Is Josiah quietly swept under the rug?

[16strong]

JB is just such a creepy looking guy. He was doing something weird with his expression while Ben was talking in the garage on the engagement episode. Maybe it's just the 10 years of being "on" for the show that he can't be genuine anymore.

He has that disingenuous politician look going on. I often think his "smiles" are more like baring his teeth. Pretends to be nice on the outside, cold and calculating on the inside.

[Feberin]

I think the older boys DID have one buddy in the early days of the specials, I think once Joy-Anna and down was born they stopped having Josh and JD help out and just switched to the older girls.

I have bits saved from a transcript of a chat Michelle did with CMOMB (Christian Moms of Many Blessings) when Jackson was a baby. Josiah's buddy was JD.

Joshua, our 16 yo son, his buddy was Joseph... But now Joseph no longer needs a buddy Jana, my oldest daughter (14) has two buddies...she begged for the second buddy 4 yo Jason and then the new baby, Jackson awww Jill, my 13 yo daughter, has two buddies...Joy-Anna (almost 7) and James (3). Joy thinks that James is her buddy and Jill is just her assistant to help with James!:) And then Jessa, 12, has two buddies (Jeremiah, one of the twins, who's five and Justin, the one and a half year old). And of course Jeremiah thinks Jessa is just his assistant to help him take care of Justin. LOL! And then Jinger, our 10 yo, has one buddy: Jedidiah, the other twin (5) I really like that buddy idea And then John-David (14), twin to Jana, his buddy is Josiah, who is 8...but Josiah's old enough that he doesn't really need a buddy any longer. I think that covered everyone!

[16strong]

Wow. 10 years old. No ten-year-old CHILD should be forced to parent their siblings. Jim Bob and Michelle should hang their heads low for stealing their children's childhoods. But oh wait, they still have their virginity and that's SOOOO much more important. :roll:

And Jana wanted it? No she didn't. She never got a choice. It was take care of the baby or get beaten. And if she decided of her own "free will" to take care of Jason and Jackson, it was because she was holding out for her mother's approval. That she likely never got.

[Toothfairy]

Bullshit Jana wanted another buddy and bullshit these kids wanted to take care of their buddies

[ILoveJellybeans]

I wonder what age Jana got Joy and Jessa and Jinger got the twins????? They were 5-6 when they were born.

[BrownieMomma]

I wonder what age Jana got Joy and Jessa and Jinger got the twins????? They were 5-6 when they were born.

Joy is Jill's buddy and Jill was 6 when Joy was born - and was Joy's buddy from birth.

Too lazy and disgusted to look up the others.

[ILoveJellybeans]

Oh yeah, she is. I meant to say Jill-her buddies are easier to see because they seem to be more of a family unit.

If they made 6 year old Jill raise Joy, I bet Jessa and Jinger got the twins when they were 5 or 6 too :( Disgusting :( Kids that age shouldn't be raising babies.

[jaynie]

Joy is Jill's buddy and Jill was 6 when Joy was born - and was Joy's buddy from birth.

Too lazy and disgusted to look up the others.

This is something that confuses me a bit about Michelle's buddy team description. If Joseph and Josiah had boy buddies, and the buddy system was in place when Joy was born, why wasn't Joy assigned to Jana rather than Jill? The possibilities I've considered:

1. Jana had some superlative role, the Buddy's Buddy, if you will.

2. Jana was initially Josiah's buddy in conjunction with JD. By the time Michelle gave this description, Josiah didn't need a buddy for "mum" things anymore (ie didn't need help with self care), so only JD got listed because he's in charge of organising, etc. This makes the most sense to me.

3. Jana was Jinger's buddy. Given the small age gap, that is too horrific to contemplate, even by Duggar standards.

4. Jana was too spirited to be trusted with the responsibility. Theory entirely based on the notion that she was like Hannie.

5. This is a system they'd just come up with, so assignments were random/based on some factor other than age. But that doesn't quite jive for a variety of reasons.

I mean its a small thing but my overly analytical brain just doesn't like how things line up there. Or don't line up as the case may be.

[BrownieMomma]

This is something that confuses me a bit about Michelle's buddy team description. If Joseph and Josiah had boy buddies, and the buddy system was in place when Joy was born, why wasn't Joy assigned to Jana rather than Jill? The possibilities I've considered:

1. Jana had some superlative role, the Buddy's Buddy, if you will.

2. Jana was initially Josiah's buddy in conjunction with JD. By the time Michelle gave this description, Josiah didn't need a buddy for "mum" things anymore (ie didn't need help with self care), so only JD got listed because he's in charge of organising, etc. This makes the most sense to me.

3. Jana was Jinger's buddy. Given the small age gap, that is too horrific to contemplate, even by Duggar standards.

4. Jana was too spirited to be trusted with the responsibility. Theory entirely based on the notion that she was like Hannie.

5. This is a system they'd just come up with, so assignments were random/based on some factor other than age. But that doesn't quite jive for a variety of reasons.

I mean its a small thing but my overly analytical brain just doesn't like how things line up there. Or don't line up as the case may be.

I think I saw this in the All About Jill Now That She's Getting Married episode - Jill wanted the next baby and was pretty aggressive about it? How aggressive can a 6yo be?

I wonder if Jana had Joseph, and I thought I read Josh had Josiah. The next one who would need a buddy would have been Joy. There must have been some kind of buddy system going on for Jill to ask for Joy, which I am pretty sure she did.

Then Jessa and Jinger buddied the twins. Jason born next, maybe Joseph dropped out of being cared for and Jana picked up Jason.

James next - went to Jill, Justin after James - went to Jessa.

Oh who knows how they worked this all out. It should have never gone beyond holding your buddies' hand at the store but it went way overboard.

[HarleyQuinn]

I think of my 6 year old nephew and am disturbed about him essentially caring for another child. WTF is wrong with Boob and Mullet?

[Feberin]

I think some of the buddies were reassigned or adjusted at some point. I also hope that when the buddy system first started the responsibilities weren't as large. I seem to remember her saying that she started the buddy system to help get the kids out the door and the older buddy helped the younger one put on their coat and shoes, which aren't crazy responsibilities for a six year old. My four year old likes to help his two year old sister sometimes getting ready when we're heading out the door. Perhaps at the start Jana had Jinger as a buddy and then eventually she became the leader of her own team? If that was the case it would be Josh-Joseph, Jana-Jinger, JD-Josiah, Jill-Joy and Jessa on her own.

[BrownieMomma]

I think some of the buddies were reassigned or adjusted at some point. I also hope that when the buddy system first started the responsibilities weren't as large. I seem to remember her saying that she started the buddy system to help get the kids out the door and the older buddy helped the younger one put on their coat and shoes, which aren't crazy responsibilities for a six year old. My four year old likes to help his two year old sister sometimes getting ready when we're heading out the door. Perhaps at the start Jana had Jinger as a buddy and then eventually she became the leader of her own team? If that was the case it would be Josh-Joseph, Jana-Jinger, JD-Josiah, Jill-Joy and Jessa on her own.

I would like to think that too, except I saw a pic of a very young either Jill or Jana, wearing a baby.

[rodgerdodger]

I just feel so bad for this kid. Even if he is staying at ALERT by choice (which I doubt because all the clips I have ever seen of Josiah he has been more into artistic style working rather than manual labor like good ol' JD) a year is a really really long time to be away from home.

I wonder if JBob or Michelle are even allowed to visit him, or if they are if they even choose to go see him. Poor kid must be lonely. I wish I could take him to my dorm with me and enroll him into the same art school I'm in. :cry:

[HarleyQuinn]

I just feel so bad for this kid. Even if he is staying at ALERT by choice (which I doubt because all the clips I have ever seen of Josiah he has been more into artistic style working rather than manual labor like good ol' JD) a year is a really really long time to be away from home.

I wonder if JBob or Michelle are even allowed to visit him, or if they are if they even choose to go see him. Poor kid must be lonely. I wish I could take him to my dorm with me and enroll him into the same art school I'm in. :cry:

They visited him when they were coming back from the ATI convention because they IG'd a picture of him and Jinger. Hopefully now he's home for good, but I really hope he's able to go out and get an actual job instead of editing videos with his little brothers all day.

[Tangy Bee]

Editing what videos?? Is this a side job for the family business? I really hope the young adult Duggars are making money off the show. I know they've traveled to more states & countries than I have, but it just seemed they got nothing from it all because things appeared so rushed. Wish we knew his true thoughts on what he wants for his future.

[pea3]

I wish the camera crew, uncle Jim, etc would help give him some real lessons somehow on film and editing. What better experience than on the job training and inside connections to get him started.

[HarleyQuinn]

Editing what videos?? Is this a side job for the family business? I really hope the young adult Duggars are making money off the show. I know they've traveled to more states & countries than I have, but it just seemed they got nothing from it all because things appeared so rushed. Wish we knew his true thoughts on what he wants for his future.

Those youtube videos they post under "Duggar Studios."