Safe at Home 2: The Continuing Adventures of The Arndts

[Carm_88]

@JenniferJuniper I love that everyone is doing something and Rick is writing about the work they are doing. How about you help them Rick? 

[JenniferJuniper]

3 minutes ago, Carm_88 said:

@JenniferJuniper I love that everyone is doing something and Rick is writing about the work they are doing. How about you help them Rick? 

Rick? Work!  Never!  He needs to sit and think and talk about Vine Valley and Jesus all day.  Oh, and pray for murdered embryos.  Work is for women and children.  Man-children included. 

[Black Aliss]

1 hour ago, JenniferJuniper said:

For the past few diary entries, Daddy Rick has been listing all of the work his minions have been doing.

Seth, Jacob, Caleb, and Peter have been doing some outside work today.  They have been cutting and trimming grass, putting down mulch (around some trees), and handling one or two other things.

Today I saw Mark carrying out this key mission.  A photographer or videographer must be responsible for cameras, wires, batteries, memory cards, and more.

About half of the family is away from home, covering today’s wedding assignments.  

Jacob and Peter have been working on the land, and I think Paul is about to join them.  Mary-Elizabeth has been cleaning bathrooms.

Cathy savors every moment of spring.  Today she had the pleasure of washing some windows.

 

Christ, what a lazy, useless asshole!

[MarblesMom]

2 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

Cathy savors every moment of spring.  Today she had the pleasure of washing some windows.

She is welcome to come on over and feel the extended pleasure of someone else's windows.

[Tatar-tot]

Rick's behavior is about a 1/2 bead out of plum.   Was he ever gainfully employed? I don't understand Kathy's attraction to him.

[Carm_88]

23 minutes ago, Tatar-tot said:

Rick's behavior is about a 1/2 bead out of plum.   Was he ever gainfully employed? I don't understand Kathy's attraction to him.

Yes, they had a small business court reporting for years and years. Once the man boys started getting older, Rick retreated into a dream world. He still lives there. 

[Tatar-tot]

Cathy comes from money.  I am shocked she would want anything to do with him. He really is lazy.

[Jana814]

13 minutes ago, Tatar-tot said:

Cathy comes from money.  I am shocked she would want anything to do with him. He really is lazy.

I seem to remember reading that Cathy came from a large family. Not as many that she had but was a high one. 

[JenniferJuniper]

13 minutes ago, Tatar-tot said:

Cathy comes from money.  I am shocked she would want anything to do with him. He really is lazy.

This has been repeated here before, but while I'm sure her family was solidly middle class, her parents owned a small family run tool and die company.   And she had 10 siblings or so, some of who still run the company so I don't think she had a big inheritance.

Rick built up what he has today on the backs of his kids.  As soon as the older ones finished home school they were starting training in court reporting and eventually Rick had enough of them running all over the place handling depositions that he could retire in his early 50's.  

He seems pretty smug and proud of himself when he describes everyone else's labors.  Cathy in particular works like a dog.  And when she's not working, she's working out, I bet because Rick wants her too.  A couple of the boys were overweight as teens and it sounded as though they were shamed into slimming down.  

I don't know what Cathy sees or ever saw in Rick.  Her life seems to be one of endless toil and sacrifice for the asshole.

[Elegant Mess]

3 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

For the past few diary entries, Daddy Rick has been listing all of the work his minions have been doing.

Seth, Jacob, Caleb, and Peter have been doing some outside work today.  They have been cutting and trimming grass, putting down mulch (around some trees), and handling one or two other things.

Today I saw Mark carrying out this key mission.  A photographer or videographer must be responsible for cameras, wires, batteries, memory cards, and more.

About half of the family is away from home, covering today’s wedding assignments.  

Jacob and Peter have been working on the land, and I think Paul is about to join them.  Mary-Elizabeth has been cleaning bathrooms.

And my favorite:

Cathy savors every moment of spring.  Today she had the pleasure of washing some windows.

Well, if it's so damn pleasurable Rick, how about you get off your ass for a few hours and help her out?

Wake up, Arndt family.  You are nothing but brainwashed free labor for your lazy father and husband.  And you will end up with nothing once he shuffles off this mortal coil.

Great!  So, what did you do, Rick?

[LurkerOverThePond]

9 hours ago, Elegant Mess said:

Great!  So, what did you do, Rick?

Wanna bet he didn't help Mary-Elizabeth clean bathrooms...

[gustava]

43 minutes ago, LurkerOverThePond said:

Wanna bet he didn't help Mary-Elizabeth clean bathrooms...

Of course not.  That's wimmens work. 

[Carm_88]

10 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

I don't know what Cathy sees or ever saw in Rick.  Her life seems to be one of endless toil and sacrifice for the asshole.

I completely agree with that. Cathy seemed to be the one doing most of the work with the kids, Rick just seemed to follow them around with a camera. I don't know how she deals with him. 

[GreyhoundFan]

37 minutes ago, Carm_88 said:

I completely agree with that. Cathy seemed to be the one doing most of the work with the kids, Rick just seemed to follow them around with a camera. I don't know how she deals with him. 

Maybe having him follow them around with a camera was easier than asking him to "help". I could see him getting in the way and being hyper-critical. He's an "idea" man, so he'd want to tell her a "better way" to cook, clean, and raise the kids. Sometimes it's just easier to do it yourself. And, no matter what I think of how Cathy has stunted her children, she does seem capable.

[JenniferJuniper]

32 minutes ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Maybe having him follow them around with a camera was easier than asking him to "help". I could see him getting in the way and being hyper-critical. He's an "idea" man, so he'd want to tell her a "better way" to cook, clean, and raise the kids. Sometimes it's just easier to do it yourself. And, no matter what I think of how Cathy has stunted her children, she does seem capable.

Rick is completely obsessed with the "kids".  I would go so far to say that he's even more obsessed than Cathy is - although she absolutely does treat them all like 5 year olds - because she doesn't have the time to monitor and record every blessed thing they do each day.  Aside from walks and work outs that woman is working all day. Rick on the other hand probably tracks his 36 year old son's whereabouts via GPS all day.

I know a lot of folks who follow the Arndts think Cathy is the one controlling everyone. Maybe because she seems so task oriented and organized while he comes across as a self-absorbed, navel gazing goofball. But while I think she's complicit in what's going on, I'm am firmly convinced Rick is the one primarily responsible for how things turned out.    

[nausicaa]

9 minutes ago, JenniferJuniper said:

Rick is completely obsessed with the "kids".  I would go so far to say that he's even more obsessed than Cathy is - although she absolutely does treat them all like 5 year olds - because she doesn't have the time to monitor and record every blessed thing they do each day.  Aside from walks and work outs that woman is working all day. Rick on the other hand probably tracks his 36 year old son's whereabouts via GPS all day.

I know a lot of folks who follow the Arndts think Cathy is the one controlling everyone. Maybe because she seems so task oriented and organized while he comes across as a self-absorbed, navel gazing goofball. But while I think she's complicit in what's going on, I'm am firmly convinced Rick is the one primarily responsible for how things turned out.    

Don't you think Cathy has some jealousy of her sons and their sexuality though? Think of all the clutching photographs. She just so comes off as the mother who thinks no one woman could ever be good enough for her perfect boys.

Whether Cathy or Rick is the drum majorette for this cavalcade of sexually-repressed penguin-obsessed crazy is another one of the Arndt mysteries I fear I will never get an answer to. However, I think Wizzy's future will be very telling. If she does date and marry sometime in her twenties, I think that would be more evidence that Cathy's weird jealousy of her sons is playing a big part in this.

What indicators do you see of Rick being primarily responsible?

God I want to spend a weekend in that house. 

[December]

1 hour ago, gustava said:

Of course not.  That's wimmens work. 

Oh probably. I never understand the gendering of different chores (in general, I know way more people engage in it than just fundies). Like, what's more physically exerting about yard work like mowing the lawn vs. scrubbing down a bathroom... 

13 hours ago, MarblesMom said:

She is welcome to come on over and feel the extended pleasure of someone else's windows.

Seriously. It's such an odd way to phrase it. The "pleasure of washing some windows" sounds sarcastic except for the context. I'd hope there are some better ways to exemplify savoring springtime, but to each their own, I guess? 

[JenniferJuniper]

10 minutes ago, nausicaa said:

Don't you think Cathy has some jealousy of her sons and their sexuality though? Think of all the clutching photographs. She just so comes off as the mother who thinks no one woman could ever be good enough for her perfect boys.

Whether Cathy or Rick is the drum majorette for this cavalcade of sexually-repressed penguin-obsessed crazy is another one of the Arndt mysteries I fear I will never get an answer to. However, I think Wizzy's future will be very telling. If she does date and marry sometime in her twenties, I think that would be more evidence that Cathy's weird jealousy of her sons is playing a big part in this.

What indicators do you see of Rick being primarily responsible?

God I want to spend a weekend in that house. 

It's impossible to know what Cathy really thinks about anything because we never hear directly from her.  We've heard a lot from the older "boys" and of course Rick never shuts up, but she never actually shares, or is allowed to share, very much. Personally, I'm not willing to read anything relative to sexuality into the "stomach touching" poses beyond "that's my boy", but of course with these folks God only knows what's really going on.

No doubt Cathy seems happy to have everyone at home, but Rick is in charge, of this I have no doubt.  And Rick is the only real beneficiary from this odd family relationship.  Cathy is in her late 50's now and still totally responsible for a household with 14 kids.  Her only side benefit is that she doesn't have to let her kids go and they help out a lot. Rick takes her on a trip to Colonial Williamsburg one a year, but that's the only time she gets away from it all.  I say she's a victim as well, although not quite as much of one as the offspring.    

 

[Granwych]

I went "no contact" with my mother 3 years ago and haven't regretted one moment.  That woman never should have had kids.

[nausicaa]

58 minutes ago, JenniferJuniper said:

No doubt Cathy seems happy to have everyone at home, but Rick is in charge, of this I have no doubt.  And Rick is the only real beneficiary from this odd family relationship.  Cathy is in her late 50's now and still totally responsible for a household with 14 kids.  Her only side benefit is that she doesn't have to let her kids go and they help out a lot. Rick takes her on a trip to Colonial Williamsburg one a year, but that's the only time she gets away from it all.  I say she's a victim as well, although not quite as much of one as the offspring.    

This is an interesting take on things. I always interpreted it as Cathy needs to feel needed, so she wants all of her kids at home forever. I think a lot of SAHMs feel a bit untethered when their kids began to leave home, though most just move past it or find new hobbies or careers.

Cathy seems to have a great work ethic and comes off as someone who likes having a full schedule and being really busy, and so enjoys all the chores and cooking and laundry. Rick just comes off as such a passive dweeb to me, I figured he had a bit of Peter Pan syndrome and his wife controlling his sons just happened to have the side benefit of allowing him to work on his movie and retire young, so he never pushed them to fly from the nest. But as Vine Valley stretches out and becomes more and more elaborate, I do see more manipulation in him and less general harmless ineptitude. 

Who knows with these people. If I lived closer I would totally go to one of their softball events, because I think watching them interact in real life would give a lot of insight into the family dynamics. I agree that we don't hear Cathy on their social media, and I'm sure what we do see from the male Arndts is heavily edited and biased. 

[JenniferJuniper]

22 minutes ago, nausicaa said:

This is an interesting take on things. I always interpreted it as Cathy needs to feel needed, so she wants all of her kids at home forever. I think a lot of SAHMs feel a bit untethered when their kids began to leave home, though most just move past it or find new hobbies or careers.

Cathy seems to have a great work ethic and comes off as someone who likes having a full schedule and being really busy, and so enjoys all the chores and cooking and laundry. Rick just comes off as such a passive dweeb to me, I figured he had a bit of Peter Pan syndrome and his wife controlling his sons just happened to have the side benefit of allowing him to work on his movie and retire young, so he never pushed them to fly from the nest. But as Vine Valley stretches out and becomes more and more elaborate, I do see more manipulation in him and less general harmless ineptitude. 

 

Yep, Dad comes off as a benevolent oaf, but he's anything but.   And I agree that the Vine Valley nonsense is a clear indicator of what he's up to.  He knows the damn thing is never going to be finished, but he has half his kids practically working full time jobs filming and editing and adding endless special effects to a film they've been convinced is going to be a major deal.  But he has to keep them busy and Safe at Home.  He probably sees these kids as potential back up employees should any of the older ones ever decide to get their own lives.  I also think the mandatory softball games every night, sometimes twice a night, April through October are another way to keep them busy and part of the team.   And it's probably a great way for them to blow off some tension.

Rick reminds me more of Tom Sawyer than Peter Pan.   Sitting back and enjoying the scene after he's convinced the neighborhood kids that his job to whitewash Aunt Polly's fence is so much fun, they should really give it a try..

[clueliss]

Am I the only one that read that with Garrison Keillor's voice in their head?

[December]

1 hour ago, Granwych said:

I went "no contact" with my mother 3 years ago and haven't regretted one moment.  That woman never should have had kids.

Good on you for doing what was best for you. 

15 minutes ago, clueliss said:

Am I the only one that read that with Garrison Keillor's voice in their head?

No, or at least a similar one.  A lot of the blogs discussed here definitely seem to emulate that sort of thing and you can sense it! 

[livinginthelight]

3 hours ago, nausicaa said:

sexually-repressed penguin-obsessed

The title of the next thread! I love the rhythm of it

[Letgo]

20 hours ago, JenniferJuniper said:

About half of the family is away from home, covering today’s wedding assignments.  

This line just struck me as so incredibly sad. Rick's 12 legal adult children are all still in the parental home! And it is noteworthy enough for Rick to mention that half of them are away from "home." This is just so weird. I can't stand it! The chances that NOT ONE of them ever wanted to leave home is zero, for a normal family. Paul is 36! and still with his parents, sharing a room with his brothers? I'd be so embarrassed to admit that I had all those adult children still at home if I were Cathy or Rick. But they seem to see nothing odd about it. HOW can this happen??? I need answers, but there aren't any. Nothing normal can explain this family.