Who thinks another Duggar offspring will marry this season?

[Guest LilaFowler]

I don't think so, but I hope so. And I hope it's Jana.

[mythoughtis]

I'm fairly certain that John David will.... because of the young woman that seemed to be accompanying the Duggars several places this summer, and becase of Jim Bob's new rental house.

I don't think that Jana will be getting married any time soon.... we haven't seen any strange young men around on the show or commented upon in blogs. Plus, Jana is still needed to be Mom number 2.

[lilwriter85]

If a courtship and marriage happens, I think it will be John David. I think Boob and Mullet are probably getting Joy Anna ready to be a sister mom and then they will marry off Jana.

[Kitten]

I'd prefer to hope that one or more of the older kids start "creeping" out into the world. I think flat out leaving is beyond them right now, for many reasons, but if Jana were to start going on mission trips more often or even working at whatever it is she is "studying" with CollegeMinus, then she would at least occasionally have to meet/talk to other people who aren't immersed in ATI, and perhaps she would start to feel the weight of the chains, and see the fallacy of idolizing Gothard in all things.

Ditto for any of the other older kids. They are all in their early 20's/late teens - I would not wish them into a marriage at this age, because it would be an ATI marriage, which would mean the girls would be relegated to childbearing and whatever "duties" their husband decrees (accounting/admin work for your manchild's used car lot, anyone?). Even the boys, while getting the better end of the stick as far as personal freedom goes, would still be stuck with the necessity of making a living (TLC is not going to be around forever), restricting their ability to pursue other interests they might once have had (I'm gonna be a LAWYER!). While I think JD is perfectly happy at the moment towing cars and being a volunteer firefighter, I remember talk a while back of his wanting to be a pilot. Hardly conducive to an ATI marriage...

No, as much as it pains me to say it, if they can't bring themselves to leave the now-very-comfy nest furnished by TLC, then the second-best thing would be for them to remain at home and at least be able to pay lip service to their dreams with CollegeMinus and whatever trips TLC dreams up for them.

Plus, if there is no courting/marriage, there is nothing to induce TLC to keep them on TV, which I firmly believe would be the best thing for the family in the long run.

That's MY hope...

[gustava]

I wonder what the Duggar girls see when they look at Anna's marriage? Would they want something similar? At least now, they have their sisters to share both the physical and emotional burdern of being a sister-mom. If they marry, however, that close bond with the sisters is cut. Don't quite know where I'm going with this, just fumbling around.

[lilah]

I think Jana's multiple mission trips probably has the ulterior motive is that it a parent sanctioned excursion that lets her get out of mom duty and as a bonus helps her find a potential spouse.

[browncoatslytherin]

i honestly don't see how they can keep the show going without something big - like a courtship - happening this season.

[Visionoyahweh]

I think the international trip was the wedding of this season.

[browngrl]

I wonder what the Duggar girls see when they look at Anna's marriage? Would they want something similar? At least now, they have their sisters to share both the physical and emotional burdern of being a sister-mom. If they marry, however, that close bond with the sisters is cut. Don't quite know where I'm going with this, just fumbling around.

I think I might understand what you are saying. If the girls stay at home they will have a lot of support from their sisters and while they do have to look after children - they don't have to bear them. If they get married later they will be unlikely to have the time to have 19 kids and counting. Who knows what their husbands will turn out like - courting seems to equal arranged marriage. Better the devil you know than the one you don't.

[Lostie]

Exactly. If I were in a Duggar girls shoes I would want to stay at home. Sure, taking care of the kids is tough work, but at least they get to share the burden. Plus, the Duggar family go on big trips and have that huge house whereas if they married they would have to leave their fairly comfortable lifestyle.

[emmiedahl]

I think the girls have to be dying to get married because that is held up as the ideal in their culture. I kind of want it for them just for that reason. I doubt they would stay in an abusive relationship if that's how it went down. They have a lot of family support, and the Duggars are not shy about breaking their own rules when it suits them.

They are too high profile to attract the more abusive sorts. Whoever marries them will be subject to a life in public and a wife who is used to being in the limelight.

[Kitten]

http://eztvstream.com/documentaries/national-geographic-%E2%80%93-amish-on-break

I watched this last night - and thought of the Duggars. Too bad they can't get a similar opportunity...TLC, are you listening???!!! This would be BETTER than a courtship/marriage...

If the above link doesn't work, it's a National Geographic documentary - Amish on Break

[CanadianHippie]

I can see John David getting married soon, but I always get the feeling that Jimmy and J'chelle consider the girls "too young" to marry.

[gilora]

I doubt it. If anyone, it would be John David. No way Jim Bob and Michelle are giving up their unpaid labor.

[Justme]

I don't think so. I think the girls are content to wait a few years. That way they won't have so many kids.

[emmiedahl]

I can see John David getting married soon, but I always get the feeling that Jimmy and J'chelle consider the girls "too young" to marry.

The girls will be eternally too young, though. They have no life experience and they are not going to be given the chance to get any. Everything in their lives is so controlled, there is none of the real life education that you get in early adulthood.

This is one of my real problems with College Minus. The student is not learning: how to deal with difficult professors, when to ask for help and when to simply work harder, saying no to temptation, balancing school and work and a social life, living with people of different backgrounds, how much you can drink the night before a test without affecting your grade, etc. Those are very important things that a typical person learns from college.

[Guest LilaFowler]

I really don't care for Anna Hackel, from the little bit I've seen of her.

[Rachel333]

I wouldn't be surprised if a marriage happened soon, but they're still awfully young to be married. Marriage does tend to happen earlier in their world, but not ridiculously young, and they're hardly old maids. A few weeks ago I was talking about marriage and such with some conservative girls my age (19-21), one of which who has been on the Duggars' show a few times (I resisted the temptation to try to get Duggar gossip; I'd feel too nosy). The consensus was that they would be happy if it happened now, but feel like they're too young to start looking (or have their fathers look) for it to happen. One even made a commitment not to enter any type of relationship until she was 21.

I imagine their fame in conservative circles would make it a bit harder to find a husband who is definitely not just interested in them because they're famous.

That Amish documentary looks interesting. I'm going to have to watch it after Doctor Who today.

[Swamptribe]

I finally figured out what bugs me so much about the Duggars. Was watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie, and realized that the Duggars never actually show each other any affection. In particular, Jim Bob and Michelle. There is no tenderness, no affection what so ever in their relation ship. I'm not talking about huge shows of PDA, but just little looks, glances, smiles. The actors did a much better job of portraying a loving fundie family than the Duggars do.

[demgirl]

From a purely cynical point of view (which is my favorite kind), they need to do something. The international trip is like a desperate grasp for something interesting and different to watch. Anna's not going to have another baby this season, obviously, and even if she did, I doubt it would bring much viewer-interest. If J'chelle doesn't have a miracle 20th baby, or one of the kids doesn't have a courtship, I don't see this whole shebang lasting much longer.

I;m of two minds about the show. On one hand, it's exploitative of the children and propagates a belief system and lifestyle that I abhor. On the other hand, it keeps the Duggars from being as fundie as some other families and has given the older girls opportunities and glimpses into the world they wouldn't have otherwise had. I also think it makes it much more likely that some of the kids will break away, which I wholeheartedly approve of.

[Lillybee]

I think that the girls are not in a rush to get married. After all, they see how Joshie treats Anna, and I hope that they don't want that for themselves. A big turn off would be Josh napping while Anna was at the end of her labor.

[JenniferJuniper]

If they want to do a drawn out courtship series, it won't happen this season, as it sounds like the season is pretty much "in the can" already.

John David is the most likely to marry next. He'll be 22 in a few months, hard working, and the little brothers have already cleaned out a little rental house that would be suitable for him. But he doesn't seem the type to want to expose his personal life the way his fame whore big brother was happy to do. My guess is he'll marry quietly off-season or after the show ends. Tough cookies, TLC and Boobster.

The girls. Hmmmm, it's anyone's guess what's going on there, but with Jinger turning 18 soon, here are 4 pretty fundie maidens in a row, all well within marrying age and getting older by the second. Why no suitors? Are the few acceptable fundie young men out there scared off by their fame and worldliness? By the thought of being a third tier male on a second rate cable TV show? Or is no one out there good enough for Jim Bob to consider giving up a perfectly good house elf?

I can't wait for the show to finally end. That's when the real fun will start.

[bananacat]

I agree that those daughters won't be let go of anytime soon. Their lives will be equally crappy whether they stay at home or get married to some fundie boy, but their opinion doesn't really matter. They'll get married when Daddy tells them to. JB might let John David go for ratings, but not any of his daughters. He won't want to give up control over his little kingdom.

[lilah]

I think I might understand what you are saying. If the girls stay at home they will have a lot of support from their sisters and while they do have to look after children - they don't have to bear them. If they get married later they will be unlikely to have the time to have 19 kids and counting. Who knows what their husbands will turn out like - courting seems to equal arranged marriage. Better the devil you know than the one you don't.

At this point the four j-slaves are 21, 20, 18 and 17 so still young, still very fertile and not really over the hill for marriage. It's not like they are the Botkin girls or Sarah Mally or Sarah Maxwell whose fathers seem categorically incapable of wanting their daughters to leave the household, or Sarah Mally who has made a career out of being a professional virgin. The double standard about marriage (boys can marry any old nice fundie girl but no one is good enough for daddy's special princess) is kind of bizarre and antithetical to their supposed fertility movement.

I do wonder if the straw that breaks the came's back comes if in a few years down the line JoshAnna's on baby number 4 John-David and the next oldest howler have been married off and Jana's still stuck at home playing the harp and pretending to be a firefighter and she just snaps from having to wait her turn. She will probably keep doing those mission trips until she finds her "one." I recall there was some ATI/VF belief that God helps you find your spouse when you are doing the lord's work or otherwise fundie matchmakers might make a killing in finding eligible kids.

[Elle]

I finally figured out what bugs me so much about the Duggars. Was watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie, and realized that the Duggars never actually show each other any affection. In particular, Jim Bob and Michelle. There is no tenderness, no affection what so ever in their relation ship. I'm not talking about huge shows of PDA, but just little looks, glances, smiles. The actors did a much better job of portraying a loving fundie family than the Duggars do.

Boob and Jichelle give each other that stiff-lipped kiss, and once they met up with the Bateses, and the Bateses embraced and kissed, so B&J did too, almost like they had to show them up. That was on a special about the Bates family though.