Free Anna Duggar and the M Kids - Part 2 - Merge

[InThePrayerCloset]

 

As mentioned elsewhere, I dressed my daughter in blues and primary colors a lot.  But when she was around 18 months old, she happened to be wearing a pink outfit (a gift) and got so many compliments she always wanted "pink" after that. (She was an early talker.). So she forgot me to get the stereotypical stuff.

Great story emmalyn! One of my favourite times i was out with my niece when she was about 2 a little old lady told me "your son needs a haircut" and my niece responded "no, i'm a girl!" The little old lady said "But you're wearing blue!! blue is only for boys" and my niece responded "well so are you! Are you a boy?" The old lady was gobsmacked and walked away muttering about kids talking back... pretty funny imo!

 

[bucherwurm]

Great story emmalyn! One of my favourite times i was out with my niece when she was about 2 a little old lady told me "your son needs a haircut" and my niece responded "no, i'm a girl!" The little old lady said "But you're wearing blue!! blue is only for boys" and my niece responded "well so are you! Are you a boy?" The old lady was gobsmacked and walked away muttering about kids talking back... pretty funny imo!

 

Smart little girl. That's funny.

[eandre31]

Does anyone else find it a little off that the Duggars and, especially Anna, still seem close to The PickleKings? Amy and Dillon said a lot of unflattering things to the press about Josh and the whole situation.  Do you think Anna is just unaware of this or does she not mind because she is still angry? 

[nastyhobbitses]

Does anyone else find it a little off that the Duggars and, especially Anna, still seem close to The PickleKings? Amy and Dillon said a lot of unflattering things to the press about Josh and the whole situation.  Do you think Anna is just unaware of this or does she not mind because she is still angry? 

I really, really hope that Anna spends a lot of time with Amy because she's someone she can vent to without hearing all the "forgiveness" crap she'd get from JB and M. I know when I was getting out of a shitty relationship, having a friend I could vent to and say how I really felt about my ex to without getting "oh, stop being such a vindictive bitch" was really helpful for me getting to a point where I could let go of all that anger I had and then move on.

Though for all we know, Amy has thrust herself on Anna and Anna's too sweet to tell her to fuck off.

[Lewy]

Meredith is adorable. And I'm not sure how an argument can be made for Anna letting herself go. At the time of Josh's cheating, she looked the best she ever had (clothes, makeup, hair, accessories). She certainly hadn't let herself go. Quite the opposite, actually.

If anything, I've always thought Anna blossomed after getting married/having kids. I think having some money helped her find a nice sense of style and ditching the crunchy curls was a good move. She's quite a pretty girl now IMO.

[ClaraOswin]

I agree that Anna seems to have come into her own 'style' the past few years. She looks ways better than when she was courting Josh. And even watching her talk to the camera on the show...she seems a lot different now. More confident in her speaking. Not surprising though since she was so young back then.

I think that if Anna had been raised in another type of family...she would actually be quite fun to be around. I could see her being a lot like people I went to college with and hung out with.

[Drala]

If anything, I've always thought Anna blossomed after getting married/having kids. I think having some money helped her find a nice sense of style and ditching the crunchy curls was a good move. She's quite a pretty girl now IMO.

I think Anna is all about her kids and doing what she thinks is best for them, which is why she'll do whatever it takes to make her marriage work. This doesn't mean she'll be a doormat to her headship.  Morally, Anna has the upper hand right now.  Hopefully, she will leverage that into some accommodation of her wishes and desires.

[JesSky03]

We had a Star Wars theme for our first, before we knew the sex. Our first ended up being a boy, but it wouldn't have been an issue either way. Gender is a strange thing.

We have a spare bedroom that we know will be the nursery when the time comes that is superhero themed. If we have a girl I may add in a few more female superheros(I should anyway, may be even more important if we have a boy) and maybe mix in a few girly colors but other than that we're keeping the theme regardless of gender. 

[Lysistrata]

I think Anna is all about her kids and doing what she thinks is best for them, which is why she'll do whatever it takes to make her marriage work. This doesn't mean she'll be a doormat to her headship.  Morally, Anna has the upper hand right now.  Hopefully, she will leverage that into some accommodation of her wishes and desires.

She doesn't have as much leverage as she would have if divorce were a possibilty.

[MyMilkshake]

I hope Anna gets tested for all STDs and Hep C. Whether she stays married or not, she needs to look after herself healthwise, because it's doubtful that Josh will.

[pumpkie0]

Did she have a weight problem before?  Based on the pictures I've seen, she seemed to lose weight between pregnancies.  What strikes me most about recent pictures is not that she is thinner but that she is rested.  In pictures with Josh she usually looked tense.

I always saw her as nervous, trying to hard and I put that on the family not her.  With Josh she always looked like she was afraid of saying or doing the wrong thing.  I think now she looks stunning, relaxed not nervous and while that its good it also sucks because soon he will be back and I don't want to go back to seeing her that way

[imokit]

Who knows what Anna is doing or thinking about Josh.  One thing she is doing is raising her kids as a single parent (yes she has help, but J Slaves are different to husband in term of parenting).  She must be noticing that she can do this single parent thing and her kids are OK.  There are other men around being male influences (Dillion, probly JD - if she gets a divorce, her brothers).  Maybe one day when Josh is back and things are getting bad again (no one expects him to stay changed for very long), she will think back to this time, when she coped as a single parent and remember that there are options. That she can do it.

I think she will stay for now.

But in a year or two (maybe after M5 when he's wanting sex sooner than she wants post delivery and pressuring her to give it to him to stop him cheating).  She may go.  Anna now knows that contrary to all fundie teaching, her kids can survive with a single mum.

Or he may just throw in the towel and leave her when he goes off the rails again.

 

[19 cats and counting]

Did she have a weight problem before?  Based on the pictures I've seen, she seemed to lose weight between pregnancies.  What strikes me most about recent pictures is not that she is thinner but that she is rested.  In pictures with Josh she usually looked tense.

She was pretty thin, if not scrawny, before she married Josh.  The crunchy ramen noodle hair didn't help her either.  She also looked older than just turned 20 (he proposed to her on her 20th birthday right?).  

This is purely superficial since I'm commenting on their looks, but at the time of the wedding, he was the better looking of the couple.  Now she is hands down.  She's really grown into her looks.   

[HeadshipRegent]

Meredith is an adorable baby, aw. 

[elliha]

Who knows what Anna is doing or thinking about Josh.  One thing she is doing is raising her kids as a single parent (yes she has help, but J Slaves are different to husband in term of parenting).  She must be noticing that she can do this single parent thing and her kids are OK.  There are other men around being male influences (Dillion, probly JD - if she gets a divorce, her brothers).  Maybe one day when Josh is back and things are getting bad again (no one expects him to stay changed for very long), she will think back to this time, when she coped as a single parent and remember that there are options. That she can do it.

I think she will stay for now.

But in a year or two (maybe after M5 when he's wanting sex sooner than she wants post delivery and pressuring her to give it to him to stop him cheating).  She may go.  Anna now knows that contrary to all fundie teaching, her kids can survive with a single mum.

Or he may just throw in the towel and leave her when he goes off the rails again.

 

This is pretty much what I think will happen too. 

While we have no idea of what happened I kind of believe that Anna grew a backbone when she found out about the cheating and told him to do something now or she would seek divorce. I think that as she knew about what he did to his sisters to some degree that was something she felt she would have to bear but that she was not bound to bear sex with strippers, websites for infidelity, "porn addiction" and so on. I think neither one of them thinks that their marriage will survive long term but they feel obligated to make every last attempt before they can divorce in relative peace.

[vienna]

With most people here agreeing that chances are pretty high that Anna will try to make the marriage work (at least for the kids) I find it unbearable that Josh is just disappearing. She found out he has been cheating and a few hour later he was sent out of state. Just gone. How should a couple be able to work it all out together when separated? To me this is almost the most unnatural ridiculous part of the whole story.

Josh would have to have gone with Anna through her phases of denial, anger ect. Anna would have to have experienced more of his first reaction the everybody finding our. According to the media, he was not even sorry when caught. 

They will never be able to overcome this or to have anything more that a marriage of distrust and looking  nice for the others, especially the kids. Poor Anna. I see horrible years ahead of her with this emotionally disturbed husband in the cult environment. If she does not break free, chances are good that one of her kids will later on, experiencing first hand the result of having to stay under your umbrella no matter what. I hope at least Anna keeps close with Amy.

[ClaraOswin]

Maybe they are talking on the phone and skyping often from where ever he is..? It's definitely possible since I doubt he's in any real rehab type place.

[2manyKidzzz]

Anna was not raised up...to see herself as a single, working mom. Never.  I don't want to see her with Josh of course. At least the J'Slaves are helping her, I assume. She looks great. she is a good mom. She is caught in a horrible position. If she did work, the Duggies wouldn't approve and who then would babysit the Mkids. She is caught. I think she is very steeped in kool-aid, and I don't know what that means about what she thinks. 

[MyMilkshake]

The kindest thing Josh could do is divorce Anna. It doesn't look like he has respect or genuine warmth towards her and I don't think he's into the family thing like Anna is.  I could see Anna doing fine on her own and maybe finding a decent 2nd husband some day. 
But Josh comes off as a very selfish person, so odds are he'll stay in the marriage, live off JB's money and keep screwing around on her. And it'll be up to Anna to divorce him if she's unhappy, and as a result she will be labeled " the one who gave up on the marriage". 
But I hope she surprises us all some day and kicks his ass to the curb.

[Lysistrata]

Who knows what Anna is doing or thinking about Josh.  One thing she is doing is raising her kids as a single parent (yes she has help, but J Slaves are different to husband in term of parenting).  She must be noticing that she can do this single parent thing and her kids are OK.  There are other men around being male influences (Dillion, probly JD - if she gets a divorce, her brothers).  Maybe one day when Josh is back and things are getting bad again (no one expects him to stay changed for very long), she will think back to this time, when she coped as a single parent and remember that there are options. That she can do it.

I think she will stay for now.

But in a year or two (maybe after M5 when he's wanting sex sooner than she wants post delivery and pressuring her to give it to him to stop him cheating).  She may go.  Anna now knows that contrary to all fundie teaching, her kids can survive with a single mum.

Or he may just throw in the towel and leave her when he goes off the rails again.

I think a big piece that is missing out of the puzzle that is missing from the divorce scenario above is, yes she is probably managing right now fine, but she doesn't have to financially support herself and kids.  It's much different if she gets a divorce.  I doubt she would get enough money with spousal and child support to live without a job.  Could her family support her?  They should considering they raised her to not work in the outside world (not to mention put their stamp of approval on creepo Josh).  And whether she could or not, I'm sure there are people around her that let her know that they don't think she is employable.  

[DuggarWatch]

There's something else.  Mackynzie just turned 6.  By Arkansas law, she's required to be in school.  If she's homeschooled, only a parent can teach her.  (I do think the Duggars fudge on that, though, with the sister moms always at the computers with the kids.)  Anna would have to put Mackynzie in a real school if she is going to work all day somewhere.  I think this, more than anything else, is what traps Quiverful women at home.  Gothard's whole empire revolved around ATI and the homeschool curriculum he sold.

[Cerealgirl]

I've known guys that treat women differently depending on who it is. He has freaky desires, maybe even normal ones too that I'm sure he would not try with his godly wife so he went to prostitutes. I feel bad for Anna. It must have crossed her mind (because of how she was raised) that she did not please him enough sexually and now will be feeling the pressure to allow him to be rough or whatever.

As far as supporting herself, she would have book deals, speaking engagements and her own TLC Breaking Duggar show if she left him. Unfortunately she's still young and very devoted to the marriage. He'll put her through many years of torment and looking the other way before she gives up on him.

[ksgranola1]

She does have an assoc. degree in early childhood education. She could work. I would love for her to play the Godly wife until the day he walks back thru the door & then put her coat on right then & say. 'See Ya.' & drop the mike. Can you just see all their jaws drop.

[jqlgoblue]

There's something else.  Mackynzie just turned 6.  By Arkansas law, she's required to be in school.  If she's homeschooled, only a parent can teach her.  (I do think the Duggars fudge on that, though, with the sister moms always at the computers with the kids.)  Anna would have to put Mackynzie in a real school if she is going to work all day somewhere.  I think this, more than anything else, is what traps Quiverful women at home.  Gothard's whole empire revolved around ATI and the homeschool curriculum he sold.

Hmm. I bet the Duggars could form their own school based on ATI curricula (I have heard it done in secular sport related scenarios). In that case it wouldn't matter who taught the kids. I can't imagine a future Duggarland where all the kids aren't homeschooling together. That said, making it official would probably require them to in some way interact with the government. I also can't see them offering to school Anna's kids while she worked, or even 'worked'.

On the work front, how is it ok that the J'Slaves be friends with Sierra Jo Dominguez who seemingly actually brings in money for her family, if not via wedding planning which I am guessing is not paid, but via her chocolate covered fruit business, but the J'Slaves and Anna can't do something like that? Not to say that will support any of them and their 10-20 future kids.... but it's something.

[JessaBlessa]

Would you want to eat anything made by the Duggars not knowing what Josie has licked?