads around the fact that they could and should use it.

[Free2BeMe]

Well,here in my neck of the woods we have:

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/medicaid/index.htm

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/adultsvcs/afs_atrisk.htm

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/esbg/housing_shelters.htm

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dss/workfirst/index.htm

That's just a few resources that are available to anyone who needs them and is eligible.

[longskirtlotsakids]

If they learn to milk a cow, theyll have a job in WI. Anyone that can work hard here in WI can have a job, and also housing, if they can work on a farm.

[Coconut Flan]

Well,here in my neck of the woods we have:

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dma/medicaid/index.htm

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/adultsvcs/afs_atrisk.htm

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/aging/esbg/housing_shelters.htm

http://www.ncdhhs.gov/dss/workfirst/index.htm

That's just a few resources that are available to anyone who needs them and is eligible.

Eligible is the operant part. The Duggar offspring wouldn't qualify for Medicaid, Workfirst, and probably not for housing. They might be able to get into a shelter but isn't really a step up from where they are. If they truly want to escape, their best bet would be live-in nanny/housekeeper for the older daughters or college with housing based on grants, loans, and/or work study for any of the older than 18 group. Their biggest problem will be financial aid forms because the parental income and resources would be considered for most of them.

[Minerva]

Jana will need a bit more schooling before she can ghost write. We've read her writing before, and it's dreadful.

Here's my advice to the Duggar that escapes:

Hold off on marrying and having kids. That is not the be-all and end-all of adult life. You need a proper high school education. There are high schools specifically for adults, if you move to the right city. That'll give you time to figure out what your interests are, and you can decide what you want to pursue from there. You (the girls anyway) are hard workers, you should fit into whatever temporary job you get just fine. You may have to flip burgers and take social assistance to make rent for awhile, but that's what it's there for. And that's a worst case scenario. You can bet donations will roll your way once the public knows you left, and you know Oprah's on your side.

[SPHASH]

How about taking online classes? I got a certificate in Travel/Tourism Specialist from Penn Foster last year and was able to land a job as a Travel Agent six months after graduating and it only took me 5 months to complete the program. Penn Foster also offers GED classes, Degree programs, and other career programs too. And my program only cost $650. And no it is not a diploma mill.

[feministing]

I'm starting to see Joy drinking the kool-aid as well lately. I think the last straw was the trip she took with her dad and sisters to Central America. I think they made her go on the trip to drag her away from the boys and teach her to become more ladylike. Also, she sat next to Jimbob on the plane... pretty sure that was a strategic spot for effective brainwashing.

At this point I don't see any of the older girls running off. I wonder what RazingRuth thinks of this? Honestly next up for Joy is a Journey which is enough to brainwash and guilt anyone into fundy-ism.

I think I'm just getting pessimistic because I'm seeing Joy's spirit being crushed more and more as time goes on.

[PennySycamore]

The military is downsizing though. A GED won't cut it; in fact, a GED wasn't accepted even when the wars were going on. The military is much more technical now and not as reliant on just having a body. They'd need a successful semester or two at community college first to show they had an adequate education and ability.

JB and Michelle have really screwed them over.

I know I've said this before but, there is NO WAY for John David to get pilot training in the military unless he first graduates from college. All Air Force (and Army and Marine Corps) Pilots and Naval Aviators are Commissioned Officers and all Commissioned Officers are required to be college graduates. They do not have had to have graduated from one of the military academies nor do they even necessarily have been ROTC, but they do have to be graduates of a legit college.

[FloraKitty35]

I'm starting to see Joy drinking the kool-aid as well lately. I think the last straw was the trip she took with her dad and sisters to Central America. I think they made her go on the trip to drag her away from the boys and teach her to become more ladylike. Also, she sat next to Jimbob on the plane... pretty sure that was a strategic spot for effective brainwashing.

At this point I don't see any of the older girls running off. I wonder what RazingRuth thinks of this? Honestly next up for Joy is a Journey which is enough to brainwash and guilt anyone into fundy-ism.

I think I'm just getting pessimistic because I'm seeing Joy's spirit being crushed more and more as time goes on.

I hope that Joy is smart enough to play along, let Dim Bulb & Mullet think that she is drinking their Kool Aid, while in truth she is carefully plotting to escape once she turns 18 or 19. Same goes for Josiah.

[fundyfunland]

I hope that Joy is smart enough to play along, let Dim Bulb & Mullet think that she is drinking their Kool Aid, while in truth she is carefully plotting to escape once she turns 18 or 19. Same goes for Josiah.

Isn't that what we thought Jinger was doing? That's the reason why Joy's behaviour change concerns me. Jinger used to be the potential escapee, then they (ATI/parents) got to her, now they're working on Joy.

Hasn't Joy already been on one Journey already?