Maxwell 19: Life is Still Boring

[nausicaa]

3 hours ago, HermioneSparrow said:

Steve is missing an opportunity to make money with Sarah as a photographer, she's actually talented unlike her prissy bro.

Sometimes it seems like Steve's purpose for his family is to be mediocre at best: Mary with the mediocre graphic design, Anna's "cooking skills", Christopher's awful photography business and Sarah's terrible writing and it should be Mary the makeup artist, Anna the preschool teacher, Christopher the EMT like he wanted to be and Sarah the photographer but Steveovah seems to want his kids to be miserable and unsuccessful. 

I really, truly have come to believe that Steve thinks that talent or being passionate about something is sinful. Mediocrity is some demonstration of "godliness," probably because it ensures you are doing whatever as a sacrifice for Jesus and not for personal pleasure. I mean, they aren't even really good at cleaning, as evidenced by their messy counter tops and pantry. And God knows they spend enough time on that. 

A while back they mentioned that Mary began to really enjoy sewing, but it was implied that she enjoyed it too much and had become too talented, and so she was moved on to a new hobby. I also have suspicions about her new lack of makeup and hairstyling...

I think it's also a way for Steve to control all of them. They can't have anything that takes up their energy as much as Dad Jesus does. It's a bit emotionally abusive and cult-like, honestly. 

[IReallyAmHopewell]

Mediocre is good. Any worldly success will puff you up. You might now rely on God then. Cracked view of things. God gave you talents and passions for a reason--to serve him, yet Steve refuses to see this. If Prissy Chrissy wanted to be an EMT maybe God gave him that passion ("put it on his heart") but Daddy thought more of Daddy's leading than of God's? Sarah--there are simply no words for someone 30+ doing nothing and living at home unless her was truly a full-time caregiver for a fully disable parent or adult sibling. Even THEN she should have a life of her OWN--a driver's license (does she even have one) a circle of friends her own age (not nonagenarians in a nursing home). Lots of Aunts love to take the kids for date night or other parent alone time, but they have LIVES. Sarah thinking of herself as an author because she paid Amazon to sell her "book" is just sllly. Like Jana Duggar as a "Concert pianist."

I hope Steve  WILL act quickly so that Mary can be married at least. Anna, too. It's not the be-all end-all but it would improve "the brand" considerably. 

[MamaJunebug]

Announcement: PoorSarah Maxwell officially has made an idol of the word “sweet.”

Steve: See to that, won’t you?  For ALL our sakes

Another benefit to Steve forbidding any of the kidults To excel at anything: if they get really good, they might be able to make a living at it. Oh noes.

PoorSarah’s writing needs work, but her photography skills have way surpassed her brother’s.

Uh-oh.....if Steve takes PSarah’s camera away, I’ll blame myself. Well. I’ve got quite a familiar corner of the prayer closet, so.  

[catlady]

18 minutes ago, SPHASH said:

Those pics are awful!  I also hate this caption: I guess we told them to look at the baby. The boys got the memo but the girls did not.  Just another slam on girls.

while it's fair enough to acknowledge that getting five very young children to cooperate for the camera takes some effort,  Joshua's expression rivals Davia Waller.  Daniel looks like he wants to start dancing (go, Daniel!).   

and who cares if they "didn't get the memo;"  they're little kids, not robots!  oh, wait, this is Maxhell.....

i will say, the girls' dresses are just beautiful.  Anna Marie has fabulous skills.

[ophelia]

15 minutes ago, catlady said:

while it's fair enough to acknowledge that getting five very young children to cooperate for the camera takes some effort,  Joshua's expression rivals Davia Waller.  Daniel looks like he wants to start dancing (go, Daniel!).   

Came here to say the exact same thing. I love Joshua's expression. He probably is old enough to realize that this staged photo session will be an annual part until he is able to buy a house debt-free. NR Anna will probably keep on having a baby every 18 months.

[albanuadh_1]

I didn't care for either photo shoots but Sarah's were slightly better. I dislike those fake smiles; so damn forced.

[LurkerOverThePond]

That white-washed look Pristopher loves to use in his family photos always looks like a scene from the afterlife. Of course, these are the death obsessed Maxwells so maybe it's exactly what he's after 

[nokidsmom]

To excel at anything, which means to put in the time and effort to do so, plus to derive joy from it smacks too much of making it an "idol".    Steveovah absolutely cannot have that.

Gah!  How can anyone live a life where joyful things (Pepsi, sewing, whatever) are an "idol"?  I can't imagine how in the world Sarah or Mary or any of those Maxhell kids can stand living in that house.

 

[IReallyAmHopewell]

39 minutes ago, ophelia said:

Came here to say the exact same thing. I love Joshua's expression. He probably is old enough to realize that this staged photo session will be an annual part until he is able to buy a house debt-free. NR Anna will probably keep on having a baby every 18 months.

I think NR Anna will give J'chelle and Kelly Bates a run for their records. The perfect QF/ATI/IBLP mom.  All in a 60's bi-level, too!

 

59 minutes ago, catlady said:

 Joshua's expression rivals Davia Waller. 

Oh goodness--I've let the TFDW and Prissy slide from view. Probably had another sproge by now.  All the boys with names in Mommy's letter, all the girls versions of Daddy's name.

[meee]

How old are Ruthie and Joshua - four and five? I wouldn't let either of them hold a newborn, but I think it is interesting that if anyone has to hold her, it's the oldest girl and not the oldest child.

[danvillebelle]

I am getting a slightly defiant vibe from Ruthanne and Lydia's smiles and I'm loving it.

"You want a smile?  Here's an effin' smile for you!"  

[anjulibai]

3 hours ago, SPHASH said:

Those pics are awful!  I also hate this caption: I guess we told them to look at the baby. The boys got the memo but the girls did not.  Just another slam on girls.

And yet, the girls look better in this picture than the boys! Their smiles might be fake, but they aren't making weird faces like Joshua. 

5 hours ago, HermioneSparrow said:

Steve is missing an opportunity to make money with Sarah as a photographer, she's actually talented unlike her prissy bro.

Sometimes it seems like Steve's purpose for his family is to be mediocre at best: Mary with the mediocre graphic design, Anna's "cooking skills", Christopher's awful photography business and Sarah's terrible writing and it should be Mary the makeup artist, Anna the preschool teacher, Christopher the EMT like he wanted to be and Sarah the photographer but Steveovah seems to want his kids to be miserable and unsuccessful. 

Mary should be a seamstress. She's good at it and took to it very quickly. I think Steve decided it had become an idol, and since she's mediocre at drawing and only sort of likes it, that's what she was going to do. In Maxhell, you can't enjoy anything too much, even if you are good it and could make a good living at it. 

[ophelia]

2 hours ago, IReallyAmHopewell said:

I think NR Anna will give J'chelle and Kelly Bates a run for their records. The perfect QF/ATI/IBLP mom.  All in a 60's bi-level, too!

I'm not a Maxwell expert, but IIRC she is already in her thirties? I think she got married too late to really come close to Kelly's and Juterus broods, but if she had married earlier she would definitely get close.

2 hours ago, meee said:

How old are Ruthie and Joshua - four and five? I wouldn't let either of them hold a newborn, but I think it is interesting that if anyone has to hold her, it's the oldest girl and not the oldest child.

I thought "sister-moms" in the making. Depressing thought. Although so far NR Anna seems like motherhood and her lifestyle really suit her. So maybe her breaking point still lays a few years away so that Lydia and Ruthanne can enjoy their childhood a little bit longer.

[courtlylove]

5 hours ago, freethemall said:

In my opinion, the most badly-written sentence in this post is:

  "This is arranging them all."

How about this bit? 

Just now, courtlylove said:

How about this bit? 

Christopher and Anna Marie’s family has really grown, so when it came time to pictures with all five children, wow! Trying to arrange all five, get them to look at the camera, and keep the photo framed properly, whew! It’s an exercise.

 

[Rosie]

33 minutes ago, courtlylove said:

How about this bit? 

Christopher and Anna Marie’s family has really grown, so when it came time to pictures with all five children, wow! Trying to arrange all five, get them to look at the camera, and keep the photo framed properly, whew! It’s an exercise.

This made me laugh out loud.  It is hilarious!

[FloraKitty35]

What is with that out of place hand in the photo of Calia & Kyle?    

[socalrules]

I just want to buy those little girls dresses that fit. They look like they are two sizes too big. 

I think Joseph’s family always looks happier because they spend a little more time out in the non-Maxwell world. They might have non-fundy friends procured from Joseph’s Magento work. 

Why do I feel like Christopher and Anna’s girls are rarely shown? I can never remember what they look like but I could probably pick Nathan and Melanie’s kids out of a lineup.  

I also wonder why the Christopher’s family’s pics are so fundie, yet Joseph’s family’s pics are more whimsical. I do love babies in costumes. 

[FloraDoraDolly]

9 hours ago, SPHASH said:

Those pics are awful!  I also hate this caption: I guess we told them to look at the baby. The boys got the memo but the girls did not.  Just another slam on girls.

Lydia is really starting to look like Teri.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Those poor girls are so completely programmed to look at the camera and smile, they can't even attempt something sightly different. I bet if you told them to make a silly face for the camera, they would come up with nothing. 

[SPHASH]

45 minutes ago, FloraDoraDolly said:

Lydia is really starting to look like Teri.

Poor Lydia.  Hope she doesn't inherit Grandma's depression genes.

[Tangy Bee]

So...is this photo for Easter or is it just a random updated, family pic?? Dang, I didn't realize Chris has 5 children. Where have I been? We know Steve is proud of this bunch. The Maxwell name will gone on!

[freethemall]

7 hours ago, Tangy Bee said:

So...is this photo for Easter or is it just a random updated, family pic?? Dang, I didn't realize Chris has 5 children. Where have I been? We know Steve is proud of this bunch. The Maxwell name will gone on!

It's a newborn shoot turned updated family shoot.  A lot of people like to get "professional" photos of the baby when they're fresh. 

What's getting more popular right now (and what we did when my son was born) is a "lifestyle shoot" where instead of a faux studio you show the family naturally in their new home.  So  we have photos of the baby in his crib, us on the bed, etc. Feels a bit more natural than this all-white weirdness....

[theologygeek]

19 hours ago, nausicaa said:

I mean, according to Fundie standards, Sarah and Anna, and even Mary somewhat at this point, are "failures." They have not achieved the ultimate female goals of getting married and having children. Sarah will never have eight kids. She could still have a few, but she did not take advantage of her most fertile years the way women in their circles are encouraged to. She is living the life of the fabled "unhappy single feminist" they like to warn their daughters about. People might want what they have with their sons (diligent, obedient adults still toeing the line) but those three adult single daughters really hurt the whole marketing image. 

I imagine one of the biggest fears of Fundie parents is that their daughters never marry and become mothers. So why would they want to follow what Steve and Teri did? And why on earth would teenage girls dreaming of their wedding day want to emulate Sarah? The Bates and Duggar girls have far more cache in that area. 

We even had a Fundie on here once who mentioned that MOTH devotees had issues with Sarah never marrying and it was whispered about critically within their circles. And this was probably five years ago. I can only imagine what people are saying now.

Not all fundies are like the Duggar and Bates families.  Steve Maxwell is like a cult leader.  He preys on the vulnerable for money and power.  He attracts people who are afraid for whatever reasons.   You could see that from the Dad's Corner posts.  His niche is the "afraid of the outside world" group.  And they see it's working for the Maxwells.  Sons who live right near him and obedient daughters who stay close to their parents.  It's twisted when you think about how much he ruined his daughters.  Adult women who won't even go to church, and go to a nursing home where their father preaches. 

[LilMissMetaphor]

[IReallyAmHopewell]

2 hours ago, theologygeek said:

22 hours ago, nausicaa said:

I mean, according to Fundie standards, Sarah and Anna, and even Mary somewhat at this point, are "failures." They have not achieved the ultimate female goals of getting married and having children. Sarah will never have eight kids. She could still have a few, but she did not take advantage of her most fertile years the way women in their circles are encouraged to. She is living the life of the fabled "unhappy single feminist" they like to warn their daughters about. People might want what they have with their sons (diligent, obedient adults still toeing the line) but those three adult single daughters really hurt the whole marketing image. 

I imagine one of the biggest fears of Fundie parents is that their daughters never marry and become mothers. So why would they want to follow what Steve and Teri did? And why on earth would teenage girls dreaming of their wedding day want to emulate Sarah? The Bates and Duggar girls have far more cache in that area. 

We even had a Fundie on here once who mentioned that MOTH devotees had issues with Sarah never marrying and it was whispered about critically within their circles. And this was probably five years ago. I can only imagine what people are saying now.

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Not all fundies are like the Duggar and Bates families.  Steve Maxwell is like a cult leader.  He preys on the vulnerable for money and power.  He attracts people who are afraid for whatever reasons.   You could see that from the Dad's Corner posts.  His niche is the "afraid of the outside world" group.  And they see it's working for the Maxwells.  Sons who live right near him and obedient daughters who stay close to their parents.  It's twisted when you think about how much he ruined his daughters.  Adult women who won't even go to church, and go to a nursing home where their father preaches. 

Even for that crowd--they do want more soldiers for Christ. Surely a daughter could marry another "safe in the bunker" family--maybe they could swap daughters? So sick to us in the real world, but ....