Predictions for Ben and Jessa...

[felicity]

I think Ben will go into Seminary and become a pastor - and then maybe in about 10-15 years go into politics. Jessa will be his "helpmeet", a pastor's wife, and running the show behind the scenes. They'll have about 7 children in the next 12 years - and they'll break off a bit from Michelle and JimBob ( "leave and cleave") - and will ultimately be the most outspoken fundamentalists of the family... They will remain in Arkansas but will travel extensively for their ministry, put out books, and have a strong social media presence...

 

That's my prediction! What's yours?!

[jerkit]

TONS of IFB pastors don't go to seminary. He could easily just start preaching and call himself a preacher.

[PegBundyOfFundies]

You think they will make it for 12 years and through 7 children? :lol: *whistling "she has high hopes, she has high hopes; she has high apple pie in the sky hopes"* :whistle:

[bluebird]

I predict that they will become the Bickersons.

[ADoyle90815]

I think there's a chance of Ben and Jessa having at least one set of twins, since that tendency tends to come from the maternal side of the family.

[Four is Enough]

After the little independent behaviors exhibited around the wedding, I think it's too soon to tell. I think Ben might try for a pastor-ship, but would anyone follow a young man like him? The jury is still out for baby number, but I think the first will be by the first anniversary.

[MatthewDuggar]

If he does become a pastor, he will most likely get some sort of theology degree by mail or via the internet.

[Belugaloo]

I think Jessa will cling to a lot of the ATI beliefs for the first 5 years of her marriage. By year 5, she'll have started to change little things. I think long-term, she'll probably have more "mainstream" calvinist beliefs. As in, I don't think she'll be anti-dancing for ever. And some other things will probably change as well. I just don't think any Duggar will get married and suddenly rebel. I think it'll take a few years and the changes will be subtle.

I think Jessa & Ben will be very christian, but I do think they will eventually fall away from Gothard.

[eh02]

I genuinely hope they are happy and can make things work. That said, if I'm just saying my gut feelings here, I think they'll be unhappy within 5-10 years at best, and divorced and/or cheating at worst.

I think they'll get at least two kids out of Jessa before that point, though. And I agree that I think Jessa is going to be one of the most outspoken of her siblings in her religious beliefs for at least several more years.

Honestly, I think sometimes that type of "jumping headfirst" attitude is a safety mechanism when really your gut is telling you to jump ship. Jessa is smart, and highly rational, unemotional people can go through some very intense types of denial to convince themselves they do not see any flaws in their belief system when they grow up in an extremely rigid religion like Jessa. It will always be all or nothing with her, IMO.

[Becket70]

Probably some time in the near future, TLC will have morphed into TDC (The Duggar Channel) so Jessa and Ben will have their own show on TDC. The show will follow them through multiple births, trips to the dentist, buying used and saving the difference, "field trips", etc. Ben will still be working for Jim Bob cleaning up the compound and Jessa will be homeschooling their children. It will never end...

[16strong]

Jim Bob would love spin-off shows that chart his kids' marriages. The perfect way to keep them in line- have the world watching and judging if they don't measure up to the standards Boob and J'chelle have set for them

[Dandruff]

I hope they move near Ben's family. If not, I won't be surprised if they spend a lot more time as missionaries with the organization of the guy who married them. Internet access would allow Ben to continue with his online studies and they'd be away from the TTH. I envision a couple of kids, an attempt at entering politics, then more kids.

[isarhenne]

I also think that Jessa and Ben will be the most outspoken of the family of their religion and beliefs.

I also see them having 4 children in 4 years and Jessa distancing herself from Jinger. It just seems to me that Jessa is the very dominant element of the relationship between the two and Jinger still strikes me as the one who might have problems with their belief system. Jessa will not agree with that and probably be distancing herself from Jinger.

They will desperately try to make it work (because of their children and their religion) but I can see a divorce in 5-10 years from now, too. Jessa might have 8 children by that time. She will get support from JB and Josh mainly and be silently raising her children until she meets a man who is a better fit for her. Then she will be more outspoken again.

Ben will regret not having finished his degree and having so many children at such a young age. But he will be good father.

[calimojo]

I think that honestly we should be outspoken in our support for Jessa, Jill and the other kids, because then maybe they will see that the outsiders to their lifestyle are not evil, immoral people. I worry when we speculate that they will be unhappy and end up divorced that Jessa, in particular, will just become more headstrong to prove us wrong.

Instead, I hope they are ridiculously happy, and supportive of one another to grow and mature. I hope that they take advantage of opportunities to travel, and meet new people and I hope that they will benefit from being somewhat out from under J&M's complete influence and that they will begin to see the world in less black and white ways.

I hope that they would read sites like this or other sites, that make reasonable and thoughtful commentary about the narrow QF life and point out the hatefulness of some of the values that Gothard, ATI etc. have pushed on to them.

That being said, I do think they have some hard times ahead. When you marry that young, you still have to grow up, and sometimes one or the other partner grows up faster than the other one, and that can lead to lots of marital stress. Not that it is insurmountable, but it is hard.

[Mela99]

He's being groomed to take over for Boob. Real estate, preaching, sticking his nose in women's issues...

[eh02]

I think that honestly we should be outspoken in our support for Jessa, Jill and the other kids, because then maybe they will see that the outsiders to their lifestyle are not evil, immoral people. I worry when we speculate that they will be unhappy and end up divorced that Jessa, in particular, will just become more headstrong to prove us wrong.

I agree with you, and I genuinely do really hope that all of them are happy - even JB+M - as much as I hate some of the things that they do. I think they are all good people at the core and mean well, but that doesn't necessarily excuse some of the things they've done or the ignorance they spout.

I really hope that all of the J'kids find spouses that support them, love them, and help them grow. They deserve that. It's just hard not to acknowledge that Jessa and Ben probably weren't ready to get married.

Their relationship reminds me of my first, and I am SO grateful I was able to learn from meeting the "wrong" guys. Fundies don't get the opportunity to learn from mistakes :( Which isn't to say Ben is a mistake - they could very well be great together and have a wonderful marriage - I just think there's a lot of value in taking time to figure out through experience what you NEED in a partner vs. what you THINK you want at 20 years old. I think if you asked most people in their 30s, 40s, 50s if they wish they'd married their first SO, almost all of them would answer with a resounding HELL NO.

[LongDogMom]

I think Jessa will cling to a lot of the ATI beliefs for the first 5 years of her marriage. By year 5, she'll have started to change little things. I think long-term, she'll probably have more "mainstream" calvinist beliefs. As in, I don't think she'll be anti-dancing for ever. And some other things will probably change as well. I just don't think any Duggar will get married and suddenly rebel. I think it'll take a few years and the changes will be subtle.I think Jessa & Ben will be very christian, but I do think they will eventually fall away from Gothard.

They talk about how they are against dancing because it can promote lust and impure thoughts, but if they are married, why not dance? I also don't get the no drinking...Jesus turned water into wine.

[eh02]

They talk about how they are against dancing because it can promote lust and impure thoughts, but if they are married, why not dance? I also don't get the no drinking...Jesus turned water into wine.

Nope, not wine. Grape juice. Ask Mr. Keller for references.

Because every single part of the Bible should be interpreted literally...except for the part where it mentions wine.

[CorruptionInc.]

I don't think they'll get divorced, but there will be a lot of kids they can't provide for. Fingers crossed they do not end up like John and Esther Schrader. That would make a lot of people angry!

[Belugaloo]

I don't think they'll get divorced, but there will be a lot of kids they can't provide for. Fingers crossed they do not end up like John and Esther Schrader. That would make a lot of people angry!

I'm not sure that we can determine that at this point. First, there is TLC money. Second, we don't know that Ben won't secure a steady job/continue going to school.

It isn't like they will have 9 kids all at once, and we have no idea what the two of them will be doing in 10 years.

[CorruptionInc.]

I'm not sure that we can determine that at this point. First, there is TLC money. Second, we don't know that Ben won't secure a steady job/continue going to school.

It isn't like they will have 9 kids all at once, and we have no idea what the two of them will be doing in 10 years.

Hopefully they are fundie lite in 10 years.

[singsingsing]

I hope that they remain happy, healthy, and successful (in their family life, careers and so on, not in promoting any kind of abusive or hateful ideology). And yes, I hope they drift fundie-lite or even mainstream. I think mainstream is too much to hope for, but I could see them becoming less fundamentalist and more just conservative, and very Calvinist, Christian. Which frankly is almost as obnoxious, but at least it might give their kids (and themselves) a better shot at having some actual choices in life.

[FloraKitty35]

I predict Ben will stray and Jessa will become Nutshell the sequel. I don't mean that based on # of potential offspring. I mean it in terms of self centered narcissism.

[singsingsing]

I predict Ben will stray and Jessa will become Nutshell the sequel. I don't mean that based on # of potential offspring. I mean it in terms of self centered narcissism.

I don't think either of them will cheat, but I can see them both becoming irrepressibly arrogant, narcissistic, and obnoxious in their evangelism and drive to show the rest of us why we're wrong. Ben will become a preacher/apologist, and Jessa will become his smug defender.

[Feberin]

I think Ben will try a bunch of different careers he'll be in real estate, he'll be a preacher, he'll run for office but none of them will last that long. Eventually hopefully he'll find a career that will actually work out for him. They'll have a boatload of kids then suddenly stop without explanation years before Jessa would be hitting the end of her children bearing years. There will be moments when everyone says they are definitely going to be getting a divorce after seeing their interactions but they'll pull through and remain married.