Time to celebrate, Abigail Maxwell finished a book! (Merge)

[YPestis]

Wait... I'm confused... Abigail is a little girl, right? She wrote a book? Hmmm define book? I'm really confused.

I think she finished a workbook or textbook in her homeschooling. She's about six, right?

I think the aunties like to play with Nathan's kids because they've had to spend far more time with them than with Joshua. This may come from the months of bedrest that Melanie was put on, necessitating the Maxwell girls prolonged and continued care of the girls. NR-Anna appears to have far less issues with pregnancies did not require the Maxwells' girls extensive help. With Melanie's current pregnancy, I bet she's still feeling under the weather and the Maxwell girls continue to offer help in caring for the daughters.

I also think the Maxwell girls are channeling their trained maternal urges onto the nieces. All three are eligible for marriage (poor Sarah's been waiting for over a decade!) but there's no courtship in sight. These girls have spent their entire lives training to be wife and mother. With Nathan's children, they can indulge in their maternal training. It's a sad state of affairs in the Maxwell household that none of the girls have managed to escape their cultish family.

[Melissa1977]

Maybe en Maxhell boys and girls cannot play together? maybe Joshua can play with the aunties but not at the same time than his cousins?

Or maybe aunties prefer to have the girls and play only "girlie" games: dolls, kitchens, etc. And of course Joshua cannot play that!

Or it's just that NR Anna doesn't like to leave his son in another house and she want to be the only one looking after him. Some mothers are like this, specially with their first child.

[Iokaste]

I don't think I'd mind the "countenance" thing as much if the captions were actually true, but that kid in the first picture does NOT look cheerful, she looks like someone fored to smile for a picture for the bazzilionth time.

[uber frau]

And that's why they comment on her countenance. It doesn't matter how she feels, it only matters that she's pasting on a smile. They're complementing her on her ability to keep sweet. Children need a good deal of training to knock any spirit out of them and to prepare them for life as a Maxwell. They've got to start their training young.

[LurkerOverThePond]

I might be seeing things but it looks like Mary has some highlights in her hair. Look at the photo where she is in matching frumpers with Bethany. Surely Stevehovah wouldn't allow such worldly idolatry?

[tkr322]

And yet again Mary has the super creepy eyes. I can't look at her pictures for long for fear that she's trying to steal my soul.

[julie paradox]

Wait... I'm confused... Abigail is a little girl, right? She wrote a book? Hmmm define book? I'm really confused.

Ha! First thing I thought when I read the title was "I wonder if Sarah's let her in on the franchise."

[divadivine]

And yet again Mary has the super creepy eyes. I can't look at her pictures for long for fear that she's trying to steal my soul.

I agree. She has the crazy Maxhell eyes. Creeper.

[YPestis]

All the Maxwells adopt those creepy eyes. I think that's how they smile.

The countenance comment is because everything the Maxwells write derives from the King James Bible. When all your readings are from one source, you tend to re-use the same words over and over again. I notice that the Maxwell kids all write the same way and use similarly outdated language in their posts. Teri and Steve are both passable writers. I would say Nathan and Christopher are also ok. The rest of the family write at the level of 12 year olds. I can't blame the Bible for the juvenile scripts as the King James Bible is filled with many beautiful verses. I think it comes from the lack of any other reading materials. Can't be good writers if you don't read.

[Jana814]

And yet again Mary has the super creepy eyes. I can't look at her pictures for long for fear that she's trying to steal my soul.

Agree!

[ljohnson2006]

Wow! She finished a book. Do you want a cookie for it? What a waste of a post.

[Brittany15]

Abigail finished a book so they had a "party." I almost was convinced that one of us hacked their website to do this post as the snark wrote itself. We ate dinner and had smoothies for dessert. Can't you give the girl a cookie?? Isn't this what they do every night?

[ljohnson2006]

I guess nothing interesting is going on in MaxHell.

[SPHASH]

Wait... I'm confused... Abigail is a little girl, right? She wrote a book? Hmmm define book? I'm really confused.

Sorry to confuse you. When I said Abigail finished a book, I meant she read it. I figured everyone here knew Abigail is 5-6 years old and wouldn't be writing yet.

[Odd1Out]

Why does Sarah need to give a step by step explanation as to how they got the group photo? Would it have been terrible if we just assumed someone else took the pic? I guess when they are monitored all the time and have to report every thought in their heads to S & T, they feel they must explain every action to others too?

[FloraDoraDolly]

Wow! She finished a book. Do you want a cookie for it? What a waste of a post.

I think when a child is learning to read, it is a cause for a celebration.

[Letgo]

Every time I see Sarah, Anna, and Mary with their nieces it makes me sad for them. This is probably as close to having a family as these three will ever get, especially Sarah. The limitations imposed by their father will ensure that a normal life will never happen. They don't even realize that their way of life will prevent them from achieving what they have been trained for are supposed to desire-marriage and motherhood. Never mind a normal life.

[SPHASH]

There's already a thread on this.

[Grannie2times]

She could be a kindergarten "graduate". She is the right age.

[Jana814]

Every time I see Sarah, Anna, and Mary with their nieces it makes me sad for them. This is probably as close to having a family as these three will ever get, especially Sarah. The limitations imposed by their father will ensure that a normal life will never happen. They don't even realize that their way of life will prevent them from achieving what they have been trained for are supposed to desire-marriage and motherhood. Never mind a normal life.

Agree!

[SPHASH]

I wonder if they got to celebrate with their other aunties and grandparents, the much more normal ones.

[fundiefan]

A Maxwell read a book? It must have been a future homemaker book or a bible. Steve doesn't allow reading in his cult.

Abby has totally gotten the hang of the 'stop, pose, smile, look spontaneous' thing. Just like 'the aunties'. Poor kid. Her life is over already.

[Trynn]

Sorry to confuse you. When I said Abigail finished a book, I meant she read it. I figured everyone here knew Abigail is 5-6 years old and wouldn't be writing yet.

Well, when I was 6 ish, I wrote a "book" too. It was 4 pages, including the pictures. Typed, single space.

[Trynn]

I think when a child is learning to read, it is a cause for a celebration.

Especially of said child has reading disabilities is this a cause for celebration.

Lets face it, if the Maxhell material was all I could ever read growing up, I'd have had a hard time finishing one myself --too boring.

[YPestis]

To be fair, the Maxwells do allow their children to read "real" books at the elementary level. In fact, they have a WHOLE SHELF of pre-approved children's books. I don't know what Melanie and Nathan's standards' are for reading material, but I daresay it's less strict than Teri and Steve. Heck, these people let the girls get involved in an Easter egg hunt! Maybe they let their girls read about Santa too!