Kendra and Joe Duggar 9: Garrett David Has Arrived

[luv2laugh]

It’s fine to want simple country life. The difference is that you have the opportunity to drop everything and move there tomorrow or retire there. Kendra and the rest of the Duggars do not have the opportunity to make a different decision such as moving to yuppie-land East Coast like yourself, or another big city for that matter, and will be stuck with a boatload of babies by time they may feel differently. Kendra is 19 and has a little more than 20 years of fertility. She is in trouble if she has Sarah Baker’s fertility with 11 kids at 31.

[Gillyweed]

I agree with @luv2laugh  There's a big difference between not going to college because it's not for you or you want to take a different path that doesn't require a bachelor's degree, and not even having the chance to think about it like the Duggars. Even if they wanted to go to college, their options are so limited by their limited education. 

Jill expressed a desire to learn. She wanted to be a nurse when she was younger (if I remember correctly). Instead, she was trained to be a "midwife" by Venessa. She didn't have the choice to even look at nursing programs and decide if they were right for her. 

[adidas]

I have lots of thoughts about being a young Mum (I was one) but I wrote most of it out in a massive post when Joy announced her pregnancy. It’s here:

Having a baby at that age isn’t ideal. It makes things a LOT harder. I’m not afraid of hard work, but I wanted my kids to have every opportunity possible and sometimes we just couldn’t do it because of our circumstances. Yes we own a house. Yes I have a university degree and an amazing career. But it was a lot harder to do than if we’d had our kids later. 

Like I said in the linked post, I don’t regret anything. It has worked for us. But it is okay to be honest and say it’s not ideal. 

[Rowan]

He is a cutie and I am glad everything went well for Kendra. 

We are now down to only one known pregnancy - will it drop to zero, or will someone announce before Jinger's baby is here?

[KeshetParparNesicha]

9 hours ago, luv2laugh said:

She is in trouble if she has Sarah Baker’s fertility with 11 kids at 31.

My God. Who is this person? Do I want to know?

[Rachel333]

33 minutes ago, Rowan said:

He is a cutie and I am glad everything went well for Kendra. 

We are now down to only one known pregnancy - will it drop to zero, or will someone announce before Jinger's baby is here?

Oh, interesting. I know most of us expected the most recent gap in Duggar pregnancies to be the last for a while, but maybe not! It seems like Jessa would be the most likely to announce, but she seems to be happy not being pregnant right now. Anna, Jill, and Joy are all possibilities as well, but it seems unlikely.

[singsingsing]

29 minutes ago, Rachel333 said:

Oh, interesting. I know most of us expected the most recent gap in Duggar pregnancies to be the last for a while, but maybe not! It seems like Jessa would be the most likely to announce, but she seems to be happy not being pregnant right now. Anna, Jill, and Joy are all possibilities as well, but it seems unlikely.

I really think the next Duggar to announce will be Lauren. 

[church_of_dog]

13 hours ago, FundieCentral said:

What a great conversation, I appreciate it you guys! 

 

My two cents: god, I have really come to appreciate the simple life over the last few years. As stated in various places on FJ, I grew up in a normal, middle class background in Europe but moved to the US in my teens; into what you’d probably consider the New England, upper class, fancy part of society/milieu. Think almost everybody did a stint in consulting and investment banking.

And man, I want my average life back. <snip for length>  I can’t shake this feeling that I am on the wrong path in life <snip for length>

If you haven't seen the movies "Baby Boom" and "Trading Places", please watch them!

I hope you find a way to do what you enjoy without worry about how it would be seen by your crowd.  Every lifestyle has its own crowd anyway, so one can find encouragement and support no matter one's chosen lifestyle.  In fact you might well end up inspiring the young people in your current circle to see that it's ok to break away from "expectations" and do what you love.  

The world is changing now anyway and the ladder-climbing lifestyle doesn't always bring satisfying results, and many people (raises hand) don't want to be a part of promotiong an unsustainable culture, ethically (see: climate change, environmental degradation, social injustice issues, economic dependence on false illusions about finite natural resources, etc etc etc).

You can live however you want! 

[Irishy]

My opinion: Everyone should go to college. EVENTUALLY! 

I started my 4 year degree at age 38 when my babies were all at school. I’m still there and I absolutely adore it. Not sure I would have been as interested at age 18 (in fact I dropped out two years into my degree at age 20 but it didn’t hold my attention). 

Academia is about so much more than earning potential. It is about critical thinking skills and making you into a more rounded person. Everyone should try it at some point, even a certificate or diploma course. And it doesn’t have to be with a career change in mind. Just pick something that interests you.

I’m lucky that I live in a capital city and don’t have to travel far to attend classes. 

In Ireland undergraduate tuition is free. However registration fees can amount to 3k per year which is ridiculous. Most degree courses are 3/4 years and medicine is 6. 

[punkiepie]

There is some really good information about education and fundies in the book "God's Harvard" by Hanna Rosin. I totally recommend reading it. It's about Patrick Henry University and how so many of their graduates end of working for the GOP in DC. 

[Ivycoveredtower]

3 hours ago, Rowan said:

He is a cutie and I am glad everything went well for Kendra. 

We are now down to only one known pregnancy - will it drop to zero, or will someone announce before Jinger's baby is here?

I think it will be at Zero until Lauren announces a honeymoon baby three months after whenever the wedding is. 

[Buzzard]

On 6/9/2018 at 7:30 PM, JermajestyDuggar said:

9 months exactly is the shortest time between wedding and birth of the Duggars. If I’m remembering correctly.

Yup.  This beats her holiness, Saint Jill of Boredom

[singsingsing]

According to Duggar Data, Kendra and Joy both had their babies exactly 273 days after their weddings. But Garrett was about a week and a half early whereas Gideon was right on time (maybe a day early?), so I think Joy still holds the record for fastest pregnancy.

[Ivycoveredtower]

1 minute ago, singsingsing said:

According to Duggar Data, Kendra and Joy both had their babies exactly 273 days after their weddings. But Garrett was about a week and a half early whereas Gideon was right on time (maybe a day early?), so I think Joy still holds the record for fastest pregnancy.

I believe Gideon was one day late with Joy's due date being Feb 22. 

[HermioneSparrow]

12 minutes ago, Ivycoveredtower said:

I believe Gideon was one day late with Joy's due date being Feb 22. 

He was conceived on their wedding night? Yikes! 

[MoonFace]

On 6/9/2018 at 7:57 PM, gameofunbeknowns said:

Well the time has finally come. I don’t care about what these people are doing anymore. Someone kindly notify me when one of the Duggar women gets a degree.

Well, Gameofunbeknowns, it's been nice knowing you.    Do stop by and visit once in a while to let us know you're doing ok.   Because if we wait to hear from you when one gets a degree (other than a first degree burn!) we may never hear from you ever again.   

[Coconut Flan]

7 minutes ago, HermioneSparrow said:

He was conceived on their wedding night? Yikes! 

Probably not.  His due date would have been a different day if he had been.  266 days from conception to due date assuming a regular 28 day cycle.

[Buzzard]

1 minute ago, MoonFace said:

Well, Gameofunbeknowns, it's been nice knowing you.    Do stop by and visit once in a while to let us know you're doing ok.   Because if we wait to hear from you when one gets a degree (other than a first degree burn!) we may never hear from you ever again.   

Can we specify whether its a real degree or one they bestow upon themselves?  I'm pretty sure they have "duggar high school" degrees and a couple of others they made in photoshop.

[viii]

Shared not once but twice with his cousins - Israel David and Mason Garrett. 

Poor kid. I like tradition and honoring family members but names should still be slightly individualized. Ah well! At least he was born in a hospital and is an average weight! 

[llg1234]

2 hours ago, HermioneSparrow said:

He was conceived on their wedding night? Yikes! 

 

1 hour ago, Coconut Flan said:

Probably not.  His due date would have been a different day if he had been.  266 days from conception to due date assuming a regular 28 day cycle.

Conception would have been on or around June 1st. So definitely a honeymoon baby, but not a wedding night one. 

[nausicaa]

20 hours ago, Escadora said:

Having a baby when you're a teenager also isn't an indication that someone isn't living their best life. A lot of what we as a society base success to be is based upon a narrative shoved down our throats by mass media, politicians, and each other. Some people don't want to go to college. Some people want to have kids, work simple jobs, and be done with it.

We have overwhelming evidence that the children of teen parents struggle more than children of older parents. (Requisite FJ caveat: not all children of teen parents, I know. Some do a great job.) I understand that Joe and Kendra in their fundamentalist bubble are in a bit of a different situation, but let's not pretend that the struggle 16 year old parents face is some narrative we are brainwashed into believing by "mass media and politicians." It is very real and we have hard data on it. You also seem to be conflating disapproval of teen pregnancy with criticizing some people for wanting simple lives, which are two very different things. I have zero issue with the latter, and agree it takes all kinds of kinds to make the world go round.

And I do think even a Fundamentalist daughter marrying at 28 versus 18 makes a big difference despite the lack of external life experiences. There are huge brain developments made in that decade. There are also different types of experiences one can learn from. She won't have gone to university or lived on her own, but she would still have some more wisdom from dealing with conflicts with others, getting to know herself, having to exhibit patience, and facing disappointment. (Most of us matured a ton in high school while living at home under our parents, and at least for me, not all of that growth was a direct result of external experiences.)

[luv2laugh]

Sarah Baker is a low profile fundie with a public page called Bakers to Alaska that we’ve discussed here. I am a Facebook friend of hers. We have mutual friends. She has 11 kids and is only 31, with the first born at 20 and none of them are twins. She and the family are going to be missionaries in a remote town in Alaska.  I think she has been offered a reality TV show but turned it down. She is actually very funny, kind, and is quite pretty but has a baby face and looks no older than 18. She says she gets funny looks when out with her kids because of how people think she is still a teenager. She’s a second generation fundie from a family of 9 kids but her husband was only one of 3. I definitely see her having at least 20+ children. She will beat the Bates and Duggars.

Since Bakers to Alaska is public, I’ll share her public photo. 

[Ivycoveredtower]

31 minutes ago, luv2laugh said:

Sarah Baker is a low profile fundie with a public page called Bakers to Alaska that we’ve discussed here. I am a Facebook friend of hers. We have mutual friends. She has 11 kids and is only 31, with the first born at 20 and none of them are twins. She and the family are going to be missionaries in a remote town in Alaska.  I think she has been offered a reality TV show but turned it down. She is actually very funny, kind, and is quite pretty but has a baby face and looks no older than 18. She says she gets funny looks when out with her kids because of how people think she is still a teenager. She’s a second generation fundie from a family of 9 kids but her husband was only one of 3. I definitely see her having at least 20+ children. She will beat the Bates and Duggars.

Since Bakers to Alaska is public, I’ll share her public photo. 

Looks like she's set up well with Sister moms poor little girls. 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

Here's the thread discussing the Baker family, for anyone who's interested:

https://www.freejinger.org/topic/31163-bakers-to-alaska/

[Satan'sFortress]

Wow--I had a hard time finding a mom in that pic--she just looks like the oldest sister.  ????

I went to college right out of HS---I loved it and did well, graduating with high honors and minimal debt.  BUT, I am working in a shit job making just over minimum wage.  For me, anyway, college wasn't a magic potion---to find a good job, you do still need hard work and confidence, plus some combination of good career planning advice, connections, luck, and a whole bunch of other stuff that I clearly didn't know about.

Also--just about spit out my tater tot casserole at the thought of any Duggar going to the University of Texas.  That is where I got my BA and it is most definitely not Duggar-friendly (eeeebil liberals go there.)  Maybe Baylor, but not UT.  If one of them ends up at UT, I will get a St. Rufus tattoo on my butt.