Maxwell 20: Fun just dies

[Foudeb]

That last picture.... Nathan and Chris sitting on the comfy chairs, on their phones, looking bored. Their dutiful wives kneeling down on the floor, trying not to look bored. Minding the little children. Patriarchy in a nutshell. Would it kill the penis owners to let their perpetually pregnant or postpartum breeders a little bit of comfort once in a while? At least long enough for Sarah to document it? 

 

[Lisafer]

20 hours ago, Black Aliss said:

I am imagining OfJohn and perhaps OfJoseph feeling led by the Lord to bring a lot of food to the party.  OfNathan and OfChris are probably so used to the child-size portions they no longer think it's strange.

May Rufus bless my husband, who taught me that it was ok to bring more food to my family get-togethers! My mom serves adequate food, but dessert is not her strong point. We didn't have many sweets growing up. So now I've learned to stop at the grocery store on the way to her house 

[SassyPants]

4 hours ago, Lisafer said:

May Rufus bless my husband, who taught me that it was ok to bring more food to my family get-togethers! My mom serves adequate food, but dessert is not her strong point. We didn't have many sweets growing up. So now I've learned to stop at the grocery store on the way to her house 

I have a family member who loves to host events, including providing all the food, who never has enough food. Recently she ordered 1 large and 1 med sized pizzas for 9 adults (5 males, 2 of them college students).

[AllisonWndrland]

On 5/30/2018 at 1:00 PM, socalrules said:

It looks like they had ribs, hot dogs, possibly hamburgers, pie and whatever they call deviled eggs. They actually had more food options than normal. I am shocked. Also, I really want ribs now.

They call them Picnic Eggs. Fricken Picnic Eggs. It kills me. I also want ribs now because those ribs (I assume Anna used the smoker) look delicious. Final note, do you think a pizza cutter was involved in the lettuce? 

[Myfanwy]

Every time I see a picture of Abbey it hurts my heart. She looks so...something, bored out of her everlovin' gourd maybe? I am sure she loves her family and her 'extended' family plenty. I am also sure she wouldn't love them any less if she went to school or brownies or dancing or choir or any-bloody-thing so she could DO something. Something that was hers. Something she could talk about. Something where she could meet a person she wasn't related to. Jesus could go with her, she would be fine. 

[anjulibai]

Abby's 10, and her closest aged sibling is 7, and the closest after that is 6. That's a big difference at that age. All the activities that they do are focused on little kids, which has to be boring for her. She needs friends her own age doing more activities that are age appropriate. 

But that's not likely to happen, at least regularly. 

[nausicaa]

I wish she could at least do AWANA, sewing in 4H, or Christian debate. Even other fundies have their kids participate in activities. 

I wonder how much control Steve really does have over them because I don't see Melanie being opposed to a small American Heritage Girls club that met once a month and did sewing or volunteer work. But I think it would damage Steve's image too much. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

32 minutes ago, nausicaa said:

I wish she could at least do AWANA, sewing in 4H, or Christian debate. Even other fundies have their kids participate in activities. 

I wonder how much control Steve really does have over them because I don't see Melanie being opposed to a small American Heritage Girls club that met once a month and did sewing or volunteer work. But I think it would damage Steve's image too much. 

4H is way too liberal now. I was in 4H as a kid and loved it. But they are more liberal these days and Steve would have a heart attack if his grand daughters joined. 

[Myfanwy]

To me she seems to be a bit lost in a sea of babies and adults. Actual adults plus the aunties. I get that fundie development is baby - babysitter - baby haver, so no-one in her family sees a problem. However, I think she is an unhappy little girl and as I believe depression can be inherited I would be keeping an eye on her if she were my child. Mind you, if she were my child she would be at school and other activities so the point may be moot. 

[FloraDoraDolly]

2 hours ago, nausicaa said:

I wish she could at least do AWANA, sewing in 4H, or Christian debate. Even other fundies have their kids participate in activities. 

I wonder how much control Steve really does have over them because I don't see Melanie being opposed to a small American Heritage Girls club that met once a month and did sewing or volunteer work. But I think it would damage Steve's image too much. 

Hopefully, Abby does get to do these things and the Maxwells just don't publicize it because "no friends allowed" is part of their brand.

[feministxtian]

11 hours ago, SassyPants said:

I have a family member who loves to host events, including providing all the food, who never has enough food. Recently she ordered 1 large and 1 med sized pizzas for 9 adults (5 males, 2 of them college students).

Say WHAT??? Shit, hubs and I can eat one large pizza by ourselves! In general (from my days managing pizza joints), you figure on at least 2 slices of a large pizza per person. So...9 adults = 18 lg slices = 2 lg + a med pizza with leftovers. (lg is cut into 8 slices). That's assuming there's other stuff there like maybe salad, or other goodies (wings, breadsticks, cheese bread, etc). 

[Dark Matters]

Hmmm, another "secret" ministry trip, this time with Anna and Mary going.  They will sorta kinda escape the Maxhell Collective for four to six weeks.  Ok, FJ detectives, where in the world will these two nutty kids go?

[ophelia]

I doubt they'll the US. Maybe they are helping out a new momma outta state or things like that.

[molecule]

The phrase "no greater joy" appears, which made me wonder if they were attending the same Fundie Girls Visit the Pearls Sleep-away Camp that the Rod girls attended last year.

[Melissa1977]

2 minutes ago, molecule said:

The phrase "no greater joy" appears, which made me wonder if they were attending the same Fundie Girls Visit the Pearls Sleep-away Camp that the Rod girls attended last year.

Impossible! Pearls and Maxwells are enemies. They were friends years ago, but that friendship finished and Pearl wrote an ugly article in which Maxwell family wasn't named but was easy to recognise. Pearl critisised that Maxwells don't allow their adult kids to be real adults.

[Foudeb]

Uh-oh, Steevus is allowing his arrows to go out husband-hunting.

Someone must be feeling desperate indeed.

[molecule]

Impossible! Pearls and Maxwells are enemies. They were friends years ago, but that friendship finished and Pearl wrote an ugly article in which Maxwell family wasn't named but was easy to recognise. Pearl critisised that Maxwells don't allow their adult kids to be real adults.

I know about that but wondered if Steve was trying to pretend to mend fences in order to cast a broader net to catch a husband for someone.

[Jana814]

I'm glad the girls got a chance to get away. 

[Jana814]

10 hours ago, FloraDoraDolly said:

Hopefully, Abby does get to do these things and the Maxwells just don't publicize it because "no friends allowed" is part of their brand.

I don't think Abby is allowed to have outside friends. If they went to a regular church not one in an nursing home she probably would have a chance to meet other kids her age. 

 

[anjulibai]

They are not telling the location for the ministry's privacy? That seems counterproductive. You'd think the ministry would want publicity for their cause. 

Steve, just out and say 1) you don't want anyone to know where Anna and Mary are going and 2) you don't want to share the spotlight with another ministry. 

I hope they have a good time and meet some decent fundie guys there. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

56 minutes ago, Jana814 said:

I don't think Abby is allowed to have outside friends. If they went to a regular church not one in an nursing home she probably would have a chance to meet other kids her age. 

 

We did see Abby with some same age cousins a little while back. So at least she has a few non Maxwell cousins to play with. But she may not see them much. It makes me sad for Abby. 

[Granwych]

56 minutes ago, Jana814 said:

I don't think Abby is allowed to have outside friends. If they went to a regular church not one in an nursing home she probably would have a chance to meet other kids her age. 

 

It appears that Melanie's kids do get to see their Maher cousins every now and then.  I wonder how Melanie's sister Grace is doing in Nashville.

[Palimpsest]

1 hour ago, Melissa1977 said:

Impossible! Pearls and Maxwells are enemies. They were friends years ago, but that friendship finished and Pearl wrote an ugly article in which Maxwell family wasn't named but was easy to recognise. Pearl critisised that Maxwells don't allow their adult kids to be real adults.

And Steve has said nasty things about Pearl too.  I'd say extremely unlikely.  

I'm very glad the girls are getting away.  I hope they are going with a large group so they can meet some men, but the uncertainly about 4 or maybe 6 weeks makes that seem unlikely.

I would wager that they are off to cuddle orphans somewhere.  SOS doesn't have a current short-term mission so perhaps another group.

33 minutes ago, anjulibai said:

They are not telling the location for the ministry's privacy? That seems counterproductive. You'd think the ministry would want publicity for their cause. 

Steve, just out and say 1) you don't want anyone to know where Anna and Mary are going and 2) you don't want to share the spotlight with another ministry. 

I hope they have a good time and meet some decent fundie guys there. 

Quite.  What is he so afraid of - that we would be critical of the mission or ministry and cause it to go bankrupt?  Would that we had the power.

It is like John's super-secret mission trip.  It's possible that they are going to a country that is closed to missionaries or, as they are known to rabid evangelists, creative access countries.

[Foudeb]

59 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

What is he so afraid of - that we would be critical of the mission or ministry and cause it to go bankrupt?  Would that we had the power.

Just the criticism I think. He wouldn't care if someone else goes bankrupt. It is my firm opinion that Steve has a very thin skin and cannot take people taking the piss, as I'm sure we would when it turns out that the "ministry" they volunteer for does work that is absolutely useless, or perhaps counter-productive. Like cuddling orphans. (Doesn't help your abandonment issues when adults pay you lots of attention, and then just disappear again).

He is so paranoid he probably also doesn't want to take the risk one of "us" approaches his precious offspring. If we know where they're heading we could potentially do horrible, horrible things like meet them at an airport and have a chat. Not that we'd do that (FJ wouldn't condone it) but he is so insecure in his beliefs that he probably does fear that a 5-minute chat with an unrelated stranger from outside the fathership might cause his overgrown babies to turn into atheists. Or worse, fat feminists who start refusing to tend to him hand and foot whilst starving themselves into an obedient stupor.

To be fair to him, patriarchy is such a fucked-up bag of unprocessed shit that yes, there is a risk of a brainwashed drone having an independent thought at some point.

[formergothardite]

Reasons Steve won't share what they are doing:

1. They are going to a country where laws will be violated by their perpetual witnessing. 

2. Steve is afraid that if people know a heathen might attempt to talk to them.

3. Steve knows whatever they are doing is a pile of shit and he doesn't want us to have more fodder when discussing how useless the Maxwells are.

4. The ministry is less extreme than Steve and he is worried that someone might contact them and ask if they knew two of their volunteers believed such insane things.

5. It is like the pizza cutter lettuce post, Steve knows we want to know and he isn't going to share just out of spite.

Steve, I'm not sure if you sing this song in your Church of the Elderly, but it goes "hide it under a bushel? No! I'm going to let it shine, let it shine, let it shine, let it shine." If you didn't have something to be ashamed of then you wouldn't hide your ministry light under a bushel.