Family Living on Purpose (FLOP) : Erika Shupe Pt 12

[mango_fandango]

Erika posted a really nice birthday message to Melanie on Monday. Throughout the LFOP and FLOP years, I never saw Erika do a birthday album for Melanie, when she usually posted about the other kids. The photos are cute too. 

I also kinda want to know what the V in her name stands for! There aren’t a huge number of female V names. Erika also tends to go for traditional names for her kids, or ones that are popular; she doesn’t go too unusual. 

[WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?]

15 minutes ago, mango_fandango said:

There aren’t a huge number of female V names. Erika also tends to go for traditional names for her kids, or ones that are popular; she doesn’t go too unusual. 

The first two that come to my mind are Victoria and Veronica.

Edited September 7, 2018 by WhatWouldJohnCrichtonDo?
hit submit too soon

[mango_fandango]

I thought of Vanessa and Valerie. Vanessa because it’s my aunt’s name, and not sure why I thought about Valerie. I doubt it’s Valerie though because the -ie on the end of both Melanie and Valerie would be a bit much. 

[Petronella]

This very week we have ended homeschooling and our youngest is in school. (Not because we regret homeschooling or it wasn’t going well, but because it’s just the natural right time for him to make the change.)

I remind myself of Erika! Like how figuring out carpooling and pickup etc seems like an arcane knowledge as you figure it out for the first time ;-D

(I don’t, however, blog about my special wisdom in these matters.)

[JermajestyDuggar]

I like a lot of v names. Especially Vivian. I hope it’s Vivian. But it could also be Victoria, Veronica, or Vanessa. If it was a different fundie I would guess Verity. There are quite a few fundies that like virtue names. 

[meee]

Violet? 

[smittykins]

11 hours ago, mango_fandango said:

I thought of Vanessa and Valerie. Vanessa because it’s my aunt’s name, and not sure why I thought about Valerie. I doubt it’s Valerie though because the -ie on the end of both Melanie and Valerie would be a bit much.

One of my mom's friends named her daughter Maureen Eileen.

[mango_fandango]

Melanie Valerie wouldn’t be too odd I guess, apart from the ie and the three syllables in each they aren’t too similar-sounding. 

[AliceInFundyland]

Velma? Probly not.

[JermajestyDuggar]

Veruca. 

Like Veruca Salt

[Audrey2]

Virginia is a possibility as well. I can think of two women named Virginia off the top of my head.

[petrushka]

Velveeta?  Probably not, too cheesy I suppose.

[Canadiangirl1]

First time poster! I’ve been following Erika for quite a few years- I’m not sure why I have such an odd fascination with her - anyways she just posted a new family photo with them all minus Karen and her hubby.  Also wearing jeans!  I would love to know what’s been going on in that family!

[Hisey]

16 hours ago, Canadiangirl1 said:

First time poster! I’ve been following Erika for quite a few years- I’m not sure why I have such an odd fascination with her - anyways she just posted a new family photo with them all minus Karen and her hubby.  Also wearing jeans!  I would love to know what’s been going on in that family!

Me too! Karen's had enough, that's clear.

[JillyO]

Here is the family picture:

Anna Marie looks so grown up, and resembles Karen quite a lot. Brandon seems to have hit a growth spurt.

It's a nice family picture. Would love to know what happened behind the scenes though...

[mango_fandango]

Omg yes Anna Marie looks so like Karen! Lighter hair, though. I’ve always thought Lacey and Lilly looked a bit like Anna Marie, too. Brandon also looks like he’s had a growth spurt. I know some on here have been a bit worried about him. I think he’s about fifteen now, he’s three years younger than Melanie. So I think Anna Marie is about 12. 

While I do respect their privacy, I do kinda want to know what their life is like now; how the kids are enjoying school, what hobbies they have, and so on. 

Melanie looks so pretty with that hairdo and the lipstick!!

[clarinetpower]

So, did anyone notice the post on Melanie's FB about how the German soldiers had no idea about the atrocities? Wow. That's... wow. I just... yep. Hope is gone. 
 

[mango_fandango]

Jesus, the ignorance... 

OF COURSE German citizens knew about how Hitler despised the Jews. Ever heard of propaganda?? It was drummed into the public mind that Jews were evil. Films, books, posters... There were pamphlets distributed calling Jews and other races “subhuman” FFS. Does Melanie actually know anything about Nazi Germany?? 

Even worse, though, is the 12-week-foetus thing. 

 

[JermajestyDuggar]

12 hours ago, clarinetpower said:

So, did anyone notice the post on Melanie's FB about how the German soldiers had no idea about the atrocities? Wow. That's... wow. I just... yep. Hope is gone. 
 

Melanie is a clone of her father it seems. He posts all the same kinds of stuff. My hope for Melanie has been gone for a little while. Now I’m hoping some of the youngers follow Karen’s lead. 

[Hisey]

9 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Melanie is a clone of her father it seems. He posts all the same kinds of stuff. My hope for Melanie has been gone for a little while. Now I’m hoping some of the youngers follow Karen’s lead. 

Oh, Melanie is very young (19?). There's still hope. She's just so young she's parroting her father's views. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

13 minutes ago, Hisey said:

Oh, Melanie is very young (19?). There's still hope. She's just so young she's parroting her father's views. 

I hope so too. But I admit that based on the limited info we have, I’m wondering if the family dynamics have changed since Karen left. Erika could be focusing her love and attention on Melanie because Karen left. Possibly out of guilt or grief. And Melanie may feel the need to be their golden child since she has seen how hurt they are because Karen did the opposite of what they wanted. Karen’s leaving will affect the family dynamics amongst everyone. Not just Erika and Bob. 

[mango_fandango]

Melanie may have always been a bit more “fundie” than Karen. Erika often said things about the first child in a family being the strong-willed one (not in a mean way to Karen, Erika is also the oldest amongst her siblings). 

As I’ve said before, Karen never posted anything overly controversial on her FB account. She did post one thing with an anti-gay sentiment, not like the multiple things Melanie has posted. Karen also never mentioned her religion in her profile. Erika calls herself “Jesus’s girl” and Melanie is a “fervent Christian”. Karen is probably still religious, though, she just doesn’t feel the need to make it a prominent part of her identity in public. (Melanie also might feel the need to promote herself as Christian after Karen left).

Edited November 4, 2018 by mango_fandango

[usmcmom]

I think if Erika decided to write about her change of heart, she'd find lots of positive and encouraging comments here on FJ. This would not only be because she appears to have become "less fundie" but because many of us can relate to making difficult decisions that lead to big changes.  Many of us can relate to extreme emotional distress like Erika may or may not have been facing. 

Of course we may be the wrong kind of people for Erika to seek encouragement from. She might still be hoping to please people like her original followers. Still, maybe many of them would relate and respond with empathy and understanding, as in "I totally understand. Thank goodness I am not the only one who felt unable to meet these terribly high standards."  

Her changes could serve as a huge encouragment for those who are wanting to make a change. She deserves to  maintain her privacy. She also still has a lot to offer in her organizing tips, I think. Maybe she will one day start blogging again just to share that kind of thing. 

Even though Bob still appears to have some extreme views, I get the feeling Erika has been through something pretty difficult and I am hoping she has come out the other side much healthier and more relaxed. 

[JillyO]

Over in the Dillard thread, @Beermeet (I believe) mentioned that Melanie now has a boyfriend. Which would be more exciting if said boyfriend didn't have an Erwin Rommel quote in the intro of his Facebook page. Lovely. Paging Dr. @nausicaa because I know you wanted to discuss this as well!

Melanie also has a selection of pro-Trump/pro-wall  and other xenophobic posts on her (public) Facebook page. As well as this WTF-ery:

Here is a link to her page if you want to see for yourself.

It really is a damn shame that while the fundie beliefs seem to have gone somewhat out the window in the Shupe household, the hatefulness and bigotry is just as strong as ever.

[Beermeet]

@JillyO  Nope. Not me. I'm pretty unaware of the Shupes discussion.  I tried but, I feel like I missed too much. ?