Article about Peter Arndt (and family)

[Triplet3]

I found this article recently and don't think it's been discussed on FJ:

 

bnd.com/2013/01/13/2453806/peter-the-13th-has-a-special-place.html

 

 

BND.Com said:

Peter Arndt is the 13th of the 14 Arndt children.

 

And he's on the cusp of becoming a teen.

 

"I'll be 13 in 2013. July 26," said the soft-spoken 12- year-old with clear blue eyes.

 

The Arndt children range from 9 to 32. Mary-Elizabeth the only girl, was 16 on Jan. 5. David, the youngest, will be 10 on Jan. 21.

 

Roughly every three weeks, the family celebrates a birthday at their rural Millstadt home.

 

"She's always wrapping presents," said Rick of his wife, Cathy.

 

Friday afternoon, Peter took a break from arithmetic problems to talk about his place in the family. He sat at a 14-foot table in a sunny room off the kitchen where Cathy homeschools the younger ones.

 

The entrepreneurial family, which has studios on the lower level, has a court-reporting business, and does wedding photography, videography, computer repair and web design.

 

Several took a break for Peter's moment in the spotlight.

 

They describe the second youngest as intelligent, sweet, practical, logical .... "And giggly," said Mom.

 

He got his nickname "Turkey" from big brother Seth.

 

"When David, the youngest, was a baby, I called him a chocolate turkey goat to make him laugh," said Seth, 21. "Peter thought that's what you should call people. Somehow, people got even by calling him 'Turkey.'"

 

The name stuck.

 

"Some of the guys say, I am like John," said Peter of his 30-year-old brother.

 

"Both are intellligent, studious, observant, and have a very high IQ," said Cathy.

 

What do you think about being No. 13?

 

"It's neat because I get a lot of old toys from the older brothers. It's just fun."

 

Do you inherit clothes? "I get a lot of hand-me-downs. I also get new clothes sometimes."

 

"You can't get through 13 boys without knees wearing out," said Cathy.

 

"Then we can turn them into short pants," said Peter.

 

Do you hang out with one brother more than the others? "I play with David a lot and wrestle with him, and we play card games and catch. We do a World Series game where you have to catch the ball 10 times. The first one to get to 10 wins the game. The first person to win four of those games wins the World Series."

 

Baseball is big with the Arndt family. They sponsor an annual Softball Classic that benefits their Christian ministry. Peter will be eligible to play when he is 14.

 

"He's one of two left-handers in the family," said Cathy. "That's pretty special."

 

Do you like being a big brother or a little brother? "I've never really been much of a big brother. I'm only older than David."

 

Do you get any alone time with your parents? "Sometimes, Dad takes us out to get an ice cream cone or a soda or Mom takes us out for things like that, too, or we go shopping with her."

 

What do you like to do for fun? "I like playing card games. I like poker and blitz. I am all right, I guess. A lot of the guys are better. I also like playing baseball and Wiffle ball with my brothers." He goes to the YMCA where he plays catch with a football, lifts weights, runs on the track and takes swim lessons.

 

Do you have any chores? "I have to do trash. The whole house has 29 trash cans."

 

Cathy explained that everyone has chores.

 

"It has to be a job they can handle," she said. "Caleb (14) does dishes. Mary (16) cleans up the kitchen, sweeps and helps with cooking. Nathan does the laundry. Jacob (19) scopes and does proof reading, and transcripts, all part of the court reporting process. Seth (21) also scopes. David (9) dries and puts away the dishes. He is the TP guy. It's his job to fill every bathroom with six rolls every week."

 

Favorite thing to eat: "I like pizza, pepperoni and hamburger," said Peter. "I also like ham (Canadian bacon) pizza."

 

Favorite place to dine out: "Golden Corral. They have a really good buffet and cookies and ice cream and pizzas."

 

Favorite subjects: "Spelling and history and health and science. I like reading better than writing."

 

What have you been reading? "Garfield Comic books, Three Stooges and Peanuts."

 

"He helps me tape silent movies," said Dad Rick. "He watches when I take them off TV. He seems to appreciate the sense of humor of silent movies."

 

Favorite vacation spot: "Maybe The Outer Banks of North Carolina," said Peter. "It seems really nice with the beach. I got buried in the sand. There were wild horses on the beach. I just love it there."

 

How do the Arndts travel? "In four cars and a trailer, with walkie talkies," said Cathy. "Everyone knows how many are supposed to be in a car. We count heads before we pull away. The trailer is like taking a room with you. We park it at the vacation spot. It's like a huge walk-in closet."

 

If you want to check in on the Arndt family, go to famteam.TV. If you have Direct TV, go to Channel 378 for "Safe at Home," Rick Arndt's ministry, at 4 p.m. Mondays and Tuesdays; or the "Fam Team" that airs at 4 p.m Wednesdays.

 

Read more here: http://www.bnd.com/2013/01/13/2453806/p ... rylink=cpy

I have to admit to being fascinated by this family, despite the tediousness of their youtube videos. It's so sad that according to the article, Peter is highly intelligent and loves history and science, yet because he's being brought up fundie he'll never have access to decent, academically honest history or science texts.

[laura oz]

The Arndt family is my fundie crack. It's a twisted drug of choice. :lol:

[Nothing2CHere]

Mention about birthdays, but no mention of cake in the parental bed.

[Letgo]

No mention of the fact that the oldest "child" at home is 32? That none of the adult children are married, have moved out of the family home, have attended college, have a career apart from the family businesses? It seems odd that the writer would not question these things. I sure would if I were sent to write about Peter or anyone else in the family.

[Maggie Mae]

How sad that anyone's favorite place to eat is the Golden Corral.

[JenniferJuniper]

I have to admit to being fascinated by this family, despite the tediousness of their youtube videos. It's so sad that according to the article, Peter is highly intelligent and loves history and science, yet because he's being brought up fundie he'll never have access to decent, academically honest history or science texts.

Someone else probably has a better idea, but I haven't been able to figure out if they are anti-science. They are revisionist to an extent when it comes to history (i.e. abortion = slavery) but I don't know if they flatly deny evolution or if they take a more Catholic view of it. They do take the kids to the Saint Louis Science Center and Rick fancies himself an environmentalist of sorts.

In general, they seem better educated than your typical fundie SOTDRT graduates, and I'll give Cathy credit where it’s due. But in a way, this makes me even sadder for them. Yes, boys - and Wizzie - you can know all about the big world out there but you can never really be a part of it.

I like the Arndt kids. And this makes me all the more angry over what their parents have done to them.

[Rita]

I smell a rat. I don't know many people who always speak in complete sentences. Also, Peter must be the blandest kid ever. The interviewer couldn't get a single excited statement? Unless he's got verbal difficulties, I expect most children to show some emotion when they've been singled out like this. Weird.

[So Many Lies]

Someone marry the older ones off to the older Seven Sisters please!

This idea came from another thread, sadly not my idea, but a brilliant suggestion!

If this actually happened though I wonder if they'd have any kids at all, since neither probably know anything about how those children came into being :lol:

[JesusPony]

They're, like... really, really boring and really, really weird at the same time. They are a conundrum.

What's the over/under on any of them leaving home 1. before age 40 and 2. before either parent dies?

[MamaJunebug]

No mention of the fact that the oldest "child" at home is 32? That none of the adult children are married, have moved out of the family home, have attended college, have a career apart from the family businesses? It seems odd that the writer would not question these things. I sure would if I were sent to write about Peter or anyone else in the family.

This. Also: Smoley hokes, what was that about? The News-Democrat used to be a decent rag. The way of all print media, I guess . :(

[DaffyDill]

The Arndt family is my fundie crack. It's a twisted drug of choice. :lol:

Same here. They fascinate me in a strange and possibly unhealthy fashion.

[Ex 2x2]

How sad that anyone's favorite place to eat is the Golden Corral.

I don't think it's unusual for a kid his age. My kids LOVE it there..they have cotton candy and a chocolate fountain, so my kids are sold. I don't like buffets so we don't go much, but my kids ask to go often.

[Patsy]

I smell a rat. I don't know many people who always speak in complete sentences. Also, Peter must be the blandest kid ever. The interviewer couldn't get a single excited statement? Unless he's got verbal difficulties, I expect most children to show some emotion when they've been singled out like this. Weird.

Read any celebrity interview and the writer's done the same thing: taken what was actually side, edited out the false starts, stammering, "um"s and "like"s, and re-ordered certain phrases to make coherent, succinct sentences. Nothing "rat"ish about it, it's the normal way to present an interview in type.

[So Many Lies]

Someone else probably has a better idea, but I haven't been able to figure out if they are anti-science. They are revisionist to an extent when it comes to history (i.e. abortion = slavery) but I don't know if they flatly deny evolution or if they take a more Catholic view of it. They do take the kids to the Saint Louis Science Center and Rick fancies himself an environmentalist of sorts.

In general, they seem better educated than your typical fundie SOTDRT graduates, and I'll give Cathy credit where it’s due. But in a way, this makes me even sadder for them. Yes, boys - and Wizzie - you can know all about the big world out there but you can never really be a part of it.

I like the Arndt kids. And this makes me all the more angry over what their parents have done to them.

Agreed. And they are terribly sweet and adorable. I just love them. Yes I am sad. I have been told many times. But I do not love the fact that they are cut off from society. It's wrong. The only practicable solution is to marry the older ones off so at least they can experience a bit of automomy, even if it's within the fundiedom realm.

[Joan of Snarc]

No mention of the fact that the oldest "child" at home is 32? That none of the adult children are married, have moved out of the family home, have attended college, have a career apart from the family businesses? It seems odd that the writer would not question these things. I sure would if I were sent to write about Peter or anyone else in the family.

The writer was too busy telling us that Peter's job is to empty all the trash cans in the house. Oh, and my favorite detail -- it's David's job to stock all the bathrooms with six (not five! not seven!) rolls of toilet paper each Saturday. Woo ha! Let the party begin!

I would not have thought it possible that an article about Arndts could be just as boring as they are. Watching the J'slaves make laundry detergent and give themselves crinkly home perms was absolutely titillating compared to A Day in the Life of the Arndts.

:roll:

[MamaJunebug]

OK, looks as though the BND does featurettes on remarkable youth in the area - the one following Peter's is about an accomplished student at a local high school.

Query: Which of us writes a letter to the editor asking why the more interesting story about the family wasn't covered: the six or seven older sons, all well into adulthood, who have NEVER. MOVED. OUT. ?

I would think that would be a human interest story well worth investigating. Look at the interest it gets, here! ;)

[yetanothermeg]

OK, looks as though the BND does featurettes on remarkable youth in the area - the one following Peter's is about an accomplished student at a local high school.

Query: Which of us writes a letter to the editor asking why the more interesting story about the family wasn't covered: the six or seven older sons, all well into adulthood, who have NEVER. MOVED. OUT. ?

I would think that would be a human interest story well worth investigating. Look at the interest it gets, here! ;)

I wonder if you just write in and ask them to interview your kid? Cause there didn't seem to be anything remarkable or accomplished about this kid.

[TheJewAmongUs]

Garfield comics? And I saw on their site that one of their favorite video games is NHL '94. It's like they froze all outside influences in their house 20 years ago. Which is about when the maturity of their children froze too.

And I like how the mom explains that chores have to be something they can handle. Can't a 14 year old do more than dishes?

[Dandruff]

Joan of Snarc wrote:

I would not have thought it possible that an article about Arndts could be just as boring as they are. Watching the J'slaves make laundry detergent and give themselves crinkly home perms was absolutely titillating compared to A Day in the Life of the Arndts.

The mom thinks it's 'pretty special' that he's one of two family members who are left-handed? It's 'neat' being #13 because he gets lots of old toys from his older brothers? Who are these people?

[TheJewAmongUs]

In the family picture in the article, John has quite the Movember 'stache going there. I wonder if he's rebelling, or if it's just for a Vine Valley scene.

[DutchieV]

I started choking on my soup when I read the bit about how "it has to be jobs that they can handle". My 4 and 1/2 year old son can do the dishes. My daughter is 2 and helps me sort and put away the silverware, and helps move the laundry from the washer to the dryer. But I'm so glad she's signed her 14 year old off on loading the dishwasher. Good child rearing there.....

[Feberin]

Garfield comics? And I saw on their site that one of their favorite video games is NHL '94. It's like they froze all outside influences in their house 20 years ago. Which is about when the maturity of their children froze too.

And I like how the mom explains that chores have to be something they can handle. Can't a 14 year old do more than dishes?

Garfield comics are still popular at the library where I work there are frequently requests. Ussually by younger kids but would you expect an Ardnt boy to be reading something age appropriate?

[Joan of Snarc]

The mom thinks it's 'pretty special' that he's one of two family members who are left-handed? It's 'neat' being #13 because he gets lots of old toys from his older brothers? Who are these people?

It's the family stuck in 1994: They get older, and the world around them evolves, but everything in their lives stays in '94. Thirty-year-old men play with toys, the "kids" have birthday cake in their parents' bedroom, chores are the same as they were 20 years ago; they age physically, but not mentally. Will the two worlds ever collide?

:shock:

[MamaJunebug]

I wonder if you just write in and ask them to interview your kid? Cause there didn't seem to be anything remarkable or accomplished about this kid.

Quite possibly, that's the case. Which begs the question of why an enquiring mind hasn't e-mailed the editor yet to ask about that large family where ALL the boys [sic] still live under Mom's roof?? ETA: Mind, I'm not criticizing the reporter. Or even, in this sorry day and age, the editor. Dad Arndt, self-proclaimed pillar of the community, knows the court system .... nobody's going to go after an inside scoop on that home for sheltered men. Especially not in Belleville, which used to have the highest ratio of lawyers per capita of any place in the USA. :shhh:

I'm very surprised the reporter didn't ask about the family's "ministry" for which they hold their softball day. It's never been specified where the proceeds go, IIRC, on their own publicity. So it's basically "come play softball so that we can put more money into our weird webpage and movie-making." Now I'll stay even farther away!

[FreeJosie]

I'm also fascinated by how enmeshed they are with one another. The oldest Arndts are in their 30s and seem to have no desire to move out!