Jill & Jessa Counting On, Regular Season 1

[nst]

4 minutes ago, RabbitKM said:

So I finally watched it.  It is a totally different show, in my opinion.  The lighthearted background music, everyone is all smiles and laughs.  Jessa actually seemed like a normal human being.  I did notice a few things, though.

Jill's apartment has so. much. shit.  On her countertop alone, there were several appliances and a boatload of plastic dishes (seriously, theres only 3 people in your family, what do you need all those dishes for??).  

I hate how they keep saying "Central America is soooo dangerous."  We get it.  It's dangerous.  Is it dangerous? It started getting under my skin the more they said it.  It also comes off as they are soooo holy that they are in such a dangerous place. 

Spurgeon is a cute baby but that name is so clunky and terrible.  It doesn't even sound natural when anyone says it.  

I thought it was an odd comment to make that Jinger and Jana have gotten closer ever since their besties got married.  IDK, I guess it is weird to me that they are implying that they weren't close before, and now they only hang out bc they have no one else to hang out with.

The cooking thing is bizarre.  I'm not saying Jessa has to be a top chef or anything like that, but what do they eat every day??? She said they eat eggs and yogurt... for dinner?? I'm so confused.  

Lastly, poor Anna.  I don't really have much to say about that that hasn't already been said.

I think they ate at the TTH a lot because they were ALWAYS there plus they ate out a lot - endless videos and pictures of that 

I do think they ate fast stuff like yogurt and eggs - unless the episode where she first cooks for ben and makes those sweet potatoes count 

as for Ben's pouty face - I am still trying to understand that - but I do think Jessa did "submit" a lot because that is what was expected - and maybe he misses it 

this whole adoption via bc via no sex thing is quite confusing not to mention when in the previews - Jessa goes on about the adoption thing and Ben seems overwhelmed 

someone should ask him

 

 

[justmy2cents]

17 minutes ago, Buzzard said:

Michelle has frequently said that it is a woman's job to "fulfill the needs of their husband".  She gives that stupid, "anyone can make a sandwich, but only you can fulfill his needs" line.  Men have "needs" regardless of the state of their wife.  Screw their comfort... the only time they can decline is when the bible says so.

She has also said that it is a 'release' for her too after a long, stressful day. Trying hard not to get a visual.

[nst]

1 minute ago, justmy2cents said:

She has also said that it is a 'release' for her too after a long, stressful day. Trying hard not to get a visual.

oh good lord - her version of a stressful day must be fascinating 

wake up 

work out 

eat breakfast 

talk to josie

leave for "errands" at 9 am and not return until 6 pm 

release at 9 :30 pm 

[Dandruff]

11 hours ago, BunnyBee said:

I definitely noticed a change in the way Ben looks at Jessa that was mentioned up thread. What a shame, they have been only married a year and the spark is already gone for him. 

I think at least some of it was scripted - as in look tired, yawn, let Jessa do the talking, and don't sneeze.

[Bad Wolf]

Regarding Hannie becoming a J slave: I don't like the learning to be a young lady bit, but I bet she enjoyed being with the older girls and being able to contribute to the meal. Too bad they didn't take her shopping with them. She must get bored being with all the little kids, including the Ms, and she's probably maturing faster than Jackson, because girls usually do.

Now onto the pet peeve, everything in the oven was cooked in a disposable pan, and they ate off paper plates with plastic forks. Sigh.

[nst]

12 minutes ago, Dandruff said:

I think at least some of it was scripted - as in look tired, yawn, let Jessa do the talking, and don't sneeze.

you think that was scripted ? I don't think any of that was scripted imo 

[Dandruff]

3 minutes ago, nst said:

you think that was scripted ? I don't think any of that was scripted imo 

Yeah, I do.  At least some of it.

[OrchidBlossom]

1 hour ago, Mothership said:

All this talk about Ben and Jessa's relationship and lack of spark has led me to a question that I just know the experts at FJ can answer:

Do Gothard women have sex when pregnant?   Is sex mostly for procreation?  Since it's also how they keep their hubbies happy/in line, are they to be available all the time?  Apparently, they refrain after childbirth for a period of time (even if it seems to be for Biblical reason as opposed to biological ones), so do they also quit while pregnant?  I'm just wondering if the pregnancy is a passive/aggressive way to actually control sex.

J'shells has been pregnant most of her adult life--was she really using it as a way to keep JB off of her?  If Jessa wants a domestic adoption, she can't be pregnant (unless they go a very private route), so are they using birth control of abstaining?  Just trying to figure out Ben's pouty face.

Gothard women explicitly have sex when pregnant, because they consider it a biblical mandate to provide for every need of their husband. It's considered rebellion against god to refuse to have sex for any reason other than illness or the biblical post-birth time frames. I'm not going to link it, because I'm in class and I don't need the rows behind me to judge me, but biblicalgenderroles .com or .org (I forget which) has whole articles devoted to what to do as a husband if your wife won't have sex with you. Men are expected to use their discernment to decide if the "rain check" (not a no, mind you, just a "rain check") that their wife is asking for is legitimate or not. 

 

This is why I will eat my hat if any Duggar ever adopts. Birth control via abstinence is discouraged by the Christian patriarchy movement, though in theory a husband and a wife COULD agree not to have sex for a certain time. And if they can't adopt while pregnant or until 9 months after birth, I can't imagine any Duggar will ever be in a place to adopt, barring post-menopausal or fertility issues.

[lascuba]

I don't know whether to be proud or ashamed of myself for not knowing that the show would air this week. On the one hand, yay me for almost forgetting about this damn family for a couple of days. On the other hand, it's so stupidly unobservant of me that I want to slap myself.

[DuggarWatch]

1 hour ago, Mothership said:

If Jessa wants a domestic adoption, she can't be pregnant (unless they go a very private route), so are they using birth control of abstaining?  Just trying to figure out Ben's pouty face.

And, you can not predict in advance when a baby will be available for you to adopt.  It's not like an adoption agency is going to automatically have a child available exactly when Spurgeon is nine months old.  It could take a few years. 

[karen77]

10 minutes ago, DuggarWatch said:

And, you can not predict in advance when a baby will be available for you to adopt.  It's not like an adoption agency is going to automatically have a child available exactly when Spurgeon is nine months old.  It could take a few years. 

So, if this is the case, can you not get pregnant for a few years?? 

[wotdancer]

Weird question, do they have sex during the woman's period? I know they pick and choose their Old Testament rules to follow, so I don't know if the OT prohibition against period sex matters or if the husband's desire is all that matters.

[DuggarWatch]

1 minute ago, karen77 said:

So, if this is the case, can you not get pregnant for a few years?? 

I really think that couples who are unable to have biological children should be first on the lists for adoptions.  Jessa seems to want to collect babies as if that is her new hobby.  She wants to have more kids than she can possibly parent well, let alone cook nutritional meals for. 

4 minutes ago, wotdancer said:

Weird question, do they have sex during the woman's period? I know they pick and choose their Old Testament rules to follow, so I don't know if the OT prohibition against period sex matters or if the husband's desire is all that matters.

Michelle said that she didn't.  Jessa and Jill haven't commented on that.  

[OrchidBlossom]

3 minutes ago, karen77 said:

So, if this is the case, can you not get pregnant for a few years?? 

Technically, yes, Gothard families could make that choice. In practice, it will never happen. No birth control and men can't masturbate and if a man is sexually frustrated, even if it is as a result of an agreement, it's the woman's fault, AND they wouldn't be pumping out kids for the army of god? The public shame and pressure would be immense. 

3 minutes ago, wotdancer said:

Weird question, do they have sex during the woman's period? I know they pick and choose their Old Testament rules to follow, so I don't know if the OT prohibition against period sex matters or if the husband's desire is all that matters.

They seem to follow biblical prohibitions and proscriptions for sex as a rule. My guess is that they don't/are told not to have period sex. Whether they follow it is probably individual to the headship. I don't think it would be considered a grave error for a woman to follow her headship if he chose to have sex during that time, just as J'chelle would probably go along if JB wanted to have sex like 39 days after a birth instead of 40. The rule is generally that you folllow your headship in all things unless it is a sin he is leading you to, then you tell him you WANT to folow him but must answer to god. I think this would be seen as a biblical suggestion and therefore not a sin if it wasn't followed exactly.Just a guess though, and probably couple specific.

[Imrlgoddess]

I missed it, but thank you to @Buzzard for the recap!! Read through most of the thread, my little 2 cents on Jessa and the cooking....I know a lot of women who come from or have larger families that cook from a can or a box.  It's really easy to get stuck in that rut even if they knew how to method cook at one point... kids pulling at you, husband wanting dinner on the table at a specific hour...far easier to grab the can dump it, mix it, season the hell out of it to disguise the taste and done!  Nutrition becomes an afterthought...just get everyone fed is the priority.

Pregnancy/period sex.....I've only ever known women to give it up whenever.  Had a friend waffle over dealing with pain during and after while pregnant or make her husband go without (her sentiments not mine).  She was willing to make herself uncomfortable because "he has needs".  Most fundie men I've ever met are/were completely grossed out by a woman's cycle so even if she's willing, they won't go near.  

[JMO]

I wanted to throw in my two cents.

I agree this show felt different.  I feel like they are styling it to compete with the Bates.  i also feel like removing JB/Mich from 95% of the show VASTLY improves it's watchability.  (As an aside when I saw them enter the little house for the "feast" I was really hit with their age.  Mich looks like a grandma and not the mom to a 6 yo). 

Jessa still irritates me but it a brand new more irritating way.  The big eyes, the constant joking self depreciating remarks about her cooking, the fact that she talks a lot about his pooping when no one else wants to hear about it. I know she's a new mom and I expect her to be heavily into everything he does but when Jana feels the need to comment on it... And Bin is OVER it. He's aged 10 yrs in one month.

Spurge sleeping with big fluffy pillows and blankets.  ARGH!  Safe sleeping practices! I guess I should be happy he was on his back?

Anna really needs to lay off the self tanner and Jinger needs to tone down the make up.  They all wear heavy eye make up.  I know they are on TV but it's too much and not attractive. 

Derrick as a preacher, Bin as a Christian rapper? I can't.  

[LittleSpouseOnThePrairie]

On March 17, 2016 at 9:16 AM, DuggarWatch said:

I really think that couples who are unable to have biological children should be first on the lists for adoptions.  Jessa seems to want to collect babies as if that is her new hobby.  She wants to have more kids than she can possibly parent well, let alone cook nutritional meals for.

I completely agree. Jessa has never really been explicit with her reasons/interest in adoption, which confuses and concerns me. Especially because Ben doesn't seems to share her passion.

If I were to make my own assumptions, I'd say that adoption is Jessa's idea of contributing a "ministry" of sorts to the world, kind of like Jill's farcical ideas about living in Central America and talking to people in broken Spanish about their religion being her "ministry" contribution. 

[RabbitKM]

33 minutes ago, DuggarWatch said:

  Jessa seems to want to collect babies as if that is her new hobby.  She wants to have more kids than she can possibly parent well, let alone cook nutritional meals for. 

36 minutes ago, wotdancer said:

Don't worry, Jessa will be able to provide eggs and yogurt for all the little ones the Lord blesses her with  she collects.

[ksgranola1]

Who is Derrick preaching to if his Spanish is limited?

I like to cook a lot. I was freaking out watching Jessa & the girls prepare the "fall feast."

Potatoes for mashing have to be started in cold water. They won't kill you but their texture had to be awful.

Then Jessa poured all the stuff that makes gravy down the sink. It was basically all that butter, which will clog the drain. And the  prissiness. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, Jessa! You could make stock w/that neck for your gravy! It's not that hard. One week w/a good cook & she would have enough skills to cook well.

A house w/19 kids & there don't seem to be any real skills in the food dep't.

[RabbitKM]

9 minutes ago, LittleSpouseOnThePrairie said:

I completely agree. Jessa has never really been explicit with her reasons/interest in adoption, which confuses and concerns me. Especially because Ben doesn't seems to share her passion.

If I were to make my own assumptions, I'd say that adoption is Jessa's idea of contributing a "ministry" of sorts to the world, kind of like Jill's farcical ideas about living in Central America and talking to people in broken Spanish about their religion being her "ministry" contribution. 

It's like when Kim Kardashian went to Thailand and visited an orphanage for the day.  She was blathering on about how she wanted to adopt them and all that.  I think that with Jessa (as with Kim K that episode), the savior complex is really strong, and to them, adopting is your ticket on the savior train.  

I just want to note, that I am not in any way disparaging adoption.  I think it is a beautiful and wonderful thing that should be celebrated.  But allowing pseudo-celebs to adopt for no given reason other than they have a "heart" for it should be scrutinized, IMO.

In fact, I would love to hear more about why Jessa wants to adopt, how much she has really thought about it, has she done any actual research into it, etc.  That would be more interesting than the current show.  I would love to be proven wrong about Jessa's surface level desires for adoption.

[DuggarWatch]

8 minutes ago, LittleSpouseOnThePrairie said:

I completely agree. Jessa has never really been explicit with her reasons/interest in adoption, which confuses and concerns me. Especially because Ben doesn't seems to share her passion.

If I were to make my own assumptions, I'd say that adoption is Jessa's idea of contributing a "ministry" of sorts to the world, kind of like Jill's farcical ideas about living in Central America and talking to people in broken Spanish about their religion being her "ministry" contribution. 

There is a shortage of children to adopt in America.  Jessa isn't doing anyone a favor by trying to adopt.  The last thing a child needs is to be part of a Ben-Jessa ministry!  I can only hope that the authorities in Arkansas who supervise adoptions carefully scrutinize the Seewalds, their religious beliefs and intent to homeschool (no-school) their children. 

[Bad Wolf]

The baby adoptions I did were all for couples who couldn't have biological children. The older kid adoptions were usually by families who had fostered for a while. They could go through a private agency where bio mom chooses the family, but they still have to jump through all the hoops, background checks, recommendations, training, etc.

[CoveredInBees]

30 minutes ago, ksgranola1 said:

Who is Derrick preaching to if his Spanish is limited?

I like to cook a lot. I was freaking out watching Jessa & the girls prepare the "fall feast."

Potatoes for mashing have to be started in cold water. They won't kill you but their texture had to be awful.

Then Jessa poured all the stuff that makes gravy down the sink. It was basically all that butter, which will clog the drain. And the  prissiness. Don't be afraid to get your hands dirty, Jessa! You could make stock w/that neck for your gravy! It's not that hard. One week w/a good cook & she would have enough skills to cook well.

A house w/19 kids & there don't seem to be any real skills in the food dep't.

I wonder if she will suddenly learn more about cooking and nutrition once Spurgeon starts on solids.

[anotherone]

8 hours ago, JillyO said:

 Not a single one of them can cook a meal that doesn't start with "open a can of cream of crap soup."

If you go to the video and watch in slow motion when Hannie is pouring that can onto the green bean casserole.  You can see that wad of mush slowly seeping out of the can and almost hear a "thud" when it hits the pan   

[RoseWilder]

Can someone please tell me more about this whole things about having to wait until Spurgeon is 9 months to adopt? I don't watch the show anymore and only keep up through other people's recaps, but i must have missed that detail.  

I read a blog once where the people didn't believe in birth control but were also trying to adopt at the same time, and their agency rules were that if the woman trying to adopt gets pregnant during the adoption, they get to stay active at that agency up until the woman is 20 weeks pregnant and then if a birth mother hasn't chosen them by then, the adoption process is put on hold until the baby is 6 months old. 

Did Jessa say anything about what happens if she gets pregnant during the adoption process? Are they just automatically considered inactive?