Mills family from youtube

[potato]

Ah, the Mills family.  I feel like my post is going to echo a lot of the comments here.  I, too, have been following Andrea for over a year now and I find her videos to be calming. 

I vaguely remember her mentioning that she used ACE growing up and she "turned out alright", so she uses it for her children, as well.  I also think I remember her mentioning in a video or a comment that while she would prefer that her kids decide to live "a Hobbit life" they could go onto higher education if they wanted to.  Her oldest son, Thomas, recently turned 16 so the jury's still out on that.  He seems to be content helping his dad with the computer business so far and I think he's also mentioned wanting to work in a hotel as his dream job.  

I believe that some of their views on education and jobs are a product of their environment.  They live in a rural town in northeastern Wyoming with a population of about 1000.  I sincerely hope that all of the Mills kids pick up a trade or other useful skill so that they can support themselves/their own families someday.  I would love it if they found substantial, accredited programs (not just workbooks) so that they can be mechanics/welders/IT workers/whatever they want.  

 

A few other things that I've picked up from the Mills family:

-I also dislike Tom.  A lot of times, I'll stop watching them mid-video because I find him to be too annoying.

-I believe that people have asked Andrea and Tom if they're QF and they said no.  Supposedly, they have an average-sized family for their town. 

-They've talked about wanting to build a second bathroom for their house, so at least they have that going for them.

-Call me a germophobe, but I get really annoyed when I see them wearing shoes in the house AND ON THEIR BEDS.  I don't want to restart a whole shoes on/off in the house debate but at least take them off when your feet are up ON A BED/COUCH.

-Tom and Andrea have also said that they are not KJV only.  Andrea and Tom have been trying to learn (and teach their kids) Ancient Greek because they actually acknowledge that the Bible wasn't originally written in English.  Tom also said in a livestream that he respects Orthodox people, which sort of took me by surprise.  As a Greek Orthodox person, I'm grateful that fundies seem to forget about us because I know that they probably wouldn't like some of our theological standpoints. 

-They let their kids wear normal swimsuits.  Girls wear one-pieces with shorts, which I feel is a fairly reasonable way to make their swimsuits more modest without hindering their ability to swim and play (unlike JRod).

-Like previously discussed, Andrea encourages the kids to read a lot.  She takes them to the library every week for story time, where they also do a craft and get to hang out with some of their peers.  

-The kids play outside a lot.  They seem to have a decent-sized yard with lots of activities and they supposedly have friends around town with which they run around and play.  The family also has a pretty decent garden that the kids help out with and Andrea vlogged about last summer.

 

Overall, I would say that they're fundie lite or just conservative Christians.  I definitely don't agree with everything that they do, especially education and medicine, but I feel like they could be a lot worse.  I like playing their videos as background noise and seeing the kids grow up.  I can definitely relate to Asher a lot of the time.

[formergothardite]

8 hours ago, EowynW said:

My parents are fundie, but they are in no way racist. 

Did they ever pick up on the racism and white washing of history in the curriculum and discuss that with you? 

[EowynW]

4 hours ago, formergothardite said:

Did they ever pick up on the racism and white washing of history in the curriculum and discuss that with you? 

Nope. Now as an adult  when I point things out they see it, but they didn't catch it at the time. 

[DutchGirl]

I am an other person who follows Andrea on You tube. She and Tom do somethings right. They let their kids be individuals, not part of a borg. They know their childrens caracters and take that in consideration when a kid needs help or something like that. They both adimitted that they have changed their mind about things regarding religion and other stuff during their lifes, which I find refressing. And they also don't agree on everything between the two of them, like most couples and respect those different opinions.

 

However, if you ever need a reality check, go back to a video Andrea posted about the Paris attact. That is a horrorshow on its own. If you heve personal ties to this attac or a similar attac, be carefull. It hurts.

[formergothardite]

On 5/25/2018 at 3:33 PM, DutchGirl said:

However, if you ever need a reality check, go back to a video Andrea posted about the Paris attact. That is a horrorshow on its own.

That really showed that she is just as hateful and offensive as some many of the other fundies we follow.

Her video claiming the Paris attack was a hoax with crisis actors.

Spoiler

 

The one claiming that a Planned Parenthood shooting was a hoax. She calls Obama the "Organizer in Chief" because she apparently thinks he organized fake shootings.

Spoiler

 

 

[formergothardite]

Her husband's FB page makes it clear they are Trump supporters. He says that communism is taught in college and that is why people without college educations typically support Trump. He has an entire on his Youtube page about how overpopulation is a myth by the ebil liberals. 

 

[Palimpsest]

16 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

The one claiming that a Planned Parenthood shooting was a hoax. She calls Obama the "Organizer in Chief" because she apparently thinks he organized fake shootings.

Her smirking face in this one gives me the major creeps.

[DutchGirl]

Thanks @formergotharditefor puting the video's up. I realy wouldn't know where to startif I tried to do that.

It realy shows their true colors beneath the pretty toplayer. I found them perculiar but harmless until I watched the Paris attack video.

[formergothardite]

From the comments it looks like she is a 9/11 denier, a Sandy Hook denier, a San Bernardino denier, a Ebola denier  and she claims her mom was told after 9/11 to report in newspapers that training drills are real events. They believe some pretty extreme things. 

 

[Palimpsest]

Andrea seems to have a bit of a fan club here.  I don't understand it because I find her voice soporific, not calming, and I see the red flags of a Fundie all over the place.  I tried to watch a few more of the videos and it was mostly the annoying background music that kept me awake.

On 5/24/2018 at 2:44 PM, potato said:

Overall, I would say that they're fundie lite or just conservative Christians.  I definitely don't agree with everything that they do, especially education and medicine, but I feel like they could be a lot worse.  

We define Fundamentalist Christian fairly broadly here.  I'm actually getting quite allergic to the term Fundie-lite.  It is really meaningless and tends to mean "not exactly like the Duggars" to many.  As for conservative Christian - I would guess that many think the SBC is "only" conservative Christian - but check out Paige Patterson and his ideas about women. 

I mostly define extreme Christian Fundamentalism as the Biblical Patriarchy Movement but some of the ideas are gaining ground in more mainstream circles.  They have certainly affected the SBC.

I'm not picking on you @potato, but you laid out some things clearly,and made it easy for me to respond to some things others have said too.

On 5/24/2018 at 2:44 PM, potato said:

-I believe that people have asked Andrea and Tom if they're QF and they said no.  Supposedly, they have an average-sized family for their town. 

No-one, just no-one, ever admits to being QF.  Andrea and Tom are QF in all but admitting to planning their little blessings from the Lord to arrive every couple of years.

Quote

Tom and Andrea have also said that they are not KJV only.  Andrea and Tom have been trying to learn (and teach their kids) Ancient Greek because they actually acknowledge that the Bible wasn't originally written in English. 

Not all extreme Fundies are KJV Only, IMO.  That is more of an IFB thing.  Some prefer the Geneva Bible and some are open to other translations.  As for learning Ancient Greek, John Shrader prides himself on his knowledge.  And he's about as obnoxiously Fundie as you can get.  Some very extreme Christian Fundamentalists (Christian Zionists) learn Hebrew too. 

Quote

-They let their kids wear normal swimsuits.  Girls wear one-pieces with shorts, which I feel is a fairly reasonable way to make their swimsuits more modest without hindering their ability to swim and play (unlike JRod).

Many extreme Fundamentalists are not as strict as JRod and the old Gothardite teachings about modesty. See all the (former) Vision Forum folk.

Seriously, girls wearing pants and "modest" adaptions of regular swimwear is nothing much in the big picture.  Also that modest swimwear that looks like Victorian ladies taking a dip from a bathing machine is far too expensive for most.

Quote

-Like previously discussed, Andrea encourages the kids to read a lot.  She takes them to the library every week for story time, where they also do a craft and get to hang out with some of their peers.  

So she doesn't isolate them and encourages them to read.  That makes her more social and less controlling than the Maxwells.  A very low bar.

I don't like Andrea and Tom at all from what I have seen.  

1 hour ago, formergothardite said:

From the comments it looks like she is a 9/11 denier, a Sandy Hook denier, a San Bernardino denier, a Ebola denier  and she claims her mom was told after 9/11 to report in newspapers that training drills are real events. They believe some pretty extreme things. 

I fully expect that she is a Holocaust denier too.  It goes with the territory.  And that would put her in the same category as Zsuzsanna Anderson.

 

[formergothardite]

43 minutes ago, Palimpsest said:

  And that would put her in the same category as Zsuzsanna Anderson.

I would too. She also says that medication for mental illness should only be temporary, like a crutch if you broke your leg. Herbs and Jesus will cure you in the long run. 

They use a fundie homeschool curriculum that is sexist, racist, and homophobic, they have patriarchal beliefs, they are conspiracy fanatics, they are quiverfull, and they pack kids into too small of a house, I don't see anything not fundie about them. 

[Palimpsest]

19 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

I would too. She also says that medication for mental illness should only be temporary, like a crutch if you broke your leg. Herbs and Jesus will cure you in the long run. 

I missed that one.

20 minutes ago, formergothardite said:

They use a fundie homeschool curriculum that is sexist, racist, and homophobic, they have patriarchal beliefs, they are conspiracy fanatics, they are quiverfull, and they pack kids into too small of a house, I don't see anything not fundie about them. 

I agree. Neither do I.

I'm sorry, but if it walks like a Fundie, quacks like a Fundie, and is just a teeny tiny bit less obnoxious than the most extreme of extreme Fundies discussed here - it does not make them not-Fundie.

 

[formergothardite]

I've been watching some of her live videos. 

I'm a bit aghast that she has her young children reading the live YouTube comments and one of the children have the job of deleting trolls and bad questions. People say nasty stuff in comments, I would not let my children read live comments and give them the job of deleting the ones that are not appropriate.

I also felt bad for the oldest son during one of her live videos because someone asked if he had a girlfriend. That was a question that she should not have answered because you could see him turning red and looking embarrassed. She kept saying he wanted one but wasn't around enough girls. 

[JeanieCat]

Well if nothing else, her videos are a real education for the rest of us! My heart just dropped to think she might be a holocaust denier! I guess I am more naive than I thought. You all have made me re-think Andrea and Tom. I wouldn't say I was a fan because there are so many things they do I don' t agree with. But I did enjoy a look in at a different lifestyles.

[Lurky]

If nothing else, piping the Bible into the house 24/7 is more extreme than Duggars/Bateses, even Maxwells - it's straight through Fundy and into Cult territory, even if the girls wear trousers.

Completely with the other posters about it making the Bible into white noise, and I can't imagine what it's like trying to focus in that house.  But to me it just turns it into aural wallpaper - nothing to do with respecting it as holy, when it becomes part of the furniture like background traffic noise in a city, or the sounds of crickets in long grass in the summer etc etc

[llucie]

7 minutes ago, Lurky said:

If nothing else, piping the Bible into the house 24/7 is more extreme than Duggars/Bateses, even Maxwells - it's straight through Fundy and into Cult territory, even if the girls wear trousers.

Completely with the other posters about it making the Bible into white noise, and I can't imagine what it's like trying to focus in that house.  But to me it just turns it into aural wallpaper - nothing to do with respecting it as holy, when it becomes part of the furniture like background traffic noise in a city, or the sounds of crickets in long grass in the summer etc etc

I feel the same. It feels like a brain-washing technique that you would heard when talking about actual cults.

If you compare them with the Rodrigues family, for example, that i think everyone agrees that are fundie, the Mills kids are a lot more isolated. The Rodrigues attend a regular church, with people that are no so radical as them and that are not members of their family. Andrea is obviously a much better mother than Jill, but that doesnt make her less fundie. The fact that she seems a organiced and loving mother makes us forget the rest. Something similar happened in the old times with Zsuzsana Anderson, before she become overwhelm with so many kids she used to be a good mother, and people used to feel simpaty and even defend her.

[formergothardite]

34 minutes ago, Lurky said:

If nothing else, piping the Bible into the house 24/7 is more extreme than Duggars/Bateses, even Maxwell

I don't know which is more extreme, or if they are both equally extreme, but the Duggars/Bates both have cameras mounted all through their houses so that they can constantly monitor their children, even the adult ones. Those kids have no privacy. 

Has she ever been asked if she worried about the Bible just becoming white noise that the children tune out? 

[Palimpsest]

3 hours ago, formergothardite said:

Has she ever been asked if she worried about the Bible just becoming white noise that the children tune out? 

Not that I know.  However she claims to have had epiphanies herself when nursing babies in the middle of the night because of listening to the Bible.

I listened to over an hour of one Q & A video (granted with with only one ear because I was multitasking) and I was struck by a detachment from her children.  Also that she often didn't answer the questions but just rambled off in a different direction.

Low points (paraphrasing):

Q.  What do you do when your teen boys get hormonal (I'm assuming that means talking back)?

A.  I tell them that whatever they are unhappy about is all on them.  It is their faults and I tell them to take a nap.  If it gets really bad I tell Tom and he has a man-to-man talk with them. (Excuse me, but what if your teenager has a legitimate complaint.)

Q.  What do you do when your children fight?

A. I tell them that it is rude to disagree more than once.  Long ramble about how people are rude to disagree with her videos.

Q.  What do your children want to do when they grow up?

A.  Well, Thomas wanted to be a farmer.  But he'll probably work with Tom.  Asher should be a gardener.  So-and-so would be a good carpenter.  The girls all want to be mothers ... (in other words, I haven't a clue and never asked.)

Q.  Do you go to the dentist or optician for the kids?

A.  No, I check their teeth and eyes myself.  Oatmeal, butter, and eggs cure cavities.  (Say what?)

Q.  Do you vaccinate?

A.  We used to but standard conspiracy theory yap.  (She's getting more radically non-conventional medicine.)

Also during this hour long monologue that she had time to prepare for one of the little girls tried to interact with her.  Andrea uses a sweet voice to appear completely uninterested and little girl gives up and goes away very quickly. IMO, Mom isn't the primary caregiver after the babies are out of diapers.

I suspect that Thomas does much of the cleaning, and that Asher and Thomas do most of the teaching and child care in that house.  Andrea is too busy with her hobbies and videos, and Tom is too busy trying to earn $6,000 a month.  Although he doesn't always manage to do that so they have to survive on half that amount.

It still reminds me of Emily of <$1000.  She was so busy blogging that she didn't even notice little Daniel go into a coma.

 

 

Edited May 29, 2018 by Palimpsest

[ViolaSebastian]

On 5/26/2018 at 3:45 PM, formergothardite said:

That really showed that she is just as hateful and offensive as some many of the other fundies we follow.

Her video claiming the Paris attack was a hoax with crisis actors.

The one claiming that a Planned Parenthood shooting was a hoax. She calls Obama the "Organizer in Chief" because she apparently thinks he organized fake shootings.

 

But, but, but...terrorist attacks and shootings have continued since Trump entered the White House. She seems silent on those, however...

[Tekas_76]

Hi! Does somebody else thought that it was creepy that Judah got a gas mask as a birthday present, as well as Asher? And he was saying "all I need is a gas mask". I wonder how the neighbors will feel seeing them walking around with those masks on... And no birthday party, no cake, nothing? Poor kid...

Why baby Hannah isn't too reactive to sounds and movement, is it normal in a baby?

When they say that they hope that every kid has 9 or 10 kids when grown up, I wonder, do they want to populate the world with Mills family members?

Sometimes I get admired by the quantity of candy and sugary drinks and stuff that they all intake. They don't have a very healthy lifestyle... so much butter and cheese, juices, cookies, candies, etc... just saying... 

Why Claudia is still wearing diapers with almost three years old... Ain't the kids supposed to do potty training after the first year, specially if the mother stays at home and doesn't have a job?!

Now I know why she remembers me my auntie (both her and my uncle are religious fundamentalists, I think I can say so), and her soft calming voice, that it's hypnotizing... almost makes you sleep. They are very look a like, my auntie had five kids, they were prohibited from using birth control by their church pastors. She wouldn't have an organised or very clean house, a little bit of hoarding everywhere also...

 

[Nikedagain?]

4 hours ago, Tekas_76 said:

Hi! Does somebody else thought that it was creepy that Judah got a gas mask as a birthday present, as well as Asher? And he was saying "all I need is a gas mask". I wonder how the neighbors will feel seeing them walking around with those masks on... And no birthday party, no cake, nothing? Poor kid...

Why baby Hannah isn't too reactive to sounds and movement, is it normal in a baby?

When they say that they hope that every kid has 9 or 10 kids when grown up, I wonder, do they want to populate the world with Mills family members?

Sometimes I get admired by the quantity of candy and sugary drinks and stuff that they all intake. They don't have a very healthy lifestyle... so much butter and cheese, juices, cookies, candies, etc... just saying... 

Why Claudia is still wearing diapers with almost three years old... Ain't the kids supposed to do potty training after the first year, specially if the mother stays at home and doesn't have a job?!

Now I know why she remembers me my auntie (both her and my uncle are religious fundamentalists, I think I can say so), and her soft calming voice, that it's hypnotizing... almost makes you sleep. They are very look a like, my auntie had five kids, they were prohibited from using birth control by their church pastors. She wouldn't have an organised or very clean house, a little bit of hoarding everywhere also...

 

Umm, what? 

On 5/29/2018 at 1:58 PM, Lurky said:

If nothing else, piping the Bible into the house 24/7 is more extreme than Duggars/Bateses, even Maxwells - it's straight through Fundy and into Cult territory, even if the girls wear trousers.

Completely with the other posters about it making the Bible into white noise, and I can't imagine what it's like trying to focus in that house.  But to me it just turns it into aural wallpaper - nothing to do with respecting it as holy, when it becomes part of the furniture like background traffic noise in a city, or the sounds of crickets in long grass in the summer etc etc

It's just so creepy I think. The Aunts don't even do this in the centers in Gilead, y'all....

[formergothardite]

13 hours ago, Tekas_76 said:

They don't have a very healthy lifestyle... so much butter and cheese, juices, cookies, candies, etc... just saying... 

And they don't go to the dentist!  

[smittykins]

The piping of the Bible through the house reminds me of the Lester Roloff homes, which(IIRC)did this to those confined to "isolation rooms". 

[fundiefollower]

21 hours ago, Tekas_76 said:

Hi! Does somebody else thought that it was creepy that Judah got a gas mask as a birthday present, as well as Asher? And he was saying "all I need is a gas mask". I wonder how the neighbors will feel seeing them walking around with those masks on... And no birthday party, no cake, nothing? Poor kid...

Why baby Hannah isn't too reactive to sounds and movement, is it normal in a baby?

When they say that they hope that every kid has 9 or 10 kids when grown up, I wonder, do they want to populate the world with Mills family members?

Sometimes I get admired by the quantity of candy and sugary drinks and stuff that they all intake. They don't have a very healthy lifestyle... so much butter and cheese, juices, cookies, candies, etc... just saying... 

Why Claudia is still wearing diapers with almost three years old... Ain't the kids supposed to do potty training after the first year, specially if the mother stays at home and doesn't have a job?!

Now I know why she remembers me my auntie (both her and my uncle are religious fundamentalists, I think I can say so), and her soft calming voice, that it's hypnotizing... almost makes you sleep. They are very look a like, my auntie had five kids, they were prohibited from using birth control by their church pastors. She wouldn't have an organised or very clean house, a little bit of hoarding everywhere also...

 

I don't know about the gas mask - maybe he thinks its cool from a video game.  I can't remember which boy but one got a "Lucielle" bat for his b-day - like the one in The Walking Dead, I think it may have been Asher or Judah. They stop doing a themed party and cake when the child turns 13.  The birthday kid still gets to choose where or what they have for dinner on their birthday and they still get gifts from parents/family.  I think this is a common thing, most families have an age where they stop b-day parties and stuff.  The age may vary from family to family but I think 13 seems ok to stop throwing the kind of over-the-top parties Andrea has for her little kids.  I don't see why they have to stop having a cake but like you said they eat PLENTY of sweets all the time so no big loss there. 

Hannah seems like a normal baby to me, roots when her cheek is touched, reacts to moms voice.  She is exposed to constant noise so that may reflect in her noise response vs a baby in a quieter home.

I don't think potty-training is an issue to be concerned about with Claudia.  When Andrea potty trained Sophia she talked about waiting until the child was really ready and then going at it aggressively.  Most kids are not fully trained until around age 3, that's considered developmentally normal, or at least it was when my 11 year old was going through that stage.  Yes, we all know some super-baby who was fully trained at 15 months or something but that is more of the exception vs the norm.  I don't think being a stay at home mom has anything to do when a child is developmentally ready to potty train.  Quick search shows babycenter says most parents start potty training between age 2-3 and only a small percentage are trained by 24 months. 

[JMarie]

On 5/29/2018 at 6:16 PM, Palimpsest said:

Q.  Do you go to the dentist or optician for the kids?

A.  No, I check their teeth and eyes myself.  Oatmeal, butter, and eggs cure cavities.  (Say what?)

But she's wearing glasses in her videos!  Does she get to go to an eye doctor, or did she make her glasses herself?