Erika Shupe Miscarriage

[19 cats and counting]

Cold - that is the word. She looks like hard plastic, every hair pasted in place, chiclet teeth gleaming.

And I'm too far to rescue the dog. Dang. *sob*

I remember on one of her videos about how one of the older girls is teaching the pre-K's, the older girl - maybe 12 - hisses at one of the children "shut up." She'd probably been tending the brood all morning while Plasterika did her makeup and visited with God and drank her water to keep her skin so youthful... *gag*

To call Erika cold is an insult to Queen Elsa.

[apandaaries]

Her point system is beyond cruel. Her kids literally have to get 5 stickers to get ONE measly jelly bean. She is just as bad as Jill Rodrigeuz, she just packages it better. Those poor, poor children.

Also: why are the twins always dressed alike? I don't think they're identical, but in every photo, they're dressed alike. I have a deep abhorrence for people who do this to young children.

I agree. And she still keeps those twins in a teeny tiny play area during scheduled times. She's sick.

So very sorry for the new baby. I also thought that was a closed for good womb.

[Georgiana]

I'm about 30 minutes from Mount Vernon and my aunt and uncle live in Sedro Wooley, which is very close.

To give you some info on the area/WA state in general:

The developed/urban/suburban areas of WA are incredibly liberal. Because of the high population concentration in those areas, the state tends to swing liberal as well. This is not because most of the state geographically is liberal, but because basically a few counties can pull the state. King County (Seattle) is solidly liberal and extremely so. Pierce/Snohomish are generally liberal, but fairly evenly split and can swing especially for more extreme measures.

Other counties tend to be more moderate to incredibly and sometimes reaction-ally conservative, ESPECIALLY east of the mountains. Unfortunately, those counties often get liberal measures shoved down their throats because of the high population of voters in King/Snohomish/Pierce. This sometimes makes people swing to the far right as they feel (pretty much correctly) that their values/ideas/laws/measures are getting outvoted by the liberal, urban agenda. Eastern Washington asks to join Idaho every couple years because their politics/agendas align more closely with Idaho's than with Western WA. It's a lot like Nor Cal vs So Cal.

Basically Washington =/= Seattle. It's a big place, and outside of the Greater Seattle Metropolitan Area, it has a much different culture.

Mount Vernon is up in Skagit County (which is in between Seattle and Bellingham/the Canadian Border), which is largely rural and highly conservative. It's pretty religious and fairly isolated. You drive through on I-5, but I can't think of any reason (besides tulips for one month of the year) why anyone would GO to that area except to visit someone they knew. It a much, much different climate than Seattle. I am not at all shocked that there are fundies there as it seems to me more like the Bible Belt than Seattle.

[SolomonFundy]

I check in on the Shupes very infrequently, so my apologies if this is something that has been discussed before: Does their oldest son have some physical limitations, or is he just in between growth spurts? Their two elder daughters look much more mature than they are, which exacerbates the issue, but in pretty much every photo, their eldest son looks YEARS younger than he really is. Plus, the height difference documented in the blog "our family" picture. He's 11 or 12, and is the same size as his sister who is 8.

The birth announcement video was painful to watch. Literally nobody reacted with any enthusiasm except for the blonde woman, and she said towards the end of the video that it was because she misunderstood and thought they were having twins again. :?

As to dressing twins alike, I understand the allure of doing something like that, but think that it should be up to the child after they start to have opinions on how they want to dress. My former sisters-in-law were identical twins, and they genuinely loved dressing alike. The family was very poor when they were young, and dependent upon charity and thrift shops, so they didn't get to dress in matching outfits on a regular basis until they were nearly teens. It's tempting to assume that Erika Shupe dresses Lacey and Lilly alike because she doesn't care about the fact that they are individuals, but I don't necessarily agree with that reasoning. Unlike Jill Rodriguez, for instance, she doesn't seem to care about coordinating the family's clothing for regular outings. I think it's just easier to buy two of the same thing if she finds something she likes. The twins are currently still the "babies" of the family and the Shupes probably enjoy showing off that aspect of their fertility. "LOOK! WE HAD TWO AT THE SAME TIME!!" The older girls are very close in age, and dress differently, plus there are a few pictures of the twins in different outfits. I assume that as the twins grow, they will wear different clothing because Erika will want to expend that time and energy on other things.

[Fascinated]

How difficult is it for those poor children to choose a single jelly bean, a DROP OF HONEY ON THE TONGUE WHILE RECITING A BIBLE VERSE (WITH ERIKA) or some kind of a loud kiss on the cheek from their mother as a 'reward'?

I love how Erika rewards them with a smelly sticker which she says they can place anywhere on their notebook. Then she says they can put it at the top of a page or on the front cover but she 'encourages' the front cover placement so that the child can delight in this incredibly exciting smelly sticker every day when using notebook. What a bitch.

[Koala]

Good grief, they were almost 2 in this video and she was still using their earrings to tell them apart. :shock:

[DGayle]

Not making light of this topic, but I don't think they will, just because when would they ever have the time alone to actually do it? The house is crowded and I bet they're not allowed in the bathroom very long, either.

It doesn't take long, if somebody is desperate enough. It's still sad when the only reason somebody thinks they might not is because when do they ever have time alone. It's really sad, and how is Erica not seen as abusive?

[Alexa]

Wow, another fundie I just learned about who seems bat-shite crazy! I looked at her blog and I feel really, really bad for her kids. Her kids look even more miserable than the average fundie kids, particularly the oldest 2 girls.

[Jana814]

So wrong that this woman does to her older girls.

[Jana814]

Erika is a terrible mother. Some fundies you can at least concede some good parts. Zsu takes good care of her babies, etc. But this lady is cold. From her newborns to her teenagers, she treats them all like crap. I can't imagine her adult kids wanting anything to do with her. I hope she ends up totally alone.

Agree!

[DGayle]

I'm trying to read up on Erica, was unfamiliar with her. I went to her FB page and started looking at pictures. She had a family Easter basket posted. I don't want to snark on families without a lot of money, Lord knows I don't have any myself but, they had 1 chocolate Easter bunny to share amongst 9 children and it looked like 1 package of peeps. So everyone gets 1 peep? I guess it's more than a Maxwell could ever hope for. I'm so sorry if this was rude. :whistle:

They can afford more. Erica and her husband just like to spend it all on themselves.

[klynn]

I just read her blog post about the points and rewards system. Some of the rewards are ridiculous. Hair ties? Socks? Aren't those things that should be provided to children? I'd never make my kids buy their own socks and hair ties! If I lived there, I'd try to save up a million points and use that to buy my freedom. Good grief, it's like a prison.

I just feel so horrible for all those kids. They can't possibly have a clue how to function. There'll be a 25 year old calling home to ask if it's time to put pjs on.

[mango_fandango]

Washingtonian here!

Came out of lurking to mention that Mount Vernon is actually in the Western half of the state, and in fact sits on I-5 only about an hour and a half north of Seattle. It is bizarre to hear about fundies in this part of the state, they're pretty few and far between. Although there's a BBQ joint in my hometown owned by Apostolics, so go figure!

I will say that the Skagit Valley is pretty much all farmland, so that could definitely play a part in it having a more conservative bent. Part of why the Shupes are so fascinating for me is because we don't have many ultra-fundamentalists around here. Also, I believe they attended Northwest University, which is Assemblies of God, and now they seemed to be pretty Reformed in theology, which is a pretty big switch.

Actually, I was just up in that area for a tulip festival recently and I was definitely keeping my eyes peeled for Shupes!

And back to lurking...

Actually, I think Erika attended Western Washington University, not sure how liberal or not that is. It's in Bellingham near the San Juan Islands where she grew up- she doesn't like to go very far does she? She mentioned that her sister lives in Colorado, when she posted on Facebook a while back about a prayer request for Karen who was sick with stomach flu, and they'd had it all two weeks prior, and Melanie couldn't get sick as she was going to Colorado to help Erika's sister Heidi who'd had a new baby. Apart from that, the Shupes really don't go very far. Someone mentioned about living in Sedro Woolley or at least having relatives there- I think the Shupes were involved in the 4th July parade there last year.

And thanks to everyone for educating me about Washington. As I mentioned I'm not from America so it's interesting to learn about these things. :)

[teachergirl]

Oh I hate her....did you see how when someone asked if the older girls can say no once in a while to weekly babysitting she said no??? That they all "understand" that they function as a team and that is expected of them...besides, they get to watch a whole 30 minutes of an Erica approved tv show....did anyone also notice they they get no points if the kids go to bed later than they are supposed to? Those poor girls will never get out of the house, they will be stuck there until they get married.

[Georgiana]

Actually, I think Erika attended Western Washington University, not sure how liberal or not that is. It's in Bellingham near the San Juan Islands where she grew up- she doesn't like to go very far does she? She mentioned that her sister lives in Colorado, when she posted on Facebook a while back about a prayer request for Karen who was sick with stomach flu, and they'd had it all two weeks prior, and Melanie couldn't get sick as she was going to Colorado to help Erika's sister Heidi who'd had a new baby. Apart from that, the Shupes really don't go very far. Someone mentioned about living in Sedro Woolley or at least having relatives there- I think the Shupes were involved in the 4th July parade there last year.

And thanks to everyone for educating me about Washington. As I mentioned I'm not from America so it's interesting to learn about these things. :)

Western Washington University (in Bellingham) is INCREDIBLY liberal. Western is known for "hippies" and "hippie culture". Of the big Washington Universities, I would say it is the most liberal. Bellingham, being mostly a college town, feeds off Western's liberal culture.

I am the one that has relatives in Sedro Wooley! Next time I see them, I'll ask about the Shupes. They're Catholic, but SW/MV are small and people tend to know each other or have heard of each other.

[Brittany15]

Agree!

Love this point! I also like to think about these mothers intentions. While I don't agree with Zsu's actions I think her intentions are good. She is doing what she truly believes will be best for her kids. For instance she seems to nurse her infants on demand and cares for them well. As they get older she does spank (which I don't agree with) but I think she really believes that this will truly benefit her children.

I thinks Erika's intentions are to help Erika. She does what she thinks will make her life better and easier- no matter what they are. She heard a theory that even small infants should cry it out and she liked the sound of not getting up at night so she lets her babies cry. She can make her older girls babysit for free because she wants a date night. She really doesn't care about her kids.

[slickcat79]

I just read her blog post about the points and rewards system. Some of the rewards are ridiculous. Hair ties? Socks? Aren't those things that should be provided to children? I'd never make my kids buy their own socks and hair ties! If I lived there, I'd try to save up a million points and use that to buy my freedom. Good grief, it's like a prison.

I just feel so horrible for all those kids. They can't possibly have a clue how to function. There'll be a 25 year old calling home to ask if it's time to put pjs on.

The whole system is ridiculous, but especially for Karen and Melanie. They are expected to be responsible enough to take care of SEVEN KIDS under age 12 for hours at a time, yet they're paid in hair ties and stickers. They might be expected to watch their siblings for 3-4 hours, including dinner, tidying up and/or bedtime...for the equivalent of a package of candy or a trinket from the dollar store.

It might be slightly better than the Duggars' .03 per jurisdiction, but not by much. These families might as well just not offer any "pay" for doing chores, because what they offer is so insulting. They're just setting their kids up to undervalue themselves and their work for life. If you want to convince your daughters that staying home and keeping house is worthwhile, this is not the way to do it.

[OkToBeTakei]

I check in on the Shupes very infrequently, so my apologies if this is something that has been discussed before: Does their oldest son have some physical limitations, or is he just in between growth spurts? Their two elder daughters look much more mature than they are, which exacerbates the issue, but in pretty much every photo, their eldest son looks YEARS younger than he really is. Plus, the height difference documented in the blog "our family" picture. He's 11 or 12, and is the same size as his sister who is 8.

The birth announcement video was painful to watch. Literally nobody reacted with any enthusiasm except for the blonde woman, and she said towards the end of the video that it was because she misunderstood and thought they were having twins again. :?

As to dressing twins alike, I understand the allure of doing something like that, but think that it should be up to the child after they start to have opinions on how they want to dress. My former sisters-in-law were identical twins, and they genuinely loved dressing alike. The family was very poor when they were young, and dependent upon charity and thrift shops, so they didn't get to dress in matching outfits on a regular basis until they were nearly teens. It's tempting to assume that Erika Shupe dresses Lacey and Lilly alike because she doesn't care about the fact that they are individuals, but I don't necessarily agree with that reasoning. Unlike Jill Rodriguez, for instance, she doesn't seem to care about coordinating the family's clothing for regular outings. I think it's just easier to buy two of the same thing if she finds something she likes. The twins are currently still the "babies" of the family and the Shupes probably enjoy showing off that aspect of their fertility. "LOOK! WE HAD TWO AT THE SAME TIME!!" The older girls are very close in age, and dress differently, plus there are a few pictures of the twins in different outfits. I assume that as the twins grow, they will wear different clothing because Erika will want to expend that time and energy on other things.

Yes it's been discussed before. Try the search function I can't get at it on my phone. It always strikes me how slight that child is.

Erica's level of control is pathological. I think you match her type of personality with fundamentalism and bang!! Disaster.

I would love her to come de clutter my house though :lol:

[Cheetah]

They can afford more. Erica and her husband just like to spend it all on themselves.

I think it has more to do with her extreme controlling nature trying to not let her girls get overweight. I wouldn't be surprised if Erika had an eating disorder and is passing it on (or at least, attempting to keep her girls quite slim).

[apandaaries]

I think it has more to do with her extreme controlling nature trying to not let her girls get overweight. I wouldn't be surprised if Erika had an eating disorder and is passing it on (or at least, attempting to keep her girls quite slim).

Seems like it, doesn't it? Also seems like her extremely controlling manner is stunting the growth of her eldest son, sadly. It's been awhile since I've been on her blog, but I do remember her discussing financial difficulties (before her husband started whatever he started -- I think he'd been laid off, maybe?). The family had been surviving on peanut butter sandwiches for lunch for quite awhile, and one of the older girls eventually objected. Erika's solution was to have the daughter write out a list of what her parents gave her and how grateful she should be for it...like, how kind of Mother and Father to pay for my music lessons because they really want to play, but only we kids get lessons, and other such b.s.

I mean, I guess the Maxwells might have less fun, but wow. This family has such a bleak life. And now her poor girls are going to have to raise another sibling (probably) while their mother crows about her superior parenting methods and the baby learns to "cry it out." Depressing.

[mango_fandango]

I know we've all realised this, and the freaking thread title is "pregnant with #10", but this is the first baby she's had since she started the blog and LFoP Facebook page. Just as a heads up, get ready for a shit ton of albums and photos next January.

Great, now I'm wondering what she'll name it. She seems to be the type to find out the gender, so she can get all organised with a name. She did this with the twins, and even though every single scan showed two girls she still had boys' names. I did see a story once where a woman thought she was expecting a girl but it turned out to be a boy, although this must be rare. Names that are out of the running include Owen and Edward, which are Spencer and Riley's middle names respectively. (She posted on Facebook a while ago about something that happened to Spencer, and mentioned his middle name, and then in the 2012 Christmas album she posted pictures of homemade 'gift voucher' things (things like one free hug etc, which actually seems kinda cute to me). On one of them was 'Riley Edward Shupe'.

[church_of_dog]

Washingtonian here!

Came out of lurking to mention that Mount Vernon is actually in the Western half of the state, and in fact sits on I-5 only about an hour and a half north of Seattle. It is bizarre to hear about fundies in this part of the state, they're pretty few and far between. Although there's a BBQ joint in my hometown owned by Apostolics, so go figure!

I will say that the Skagit Valley is pretty much all farmland, so that could definitely play a part in it having a more conservative bent. Part of why the Shupes are so fascinating for me is because we don't have many ultra-fundamentalists around here. Also, I believe they attended Northwest University, which is Assemblies of God, and now they seemed to be pretty Reformed in theology, which is a pretty big switch.

Actually, I was just up in that area for a tulip festival recently and I was definitely keeping my eyes peeled for Shupes!

And back to lurking...

Whoops! Guess I should have looked at a map to see where Skagit Valley was before posting, sorry.

Thanks for the clarification!

ETA: and welcome!

[browngrl]

...These families might as well just not offer any "pay" for doing chores, because what they offer is so insulting. They're just setting their kids up to undervalue themselves and their work for life. If you want to convince your daughters that staying home and keeping house is worthwhile, this is not the way to do it.

They absolutely are teaching their children to undervalue themselves. I suspect that despite whatever Erika might say to the contrary - this is exactly what she wants. What better way to control the children. Break their spirit. Control their every breath. Teach them that their efforts are worth a pittance and they are lucky for that. They'll do exactly what they are told because they won't have the confidence and self esteem to stand up and question anything. They won't choose to be a homemaker and stay at home mother or any other life path - they will just accept whatever or whoever they are offered because after all their value is much less than rubies, they are barely worth hair ties.

[lawfulevil]

Those kids are gonna go apeshit for refined carbohydrates the second they escape their evil mother. I was absolutely forbidden candy as a child, I speak from experience.

[mango_fandango]

Those kids are gonna go apeshit for refined carbohydrates the second they escape their evil mother. I was absolutely forbidden candy as a child, I speak from experience.

I so agree! My mum told me once that you should never deny yourself anything- even things like chocolate, sweets etc. Just eat them occasionally. It seems to be a huge thing amongst quite a few families to not feed their kids any kind of sugar. Yes I know there's an obesity epidemic and yes it's unhealthy, but they can have treats OCCASIONALLY. I think once when I was at a friend's birthday party we didn't even have any cake, and my mum says that the friend's mum said she wouldn't do cake. Not even on the kid's birthday? That's just cruel. The Shupe kids do get their dessert of choice on their birthday, not to mention the special Happy Birthday Jesus coffee cake on Christmas morning (yup, they sing Happy Birthday to Him). They're not completely denied sugar at all times, but it is severely restricted outside of these special occasions. It all stems from Erika's previous sugar addiction, she wrote an entire post on it. The upshot of the post was that she would deny herself sugar at all times, not even letting herself have any in drinks or hot chocolate (she's done a sugar-free cocoa recipe which does contain stevia).