Wizzy Arndt in her white "short, shorts"

[nokidsmom]

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

Wonder about that too. I sure as hell didn't wait until 32 for a date. But I guess that if a person has an uber-controlling mom who works on keeping your childhood going on forever, squashes any crushes (possible competition, you know) and tells you that you have to wait for the Princess Charming who has to meet impossible standards to drop out of the sky, then that person may never go on a date.

Mom is clearly in control and has to be behind all these guys being single.

[JenniferJuniper]

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

I'm sure there are shy or aromantic people out there who have never been on a date by age 32.

But the Arndts have 10 sons over the age of 18 and a daughter who is pushing 17 and all indications are that no one has gone on a date to the malt shop or the Golden Corral yet.

What are the odds?

[Coconut Flan]

I knew one mama's boy who lived with mama until he died at about age 44. He never dated. Although I could never imagine who he could date. He was an only son and while he had a college degree and worked, he was so personally quirky none of us co-workers could ever find anyone to set him up with.

[engineer5]

Wouldn't the mom be tired of paying for all those kids? Or at least want to kids out of the house so she can enjoy being with her husband and going on trips with him.

Are the sons hot?

[nokidsmom]

I knew one mama's boy who lived with mama until he died at about age 44. He never dated. Although I could never imagine who he could date. He was an only son and while he had a college degree and worked, he was so personally quirky none of us co-workers could ever find anyone to set him up with.

Your comments remind me of someone very similar. This was a friend of a friend who lived with his mom and he was known as a mama's boy. Mamw was a widow and really holding onto him. He was pretty quirky too and I remember he was dressed like an older man (maybe like dad?) and it made him look older when he was still fairly young. I think my friend was trying to set him up as well, but to no avail. He was just too weird.

[JenniferJuniper]

Wouldn't the mom be tired of paying for all those kids? Or at least want to kids out of the house so she can enjoy being with her husband and going on trips with him.

Are the sons hot?

The kids should be tired of supporting their parents.

The older sons support the household by doing court reporting, computer repairs, and wedding photography. Daddy does not appear to work anymore and Mommy runs the household.

The younger sons do all of the repair and maintenance work around the house and property. The sons also built the house.

Rick and Cathy go on frequent trips without the kids. They seem fixated on Williamsburg, but they've been other places as well.

Are they hot? I think one or two are sort of cute, most are ordinary looking.

[ShadowyOne]

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.

I live not too far from them, as well, and I find their speech very odd. There are local inflections, but the way they speak is unique to them, I think. for example, in the video up thread, near the beginning, the way one says "Flo-RI-da" really strangely. It's more cadence than accent with most of them that contributes to the odd speech pattern. And a shared nasal quality, too. I've found it more noticeable in some other videos, because the young ones have it worse than the ones featured here.

[gustava]

The kids should be tired of supporting their parents.

The older sons support the household by doing court reporting, computer repairs, and wedding photography. Daddy does not appear to work anymore and Mommy runs the household.

The younger sons do all of the repair and maintenance work around the house and property. The sons also built the house.

Rick and Cathy go on frequent trips without the kids. They seem fixated on Williamsburg, but they've been other places as well.

Are they hot? I think one or two are sort of cute, most are ordinary looking.

It has been said that Cathy has family money. If so, I'm guessing that the boy-childs don't actually support them all.

[JenniferJuniper]

It has been said that Cathy has family money. If so, I'm guessing that the boy-childs don't actually support them all.

Cathy's family does have a business. But she comes from a big family, so it's hard to say how much she's benefiting from it. She's not working for the company like some of her siblings are.

They are probably making money from the website and their cable TV shows as well. I'm sure it's not enough to support everything, but between the working sons and the fact that the house the sons built is paid for free and clear, I'm sure they're okay. Bottom line though, there is no evidence that Daddy is doing any work beyond his video "ministries" and mucking around with his vanity "Vine Valley" project.

[nokidsmom]

I did wonder what the heck Daddy did for a living because all I knew of was this Vine Valley project and the video stuff. Interesting that he doesn't seem to have any other work. And didn't know that the sons built the free and clear house. Wow, Mom and Dad have a good deal going, no wonder they don't want to cut them loose.

[clarinetpower]

Someone mentioned North Dakota, and as a native, I kind of see a little of that in the accent. They have sort of a Scottish/Norwegian brogue, with some Forrest Gump thrown in and I guess a little Belleville? Also kind of sounds like they learned to speak from someone hearing impaired, sort of like in the movie "Nell". I definitely heard "far" for "for" and the bald guy has some really strange cadences. I hear "flar DAAAAH" for Florida, almost as if he'd only read it and never heard it spoken. Very strange.

Also, Wizzie in the shorts; is it just me or does it look like she's wearing pantyhose? Her legs are tanner than her face.

The penguins thing is just weird and trying way too hard. It's like something my 6 year old might consider (for 40 seconds), not a plot point you can write a whole movie around. And no, God doesn't want you to have a TV show because you didn't put your suitcases inside and it rained.

They are really stunted in their development. I do wonder if there's something in the water (or if Ma is putting saltpeter in their food. I mean, come on. Florida with young men and they avoid girls in bikinis? There is something wrong with them. I pity their poor wives, if they ever have them. It appears they have no sex drive whatsoever.)

Also, yes, I am still here occasionally. :) No promises you'll see me again for a while, though.

[morfydd]

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.

That quote is so... weird. "Such a diverse group"? "I'm surrounded by the best of the best"?

re: Diversity: Your family is... one family. All from the same place with 95% shared experiences. One shared financial/ethnic/religious/nationality situation. The fact that you all don't like the same flavor of toothpaste does not actually make you diverse.

re: Best of the best: Really? How can you possibly know that?* I mean, it is indeed possible that one family, of the billions of people on the earth, is entirely composed of the NICEST people (the character through humility items listed). Unfalsifiable and all that. But athletic abilities? You play each other and a few teams in a restricted area, and as far as I can tell don't dominate even in that tiny pool.

I get being proud of his family - but it sounds weird with no actual achievements. I get feeling lucky to be born in his family - but that is not the same as them being the best ever.

So very weird.

*I assume his view of the rest of the world is tainted by court reporting, to be fair. If my only exposure to the outside world were via court cases I'd have a pretty dim view of everyone except my family.

[JenniferJuniper]

*I assume his view of the rest of the world is tainted by court reporting, to be fair. If my only exposure to the outside world were via court cases I'd have a pretty dim view of everyone except my family.

I'm sure that's part of it, but Luke also photographs weddings and it sounds like most are non-fundie. They go to the gym, they go to Christian rock concerts, they watch TV. They must also have some normal relatives because some years back Luke described going to a cousin's wedding at which he danced the Funky Chicken and to "YMCA". Yes, these guys :ymca:

So this must mean whatever brainwashing is going on is exceptionally powerful. They've managed to completely control all of their sons, 10 of whom are now adults, without fully isolating them from the world around them. Remarkable.

[nokidsmom]

So this must mean whatever brainwashing is going on is exceptionally powerful. They've managed to completely control all of their sons, 10 of whom are now adults, without fully isolating them from the world around them. Remarkable.

Totally agree here. That this kind of control can happen without isolation and in fact, even as the sons go about pretty freely in the outside world is amazing. And 10 of them? I can see this working on one or two, three maybe but 10? That is what gets me about this family.

[ladyaudley]

Scottish/Norwegian brogue, with some Forrest Gump thrown in and I guess a little Belleville? Also kind of sounds like they learned to speak from someone hearing impaired, sort of like in the movie "Nell".

No. Maybe that horrid movie Scots that one comes across (think Braveheart), but they do not sound Scottish.

I agree with the hearing impaired vibe though. I think it's mainly a tongue placement oddity and I can't figure out why they would do that.

Unrelated: do they know that "to take a wizz" means to pee? I find Wizzy a really unfortunate nickname

[MsSaylor]

I hear the Norweigan brogue thing too. That's what made me think of cousin Sven from Ren and Stimpy.

[Coconut Flan]

I hear a bit of Fargo.

[0 kids n not countin]

LOL, love this! :)

:ymca:

[Palimpsest]

I don't follow the Arndts much. Question for those who do: A lot of people are saying that Cathy is the one responsible for the Arndt boys' stunted maturity and she is the one who well never let them out of her control? Why Cathy not Rick?

Can anyone point me towards the evidence that it is Cathy? Inquiring minds . . .

[auntsally28]

Only made it to 3:04 on the video so completely unqualified to say anything else regarding this thread. My congratulations to anyone who made it all of the way through....

[JenniferJuniper]

I don't follow the Arndts much. Question for those who do: A lot of people are saying that Cathy is the one responsible for the Arndt boys' stunted maturity and she is the one who well never let them out of her control? Why Cathy not Rick?

Can anyone point me towards the evidence that it is Cathy? Inquiring minds . . .

Personally, I think it's both parents.

Rick is a total narcissist though, and spends his days playing and training for softball games, filming the fictional film they are making (he's the lead actor), searching the internet for the day's news articles about abortion, and pontificating endlessly for his cable TV show. (He's the king of bad analogies and metaphors. "I was walking in the woods today, and I saw a beautiful butterfly. That butterfly reminded me of Jesus on the cross....")

Cathy is much more on-the-ball and she appears to micromanage all of their lives. From what they eat to how they dress. There is footage of her behaving as a drill sergeant when the kids were younger.

So there's no smoking gun and both parents are playing a role, but the general perception is that Cathy is more of a driving force in their day to day lives. And I think Rick is such a ditz that he'd be completely lost without her.

[ari_belle]

Only made it to 3:04 on the video so completely unqualified to say anything else regarding this thread. My congratulations to anyone who made it all of the way through....

I made it most of the way though. Then I listened to their weird podcast thing that they set to a video on youtube (I'm not sure what the video was, I listened to it while I was doing house cleaning). They literally talked about light houses for probably...10-15 minutes. And how light houses are put there "in case you need salvation." Because Jesus is basically a big, tall, bearded light house. :wink-penguin:

[gustava]

I don't follow the Arndts much. Question for those who do: A lot of people are saying that Cathy is the one responsible for the Arndt boys' stunted maturity and she is the one who well never let them out of her control? Why Cathy not Rick?

Can anyone point me towards the evidence that it is Cathy? Inquiring minds . . .

Somewhere back in the recent past, there was a photo of Cathy in the ubiquitous short shorts, and one of the man-childs, the man-child returning from a trip. They are standing side by side, hugging, and she has her hand on his chest, in a way that no mother should have her hand on her adult son's chest.

I'm not a therapist nor do I play one on TV, but I think there is something incestuously psycho-sexual going on between mother and sons.

I do not have the stamina to scan their blog looking for it.

[formergothardite]

I just made it through most of the available Vine Valley clips and this really should be renamed "Rick Walking".

[0 kids n not countin]

Yah-some, here is the photo you mentioned: