I think my heart just broke for Michelle

[andagoat]

Michelle loves babies. On that, we can all agree. I think she loves babies so much that she doesn't know what to do with the kids once they hit 5. She's great with the tiny ones. Being alone with Josie all those months was probably the best time of her life. But seems detached from the older ones. Maybe now that there are no more babies coming, she can learn to parent teens, tweens, and kids.

On the other hand, I think Jim Bob genuinely loves and adores each child. He seems to be pretty involved in all of their lives. Yes, his ideals and morals don't match with mine. But I think he's a good father. He's controlling, definitely. But he's set up each adult child with some kind of career. Jill didn't need one with having studied the midwifery and marrying a man with a very good job, so he gave her a house. I know they say it's just house sitting, but Jill is going to pop babies out every year, they will never leave. He is setting Ben up with something to take care of Jessa. John David was helped, Josh was helped. He is a good businessman and has made a lot of money. The way he was so emotionally involved with Jill's wedding, yet took time to be with the little one crying shows some good parenting.

Josh may be smug and a pain in the butt, but he seems to be involved in his kids' lives. He learned something from daddy.

[Four is Enough]

Looked like JChelle inserted herself into what was supposed to be a moment between Grandma and Jill. A piece of Grandma's wedding dress...but it was (embroidered?) with a message "from Grandma AND MOM Duggar?"

Well, Michelle did wear Mary's wedding dress when she got married, right? So that's why it came from both of them. But I feel, too, that Michelle just plowed her way into that.. and I'd bet money it wasn't originally HER idea, it was Mary's.

[Rescinded and Mended]

I agree that the wedding episode was edited to favor Jim Bob more than Michelle, but based upon their beliefs system, it's also possible that Michelle simply didn't see Jill's wedding as being about herself and Jill so much as she sees it being about Jim Bob and Jill. We've heard countless talking points about how Jim Bob is crying, Jim Bob is entrusting his prayers for Jill to another man, Jim Bob is walking Jill down the aisle where Jim Bob will ultimately transfer his authority to Derick.

I also seem to remember something in the Gothard teachings which states that even though it's the woman's job to birth and raise the children, it's the father's responsibility to spiritually train them.

I don't doubt that Michelle loves Jill in her own warped way, but it wouldn't surprise me at all if Michelle just didn't believe her own role in Jill's wedding was all that important because she isn't charged with keeping Jill's spirituality or in handing over authority to another man.

[FreeHannie!]

Michelle loves babies. On that, we can all agree. I think she loves babies so much that she doesn't know what to do with the kids once they hit 5. She's great with the tiny ones. Being alone with Josie all those months was probably the best time of her life. But seems detached from the older ones. Maybe now that there are no more babies coming, she can learn to parent teens, tweens, and kids.

J'Uterus reminds me of one of my fundie Catholic Aunts who lost all interest in her kids after 2 days after their first birthday, once they weren't a squishy little baby anymore. She didn't learn to parent and engage with kids/tweens/teens and then wondered why over half my cousins fled.

[andagoat]

J'Uterus reminds me of one of my fundie Catholic Aunts who lost all interest in her kids after 2 days after their first birthday, once they weren't a squishy little baby anymore. She didn't learn to parent and engage with kids/tweens/teens and then wondered why over half my cousins fled.

That's sad. Really sad. I'm Catholic and I have 2 kids. Because that was what we wanted and what we could provide for. We've raised these girls with so much love, amazing experiences, value education, learn to be independent. Being given these girls has been the most incredible part of my life. I have such a great relationship with them. One is an adult in college, one is a teen in high school. I loved them as babies, but I really like them as teens. I would do it all over again in a heartbeat.

[calimojo]

Personally, I think the people who run the show like JB better than they do Michelle. I think the editing shows that. JB gets much more camera time than she does unless she is preggo.

Still, I think she is detached to a degree from her kids. Maybe not as much as what it seems OR, maybe it is even more than it seems to be on the show, and TLC is doing their best to edit in Michele in a flattering way.

[Mandysue]

The editing did favor Jim Bob but it was telling when the lost girl was crying about Jill leaving and Jim Bob is the that comforted her. She could be seen next to the wall before Jim Bob talked to her. Usually it it the mom that comforts kids and as hard as it is to admit JB did a really good job.

[fundiefan]

The woman made her choices and was a stand off mom of her own making. If, as her offspring reaches life's milestones while she is in the background, she is only getting what she deserves. Her priorities have always been making the babies and making the money for making more babies. She left her older offspring floating in the wind with only the boob to be any kind of parent. She chose the baby making circus, and now that those babies are off to make babies of their own, her relevance is marginalized. No more or less than what she did to those older kids at the cost of making more.