A day in the life of Michelle Duggar

[Lady]

We saw Hannie getting a phonics lesson. She's smart so even with the spotty education, I am sure she knows how to read. It's Jackson that I suspect may be illiterate.

[infooverload]

I swear I probably read more books in a year than the Duggar household reads in 2 years. Also I took my child to the library this weekend for world children's book day. He was able to play bingo, do crafts and listen to a billingual story time. We have only seen the Duggar's go to the library once and that was Anna and McKenzie and Anna seemed overwhelmed at everything offered. I watched and shook my head going are you kidding me. I love books and have close to a dozen or more checked out at a time. On a side note has anyone noticed a trend in fundamentally religious people having low reading rates?

[lilwriter85]

How many lies can we spot in this one essay? I've lost count.

I am curious why they feel such the need to spin this bullshit to such an extent. Could it be that most of their viewers have figured them out and are really only tuning in to snark? I took a glance over at the message board on IMDb and it seems most people these days think the Duggars are FOS.

I think TLC employees including Sean Overbeeke have lurked on different message boards and know that most viewers are snarking on the Duggars. I used to post on IMDB boards a few years ago and back then the Duggars weren't well liked and the vibe of the board hasn't changed that much. There are only a few people there who defend the Duggars and one of the Duggar defenders pretty much outed herself as a major racist on the IMDB politics boards. Whenever she posts on the Duggar boards, most people ignore her. I think TLC is desperate for more people to like the Duggars.

[Marianne]

I swear I probably read more books in a year than the Duggar household reads in 2 years.

In a week even !

Cultural poverty of this family is just scary.

[longskirts]

I remember that. She came up with one book for boys, then said girls would like Before You Meet Prince Charming. She said, "We love to read in our house!" But she really seemed to struggle to come up with anything. You have to think it's because they're hardly allowed to read anything. I remember way back in one of the specials one of the girls said they wanted their room to look like Little House on the Prairie. But would they actually be allowed to read it? I mean, Laura Ingalls' courtship was hardly fundie-approved. Even if you go back to the earliest books, there's dancing in Little House in the Big Woods.

In their first book, they recommend the Little House series. So yes, they read the books. Lots of fundies just overlook the courtship and dance issues in the books.

[AllisonWndrland]

She lays in bed with her feet elevated, so that she can use gravity to help usher JimBob's magical male essence to her battle scarred womb.

:ew: I immediately thought of Michelle telling JimBob how awesome he is while using her little girl voice. I couldn't find an appropriate smilie fast enough.

[MrsYoungie]

We've been treated to tours of that entire TTH and I don't recall seeing a bookshelf let alone a library. We have a library in our home that we have to keep culling because we run out of space and that's just for my husband and me.

BTW - the book Jill recommended for the boys was called "Revered Spy". I don't think they are allowed to read anything that isn't about Jesus, the Bible, or missionaries.

[ljohnson2006]

A day in the life that Michelle Duggar should live, but her oldest kids actually do. She's a lazy bum.

[JenniferJuniper]

I'm sure there are Gothard-approved books out there they would be allowed to read, but I don't think any of those kids spend much time reading. Even if there is a bookish introvert lurking among them, how could s/he possibly concentrate in that zoo-like atmosphere?

Some of my other favorites; "After 'memory lane' we’ll do book work, which is our science, history, law, and medicine resources." "Our science resources", as in the kind of science that says Jesus made all the pretty flowers for our enjoyment so ask no further questions? "Medicine resources"???

And "The younger ones go to their beds, but my older ones will usually come to our room and talk more until midnight or so." So if the older kids are hanging around the marital chamber until midnight chatting about the Bible and stuff, and you are up at 7 sharp every morning, when does sexy time in desperate hope of number 20 happen? At Jim Bob's age, it's probably taking a little extra time just to get it up these days, so again, more bullshit.

We know what's really happening. The kids are running around the house at all hours of the night until they collapse in their day clothes and sleep where they land. No one is "getting them ready for bed" and no one is getting up at 7. Or 8. Or 9.... And Jim Bob and Michelle probably shut their door by 9 every night and leave the J-slaves to deal with the wildings.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Michelle's first thought when this idea was suggested to her was "Id better go ask my daughters what they do all day. What, that doesnt look good enough, Id seem like a terrible mother if I didnt include actual schooling or a bedtime routine, and had children getting up at lunchtime and running round until they fall asleep in their clothes on the bedroom floor. Oh crap, what do normal Christian homeschooling parents do all day??? Better go look up some fundie mommy blogs and see what routines they have. Wow, theyre doing way more than my daughters do, maybe Im not beating them hard enough. But I cant be bothered to do that. Will just lie and keep on doing what I do. Now where is that girl in the blue shirt (Josie? No, Josie is only about five? right now, maybe Jana or Jessa...or maybe Jennifer, or Joanne? Do we have a Joanne?) with my coffee, I asked her 5 minutes ago! And oh dear, Ive been resting my feet on a sleeping child this whole time, I thought it was a footstool. Wake up random Jchild, the bathrooms need cleaning"

[Arete]

In their first book, they recommend the Little House series. So yes, they read the books. Lots of fundies just overlook the courtship and dance issues in the books.

They may be able to overlook those issues, but I have to think that they are only reading the first two books and b.s.ing that they read the whole series. That would not only take care their snowflakes not being exposed to Laura's unconventional "courtship", but the fact that Laura works outside the home for money, and Ma Ingalls demands that they settle in a civilized place so her children can go to a real school.

[Justme]

I don't think Mullet knows the difference between reality and fantasy. She's spun this perfect little world where she does "everything". In her mind it's real. She doesn't even realize it's fantasy....

[Mommy22alyns]

That essay was written by Jill at age 16 at the SOTDRT, about her own day-with extra bits added like reading. Michelle's day consists of ordering around her children, collecting best mom awards, and sex. She doesnt do anything in their house.

Isnt it funny, how in the picture at the top, it is Jinger that is cooking, not Michelle. They probably couldnt find a picture of her doing anything.

She doesnt do any of that stuff. As well as cooking dinner, wasnt it mentioned that Jessa did the majority of the homeschooling?

Coffee. Don't forget the coffee.

That article was so full of bullshit it smelled to open the page.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Coffee? Jinger makes that of course, and probably is the one who has to serve it to Michelle.

I hope one of those kids spits in every meal they make for their asshole parents.

[Miggy]

So let me get this right ... according to Michelle they do school work from 9 to 12, lunch is from 12 - 1 but includes 30-45 minutes of bible memorization, then she puts them straight back to school for a couple of hours. Does she seriously expect us to believe this? Even if we didn't have the evidence from the show I would find this timetable unbelieveable. Kids need breaks. They need a chance to run around. It doesn't make you a bad parent/teacher if your kids don't work for eight hours straight. I love the idea the howler monkeys are happy to do three hours work, eat lunch in fifteen minutes, do a forty five minute bible study, then return to their study. Yeah right.

Oh, and Michelle, you don't need to lie about the mornings. There is nothing wrong with sleeping late. On the other hand, there is a lot of research around now on the negative effects of long term sleep deprivation. I would suggest that you look very carefully at your older daughters who, according to you, go to bed at midnight (or later according to Jill) and get up at 7am. Add to this their sleep being disturbed by younger siblings and I suspect sleep deprivation is probably the norm in your household.

[DefraudedByPlaid]

They may be able to overlook those issues, but I have to think that they are only reading the first two books and b.s.ing that they read the whole series. That would not only take care their snowflakes not being exposed to Laura's unconventional "courtship", but the fact that Laura works outside the home for money, and Ma Ingalls demands that they settle in a civilized place so her children can go to a real school.

Laura and Almanzo actually...kiss. BEFoRE they are married.

Though, Almanzo's nickname is "Manly"...so I imagine the Dugs^2 (Duggars and Dougie) would approve.

[Chibi Author]

Can I just ask a question, for reals? Please be honest with me.

Is Michelle actually a real person? Because really, she comes off as an overly-dramatic fictional character, and I keep imagining her as the creepy woman who's sort of the villain, but not completely, and is really just covering up for the real bad-guy.

Just me? 'Kay.

Books are old-fashioned? Really? Umm, no. Sure, people have Kindles and Nooks and tablets to use in lieu of real books, but they are STILL READING BOOKS. Maybe if she visited libraries (or, ahem, public schools) more often she'd see just how not-old-fashioned books are. There is nothing special about encouraging your children to read. In fact, I'd wager that us dirty liberal secular folks encourage it a lot more than uber conservatives, since there isn't too much that is off-limit to our children.

And where are the books in the Duggar home? I never see a bookshelf anywhere, and rarely see books out being read. Though I guess they're probably in a drawer somewhere since there can't be too many that are approved reading material in that home.

I actually took it to mean that reading aloud to your children is old-fashioned, because I refuse to believe that there are humans out there who actually believe that reading, itself, is old-fashioned.

[Arete]

It's OK to be in denial about that reading business. For the longest time, I refused to believe there were people out there that raised children as if they were part of a cattle feedlot operation. All honesty, sometimes when I read on this board I get the urge to curl up in the fetal position, because these crazies exist, and seem to exist in signifigant numbers.

[alba]

This article should have read something like this:

Noon: Wake up. Sex with Dim Bulb in attempt at conceiving blessing #20.

1 pm: Take pregnancy test.

1:30: Breakfast.

2 pm: Order J'slaves around.

3 pm: Elliptical

4 pm: OK, now I'm stuck because I can't think of anything else this woman does.

[CynicMom]

I find it interesting that Reverend Spy isn't sold new on Amazon and has no reviews on Goodreads. It appears to be a book recounting how the author was totally awesome! Because why would anyone exaggerate that?

[JenniferJuniper]

I find it interesting that Reverend Spy isn't sold new on Amazon and has no reviews on Goodreads. It appears to be a book recounting how the author was totally awesome! Because why would anyone exaggerate that?

Given that it was last published in the early 70's, it may have been a school/reading list book Boob had left over from his Christian school days. If so, it's a pretty sad commentary on his sons' reading list if that's the one book Jill could come up with. Although the Hanging Around Waiting for My Prince to Come book is of course even sadder.

A good guess would be that they have some Gothard-approved picture books for the little ones and beyond that the only other book in the house is the Bible. Because really, what else do growing Gothardites need?

When Josh finally obtained unfiltered internet access, it must have serious shock to his system. In more ways than one.

[HereticHick]

Denton's "Reverend Spy" is not in the Library of Congress catalog.

I assume these girls aren't allowed to read Jane Austen. Although, frankly, I think the vocabulary level and sentence structure would over their heads. Not their fault, but time and time again I am struck by how inarticulate all the Duggar children are.

[alba]

Denton's "Reverend Spy" is not in the Library of Congress catalog.

I assume these girls aren't allowed to read Jane Austen. Although, frankly, I think the vocabulary level and sentence structure would over their heads. Not their fault, but time and time again I am struck by how inarticulate all the Duggar children are.

I feel the same way. I think I find it so startling because the older ones are young adults who have been in front of cameras since adolescence; with the amount of practice they have speaking to cameras they should be much more articulate. They don't seem to have improved in their talking heads from the first special nearly a decade ago (when they were at a level that I would have expected from young teenagers who had never before spoken to a camera). I think it really goes to show how isolated they are, because they clearly don't have much experience talking to people outside their family or hearing good oratory.

[m0drnmoonlight]

I remember that. She came up with one book for boys, then said girls would like Before You Meet Prince Charming. She said, "We love to read in our house!" But she really seemed to struggle to come up with anything. You have to think it's because they're hardly allowed to read anything. I remember way back in one of the specials one of the girls said they wanted their room to look like Little House on the Prairie. But would they actually be allowed to read it? I mean, Laura Ingalls' courtship was hardly fundie-approved. Even if you go back to the earliest books, there's dancing in Little House in the Big Woods.

I remember back on the TWoP board someone dug up a fundie blog that said something like while the Little House series is acceptable for girls to read, Laura Ingalls Wilder is not an inspirational woman. Probably because she worked as a schoolteacher and wrote a successful book series and had the nerve to omit the word "obey" from her wedding vows.

[AVENues]

If Jimbo tried to approach me with the intention of kissing me or sexing me, I'd reach for an ice pick and stab the shit out of him finally.