Erika Shupe *fake smile* Large Families on Purpose Part 2

[salex]

I know very, very few people raised in large homeschooling families who grew up to have their own large homeschooling family. It doesn't work as well as people like Erika would like to claim.

In my small town, there was a family with nearly 20 kids (not rc, not religious) another with 15 (not rc, not religious) and one that had 8 (RC) That said, most of my classmates were from families with 3 or 4 kids, back then....

NONE of the larger family kids had larger families, including the RC. Most had 2 or 3 kids....Of course, other than the RC family, most of them weren't necessarily being taught they were on a mission from god to reproduce, but I am not sure that will always make a difference.

[defraudingjezebel]

In my small town, there was a family with nearly 20 kids (not rc, not religious) another with 15 (not rc, not religious) and one that had 8 (RC) That said, most of my classmates were from families with 3 or 4 kids, back then....

NONE of the larger family kids had larger families, including the RC. Most had 2 or 3 kids....Of course, other than the RC family, most of them weren't necessarily being taught they were on a mission from god to reproduce, but I am not sure that will always make a difference.

Wasn't this fact the subject of a Botkin "documentary"? The issue of hordes of homeschooled Christian kids "leaving" the movement? If I remember correctly, they blame the kids themselves rather than being critical of their own belief system for one second. Typical!

[ViolaSebastian]

There also seems to be (and this perception may be skewed by the attention they get here on FJ...) a large number of older men and women that have never married that were born into the Quiverfull movement. If, say, all eleventy Arndt man-boys and all of the Duggar and Maxwell kidult daughters started marrying off, then I'd maybe a bit more worried about their eventual take-over. Even then, they've lost a good number of their baby-makin' years at home drinking saltpeter and dusting ceiling fans, so we have to take that into account as well.

[defraudingjezebel]

There also seems to be (and this perception may be skewed by the attention they get here on FJ...) a large number of older men and women that have never married that were born into the Quiverfull movement. If, say, all eleventy Arndt man-boys and all of the Duggar and Maxwell kidult daughters started marrying off, then I'd maybe a bit more worried about their eventual take-over. Even then, they've lost a good number of their baby-makin' years at home drinking saltpeter and dusting ceiling fans, so we have to take that into account as well.

Yep, the courtship model seems to "work" only some of the time. Families that believe in courtship are so few and far between that there are not many eligible men and women out there, and its hard for them to meet save for a few large events a year. Also, fundie families don't seem to actively introduce their kids to others like in many cultures that practice arranged/semi-arranged marriages. I think fundie parents should be WAY more proactive about introducing their kids to prospective mates. Even if it doesn't result in a love match, at least the kids will be socialized a bit more. Insular families ==> fewer marriages

That being said, the whole expectation for their children to get married young and pop out a bunch of kids straight away is pretty fucked up.

[grandmadugger]

Even though Sarabeth has been blocked I still get notifications on a couple of threads I commented on. lol Proverbs 31 got brought up and someone explained that the Proverbs 31 woman would have had a staff/slaves. She talked about what the slaves would have taken cooking, cleaning, child care ect. The woman explained how things have changed but how middle class and affluent women continued to have help with cleaning and child care. Erika's response? We call those things appliances. :pink-shock: Really all you got out of that was the advent of appliances?

[anjulibai]

In my small town, there was a family with nearly 20 kids (not rc, not religious) another with 15 (not rc, not religious) and one that had 8 (RC) That said, most of my classmates were from families with 3 or 4 kids, back then....

NONE of the larger family kids had larger families, including the RC. Most had 2 or 3 kids....Of course, other than the RC family, most of them weren't necessarily being taught they were on a mission from god to reproduce, but I am not sure that will always make a difference.

My mother was one of 9. They were Catholic, but the real reason they had so many was Gramma loves newborns and thought more kids would keep Grandpa from cheating on her (any guesses on how that worked out?).

None of my mom's siblings have had more than 3 kids. Overall, there are (about to be within a month) 18 grandkids, so an average of only 2 kids per sibling. Hell, two only had one child, my mom and one of her sisters.

Over the years, my mom and her siblings have discussed many times how awful it was growing up in such a huge family, how it made life so much more difficult for everyone, how poor they were.

No one wanted to repeat that in their own families.

[ViolaSebastian]

Please keep my older daughters in your prayers. I'm so ashamed, but I've failed them. They want to be of the world and a think our life is 'repressive' I just thought being joyful at home would be enough for my kids to want to follow the word. Instead they are questioning/breaking down every little word of the Word. I do keep the faith though. I pray Satan leaves our blessed familY.

This is just so, so sad for so many reasons.

[mango_fandango]

OK, slightly different... Erika's linked to a blog called "a holy experience" (small letters are their usage). I've clicked on some of those links before... they're all the bloody same: ginormous pictures that take ages to load, with occasional sentences that are usually something like "Life can be hard sometimes. You might often feel down or upset or angry. But Jesus loves you. Read the Bible every day and be reaffirmed in your faith." Good grief. I am so glad I didn't grow up in a religious household. It's like a stuck record. "Jesus! Read the Bible! Jesus! Read the Bible!" :roll:

[grandmadugger]

This is just so, so sad for so many reasons.

I don't know if it's really sad. The girls are questioning and realizing that their lifestyle is effed up. This gives me hope. I will keep the older daughters in my prayers. Prayers that they are able to get out of that house ASAP and no physical abuse is in store for them and that they find a wonderful therapist to help repair the emotional abuse.

[beancounter]

It wouldn't go. Erika would totally be afraid and would make an excuse to avoid Shirley, who for all her faults, is a well educated lawyer, and would run circles around Erika. And Erika is smart enough to know it.

I agree, Phelps-Roper would run circles around Erika, now that I've thought about it more. I wasn't sure if Erika would be smart enough to realize how over-matched she would be. Although, I do wonder what some of these fundie families would say when asked their opinion of the Phelps/WBC.

The Phelps clan is so baffling to me. (For reference, a large number of Fred Phelps' children, and now grandchildren are attorneys. In general, the family is very intelligent. All of those attorneys come in handy when the family business is a hate group.) I wonder what it was like to be in law school with one or more Phelps' in your classes.

[16strong]

Anyone see the article Erika just posted: "The key to look for when you can't fix all the things you desperately want to fix," with the caption of "It's often easier for us to say we believe the bible than to actually read it."

[Eternalbluepearl]

OK, slightly different... Erika's linked to a blog called "a holy experience" (small letters are their usage). I've clicked on some of those links before... they're all the bloody same: ginormous pictures that take ages to load, with occasional sentences that are usually something like "Life can be hard sometimes. You might often feel down or upset or angry. But Jesus loves you. Read the Bible every day and be reaffirmed in your faith." Good grief. I am so glad I didn't grow up in a religious household. It's like a stuck record. "Jesus! Read the Bible! Jesus! Read the Bible!" :roll:

Yes! Every article is essentially the same. Dear weary mama, I know your life sucks right now, but remember Jesus. The end.

[DaffyDill]

This is just so, so sad for so many reasons.

That was written by the same woman who thought people were afraid of large families, and wondered if quiverfull people would become the majority as their kids grew up and filled their own respective quivers.

So either they're going to take over as the majority, or they're going to be "of the world" and question the very things they have been indoctrinated with. There's a world of difference between the two. I hope it's the latter, for her daughter's sake.

[Guest]

As annoying as I find Erika, I do want to see if my Costco has remote control LED candles.

Yes, I'm embarrassed by that admission.

I MIGHT have done the same thing a few days ago (and my Costco did have them). :embarrassed:

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

I MIGHT have done the same thing a few days ago (and my Costco did have them). :embarrassed:

Ha! I am not embarrassed to admit that I love them! I always thought they were weird because I adore real candles, and when I received them as a gift I faked being excited. Turns out, they're pretty great. They make an easy nightlight for dealing with a new baby. And they've replaced regular candles when we're trying to make a short time alone a little more romantic. (I hate when candles burn unevenly, which always happened to the bedroom candles ;-))

[defraudingjezebel]

That was written by the same woman who thought people were afraid of large families, and wondered if quiverfull people would become the majority as their kids grew up and filled their own respective quivers.

So either they're going to take over as the majority, or they're going to be "of the world" and question the very things they have been indoctrinated with. There's a world of difference between the two. I hope it's the latter, for her daughter's sake.

I wasn't able to find the primary comment in question though I have mixed feelings about it. I'm a little sad because I know as long as that girl is under her parents' roof she will be repressed and forced to live that lifestyle without sincerely questioning it. But I'm hopeful that IS questioning her upbringing. Hopefully she has access to the internet and/or outside friends that may show her the many different lifestyles she can explore besides her own, and perhaps someone might help her if she does decide to leave.

[gibbsgirls]

Erica just hash tagged FreeJinger on Zsu's FB page. Zsu posted a meme re: persecution and Erica responded. Just thought it was interesting.

Edited because I can spell.

[Guest]

Erica just hash tagged FreeJinger on Zsu's FB page. Zsu posted a meme re: persecution and Erica responded. Just thought it was interesting.

Edited because I can spell.

I imagine her reading these boards every night filled with rage and resentment while we go on with our heathen lives. :dance:

[princessmahina]

Erica just hash tagged FreeJinger on Zsu's FB page. Zsu posted a meme re: persecution and Erica responded. Just thought it was interesting.

Edited because I can spell.

That is HILARIOUS. I went and checked. Zsu commented back. I get the feeling they both spend a lot of time here :lol:

[Koala]

It's such a blessing that Erika has the older girls to take care of her younger children while she deletes comments from Facebook and binge reads GOMI and Free Jinger *beam*

Probably *almost* worth an extra jelly bean of Erika's choice. *almost* *wink* *gag*

[grandmadugger]

It's such a blessing that Erika has the older girls to take care of her younger children while she deletes comments from Facebook and binge reads GOMI and Free Jinger *beam*

Probably *almost* worth an extra jelly bean of Erika's choice. *almost* *wink* *gag*

Well now we know why Sarabeth got banned from the page. :cracking-up:

Seriously, Erika step away from the computer go raise your children. It's not Melaine's job to do it. It's yours and Bob's job. I'll be back soon, probably won't last long on your page the next time either. You seem to have issues when someone can throw scripture back in your face. It's fun to watch you meltdown over that.

[formergothardite]

Erika, since you read here, just to let you know it made me ~chuckle~ that you had to end up defending gory Halloween jokes. ~smirk~ ~evil grin~ Next time you want to sanctimoniously go on about how your family avoids the appearance of Halloween, make sure your husband is on board with that idea. ~ wink~ Did you really think nobody would notice? There is a verse in the Bible about that sort of thing. Do I need to quote it for you? ~godly smile~

[twinmama]

Those salads sound pretty good. With the sunflower seeds, bacon bits, and cheese, there's a decent amount of fat in that meal. Also, idk why it's bad she makes them finish their food. Kids need to learn that food isn't meant to go to waste and that they can't just not finish their meal because they want to eat something more appetizing.

I mean, besides it being boring I see nothing wrong with what Erika is doing. :shrug:

Also, that sentence is not something I ever though I'd say lol.

That goes against most medical advice on feeding children. Forcing them to clean the plate is ridiculous. How can you as a parent know that your child is not full? Why would you want to override their own sense of fullness by forcing them to eat beyond it? I hated having to clean my plate as a kid because it was always too much food for me. My own kids eat til they're full and we toss the leftovers or save them or we eat them.

[zadie]

That goes against most medical advice on feeding children. Forcing them to clean the plate is ridiculous. How can you as a parent know that your child is not full? Why would you want to override their own sense of fullness by forcing them to eat beyond it? I hated having to clean my plate as a kid because it was always too much food for me. My own kids eat til they're full and we toss the leftovers or save them or we eat them.

In the post it said that she made them finish that dish before they could have something else. So I took that to mean they're not full. I do think that if a kid keeps saying they're full and don't want to finish their plate you should listen to them and probably give them less food next time to be sure. I was talking specifically about a kid wanting to stop their meal to eat a snack.

[KnittingOwl]

Ha! I am not embarrassed to admit that I love them! I always thought they were weird because I adore real candles, and when I received them as a gift I faked being excited. Turns out, they're pretty great. They make an easy nightlight for dealing with a new baby. And they've replaced regular candles when we're trying to make a short time alone a little more romantic. (I hate when candles burn unevenly, which always happened to the bedroom candles ;-))

Now I'm really going to have to look at Costco. That sounds great. I hate candles burning unevenly.