Arndt Man Boys & Mary-Elizabeth living out their own unique stories

[kunoichi66]

3 minutes ago, MamaJunebug said:

But @Letgo, don't you know they're ... SAFE AT HOME!?

I would just like to point out the irony of @Letgo's name, given the context of your post.

[Carm_88]

That time in 2016 that the Manboys were alone in North Carolina and they went crazy with a selfie stick. 

[MsSaylor]

I see they have some nice fountain sodas! 

[DancingPhalanges]

We love the Outer Banks, might go back this summer! I was born to live at the beach. 

On an Arndt note, I really tried to watch some FamTeam videos but found it too mundane. I will say from what little I watched, the older boys really seem loving and protective of the younger kids. In a sense they are raising a family, that's how it feels anyway when watching. 

[MatthewDuggar]

My new theory is that they will start to date, marry and leave once everyone is age 18.  

[Carm_88]

5 hours ago, MatthewDuggar said:

My new theory is that they will start to date, marry and leave once everyone is age 18.  

It's as good a theory as any that we have at this point!  

[FrumperedCat]

The sad thing is even Maxhell seems to have more going on in it than the Arndt family with regards to marriages and grandchildren.

[Teaistheway]

17 hours ago, DancingPhalanges said:

 

On an Arndt note, I really tried to watch some FamTeam videos but found it too mundane. 

I use the FamTeam videos in times of stress - I find them strangely soothing.  In the run up to a big assessment at work I pretty much watched them on a loop!

[Carm_88]

A lovely photo of Rick taking a picture instead of doing work. Mary Elizabeth's face sums up how I feel too. 

[DamnPrecious]

This family bothers me probably the most here. The things they make me think about going on in that house are awful. 

[LadyCrow1313]

On ‎1‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 0:31 PM, Carm_88 said:

Oh most definitely. And taking pictures of Nathan doing the actual work.  

Cause that's how Rick rolls. And I don't know if he took this picture, but he is doing podcasts, if any brave soul will listen to his rambling. It's not gonna be me! 

He's never going to give them up, let them down, run around or desert them, make them cry, say goodbye, or tell a lie and hurt them, then?

Come on, now. We all know that's not exactly true. (But maybe it's a good thing that we don't know what all goes on in the house, perhaps?)

[Carm_88]

He's never going to give them up, let them down, run around or desert them, make them cry, say goodbye, or tell a lie and hurt them, then?
Come on, now. We all know that's not exactly true. (But maybe it's a good thing that we don't know what all goes on in the house, perhaps?)

Hahah oh my a Rick Astley reference! *cue awkward dance moves*

[MarblesMom]

Did we just get RickRolled?  Astley, Arndt... so close....

[Palimpsest]

19 hours ago, Carm_88 said:

A lovely photo of Rick taking a picture instead of doing work. Mary Elizabeth's face sums up how I feel too. 

Well, whatever the Arndt parents put in the water seems to be blessing Whizzy with the gift of eternal youth.

She doesn't look a day over 12 there and she's apparently 20!

 

[Carm_88]

3 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

Well, whatever the Arndt parents put in the water seems to be blessing Whizzy with the gift of eternal youth.

She doesn't look a day over 12 there and she's apparently 20!

 

It's from a trip in 2010! They tend to do that, bring up the past. They posted pictures of 2007 not that long ago. Other then the fact that the younger kids were quite young, I couldn't see much o a difference in now. 

[Palimpsest]

6 minutes ago, Carm_88 said:

It's from a trip in 2010!

You relieve my mind greatly.  I hope she's given up the braids for good by now.

The Arndts are so weird.

[Black Aliss]

1 hour ago, Palimpsest said:

Well, whatever the Arndt parents put in the water seems to be blessing Whizzy with the gift of eternal youth.

She doesn't look a day over 12 there and she's apparently 20!

 

He did say the photo was from 2010. So she doesn't look all that much younger than she is.

[Palimpsest]

7 minutes ago, Black Aliss said:

He did say the photo was from 2010. So she doesn't look all that much younger than she is.

Yes.  @Carm_88 already explained.  My fault for just relying on the photo here and not checking the source.

She's a pretty girl.  Now if she's still carrying stuffed penguins around with her at 20 then I'll really start to worry.  Please tell me she's not still doing that!

[JermajestyDuggar]

Mary Elizabeth is absolutely gorgeous. I bet a couple of fundie guys have shown interest. And pa Arndt probably sent them packing. Got to keep them safe at home as long as possible.  

[Carm_88]

Mary Elizabeth is absolutely gorgeous. I bet a couple of fundie guys have shown interest. And pa Arndt probably sent them packing. Got to keep them safe at home as long as possible.  

I'm sure that there have been women interested in the man boys too but the combo of the parents have scared them off!

[bertnee]

I use the FamTeam videos in times of stress - I find them strangely soothing.  In the run up to a big assessment at work I pretty much watched them on a loop!

There are several "Slow TV" shows on Netflix. One is called Slow TV Train Ride to Oslo I believe, and it's something like four hours of a camera posted at the front of a train. It's just scenery and railway noise and perfect for background noise while you work on other things.

[Letgo]

On ‎1‎/‎14‎/‎2017 at 11:37 AM, MamaJunebug said:

But @Letgo, don't you know they're ... SAFE AT HOME!?

Oh Mamjunebug, I keep forgetting that! Of course, that is what is important. Having an actual life doesn't matter. Independence, a wife, children, privacy, individuality, choices, freedom, having one's own home, education, adulthood, maturity...none of that matters. Being safe with mommy and daddy forever, that's what counts.  HOW could I forget?

Hmmm...I wonder what Rick and Cathy tell their children about how they met, married, moved out from the safety of their parental homes. Why was it okay for Rick and Cathy to become independent from their own parents, but not okay for ANY of their 14 children? It seems to have turned out just fine for them. Rick and Cathy still appear to be "safe." Why is it so necessary for the Arndt offspring to stay home for years on end? More to the point, why are all the adult children going along with the idea of being "safe at home" to the extent of stagnating their own lives and emotional maturity?

[Red Hair, Black Dress]

Armchair shrink that I am, I've long thought that Rick and Steve Maxhell fit the profile of a family annihilator, particularly Rick.

Perhaps the older boys, who after all do get out in the world, even if they come back to be "safe at home", see this too.

Perhaps they realize that some of the older ones leaving would trigger the annihilation and they stay to literally protect the younger siblings.

Even if Rick is not a annihilator, there is very definitely something not right about him.  The older boys have met other dads through their photography work and they have to see how very odd Rick is.  They must see how out of the mainstream it is that fully grown children all live at home as if they were perpetually 11.

They do wedding photography for pete's sake,  Isn't there ever a moment when recording all that happiness that they wish it was them?

As for Cathy, I think she's perfectly happy to keep her boys around and single -- that way she's always and forever their best (and only) "girlfriend".

I've seen this before in women who never want their sons to marry, dislike every girlfriend they ever have, and see a wife as a rival for the son's affection.  It goes without saying they don't want to be grandmothers, because then the son has another focus that is not them.  

[Carm_88]

Sunset on the compound last night.  

I have no idea what is going on with this family. Maybe Rick and Cathy have them convinced that they are not worthy enough to marry or something. Someone needs to break free and write a tell all.  

[MamaJunebug]

9 minutes ago, Red Hair, Black Dress said:

Armchair shrink that I am, I've long thought that Rick and Steve Maxhell fit the profile of a family annihilator, particularly Rick.

Perhaps the older boys, who after all do get out in the world, even if they come back to be "safe at home", see this too.

Perhaps they realize that some of the older ones leaving would trigger the annihilation and they stay to literally protect the younger siblings.

Even if Rick is not a annihilator, there is very definitely something not right about him.  The older boys have met other dads through their photography work and they have to see how very odd Rick is.  They must see how out of the mainstream it is that fully grown children all live at home as if they were perpetually 11.

They do wedding photography for pete's sake,  Isn't there ever a moment when recording all that happiness that they wish it was them?

As for Cathy, I think she's perfectly happy to keep her boys around and single -- that way she's always and forever their best (and only) "girlfriend".

I've seen this before in women who never want their sons to marry, dislike every girlfriend they ever have, and see a wife as a rival for the son's affection.  It goes without saying they don't want to be grandmothers, because then the son has another focus that is not them.  

I'm going to look up "family annihilator" -- but not until I have an empty stomach. 

You've taken the words right offa my keypad twice:  wondering how the guys can record so many weddings and never think about their own; and Cathy loving her role as center of attention in her kids' lives.

My guess is that as the family lucked / worked into prosperity, Rick was perfectly happy to enable her in her skewed desires. Why?, because doing so enabled *him* to be able to putter about doing what he really wants to do: pontificate on podcasts and make a movie. 

Nice gig if you can get it. Now about those human beings you chose to bring into your world....

i just don't know. I'm sure I'm going to encounter some or all of them, one of these days, and I only hope my wits don't leave me so I have some good stories to share with you.