Bringing Up Bates & Bates Family Doings: Part 2

[calimojo]

I personally support religious freedom as long as it doesn't promote hatred or prejudice. There are some truly whacky religions out there that I think are dangerous. Unfortunately, because of our constitution, many of these fringe elements are protected and that is sadly the price of freedom I guess. As far as adults, I don't care, but I really get pissed when kids are involved. For example, I think the Rodriguez's need to be fully investigated and I think their children should be removed until one of the parents shows evidence of supporting the family and they have stable place to live. It angers me to no end to see children looking malnourished while the parents are overweight. No doubt none of them have a health diet, but it is clear that some are not eating enough and one is getting more than his fair share. If a family hits dire straits and they are forced to live in a camper or very small home that is one thing, but to elect to do that is insane and wrong.

What bothers me more than anything about the religion of the Bates/Duggars is that they are actively campaigning to deny rights of others. I don't understand why people can't live their life as they choose, within the law, and let others live the life that they choose within the law. Why do their freedoms have to come at the cost of other people's freedoms?

[Selah]

Cherub are adorable but what on earth are you wearing Erin? she's such a pretty girl I'm not sure what she was thinking with that ensemble (Easter sunday instagram)

Happy to see baby cherin growing healthily!

[HereticHick]

Cherub are adorable but what on earth are you wearing Erin? she's such a pretty girl I'm not sure what she was thinking with that ensemble (Easter sunday instagram)

Happy to see baby cherin growing healthily!

Both the top & bottom of the outfit are cute, but not with each other.

[HereticHick]

Just looked at Cherin's baby registry at Target (where Kelly said they are registered) & there are only 22 items on it (contrast to Jilly Muffin's 116 item Walmart baby gift grab). Maybe they plan to use Master Bradley's hand me downs? If so, I hope that is a positive sign that Whitney isn't expecting again yet.

[VelociRapture]

I had a similar experience. I don't own guns, hate them and would never have one, but as a kid growing up, my dad actually had a side business of restoring antique guns. Our house always had guns, mostly old and often not functional anymore, but he also had regular guns.

Now, "gun safety" just wasn't really a thing back then. My mom had what was called a "lady's pistol" with a fancy mother of pearl handle. It was never loaded because she wasn't really fond of guns either, but it was by her bedside. I will tell you that not a day went by, when I didn't go in and hold that gun. I was fascinated with it because it was so pretty. But i also knew it was not loaded.

On the other hand, with all the other guns, I never once touched them. All of my friends grew up with guns in their houses as well. Back then I never once heard of a kid accidentally shooting someone, or taking a gun to school.

As liberal as I am, I do find myself divided on the Gun issue. While I see no reason why any citizen needs automatic rifles, uzi's, etc, I really do understand why some would want a hunting rifle or a small handgun. And I think that kids who live in a household with guns, are probably better off if they have some regular exposure to the guns, so they are taught how to use it safely and also taught never to touch it without adult permission and presence.

Perhaps by having such extreme ideas about gun safety, that cover one end of the spectrum to another, we have inadvertently made guns a into a more fascinating object as opposed to a run of the mill household item.

Aside from the pretty pistol that was by my mom's bed, I barely noticed the other guns. They were as run of the mill as the vacuum cleaner or blender. I was never interested in them.

Most kids I grew up with considered guns as a tool for hunting, which in my childhood town, was a primary way that people fed their families much of the time. They weren't ever looked at as a toy. Hunting was not really glorified as a form of entertainment, but as a form of providing for the family.

Now we have made guns such a thing, that I think kids have an increased fascination with them. Perhaps our good intentions have backfired?

This it totally a cultural clash here, but I can't imagine leaving a gun - loaded or unloaded - lying around the house like that. I'm also a 26 year-old Northerner though, so I really think that plays a huge part in it. As well as the fact that my Aunt used her father's handgun to kill herself when I was a kid; it was in a secure location that the adults in the family knew about in case of an emergency. I've been slightly terrified of guns ever since and really have no desire to ever hold or use one.

Hunting for food doesn't bother me too much. I hate the thought of an animal suffering ever, but I also eat meat so I have no right to judge. I don't see a problem as long as the animal is treated with respect and not allowed to be wasted. I also don't have an issue with people who own a handgun for protection purposes; there are a lot of rural areas in the US where it would take a good amount of time for police to reach during an emergency.

I do oppose hunting for entertainment though - it's just something that strikes me as so grotesque and inhumane. I think this is the cultural difference talking again, but I can't look at pictures of people posing happily with the animal they've killed during a hunt.

[19 cats and counting]

Just looked at Cherin's baby registry at Target (where Kelly said they are registered) & there are only 22 items on it (contrast to Jilly Muffin's 116 item Walmart baby gift grab). Maybe they plan to use Master Bradley's hand me downs? If so, I hope that is a positive sign that Whitney isn't expecting again yet.

..

Baby items are the kinds of things you really only use for the first few years of a kid's life. If their circle includes a lot of parents with young children, chances are they can get hand me downs very easily. My sister really only needed 2 big ticket items (carseat, which is safer to buy new, and stroller) when her first was born because so many of her friends (and my mom's friends) have kids who outgrew a lot of baby items and were more than happy to give them away.

After seeing my younger niece yesterday (about a month older than Bradley) she still uses many baby items, so I'm doubtful that they'll come from Zach/Whit.

If there's ever a need for buy used, save the difference, baby items is a good one.

And besides, I don't see Cherin being greedy and registering for things like Dr. Pepper.

[formergothardite]

This it totally a cultural clash here, but I can't imagine leaving a gun - loaded or unloaded - lying around the house like that. I'm also a 26 year-old Northerner though, so I really think that plays a huge part in it. As well as the fact that my Aunt used her father's handgun to kill herself when I was a kid; it was in a secure location that the adults in the family knew about in case of an emergency. I've been slightly terrified of guns ever since and really have no desire to ever hold or use one.

Hunting for food doesn't bother me too much. I hate the thought of an animal suffering ever, but I also eat meat so I have no right to judge. I don't see a problem as long as the animal is treated with respect and not allowed to be wasted. I also don't have an issue with people who own a handgun for protection purposes; there are a lot of rural areas in the US where it would take a good amount of time for police to reach during an emergency.

I do oppose hunting for entertainment though - it's just something that strikes me as so grotesque and inhumane. I think this is the cultural difference talking again, but I can't look at pictures of people posing happily with the animal they've killed during a hunt.

I live in the South surrounded by people who own guns and I would be shocked to walk into a house and just see guns carelessly lying about. Especially if the house had lots of small children. Guns are displayed in gun racks/cases, locked up or hidden, but most people just don't toss loaded/unloaded guns around and the people who do are pretty much considered stupid gun owners.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

I think its probable that more families then you think have issues feeding their kids. Jill talked about having to hide in the bathroom with food when she was young.

Matthew 6:25-26 is often taken literally. And the whole food pyramid thing isn't in the Bible. Most Quiverfull families live nothing like the Duggars. Gardens, goats, etc for those in the country. Gardens and lots and lots of beans in the city would be normal. The Duggars never seem to eat beans--even back in the day. ATI/IBLP folks tend to blow a ton of money on the Bosch Universal Mixer and a wheat mill--Gothard thinks grinding your own wheat into flour is healthier, so they bake their bread. The Duggars bought whole wheat bread except for hamburger buns.

Debt free living, family business, isolation--it all adds up to a strange life. Some cope with it better than others. Some family businesses--even in this group--do very well. Others live off fireword sales or similar. Subsistence. And Amway's scam essential oils and herbal stuff instead of doctors. No health or dental insurance. No way to meet copays or deductibles if they have them. Certainly no 7,000 square foot homes or fleets of Tahoes and Suburbans.

[crazysnark]

I have this guy feeling that whitney just announced a second pregnancy. I don't have any solid proof but the photo they posted on instagram with Bradley and the hash tag grandparents. I know it might be reaching but it's just intuition. Their grins were so big for it to just be a regular photo.

[clueliss]

I have this guy feeling that whitney just announced a second pregnancy. I don't have any solid proof but the photo they posted on instagram with Bradley and the hash tag grandparents. I know it might be reaching but it's just intuition. Their grins were so big for it to just be a regular photo.

There was a whole series via Lawson mostly focused on Bradley. Whatever was going on there was a definite Bradley lovefest going on.

[crazysnark]

Probably celebrating the fact that he's a big brother.

[xReems]

I have this guy feeling that whitney just announced a second pregnancy. I don't have any solid proof but the photo they posted on instagram with Bradley and the hash tag grandparents. I know it might be reaching but it's just intuition. Their grins were so big for it to just be a regular photo.

It honestly would not surprise me if she is pregnant with number 2. It definitely did not take long for her to get pregnant after the wedding, so it would not surprise me if Whit and Zach have been trying for baby #2 after Bradley.

I had such high hopes that Whit would have brought Zach out from the cult like mindset but it looks like Whit has been drinking the koolaid and enjoying the taste of it too. Sure she's fine with her child watching Pooh but the girl has fully embraced the ATI lifestyle.

[Alexa]

How old is Bradley? It would be ironic if Whitney ends up being the Bates with super fertility like her MIL. Whitney also strikes me as the kind to be super competitive with how many babies she has so she fits in more. Bradley is a really cute baby.

[anjulibai]

How old is Bradley? It would be ironic if Whitney ends up being the Bates with super fertility like her MIL. Whitney also strikes me as the kind to be super competitive with how many babies she has so she fits in more. Bradley is a really cute baby.

He's 5 months. It's definitely possible for her to be pregnant already. Hopefully not, though.

[19 cats and counting]

I wouldn't be surprised if she was not pregnant. That said, I think she'd wait until after Allie's birth to announce.

Whitney's young (21?) and really wants to fit in with her in laws. She's said on the show she wants a large family. And Bradley is seriously the most adorable baby.

[Georgiana]

If Bradley is 5 months, then Whit is most likely still very early into her second pregnancy (if she is pregnant). The Bates are not "pee-stick people", and while they tell the family early like most other Fundies, they generally wait to announce publicly until further along.

I think even if Allie were not on the way, Whit would still wait to announce her pregnancy publicly until she was closer to 12 weeks. I think we have 1-2 months before an announcement.

[JillyO]

instagram.com/p/1OetjsR8fz/?taken-by=zachnwhitbates

I'll be damned if this kid is not the spitting image of his dad. And yet, he still manages to be freaking adorable!

[eh02]

instagram.com/p/1OetjsR8fz/?taken-by=zachnwhitbates

I'll be damned if this kid is not the spitting image of his dad. And yet, he still manages to be freaking adorable!

Bradley is SO cute. I am not even much of a baby person, but he just looks like such a happy baby! And a happy baby is a cute baby, I guess...

I think there's a good chance Zach and Whitney won't want a huge family later on, but I would not be the tiniest bit shocked if she was pregnant again already, either. If I had to guess, I think she's probably not pregnant. Maybe by the end of the year though.

[Dandruff]

Who knows with these folks? I guess she could be pregnant, and I think Zach would be into it, but I'm not so sure about Whitney. I'm just glad they're showing more photos of Bradley. Sooooo cute.

[J'Lurker]

Bradley is the Bates' only grandchild so far. Maybe #grandparents isn't about Whit and Zach, but Alyssa, John and Allie Jane.

[19 cats and counting]

Bradley is the Bates' only grandchild so far. Maybe #grandparents isn't about Whit and Zach, but Alyssa, John and Allie Jane.

My parents are grandparents of 2 and absolutely LOVE the role whether it's one kid or 2 or infinity. I think the post was just about how they love being grandparents (and not about an individual grandchild).

[iknowright]

It was a Thanksgiving episode. They seem like nice people. But, other than appearing more approachable than the Duggars, I see no more "down to earth" or reasonable thinking going on in that family.

The girls were all in skirts (except for the grandmother - go grandma) and the grandfather stated after the meal that "this sure wasn't what he had intended" (meaning the mega size family of Gil).

The family was to play their annual Thanksgiving football game. One of the boys said football was more of a guy sport so the girls had become cheerleaders and he wasn't kidding. NONE of the girls played. They stood behind a fence watched. In a large family, sure some aren't going to want to do sports but are you kidding me? Out of all of the girls present NONE wanted to play? Actually, a girl wanting to play wasn't discussed it was just stated that "the girls have become the cheerleaders."

But I guess it's difficult to play football if YOU'RE ALWAYS WEARING A SKIRT!

I know I would have wanted and insisted on playing and I'm a girl. I remember watching a football episode with the Robertsons and many of the females played in the game. It wasn't even a question.

[PennySycamore]

Just looked at Cherin's baby registry at Target (where Kelly said they are registered) & there are only 22 items on it (contrast to Jilly Muffin's 116 item Walmart baby gift grab). Maybe they plan to use Master Bradley's hand me downs? If so, I hope that is a positive sign that Whitney isn't expecting again yet.

I love how Erin's baby registry is so modest. There's nothing on there that she won't need although I don't think nursing covers are needed. (There is nothing immodest about breastfeeding and, really, using a cover just calls attention to the fact that baby is eating. You can nurse discretely, if you want to, if you know how.) I'm also glad to see that most of the things on the registry have already been purchased.

[Aggie2145]

I love how Erin's baby registry is so modest. There's nothing on there that she won't need although I don't think nursing covers are needed. (There is nothing immodest about breastfeeding and, really, using a cover just calls attention to the fact that baby is eating. You can nurse discretely, if you want to, if you know how.) I'm also glad to see that most of the things on the registry have already been purchased.

Well for $20, it will not break the bank. A cover might also help her learn how to nurse discreetly. They also make great car seat covers in the Summer. I clip mine around the tether if my car is going to sit in the sun all day and by the time I return, the seat is noticeably cooler (or as cool as expected in TX.)

Some obvious things missing from her registry are a car seat, changing pad and breast pump. I would also expect to see some sleep sacks/swaddlers, hooded towels, a boppy and a few bottles. But perhaps she was already gifted some things off registry or she is sharing with Whitney. We transitioned from a bucket to a rear facing convertible seat around 6 months and they grow out of clothes and sleep sacks so fast it would certainly be practical to share.

[Selah]

Cherin's nursery pics are adorable! So impressed with their decorating skills. I've always liked grey based colour schemes with pops of colour. Looking incredibly like a lot of styles on Pinterest, so stylish guys! You've come a long way from distasteful pink frills