Wizzy Arndt in her white "short, shorts"

[truthteller]

I'm from Belleville and I have met the Arndts through softball. The kids are the nicest people you would ever meet. I never talked to Kathy but Rick seems egotistical to me. All of his dumb vanity projects seem to be dominating their lives if you ask me.

Their isolation must have been an issue back when the older boys were in their teens because Kathy's parents paid to send them to a local catholic high school, but that only lasted a year I think.

Most dads would be not-so-gently pushing older kids out of the house to start their life, but not Rick. Rick has stopped reporting and the family now is supported by the oldest 3-4 boys and their reporting jobs. How could he kick out the very people who are supporting him?

The only way any of these guys will ever marry is if they get "fixed up" with some gal by a family member playing matchmaker. These guys are too tied up into knots to ever be able to ask a girl out. Plus, I think 1 or 2 might be gay. I'll let you all figure out who. 8-)

[ILoveJellybeans]

Wow, youve met the Arndts? That is awesome! Did the kids seem like normal adults their ages, or were they like five year olds in grown up bodies who wanted to introduce you to their penguins?

[JenniferJuniper]

I'm from Belleville and I have met the Arndts through softball. The kids are the nicest people you would ever meet. I never talked to Kathy but Rick seems egotistical to me. All of his dumb vanity projects seem to be dominating their lives if you ask me.

Their isolation must have been an issue back when the older boys were in their teens because Kathy's parents paid to send them to a local catholic high school, but that only lasted a year I think.

Most dads would be not-so-gently pushing older kids out of the house to start their life, but not Rick. Rick has stopped reporting and the family now is supported by the oldest 3-4 boys and their reporting jobs. How could he kick out the very people who are supporting him?

The only way any of these guys will ever marry is if they get "fixed up" with some gal by a family member playing matchmaker. These guys are too tied up into knots to ever be able to ask a girl out. Plus, I think 1 or 2 might be gay. I'll let you all figure out who. 8-)

I'll go with Luke and John. :wink-penguin:

[fakepigtails73]

Oh come on. There's nothing creepy or inappropriate about her clothing.

I know!

What is creepy about this?? :think:

ETA: Is this the girl whom I saw on a clip crying her head off because she couldn't carry her teddy bear somewhere or something? She was 16 but dressed as a 7 yr old. It was one of the weirdest fundie family video that I've seen.

She had pigtails and her hair was brown. The girl on the white shorts pic looks like a blonde.

[ladyamylynn]

I know!

What is creepy about this?? :think:

The fact that she's dressed exactly like her mom, who is clearly extremely controlling of every aspect of her children's lives. I suppose it could just be a coincidence that she's wearing white shorts and running shoes, which is the only thing I've EVER seen the mom wear. Hell, maybe all the boys love dressing like clones of each other, too. But in the context of the Arndt family, I think seeing Wizzy and Mother Arndt in matching clothes is creepy.

[fakepigtails73]

The fact that she's dressed exactly like her mom, who is clearly extremely controlling of every aspect of her children's lives. I suppose it could just be a coincidence that she's wearing white shorts and running shoes, which is the only thing I've EVER seen the mom wear. Hell, maybe all the boys love dressing like clones of each other, too. But in the context of the Arndt family, I think seeing Wizzy and Mother Arndt in matching clothes is creepy.

I just looked at pics and yeah, she does dress like her Mom. Daughters tend to imitate Mommy at 3 or 4 yrs old, not 16.

In that aspect it is kind of creepy. After having many boys in a row Mrs Arendt likely was elated to have "her little girl" so she probable smothered her. Wizzy looks way way younger than 16. The more I think about it the likelier I think that she is the girl who bawled because her teddy bear was gone (for a spin in the washing machine, if I remember.Urgh.)

[Palimpsest]

I just looked at pics and yeah, she does dress like her Mom. Daughters tend to imitate Mommy at 3 or 4 yrs old, not 16.

In that aspect it is kind of creepy. After having many boys in a row Mrs Arendt likely was elated to have "her little girl" so she probable smothered her. Wizzy looks way way younger than 16. The more I think about it the likelier I think that she is the girl who bawled because her teddy bear was gone (for a spin in the washing machine, if I remember.Urgh.)

No, no, no! That was Benji the Penguin! Two of the brothers faked his demise in the spin cycle.

I had a fleeting moment of hope there that Mark and Luke were also coming to the conclusion that the stuffed penguin obsession was getting a bit unhealthy.

[already hungover]

After watching this video, I am so conflicted!

Mark has been the Ardnt man-boy with my affections from the earliest days. If I ever became a righteous widow I would sweep him off his feet and have my way with his hairless body. But those shots of a shirtless Paul?

Hmmm........decisions, decisions. :think:

I recently had a dream that I married Mark Arndt. This is seriously the only place where I feel comfortable sharing such information. It freaked me out a little bit.

That said, I think most of the Arndts would make decent spouses for someone patient enough to teach them how to do the activities of daily living. I really don't see any of them ending up as oppressive and domineering as Steve Maxwell or Anderson, for example, and some of them seem like they'd be pretty easy to coax over to the "dark side" that is mainstream Christianity. And hell, I like eating in bed so the cake thing is no issue. ;)

[JenniferJuniper]

I just looked at pics and yeah, she does dress like her Mom. Daughters tend to imitate Mommy at 3 or 4 yrs old, not 16.

In that aspect it is kind of creepy. After having many boys in a row Mrs Arendt likely was elated to have "her little girl" so she probable smothered her. Wizzy looks way way younger than 16. The more I think about it the likelier I think that she is the girl who bawled because her teddy bear was gone (for a spin in the washing machine, if I remember.Urgh.)

I think Mommy probably dresses the manboys too. And I can only recall seeing one bedroom with a couple of bunk beds in it, but it was decorated for a 6 year old although all of the boys except the youngest one are at least in their teens now. She's never going to let them grow up.

[bbfreethinker]

No, no, no! That was Benji the Penguin! Two of the brothers faked his demise in the spin cycle.

I had a fleeting moment of hope there that Mark and Luke were also coming to the conclusion that the stuffed penguin obsession was getting a bit unhealthy.

I was at a Lyle Lovett concert last week and thought of the Arndts when he sang this song:

U4ZAaPYimfM

Yea, I spend too much time on FJ.

[darkplumaged]

That said, I think most of the Arndts would make decent spouses for someone patient enough to teach them how to do the activities of daily living. I really don't see any of them ending up as oppressive and domineering as Steve Maxwell or Anderson, for example, and some of them seem like they'd be pretty easy to coax over to the "dark side" that is mainstream Christianity. And hell, I like eating in bed so the cake thing is no issue. ;)

Yeah, I agree with this. If any of them could overcome whatever is holding them back, I think they'd be relatively pleasant husbands--easygoing and eager to please.

I think that all that needs to happen is for one of them to meet a woman who is clearly interested and is, for whatever reason, willing to overlook the family's extreme weirdness. (Easier said than done, I know.) If one of them got married, I bet a couple others would follow soon after.

[JenniferJuniper]

Yeah, I agree with this. If any of them could overcome whatever is holding them back, I think they'd be relatively pleasant husbands--easygoing and eager to please.

I think that all that needs to happen is for one of them to meet a woman who is clearly interested and is, for whatever reason, willing to overlook the family's extreme weirdness. (Easier said than done, I know.) If one of them got married, I bet a couple others would follow soon after.

I agree that the ones we see (there are a few middle manboys who don't get much face time) are sweeties. Extreme sweeties. To the point where I can't really believe they're real.

But my gut tells me they would be confused and frightened husbands who would be constantly thinking about what their brothers were getting up to. Imagine a husband who spends his days texting his 12 brothers.

Here's Luke a few years back talking about his family:

It’s hard to know where to begin. The character that I see in not only Mom and Dad, but in my brothers — and Wizzy — is so admirable. The hard work. The talents. The senses of humor. The integrity. The pure joy. The humility. The athletic abilities. Put simply, I’m surrounded by the best of the best.

So we have this incredible cast of characters. Such a diverse group, yet many similarities and common interests. Sprinkle in some very entertaining chubs, a beautiful little sister, and two amazing parents, and you should understand how sometimes I wonder how I could ever have earned a spot on this all-star roster.

It’s kind of a deep question, really. I mean, obviously I didn’t have a choice. We can’t choose our parents or our family. So the whole “Why me? Why here?†question can’t really be answered. It’s simply God’s goodness, His grace. I guess He just wanted me to be a part of this group. I’m a piece of the puzzle. And it’s humbling to know that I had absolutely no control over it.

Since I clearly had no control over it, I just find myself constantly thanking God for such a wonderful setup. I still have to almost pinch myself at times, to really realize that I’m part of this! I’m one of the Arndt boys. I’m a part of the all-Arndt softball team. It’s an enormous privilege to be a part of the figurative team as well as the real thing!

One thing I know for sure: If this is the best it gets, I have already had an amazing life

This is so over-the-top it sounds like it could have been written by Rick. Maybe it was. But the idea of a man in his early 20's and still living at home acknowledging the possibility that his life might not get any better is very sad. And I can't help but wonder if at some level they understand this.

[salex]

I just looked at pics and yeah, she does dress like her Mom. Daughters tend to imitate Mommy at 3 or 4 yrs old, not 16.

In that aspect it is kind of creepy. After having many boys in a row Mrs Arendt likely was elated to have "her little girl" so she probable smothered her.

But what other women or girls does she know to bounce fashion ideas off of? She is homeschooled and home churched. Does she have girl cousins or aunts or grandmothers in her life? We really don't see many pictures of extended family. So, no suprise she dresses like Mom.

[JenniferJuniper]

But what other women or girls does she know to bounce fashion ideas off of? She is homeschooled and home churched. Does she have girl cousins or aunts or grandmothers in her life? We really don't see many pictures of extended family. So, no suprise she dresses like Mom.

It appears they are in close contatct with several of Kathy's sisters (one of whom runs her own chiropractic business) and she has at least one female cousin she is close to. Wizzie also attends the Y with her brothers and has what's been called "Y friends" there. As opposed to real friends, I guess. It doesn't appear she has any of those.

[FreeJosie]

Yeah, I agree with this. If any of them could overcome whatever is holding them back, I think they'd be relatively pleasant husbands--easygoing and eager to please.

I think that all that needs to happen is for one of them to meet a woman who is clearly interested and is, for whatever reason, willing to overlook the family's extreme weirdness. (Easier said than done, I know.) If one of them got married, I bet a couple others would follow soon after.

Mama Arndt would be a tough mother-in-law to deal with. She's so entwined in her sons' lives.

[Vex]

I like the Ardnt kids. I think they seem sweet and if you could get some distance between them and their parents they could be normal. If I had to hang out with fundies, I'd choose them.

Wizzy makes me sad, though. She needs female friends. Her mother is creepy and controlling. Her father is all puffed up with self-importance.

As for brides for the Ardnt boys, what about the Munck girls?

[polecat]

So I only made it through 3 minutes of the video. The speech pattern is so odd. Is anyone from their area and can comment on how this compares to the normal regional accent/speech pattern? Idk.

One way they're less creepy than the Duggars though: they don't have to side hug their parents and siblings.

I'm in Belleville (near StL and where the Arndts live and are well known), and I didn't think they sounded too different. One of the boys had an odd cadence to his speech, but the pronunciation was pretty typical. People here tend to say "wush" and "warsh" instead of "wash" (annoying, really), and they tend to say "farty" or "far" instead of forty and four. It's not a hugely noticeable accent, but it's definitely noticeable if you aren't used to it or prepared for it.

[nokidsmom]

Mama Arndt would be a tough mother-in-law to deal with. She's so entwined in her sons' lives.

Agree that she would be a tough mother-in-law and I wouldn't envy an Arndt daugther-in-law for dealing with that. However this is a mom that I don't think even wants to be a mother-in-law. She is very much involved and in charge of things. She seems hell bent on keeping them in perpetual childhood and near her. She's not going to let those guys go. I wouldn't be surprised if any of the boys had an interest in some young woman at some time only to have it squashed by Mom. They talk about waiting for Princess Charming but wonder if their idea of Princess Charming is some impossible standard established by who else, Mom.

The older guys are fairly decent looking, in good shape, have occupations. They live in an area with a decent sized population and near a major metro area. Yet, no wives, girlfriends, simply friends of the opposite sex, anything. Surely they would had to have met people that they liked or who liked them by this time. So that has me thinking something is really wrong here and it seems to be Mom.

ETA: Is it possible that these young men are seen locally as Mama's boys (or having too much family involvement) and that's scaring potential wives / gf's off. Back in my single days, I avoided Mama's boys like the plague. I turned down a guy who was by the looks of things would be considered a good "catch" simply because of his family over-involvement. They knew he was going to ask me out before I did!

[MsSaylor]

Thanks for commenting polecat. I didn't realize st. Louis had much of a regional accent going on. I'm in Nebraska so I figured it would be comparable there to the Midwest speech I'm used to. Which most people from other areas describe to me as kind of a non accent. Though we have the warsh thing among older people. And tend to say words like "bag" with a long A sound.

Anywho I agree that mama Arndt would be an incredibly difficult/creepy mil.

[mockingbird]

LOL I say "warsh" and I'm in my 20s. Various friends have tried to get me to say "waaaash" just to see if I can say it "correctly" and I just... can't. :lol: My mom grew up in Florida and Memphis and blames herself for passing it on to us.

Anyway... Mama Arndt is slightly creepy and seems very controlling and I also wouldn't be surprised if she has squashed any crushes the boys have had.

[GeoBQn]

There was a Dear Prudence letter that made me think of Mama Arndt. The LW had recently moved into a house with her long-term boyfriend. When they went away for a weekend trip, they left her boyfriend's mother a key so that she could hang a framed picture. When they got back, they discovered that the mother had redecorated the entire house. She didn't just move a few vases or chairs around--she made changes that were both expensive (replacing all the pillows, sheets, and decor) and invasive (going through their drawers and closets, printing and framing photos from the LW's computer). When the LW complained to her boyfriend, he responded that he didn't see what the problem was and his mother had always done things like this. Prudie advised the LW to talk to her boyfriend about setting boundaries now, and if he didn't agree, then maybe he would prefer to be tucked into bed by Mommy every night.

[engineer5]

Are any of the Arndt boys married?

[JenniferJuniper]

Are any of the Arndt boys married?

There is no indication that any of the manboys have ever been on a date.

[nelliebelle1197]

I know am I probably posting something already well known, but has anyone seen the Ardnts' Vine Valley TV show? Their "scripted" pilot? There are clips on the website. Yeah.

[engineer5]

How can you not go on a date by the time you are 32?