Wizzy (Mary-Elizabeth Arndt) turns 18!

[turquoise]

Yes they all still "safe" at home and don't seem to have any plans for independence.

This is just bizarre. I love my boys and I miss them when they're gone. But all the same, I don't want them living at home when they're in their 30s, because I know it wouldn't be good for them. They need to become independent and live their own lives.

How "safe" will the Arndts be when the parents pass on and the boys have to be on their own? Will they be able to take care of themselves?

[feministxtian]

I went into parenthood knowing just one thing...it's a time-limited job. I figured I had 18 years to "manufacture" a fully functional adult. Success meant that the child could live independently, knowing how to cook, clean, do laundry, budget, write checks, get an apartment, get utilities turned on, etc.

All my kids could do that at 18...not that they did, one stayed until he was 20 and went in the Army, another left at 18 and came back at 21, the third has managed to stay independent.

[pirouette]

Not sure why they reused names, but I can hazard a guess. I remember that they used to be Catholic. Not sure when they converted, but they clearly retained some of the naming traditions. Their names read like a list of all of the typical Catholic Biblical male names. Nothing "weird" like Boaz, nothing predominantly Protestant like Elijah. And even the one non-Biblical name (Nicholas) is still a typical Catholic name with a religious origin.

Yeah, they're all common names in general, but many of them strike me as especially common among Catholics (source: Catholic upbringing, Catholic school.) Although there isn't, for example, a Patrick or Anthony, so my guess is this- they converted from Catholicism so they didn't want to use anything that only really had ties to Catholicism, but they still relied on their familiar Catholic background when choosing names.

What I'm really saying is they couldn't think outside the "list", so they had to reuse names.

Also that it's a small stroke of luck they didn't have a second girl; I can't imagine what they'd name her now that they've used up Mary, Elizabeth, and Anne all in one go. Elizabeth-Anne Mary, maybe?

[anjulibai]

Not sure why they reused names, but I can hazard a guess. I remember that they used to be Catholic. Not sure when they converted, but they clearly retained some of the naming traditions. Their names read like a list of all of the typical Catholic Biblical male names. Nothing "weird" like Boaz, nothing predominantly Protestant like Elijah. And even the one non-Biblical name (Nicholas) is still a typical Catholic name with a religious origin.

Yeah, they're all common names in general, but many of them strike me as especially common among Catholics (source: Catholic upbringing, Catholic school.) Although there isn't, for example, a Patrick or Anthony, so my guess is this- they converted from Catholicism so they didn't want to use anything that only really had ties to Catholicism, but they still relied on their familiar Catholic background when choosing names.

What I'm really saying is they couldn't think outside the "list", so they had to reuse names.

Also that it's a small stroke of luck they didn't have a second girl; I can't imagine what they'd name her now that they've used up Mary, Elizabeth, and Anne all in one go. Elizabeth-Anne Mary, maybe?

They started reusing names on their fourth child. They came up with others later, so there was no reason they needed to repeat that early.

I think the they did it on purpose to tie themselves together even more.

I'm really curious what Cathy and Rick's full names are.

[twin2]

name, middle name) once??

Maybe "Mary and the Manboys" could get "The Chidults" to open for them?

The Chidults open for no one except the Lord God himself. :snooty:

[Feberin]

They started reusing names on their fourth child. They came up with others later, so there was no reason they needed to repeat that early.

I think the they did it on purpose to tie themselves together even more.

I'm really curious what Cathy and Rick's full names are.

Yeah I can't get over repeating names already on the fourth child. Also a lot of the hyphenated names sound horrible together. I'm sure a second daughter would have had an original name perhaps a duplicate in the middle but they were using names like Phillip and Caleb so I don't think something like Claire, Sarah or Rebecca would haven't been a possibility.

[JenniferJuniper]

I think Robert and Ethel Kennedy had two daughters named Mary, although they go by their middle names. Catholics do love their Marys.

Since the Arndts were Catholics when they married, I wonder if they ever considered that the kids would end up with 5 names once they took confirmation names. Mary-Elizabeth Anne Bernadette Arndt.

I agree they probably re-used names to "tie themselves together" even more than their circumstances already do. It's so creepy.

[gustava]

Does Wizzy not get a birthday photo being embraced by her parental units in the room where she was conceived? Did I miss it?

[Feberin]

I think Robert and Ethel Kennedy had two daughters named Mary, although they go by their middle names. Catholics do love their Marys.

Since the Arndts were Catholics when they married, I wonder if they ever considered that the kids would end up with 5 names once they took confirmation names. Mary-Elizabeth Anne Bernadette Arndt.

I agree they probably re-used names to "tie themselves together" even more than their circumstances already do. It's so creepy.

My husband's grandmother had only one sister. They both had the first name Mary. Irish Catholic family of course!

[rural juror]

Those manboys are not going to handle it well if anyone tries to date their sister. I was watching one of their Famteam videos on youtube (the one about Philip's 20th birthday). Before stopping midway through due to mind-numbing boredom, I noticed that the brothers often have their arm around her. There was a scene where Mary is sitting on the bed with Luke, and his arm is just casually around her, like they're a couple on a date. I'm not saying there's anything incestuous and I get some families are very close and touchy, but this just seemed odd.

[16strong]

What happens when either (or both) mama and daddy Arndt pass away? I think the kids have the career skills to carry on, but not the mental, emotional, and social skills. All the parents are doing with their extreme sheltering and coddling is setting their kids up for complete devastation once they pass.

[Letgo]

They will have each other! All those manboys and their sister will soldier on in the family homestead. They will still have no need to go anywhere. I think Whizzy will take on the role of "mother" to her brothers and be the cook/laundress/maid for them. But I can't see how the loss of the parents would really change anything for the Ardnt sons. They seem to be so indoctrinated that they will simply continue with Rick's vision. They'll probably even keep filming Vine Valley in his memory. But they will all remain "safe at home" even without mom and dad.

[Gobsmacked]

They will have each other! All those manboys and their sister will soldier on in the family homestead. They will still have no need to go anywhere. I think Whizzy will take on the role of "mother" to her brothers and be the cook/laundress/maid for them. But I can't see how the loss of the parents would really change anything for the Ardnt sons. They seem to be so indoctrinated that they will simply continue with Rick's vision. They'll probably even keep filming Vine Valley in his memory. But they will all remain "safe at home" even without mom and dad.

How sad. :cry:

[J.O.Y.nomore]

Happy birthday to you,

are you three? are you two?

you say you're eighteen,

but this is just not seen.

happy birthday sister dear.

we will see you next year.

same time and same place,

so best put on your happy face.

happy birthday to you,

you live in a zoo.

the bars you can't see

but you'll never be free.

This is sad and terrifying, especially the last 2 lines.

And this...

They will have each other! All those manboys and their sister will soldier on in the family homestead. They will still have no need to go anywhere. I think Whizzy will take on the role of "mother" to her brothers and be the cook/laundress/maid for them. But I can't see how the loss of the parents would really change anything for the Ardnt sons. They seem to be so indoctrinated that they will simply continue with Rick's vision. They'll probably even keep filming Vine Valley in his memory. But they will all remain "safe at home" even without mom and dad.

is also sad and scary. Their parents' brainwashing might be so complete that they control the kids from beyond the grave. :shock:

I'm relatively new to fundie families other than the Duggars and these families keep getting scarier and scarier.

[Letgo]

Welcome to the wacky world of the Arndt family, Jossisboss! In many ways, they are the most interesting and strange family discussed on FJ. They are different from many families in that they are not as obviously fundie as, say they Duggars. The mother and daughter wear pants, even shorts. They don't discuss daily Bible time and don't appear to evangelize, outside of their website and film productions, which are pretty limited. But they keep filming! They are isolated, to some degree, but the manboys are allowed to travel and photograph weddings and such. They also play a sport, softball, and have an annual tournament, so they interact with outsiders to some degree. But they all stay home and live with Mom and Dad! The oldest son will be 35 in September. That just blows my mind. Not one of the eleven adult children is married, dating, courting, or even remotely showing an interest in the opposite sex, as far as we have seen. They don't show an interest in the same sex, either, outside of family. They don't seem to need anyone else. They fascinate me. I'd love to meet them and talk to them about their lives.