Bates 23: Waiting on the Next Wedding

[victoriasponge]

800-900 sq ft is about right for a Victorian terrace here and I know of families of about 6 kids crammed in if the genders worked out right. But even that was a squeeze.

Now just imagine how many of the quiver families don't have a reality tv show and still are living like that...

[VelociRapture]

3 hours ago, Eternalbluepearl said:

Sometimes I feel jealous of the Bates. Their family dynamic is always so happy, light and fun. While we love each other, my family is so different. My dad doesn't get misty-eyed giving praises on birthdays. The Bates really show a good fantasy (at least to me.) Is it real? Just good actors? What does FJ think? When I think about how there isn't much reality in reality tv I start to wonder if the Bates are different off camera. 

Some more background reading for you:

This likely contains more basic information than other threads, but I like to think it’s a decent introduction to the Bates clan.

ETA: I also need to do a bit updating. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

2 hours ago, NachosFlandersStyle said:

Ok, this is the first I've heard of that, and... how??? My 800 SF apartment is 1br and our dining area is just big enough to have 4 people around the table, but it's tight. I can imagine it being 2br if we had a smaller bedroom/ living room but I still don't understand where you would put, like, 9 beds, even if they were bunk beds. Or where everyone would have space to sit, when they weren't in bed.

I imagine the kids spent A LOT of time outside. Kind of like the Nauglers. If you want space, you have to go outside. Even if it’s 5 degrees out and snowing.

[TeaELSee]

I watched the Mothers Day episode last night. It was mostly recaps and portrayed a very flattering view of Kelly. I thought it was over the top.  I don’t know the history of her reputation as a Mom however I have read a few things here.  

She does appear (either through editing or reality) to be a decent Mom, however they really hammer the Mom as a *best friend line which I think is super weird.

 They showed her 50th birthday party where the kids took turns saying nice things about her then got very emotional, it really jumped out at me. It seems like something happened in their family and somewhere a shift was made. There was a regret/apology feel about the past and hope, forgiveness, love and optimism outlook about the future.  Of course (as usual) I will add I do not know these people, it just looked that way to me. 

*What is it about Fundies and best friends?  Your spouse, your siblings, your parents and some of your friends are all your best friends...can someone have that many best friends?

i just got caught up on this thread. Kelly did mention the 800 sq foot house recently. Was it that small when the Duggars came to renovate? That is crazy small and sounds unhealthy to me.

[JermajestyDuggar]

23 minutes ago, TeaELSee said:

What is it about Fundies and best friends?  Your spouse, your siblings, your parents and some of your friends are all your best friends...can someone have that many best friends?

I think it’s a few things. 

1) you don’t go to school and rarely engage in extra curricular activities so your siblings must be your best friends. You really don’t have much of a social life growing up in fundie land.

2) the kids are forced to grow up fast and take on adult roles. Especially the older children. So Michael was working side by side with Kelly before she hit her teens. Michael was “Mom Jr” so of course she and Kelly are BFFs.

3) fundie culture is big on pushing romantic  couples into being “best friends.” Maybe they think it’s better for marriages? Maybe these women don’t have much time to socialize so their husbands must be their BFF? I don’t really know but it’s definitely a fundie cliche at this point. David Waller and Pris constantly say it. 

[Pecansforeveryone]

1.) It gets to force bonds and mandate continued socialization with your family. In the non-fundie world obviously we make sure to socialize with our best friends. Those family members we barely tolerate we might have the bare minimum of contact with. It isn't good for their "brand" if their family bonds are just as flawed as ours. So drumming into their heads that they are all best friends and oh you can have a happy best friends conflict-free  family if you are fundie like us. Selling a happy family is a 24-7 gig. 

[Jellybean]

Carry on here: