Michelle to Josie:The World Does Not Revolve Around You

[roddma]

Michelle told Josie in a recent episode "The world does not revolve around you." Normally, this would be a good thing, but it is coming from an attention seeker to a 4 yr old. She(and Boob) should follow their own advice and take themselves off tv.

[hollywood]

That quote forever makes me laugh because her world DOES revolve around miracle child.

[ladyaudley]

And how would Josie know any better? As far as she knows, the world *has* revolved around her for most of her life.

[Rescinded and Mended]

Exactly. To my knowledge, that was the single biggest FU internetz moment I have ever seen on the show, and probably the only time miracle baby was ever told she couldn't act that way.

Josie sometimes really irritates me on the show, and during those moments I just have to remind myself that the fault lies with her idiot parents, sinc they're the ones who enable her behavior.

[ILoveJellybeans]

"The world doesn't revolve around you (because it revolves around ME and you are just an extension of ME!)"

[HarryPotterFan]

"The world doesn't revolve around you (because it revolves around ME and you are just an extension of ME!)"

I was just about to say this!

Also it's not uncommon for someone Josie's age to think the world revolves around them (not necessarily to the extreme Josie has been taught) because they just don't have the ability to see things from other's point of view (which none of the Duggars do, come to think of it...). Piaget called it "egocentrism" or the preoperational stage of development. So it would be normal for a regular 4-year-old to be "me'" oriented, but being praised as a miracle child made it more extreme. It's not something that is going to be solved overnight.

[ljohnson2006]

J'Chelle. Josie is your last child. You'll make the world revolve around her until you die. But it's really about you. JOY is J'Chelle first, others second, and youngin's last.

[TXGirlInAMaterialWorld]

It's such a silly thing to say because I have never met a 4 year old who has the self awareness to not demand attention. The youngest in my family was also a premie (although not as early as Josie) and my mom was also in her 40's and knew this would be her last creation.

The baby was a bit of a little monster, but I can say she has received far much more of my mother's attention than the older kids combined. Us older girls joke and say that the baby is Mom's masterpiece- we were just her starter kids.

[DGayle]

Josie is 4, and al her life, she's had cameras on her. Unlike the others, she didn't have to move on back when another came along within a coupe years. How unfair for the BIGGEST attention-seeker outside of the Kartrashian clan to tell Josie, so publicly, to suck it up.

[Mama Mia]

That really sounded to me like a 100% NORMAL interaction between any mom and any 4 year old on the planet. I really do not get the dislike so many people have for this little girl. And I don't see this overt favoritism everyone talks about either.

Did the show focus on her the year she was born -- of course, it was a big dramatic story. And likely in any household with a micro preemie or an extremely ill child there is going to be a large in balance in attention for awhile. I don't see how there couldn't be. Just like all the attention this year on the show was on the courtships. It's something interesting that is happening. I'm going to bet TLC will absolutely drool over any exciting storyline so they don't have to show more trips to the dentist.

Even if you don't adjust for the prematurity, Josie is about a year younger than her nearest sibling. That year is nothing as they get older , but up to 5 ish a year makes a huge difference in what you can expect from a child regarding sharing toys and playing cooperatively with each other and taking turn and so on. It's only normal that a parent will expect less behavior-wise from their 2 year old than their 3 year old. So I don't see why it would be any different with Josie and Jordyn.

[momof2treasures]

Agree. Very normal behavior for a preschool age kid. And normal parenting response. In fundie land the duggars may look like permissive parents. They parent the little ones like normal people, at least on camera.

[keen23]

It's such a silly thing to say because I have never met a 4 year old who has the self awareness to not demand attention. The youngest in my family was also a premie (although not as early as Josie) and my mom was also in her 40's and knew this would be her last creation.

The baby was a bit of a little monster, but I can say she has received far much more of my mother's attention than the older kids combined. Us older girls joke and say that the baby is Mom's masterpiece- we were just her starter kids.

Kind of similar, except my youngest brother was much younger than the rest of us (a birth control failure baby). My parents frequently told us that they had more time for us, and no money, but for him they had lots of money and little time. So a trade off of sorts. That kid got/gets everything!

[Chowder Head]

Kind of similar, except my youngest brother was much younger than the rest of us (a birth control failure baby). My parents frequently told us that they had more time for us, and no money, but for him they had lots of money and little time. So a trade off of sorts. That kid got/gets everything!

LOL I believe your brother is my little sister but she was tried for and I am nine years older than her. BTW I am the birthcontrol multiple form preventive baby :lol:

[momof2treasures]

I am 32, my sister is 12. I can relate to this! Stepmom thought she was infertile and conceived once at 40. You can believe she is a little spoiled and thinks she is an adult but she was a great surprise.

[curlykate]

I see the comment as another FU Internet reaction from J'Chelle.

We all know that household revolves around Josie. She's their "precious miracle" after all. I guarantee you she's gotten exactly what she's wanted, when she wants it. For J'Chelle to say that to her, when the cameras are rolling just shows that they are aware of all the criticism against them, and feel thy have something to prove.

I seriously rolled my eyes when I heard her say that.

[N The Prayer Closet]

Yep, that was Michelle doing an FU internet. The behavior is typical of any child that age but Michelle kind of overreacted and spent too much time correcting her. I doubt she would have done that without cameras in the room. It's also a phrase I've never heard Michelle use when disciplining her other children.

[halcionne]

I rewatched a couple of episodes on Netflix the other day, (Duggars: All You Wanted to Know and Planning the Future) and I thought I heard a Duggar say the world doesn't revolve around X person, so I'm wondering if this is one of the family's mantras, so to speak. I tried to go back and find it, but I just can't stand to see the Duggars in 55 inches without a friend on the couch to snark with! :ew:

I'm leaning toward TLC editting footage in this way as the FU internet.

[Hisey]

I don't think there's anyway that Josie can understand that comment. The world revolves. . . ? Four year olds don't understand that kind of analogy, not without a careful explanation.

Does she know the world revolves around the sun? Does she know what "revolves" even means? Is she able to make the leap that the sun is very important to the earth, but Josie, while special, is not SO important that she can get everything she wants. Does Michelle really think Josie gets all that?

Josie has not had the life experience to understand that comment.

[Flossie]

Yep, that was Michelle doing an FU internet. The behavior is typical of any child that age but Michelle kind of overreacted and spent too much time correcting her. I doubt she would have done that without cameras in the room. It's also a phrase I've never heard Michelle use when disciplining her other children.

I'm sure the other children heard "In the prayer closet. NOW!" as their disciplinary phrase.

[Knight of Ni]

I don't think there's anyway that Josie can understand that comment. The world revolves. . . ? Four year olds don't understand that kind of analogy, not without a careful explanation.

Does she know the world revolves around the sun? Does she know what "revolves" even means? Is she able to make the leap that the sun is very important to the earth, but Josie, while special, is not SO important that she can get everything she wants. Does Michelle really think Josie gets all that?

Josie has not had the life experience to understand that comment.

I definitely agree with this comment. I don't think she would be able to understand how the world revolves around the sun. Even if she did I don't think she has the ability to be able to relate that knowledge to Michelle's comment and understand what is meant. I think that level of abstract thinking comes a few years later in the developmental scale. I think at this age everything is concrete and literal. A more useful way to relate the idea would be to say "You are not the most important person in the world" or the ever useful "you can't always get what you want."

[nastyhobbitses]

I don't think there's anyway that Josie can understand that comment. The world revolves. . . ? Four year olds don't understand that kind of analogy, not without a careful explanation.

Does she know the world revolves around the sun? Does she know what "revolves" even means? Is she able to make the leap that the sun is very important to the earth, but Josie, while special, is not SO important that she can get everything she wants. Does Michelle really think Josie gets all that?

Josie has not had the life experience to understand that comment.

Yeah, based on that, I think that Michelle is just giving buzzword phrases to Josie without explaining to them what they mean, or giving her any kind of context, so in effect, not disciplining Josie at all. It's just "this is a thing you say when a kid does this thing", which is completely ineffective discipline. Effective discipline teaches a child why his or her behavior is unacceptable, and provides alternatives to the unacceptable behavior; just saying "the world does not revolve around you" to a four-year-old who isn't receiving much in the way of early childhood education (or early intervention if she indeed has developmental problems) doesn't do that. It's just going to go in one ear and out the other.

In a way, I feel bad for Josie; I think she's probably a sweet kid, but she's spoiled as all get-out, she's not being taught any critical thinking skills, and her mom has no idea what to do with her or how to interact with her now that she's not a pliable, immobile, doll-like baby anymore. That combination does not bode well for her future social abilities.