Erika Shupe *fake smile* Large Families on Purpose *cringe*

[CaptainFunderpants]

She needs to stop saying her house is 1100 square feet. It includes a finished garage. It is not 1100 square feet. It is at least 1600 square feet. :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

Someone on here that lives close to the Shupes needs to call CPS *cheer* about Brandon's malnourishment and Anna Marie's lacking ability to read and write anywhere close to grade level *beam* (see: Father's Day card that we assumed the twins had made).

[mango_fandango]

She needs to stop saying her house is 1100 square feet. It includes a finished garage. It is not 1100 square feet. It is at least 1600 square feet. :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead: :angry-banghead:

Someone on here that lives close to the Shupes needs to call CPS *cheer* about Brandon's malnourishment and Anna Marie's lacking ability to read and write anywhere close to grade level *beam* (see: Father's Day card that we assumed the twins had made).

Yes this. I get that some kids have difficulty with spelling, but if you're nine years old and misspelling simple words like "father" (hers said fother) and "daddy" (hers looked more like 'daby') then there is something wrong. I'm sure most third/fourth graders can get even the basics right.

[16strong]

Yes this. I get that some kids have difficulty with spelling, but if you're nine years old and misspelling simple words like "father" (hers said fother) and "daddy" (hers looked more like 'daby') then there is something wrong. I'm sure most third/fourth graders can get even the basics right.

If Erika is at least doing the basics with Anna Marie, she should have a better grasp of writing and language than she does. I'm jumping on the idle speculation bus here (whee!), but it sounds like she could have a learning disability.

[Brittany15]

If Erika is at least doing the basics with Anna Marie, she should have a better grasp of writing and language than she does. I'm jumping on the idle speculation bus here (whee!), but it sounds like she could have a learning disability.

The thing is Erika just doesn't care about the progress her kids make in school. She really only cares how the kids schooling affects her day.

[Curious]

It's a very odd article, and very specific. Do boys really change much between 3 and 4? How about as they grow older? Do they suddenly stop and become much calmer at the age of four, or what?

The testosterone bit weirded me out too. Surely testosterone has NOTHING to do with how rambunctious kids are. It sounds like Karen and Melanie were very compliant little girls. If she honestly thinks girls don't run around being crazy, she is nuts. Hasn't she ever seen evidence of the Duggar girls, especially Josie, wreaking havoc? Hannie's supposed to be quite feisty, or at least definitely was at one point.

Every kid is different, obviously, but I used to joke if my boy had been first born he would have been an only child.

Both my kids were super easy babies, but the difference when they hit toddler+ was HUGE.

My son never napped and was always moving. Once when he was about 2 or so, I went to the bathroom (to pee...it wasn't like I was in there for hours) and when I came back out, he had built a tower of toys and was on the kitchen counter holding a box of fruit roll ups happy as a clam.

I lost 10 years of life and moved all his snacks to a drawer he could reach while standing on the floor.

My daughter, on the other hand, was happy to sit with a book or coloring book ALL DAY. She took a 2 hour nap like clockwork every afternoon.

I didn't try to "train" anything out of my son. I just got creative in childproofing and colored the grey out of my hair when necessary :wink-kitty:

[DGayle]

If Erika is at least doing the basics with Anna Marie, she should have a better grasp of writing and language than she does. I'm jumping on the idle speculation bus here (whee!), but it sounds like she could have a learning disability.

Erika has a twisted pride in being a bad speller. I really doubt she's putting an emphasis on spelling when it comes to her kids. Those kids don't even have language arts every year.

[Curious]

Every mother I know tries to get her kids (both boys AND girls) to run around, play outside, and burn off extra energy during the day...EVERY day (barring illness, obviously). Erika's "productively occupied" 3 year old never made it out of the house on that crazy schedule! No wonder he'd climb the baby gates and search for other ways to expend energy.

Also, I've never seen a situation where preschoolers were expected to stay inside all day. I toured a lot of preschools before finding one for my daughter (since I was going to grad school and working, like a typical, selfish, ebil feminist), and EVERY preschool had ways to play outside. Inclement weather would occasionally make life more difficult for the preschool teachers, but they still found creative ways for the kids to run around, jump, and play. That is such vital time for so many reasons.

She's doing a lot of complaining about when Tyler was 3 (though she starts off whining about Brandon, whom she now appears to be starving into submission). Tyler would break into the bathroom and play in the toilet, inviting the other littles with him. That's a terrible way to find four kids, especially before dinner, but her solution was to lock the bathroom door for an hour and a half each night?!

This, after beginning the day by "snuggling" in his crib (with whom did the poor boy snuggle?) until Drill Sergeant Mom was ready to groom him, then another hour confined to his booster seat, then another hour locked alone in his room to play independently. No outside activities, no running, no exercise. :pink-shock: And this woman wrote that entire stupid blog to "encourage" other people -- she really thinks she has a stellar plan here.

morri, I suspect her "training" is part fundie-speak, part Pearl-method. Bob's FB page is full of military blather and conservative (bordering on paranoid) views. I think the two of them mutter "spare the rod and spoil the child" on a frequent basis.

These people like Erika and Lori who LOCKED their very young children in their rooms to occupy themselves for hours at a time scare the bejezzus out of me.

I left my kid alone for less than 5 minutes and he was on the kitchen counter. I don't even want to know what he could/would have done given a couple hours, but I have no doubt it would have involved a trip to the ER (or potentially the morgue)!

If they are locked in their room what if they hurt themselves or want a drink or need something. They are babies FFS. What if there was a fire?

[Georgiana]

I wonder if Erica has had to bring the kids indoors (during their rare outdoor time) because a neighbor was enjoying a spliff in their own backyard. Since pot is legal in Washington this could be a real scenario. How much of a fit would she pitch if a little smoke wafted on to her property?

One thing that Erica doesn't seem to be aware of is that her children will be picking her nursing home. :nenner: When the time comes they're going to remember being confined, hit, and given a single jelly bean as a reward.

She lives in Mount Vernon area, right? I think that's what I remember.

Anyways, if that is the case, while Mount Vernon/Sedro Wooley have some urban-ish and suburban areas, for the most part it is incredibly rural and spread out. MOST homes in that area have some sort of acreage, and it's fairly uncommon to be able to see/hear/smell your neighbors. I have family in that area, and they didn't want acreage, but they have it...simply because unless you want to live in town, it's hard to find a house without it.

Given the way the Shupes live, I would guess they probably have a decent land-buffer between them and any neighbors.

[16strong]

She lives in Mount Vernon area, right? I think that's what I remember.

Anyways, if that is the case, while Mount Vernon/Sedro Wooley have some urban-ish and suburban areas, for the most part it is incredibly rural and spread out. MOST homes in that area have some sort of acreage, and it's fairly uncommon to be able to see/hear/smell your neighbors. I have family in that area, and they didn't want acreage, but they have it...simply because unless you want to live in town, it's hard to find a house without it.

Given the way the Shupes live, I would guess they probably have a decent land-buffer between them and any neighbors.

No. They have a small yard in a residential neighborhood with lots of houses that sit fairly close together. They live on a cul-de-sac, iirc.

[apandaaries]

These people like Erika and Lori who LOCKED their very young children in their rooms to occupy themselves for hours at a time scare the bejezzus out of me.

I left my kid alone for less than 5 minutes and he was on the kitchen counter. I don't even want to know what he could/would have done given a couple hours, but I have no doubt it would have involved a trip to the ER (or potentially the morgue)!

If they are locked in their room what if they hurt themselves or want a drink or need something. They are babies FFS. What if there was a fire?

I cannot fathom leaving a toddler/preschooler locked away in another area, out of sight...but to then have the chutzpah to proclaim myself a wonderful and "godly" mother, advising and encouraging others to follow my sadistic plans?! That takes something else.

I do want to add that I've seen a lot of differences in kiddos, but the clear gender determination seems lacking in my experience. I've known boys who could sit and color (or Rainbow Loom)for hours, and girls who can't sit still, and the opposite. A close friend has a daughter and three sons; daughter is the oldest and always on the go. The next brother was a reliable napper and sleeper; he'd announce he was tired and go lie down and sleep, even at age 2 (unlike his VERY active sister). But he was/is totally into cars and mechanical things. And they have a brother who doesn't want to sleep, but does want to wear "pretty" dresses and paint his fingers and toes. Kids are capable of all kinds of differences.

One of my younger brothers sounds like your son -- looking for and courting danger, probably just for the thrill, but too young to properly explain himself once caught (he sort of calmed down with age, though he and his wife enjoy rock climbing, motorcycle riding, and other dangerous activities). My mom has a LOT of stories about his adventures. He's still alive, thank goodness, and she never resorted to locking him away, out of sight and out of mind.

Locking babies and toddlers away is just unimaginable for me, yet some of these fundies are huge proponents of "training" in that style. Jill Rodrigues and her baby in the closet terrify me. What if there were an accident? How would the paramedics know to look there? Or a gas leak or worse in Erika's home -- how would they know that there was a child locked behind some door?

[LovelyLuna]

If I was one of Erika’s kids, that hour I spent behind closed doors by my self with no one to beat me or correct my every move, would be the best part of my day. I have to have alone time. I would go nutters.

so dose she take out the bunk ladders? not give them any toys smaller then an apple? cross her fingers they don’t run into the corner of the dresser and slip open their head? It is mind boggling.

[feministxtian]

My daughter was the kind of child who could play quietly for hours, or curl up in a corner with a book...my sons...uhhh....no! When we lived in Indiana, no matter how cold it got, I'd bundle them up and send them outside to play for awhile just to run off that energy. They were and are both daredevils...they figured out how to climb to the garage roof and jump off it into the yard, walk across the top beam of the swing set like a balance beam...

My daughter is still a quiet type, very into reading, being more of a loner. My sons are still daredevil nuts...no roller coaster is too wild, black diamond ski slopes are challenges to be mastered, the bigger the adrenaline rush, the happier they are...they sort of take after me that way...

[mango_fandango]

Someone's asked a question on the FB page:

I have a serious question. Anyone can answer this, it doesn't need to be Erika! So. I am assuming that the skirts-only crowd often intersects with the conceal carry crowd. Are there ladies who read here that are skirts-only, and yet want to conceal carry? How do you do it?

What on earth is conceal carry? The asker then said she hated the idea of 'body-carry', that it seems too risky with kids around... so what is conceal carry??

[apandaaries]

Someone's asked a question on the FB page:

What on earth is conceal carry? The asker then said she hated the idea of 'body-carry', that it seems too risky with kids around... so what is conceal carry??

Conceal carry, as I've heard, has referred to carrying guns. "Body carry" must mean carrying the weapon on the body, whereas conceal carry could be in a purse...I think. Not sure how guns would ever be safe around kids, but that's just me.

[princessmahina]

Someone's asked a question on the FB page:

What on earth is conceal carry? The asker then said she hated the idea of 'body-carry', that it seems too risky with kids around... so what is conceal carry??

Concealed carry is having a hidden firearm on you in public. I can see why she doesn't like the idea of carrying a gun on her body, but having it in a handbag seems equally dangerous. There was a story not too long ago about a toddler who pulled his mother's gun out of her purse and shot himself with it on accident. I believe Olivia from Fresh Modesty did some posts about modest concealed carry.

[mango_fandango]

Concealed carry is having a hidden firearm on you in public. I can see why she doesn't like the idea of carrying a gun on her body, but having it in a handbag seems equally dangerous. There was a story not too long ago about a toddler who pulled his mother's gun out of her purse and shot himself with it on accident. I believe Olivia from Fresh Modesty did some posts about modest concealed carry.

Ah, OK. Now I get it. Sounds pretty terrifying to me. But then, I'm not American. I'm not about to wade into the whole gun business.

[slickcat79]

Someone's asked a question on the FB page:

What on earth is conceal carry? The asker then said she hated the idea of 'body-carry', that it seems too risky with kids around... so what is conceal carry??

She should check with Kim Coghlan on that one. Just stick it in the back of your waistband! Even while carrying your babies/young children around, it's no big deal!

[Cartmann99]

Ah, OK. Now I get it. Sounds pretty terrifying to me. But then, I'm not American. I'm not about to wade into the whole gun business.

I understand how nuts it must sound to non-Americans. Open carry goes into effect here in Texas in January 2016 and (college) campus carry starts in August of 2016. Even though I live in one of the gun loving states, I was against both laws. :|

Newspaper article about open carry in Texas:

http://www.dallasnews.com/news/politics ... debate.ece

Article about campus carry in Texas:

Texastribune.org/2015/06/16/new-law-campus-carry-debate-begins-anew/

[princessmahina]

Ah, OK. Now I get it. Sounds pretty terrifying to me. But then, I'm not American. I'm not about to wade into the whole gun business.

Ha! I'm an American and it terrifies me too. My dad inherited some guns, so we have them for sentimental purposes, but they're hidden and unloaded. I can't imagine living in such fear that I would carry one with me wherever I went.

[J.O.Y.nomore]

Wow, I just took a closer look at her website. :pink-shock: Does anyone know if she's ever addressed Brandon's emaciation? Looking at everyone else in the family, either she is starving him, he has an eating disorder, or he has some physical illness.

[mango_fandango]

Wow, I just took a closer look at her website. :pink-shock: Does anyone know if she's ever addressed Brandon's emaciation? Looking at everyone else in the family, either she is starving him, he has an eating disorder, or he has some physical illness.

She's never addressed it, but we've snarked on it plenty of times.

[itsthatonegirl]

I have a concealed weapons permit and carry most days. I carry at home as well as out and about. I find it easier to carry at home rather than to continually go back and forth, locking the gun up, then getting it out, then locking it up, etc., etc.

I have only been carrying for a few months. I was at one time terrified of the idea, but my fear stemmed from a lack of education.

[lipstickgoalie]

I have a concealed weapons permit and carry most days. I carry at home as well as out and about. I find it easier to carry at home rather than to continually go back and forth, locking the gun up, then getting it out, then locking it up, etc., etc.

I have only been carrying for a few months. I was at one time terrified of the idea, but my fear stemmed from a lack of education.

Lack of education? Care to enlighten us? (I ask knowing that I am tap dancing through a minefield)

[itsthatonegirl]

Yeah, lack of education and/or experience. I didn't have any first-hand experience with guns. I had only shot one gun, one time, and it was under a bit of social pressure, not because I truly took interest. I knew nothing about holsters, about loading/unloading, about the four cardinal rules, about legalities, nothing. All I knew of guns was from the media, and so much of what I knew was laced with fear.

I began to read up on guns, talked to employees at the local gun store, went to the range, became part of a gun forum, and I simply see it all differently now. I had always been pro-gun in THEORY, but had still remained fearful. The thought of my husband carrying his holstered gun at home used to terrify me, but now I carry mine way more often than he does.

[formergothardite]

Where do people live that they need to carry guns around with them? Is the crime rate really that high? Is there any proof(that doesn't come from like the NRA) that carrying a gun actually makes a person safer? I could see in some really violent neighborhoods where it might be safer to have a gun, but I'm wondering how common that actually is for most of the people who conceal carry.

Just a note, we own guns. They are kept locked and unloaded.