Ben Living With the Duggars - MERGE

[Dandruff]

I think this was a smart move for JB:

- He gets some additional labor around the place, while teaching Ben skills that might help support Jessa someday.

- Effective response to Ben's dad's blog post (don't think he wants to see another one like that).

- Effective response to Ben's Facebook posts. Ben's Internet use is on JB's network now.

- Ben's available for filming prior to the wedding.

- Ben's access to Jessa is increased, but still supervised by "chaperones"...who Ben has to pay. :lol:

[homeschoolmomma1]

Did anyone see this comment from the people article? I think this lady cares WAY too much

Comment by Monica's Daughter

I know I'm arriving late to this bit of information ... but my reaction is one of dismay. This is a bad idea. Why haven't we heard the wedding date? The time to move the young man onto the premises is AFTER the wedding, not before. How crazy. There's no reason they couldn't have planned the wedding in all this time. Even with the official proposal only being recent. I'm concerned about the gradual slip sliding in protective measures the Duggar's have had in place. Josh and Anna Duggar lived many hours apart before they married ... and this justification seems a little too convenient for a young man who strikes me as an impetuous flatterer. I hope I'm wrong and that the wedding is very soon.

[Mecca]

Well, it looks like Jim Bob And Mullet got the 20th child they wanted. Congrats on your new addition, guys!!

Ben Bob Duggar -- Weighing in at 173 lbs and 73 inches long. Hopefully, BB should be easy to blanket train at this age.

[Zasha]

Ha!

In all seriousness, this seems like a power play for JB. It's obvious how different he already treats BenBob compared to Derick. He wants Ben under his thumb and Ben's just too young and inexperienced to not see this for what it is. Now he's got near total control of Ben-from what he sees, what he does to what he eats and where he goes. They've even got him out of brick and mortar college and doing online college. And I dunno if it's been said which program but I'm guessing it can't be anything too spectacular considering their limited internet access and beliefs. Talk about sending a strong message to Ben's Dad.

[OneFifthQuiverFull]

Did anyone see this comment from the people article? I think this lady cares WAY too much

Comment by Monica's Daughter

I know I'm arriving late to this bit of information ... but my reaction is one of dismay. This is a bad idea. Why haven't we heard the wedding date? The time to move the young man onto the premises is AFTER the wedding, not before. How crazy. There's no reason they couldn't have planned the wedding in all this time. Even with the official proposal only being recent. I'm concerned about the gradual slip sliding in protective measures the Duggar's have had in place. Josh and Anna Duggar lived many hours apart before they married ... and this justification seems a little too convenient for a young man who strikes me as an impetuous flatterer. I hope I'm wrong and that the wedding is very soon.

She's saying what we are all saying, which means we care as much as she does ...and also it means she's 100% right, LOL.

[singsingsing]

Oh yeah, they're totally secretly married. That would make a lot of sense and would definitely be something the Duggars would do, considering how fast Jill got pregnant. So when Jessa and Ben 'officially' get married for the cameras and Jessa is already three months pregnant, there won't be any problem...

Yeah, no. I'm pretty sure they're still just engaged. Why did the Duggars move Ben onto the compound? Who knows. Why do they do anything? They're weird.

[pineapple450]

Well somehow we had figured out that Ben had moved up to Tonitown, but no one knew where he was staying. This at least makes more Duggar-sense than him living in some trailer on his own (accountability!!!).

How did Josh & Anna figure out the whole "we live 6 states away from each other" dilemma? I mean I know their courtship was spent apart, talking on the phone, but they had to be able to see each other with greater frequency during their engagement- right?

[pega127]

Is it even a house? I might have not paid close enough attention, but it looked like the upstairs of a pole barn, no?

It's a warehouse; I think where JimBob and Smug did their workout competition!

[OneFifthQuiverFull]

Another thought I am having is that this is downright cruel. According to the Duggar parents, the CHILDREN set their own courtship/engagement boundaries.

I have kids in the same age range. If one of them came to me and said, "Mom, I have given this a lot of thought, I have decided to become a vegetarian, which you know is hard for me because I love bacon, but I just feel like it's right" I would do everything in my power to support that. I would not, then, slap a hunk of meat on his plate every night or serve him bacon every morning. In other words, I would not throw temptation at him when he was trying to stand by his convictions.

But these idiotic parents think it is okay to put a big hunk of bacon on Jessa's plate every single day. If they didn't have their stupid beliefs, I'd be all for it. I would agree she needs to see him sick, see what his work ethic is like, see how he acts when he is impatient, or hungry, or tired, or running late. But they preach and preach and PREACH about purity and keeping sweet and giving away pieces of your heart and then place temptation right at Jessa's doorstep. Way to support your daughter and her convictions, parents. That is, if you think we're buying what you are selling about those rules being their own.

[pega127]

This is a ridiculous arrangement. The stupid creation of his room with two mounted deer heads on either size of that twin bed and a piece of pink cloth over an opening. So, this is what Jessa believes is a "man" to marry??? No job; except the one her father found for this kid. No home of their own; which I thought was a requirement in Gotthard world for a husband. He's a loser, Jessa and you picked him!

[pega127]

Oh my. Did Derick use the phrase "for a season" in that video? :ew:

Oh yeah!

[weirdemmaline]

If Boob and J'chelle weren't such blatant fame whores, I would almost wonder if they didn't do this on purpose specifically TO tempt Jessa and Bin. If it were any other (read: not on TV) family with similar beliefs, that's what I would suspect, especially with how much Boob's got to be regretting Bin from the get-go.

If they were any other family, I'd almost wonder if they're not setting them up to end up doing something "sinful" so that the family can shun them and never have to actively deal with Bin again. Unfortunately, that'd mean they'd also lose contact with Jessa, but who knows what honestly goes on behind closed doors?

I actually saw this kind of thing happen to one of my extended family members. She's some kind of cousin? I think. I call her my aunt because of the age difference, but she hasn't been spoken to by the majority of the family since she got pregnant with her now husband's child a few weeks before the wedding was set.

[Antimony]

As somebody who lives full time in an actual guest house, and had for over a year now, with two roommates, I just want to say that Ben's...structure...home, whatever it is, is pretty damn subpar. I mean, living in 900 square feet is cheap but damn I think me and my two male roommates could out decorate the Duggars anyday.

[Hooligan]

It's a warehouse; I think where JimBob and Smug did their workout competition!

Actually I am pretty sure it is a shipping container. These are some really well set up ones http://tinyhousetalk.com/top-10-shippin ... ny-houses/

The Duggar's looks like it was just dumped with another on top and holes cut for windows. Boob says there is a shower but I am betting he just threaded the hose through the window. But I am snarky like that.

[RosyDaisy]

If the Duggars have a big project coming up, and Ben is going to work for JB, could this also be JB's way of making sure Jessa is provided for? Also, this "big project" could be a family business, which would allow his sons to be able to provide for their future families.

I'm not defending JB, just working scenarios in my head.

[eye_browz]

Jessa posted a Bible verse on Instagram, which I think is aimed at all the "haters". I guess she must've seen the comments on the People article. I think she and Ben are both aware of all the criticism they are receiving about their relationship. I wonder how this will affect their marriage? I can see Ben being controlling, just to prove to everyone (including himself) that although he's young and naive, he's still the mature, smart "HEADSHIP" of the Jessa and the little Seewalds.

I wonder how Jessa's feeling about all of this. This has got to be in embarrassing for both of them. The world is laughing at them. They know that Derrick was given a "fast-pass" into marriage and they know why. I wonder if she has expressed frustration to her parents or at least her sisters. I wonder if the couple has discussed this.

I blame Jim Bob. He's the headship so the blame is on him. I can't blame Ben; he's a normal 19 year old- he's (reportedly) in school, he (was) working, and he saw a pretty girl and wanted to date her and obviously, get laid (after marriage). He didn't do anything wrong; this is normal. And I don't blame Jessa, either. This is her first boyfriend. She's been taught to the believe that father knows best, and he approved Ben, so she dived in. She probably still believes that father knows best and they will marry when God allows.

I think Jim Bob sees himself in Ben. JB was young when he married, with a high school diploma, no degree. JB knows he didn't have a house or a high paying job prior to marrying Michelle. So I think that's why he allowed the courtship. He didn't want to be a hypocrite (LOL yeah right). :roll: I don't think he thought this through when he approved Ben, otherwise, this'll be a 4 year courtship. He should've allowed them to be friends until he proved himself to be a provider, or denied the courtship altogether (and never told Jessa) I think in the future, JB will learn his lesson and approve guys who are READY to marry.

**EDITED AGAIN TO ADD:

I WONDER IF THE "BEN MOVES IN" EPISODE WILL BE CONVENIENTLY BE EDITED OUT OR NEVER SHOWN BASED ON THE FEEDBACK FROM THE GENERAL PUBLIC.

[RosyDaisy]

No way they married secretly, unless there was no marriage license. Somebody would have leaked that already.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Now, this is different than their real guest house, right?

Tim and Franicia stayed in a place that had a real kitchen and living room:

instagram.com/franiciawhite

December 27 and 30 2013 pics

[NotALoserLikeYou]

When Ben moved out I posted that a girl on his sisters FB said he moved to go work for "Mr. Jim" but we didn't know which Jim it was. Guess we know now!

[Coconut Flan]

Those are warehouse/industrial buildings in front of the house. Didn't it used to be a chicken processing facility or something like that?

[NotALoserLikeYou]

Pics!

facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.760200757352426.1073741845.647395651966271&type=1

Some hand sex:

[Cats B4 Quivers]

Ben, welcome to your prison cell!

The haute couture pink fabric is reminiscent of gay Paree in Spring! The deer heads are a stark reminder of what will happen if you do not follow all of JimBoob's orders. So, curl up in a comfy fetal position on that narrow bed because the night's are long in this tin shed. And cold. Feel free to snuggle up to a deer's head in a non-sexual manner.

[NotALoserLikeYou]

To clarify, those pics were taken in Hot Springs, not the guest house.

[sunshine]

I haven't read all the responses, so forgive any repeat comment, please.

When I heard this news and watched the video, these were my thoughts...

JB made a mistake. YEP, that's what I believe he came to realize, -he actually made a mistake in allowing Ben to court Jessa when he's proven to be nothing more than a mere man-cub, -an immature, "hurt the money train with your dumb words and actions" man-cub. But it was too late. What, JB admit that he made a grave mistake in allowing this relationship to move forward? Why, Jessa's locked in the proverbial Gothard-orchestrated safety tower, and JB's the keeper of the keys. And he erroneously granted access to her heart, to Ben. BEN!, who has proven (in JB's mind) to be undereducated (taking college courses, but underachievingly looking forward to a "job opportunity" with JB), overzealous (hello, Catholic basher), and stoo-pit ("Why in thee heck did you post that picture of my Blessa holding the gun? Now I have to do crowd control!") And then there's Michael, blogging negatively about Gothard and Phillips BY NAME (cue the gasp!)

What to do? What to dooooo???

"Hey, I know. I need more control over that boy. Need to make him my slipper fetcher. Ah, the perfect plan. Offer him even GREATER access to my Blessa. He'll jump on that like,...like...like on her (if I'd let him. Which I won't. Make no mistake about that one.) Then, Ben will be out from under his father's influence, fully under mine, Jessa will think I'm the most understanding, loving father in the whole world, and, best of all, I don't have to admit that I authorized the giving of pieces of her heart away to the wrong man-cub....er, guy."

Let the indoctrination begin!

I guess one good thing is that he did not have to serve 14 years for her after marring one of her sisters. So, a plus. lol jk :lol: (side note: it is a bible reference.)

[BrownieMomma]

J'Ben Duggar!

It ain't Jessa who needs to change her Instagram...