The Staddons: Doing Things a Little Bit Differently

[nelliebelle1197]

54 minutes ago, raspberrymint said:

If it's something collective between brothers, I wonder what the more precise "it" is.  Probably multiple circumstances.

I don’t know about an unknown “it” being a common factor with Robert and Daniel’s courtship issues. I am less familiar with the Neelys than with I am with Kendalyn’s family. Kendalyn never got to go to med school as she yearned to do. She settled for Robert after having her education dreams shattered by her family. I don’t think anyone would have been much more than a settle for her back then.

Edited August 31, 2019 by nelliebelle1197

[Markie]

I’ve always thought James would be a good match for a Maxwell girl. Sarah is interested in photography and Mary and Anna are both as creative as Maxwells are allowed to be. Both the Staddons and the Maxwells are truly boring so they have that in common, too. 

[Audrey2]

So it just hit me... Esther statins voice reminds me a lot of Bernadette's voice from The Big Bang Theory!

[adidas]

@SolomonFundy thanks for sharing your expertise! I too think that she is one of the happier brides I’ve seen in fundie land for a long time.

[JermajestyDuggar]

9 hours ago, NancyDrewFan1989 said:

The Staddon men seem to have a tough time finding a bride, even if they are stable. In Daniel and Kathryn's messed up crazy love story Kathryn admitted to calling off the courtship before her dad stepped in. Robert seemed to have problems with pursuing Kendalyn's heart. Donald Jr. may have encountered the same issues as Daniel and Robert. However, unlike his younger siblings it didn't work out.

Michael seemed to have the easiest time of it. But he didn’t even have an engagement ring when he proposed because he just did it on the fly while they were working in the barn together one day. Maybe the brothers need to be a little more impulsive like Michael.

[NancyDrewFan1989]

1 hour ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Michael seemed to have the easiest time of it. But he didn’t even have an engagement ring when he proposed because he just did it on the fly while they were working in the barn together one day. Maybe the brothers need to be a little more impulsive like Michael.

Michael's did seem the easiest to me. It may be due to him and his bride being much older than the average fundie couple

[Dandruff]

7 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Michael seemed to have the easiest time of it. But he didn’t even have an engagement ring when he proposed because he just did it on the fly while they were working in the barn together one day. Maybe the brothers need to be a little more impulsive like Michael.

Could this mean that he didn't spend weeks (or months) fasting and praying for guidance re. whether he should propose?

[Sops2]

Impulsive? Carried away with emotion ? Probably not.

He had arrived the evening before as a surprise for Elizabeth- all the family had been teasing her with bee words when they were playing Scrabble, then behold , he appeared at the door.

He stayed for a week, and they did "unique activities" including plucking and preparing chickens together.

Very romantic, yes?!

[JermajestyDuggar]

5 minutes ago, Sops2 said:

Impulsive? Carried away with emotion ? Probably not.

He had arrived the evening before as a surprise for Elizabeth- all the family had been teasing her with bee words when they were playing Scrabble, then behold , he appeared at the door.

He stayed for a week, and they did "unique activities" including plucking and preparing chickens together.

Very romantic, yes?!

Well he didn’t come prepared with an engagement ring. So they used a piece of string. Honestly I prefer it to the big, ridiculous, overly planned, and fake feeling proposals that we have seen from the Bateses and even the Duggars. 

[singsingsing]

26 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Well he didn’t come prepared with an engagement ring. So they used a piece of string. Honestly I prefer it to the big, ridiculous, overly planned, and fake feeling proposals that we have seen from the Bateses and even the Duggars. 

I'd a thousand times rather be proposed to sincerely with a piece of string than be subjected to the phony manufactured circuses the Duggars and Bateses put on.

[Sops2]

I think it's romantic, even though these two have no concept of romance

[JermajestyDuggar]

39 minutes ago, singsingsing said:

I'd a thousand times rather be proposed to sincerely with a piece of string than be subjected to the phony manufactured circuses the Duggars and Bateses put on.

My husband knew I would die from embarrassment if he had made some grand ridiculous gesture in front of a bunch of people. We were 100% alone when he proposed and that’s exactly how I wanted it. 

[usedbicycle]

On 8/30/2019 at 10:02 PM, NancyDrewFan1989 said:

The Staddon men seem to have a tough time finding a bride, even if they are stable. In Daniel and Kathryn's messed up crazy love story Kathryn admitted to calling off the courtship before her dad stepped in. Robert seemed to have problems with pursuing Kendalyn's heart. Donald Jr. may have encountered the same issues as Daniel and Robert. However, unlike his younger siblings it didn't work out.

It's interesting that the brothers who married first had stable jobs. Both Robert and Daniel were employed full-time by IBLP and Daniel had won $100,000 at the Bible bee. (As a side note, I'm not sure how well IBLP pays, but at least the men seem to make enough to support growing families, i.e. David Waller. I'm sure the women are paid in crumbs). 

The other brothers don't really have careers that would be reassuring to a girl's parents. For Michael, I assume that it's hard to pull a salary from running a small apiary, but Elizabeth is used to homesteading and simple living so I'm sure they'll be just fine. But I think his financial situation played into the kind of girl he married.

Donald, 40, doesn't have a job that we know of. James, 31, teaches photography but I have a hard time imaging that he earns a living wage from that. Same for Jonathan, 27, who does some real estate photography with his drone (and vlogs about Skittles). David, 23, doesn't have a job that we know of. 

I don't think the family is poor - they all live in a big house, drive their own cars, buy fancy camera gadgets. But I don't think the parents instilled that "saving for marriage" mentality that, say, the Maxwells drilled into their sons. 

 

 

[16strong]

6 hours ago, Sops2 said:

I think it's romantic, even though these two have no concept of romance

This couple seems to have their own ideas as to what constitutes romance, and I like it. It's refreshing to see a fundie couple that actually has things in common and hobbies they enjoy doing together. I think they *gasp* actually like each other and aren't marrying just because their parents have told them to. So what if they like working in barns and beekeeping? I think society places too much emphasis on the "right" way to date, instead of letting people do things the way that makes them truly happy.

[NancyDrewFan1989]

@usedbicycle I don't think they are poor. Pa Staddon was or is an electrical engineer, so he probably made a decent salary. For fundie families, they seem very well off. I looked back through some of the old blog posts (because curiosity got the best of me) written by Donald.  It looks like he is a professional missionary as he has gone to Korea and China. He hasn't been posting as much though, so I wonder if he has started a new job and just doesn't want to capitalize on it. Donald Jr. was/is the one who, primarily, filled up the history and politics section. 

[ifosterkittens]

1 hour ago, usedbicycle said:

The other brothers don't really have careers that would be reassuring to a girl's parents.

For a culture that emphasizes the husband is the bread winner, and the only one allowed to work outside the home (wife can do MLM like Plexus, but not much else) I am surprised they aren't proponents of the men finding a career or trade. It doesn't have to be a bachelor degree from an accredited college, because we know they don't guarantee a good income, plus they would have female professors, and be taught things that didn't necessarily align with their beliefs). I would think they would push all types of trade school programs (electrical, plumbing, mechanic, masonry, carpentry, etc). The men could gain a valuable employable skill that earns a reliable income. In time the man could open his own business, or open a business with like minded friends/family members. I would also think joining the military would be a great option as a career, but would not allow a person to be their own boss, and would have female superiors. 

[LurkerOverThePond]

The Staddon compound is located in rural West Virginia, which, I suppose (I'm not American), is quite affordable. I really like the looks of their cozy log house with a huge fireplace. They probably have some land where the newlyweds can build their own home.

As for proposing with "a string ring"... like many others here, I'd prefer it thousand times to a Bates style proposal. It seems genuine, a spur of a moment thought that this is the woman I love and want to spend the rest of my life with and can't wait to propose to her so here it goes! (I'm not saying the Bates couples don't feel like that, too)

[Quiver Full of Kittens]

14 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

My husband knew I would die from embarrassment if he had made some grand ridiculous gesture in front of a bunch of people. We were 100% alone when he proposed and that’s exactly how I wanted it. 

So did my husband. He planned the whole thing so that we could be alone when he proposed. He wanted a very specific spot that we’d enjoyed together.  We were for the first few minutes, but he hadn’t asked yet... then a security guard told us to leave. Mr. Kittens flailed for a minute, we went for a walk, and then once the guard was gone, we doubled back mostly where he wanted to propose. Then he proposed very quickly so we wouldn’t get caught again and went on our way! 

[nelliebelle1197]

15 hours ago, Sops2 said:

I think it's romantic, even though these two have no concept of romance

I am not sure Mi-el are bereft of romance just because their lives aren’t a Hallmark movie. They actually appear to be some of the cutest and most romantic fundies out there. So pray tell, what are their failures in that area?

6 hours ago, HA88 said:

For a culture that emphasizes the husband is the bread winner, and the only one allowed to work outside the home (wife can do MLM like Plexus, but not much else) ...

This is actually not true. Fundie wives can do any home based business, not just MLMs. Zsucifer did medical translations and now “writes” books, for example. Debi Pearl and Teri Maxwell have always written. There have affiliate links and monetized blogs and now YouTube channels.

MLMs are just trendy now but there have been and are homebased businesses for plenty of fundie moms.

Edited September 1, 2019 by nelliebelle1197

[Teaistheway]

10 hours ago, usedbicycle said:

I don't think the family is poor - they all live in a big house, drive their own cars, buy fancy camera gadgets. But I don't think the parents instilled that "saving for marriage" mentality that, say, the Maxwells drilled into their sons. 

 

Ann this may be why there hasn't been a male Staddon/female Maxwell match, despite seeming well suited in other ways, I can't see Steve approving of his girls marrying a man who doesn't own a home mortgage free.

Edited September 1, 2019 by Teaistheway
pressed submit too soon

[JermajestyDuggar]

39 minutes ago, Teaistheway said:

Ann this may be why there hasn't been a male Staddon/female Maxwell match, despite seeming well suited in other ways, I can't see Steve approving of his girls marrying a man who doesn't own a home mortgage free.

I wonder about the recent house they bought as an “office.” I suspect some of the guys stay there. It looks like there’s enough room. I wonder if they bought it with cash or have a mortgage.

[ifosterkittens]

4 hours ago, nelliebelle1197 said:

MLMs are just trendy now but there have been and are homebased businesses for plenty of fundie moms.

You're right I overlooked many businesses that can be run from home. I was solely thinking of Jill Rodrigues and her selling Plexus. Also I wish we could do away with MLMs if I want to buy makeup, leggings, essential oils or a health supplement I would prefer to do so online or in a store. 

[raspberrymint]

Well, I remembered one reason the fundie lifestyle was unsustainable for me, even the lite version.  I have to be the breadwinner for a relationship to work, it seems.  I have to be the more boring one, I guess, the one with less left up to chance.  Guys more stable in this way thought I was nuts and left me.  I was also forced to leave a relationship where the person I was with couldn't provide, with the assumption that I one day couldn't either nor could I care for him because ???? no real reason given.  

[Sops2]

Yes ,I do think it is romantic, what I meant is that these two have seen quite a narrow spectrum of romantic behaviour in their rather sheltered upbringing.

The Staddon brothers got their house when  their father released some of his pension at an opportune time  ( they were given first refusal on a house belonging to a recently deceased friend of their grandfather) They have said that it's for them to live in too.So far in the blog videos, we have only seen the downstairs which is definitely a workspace full of camera and technical equipment

[nelliebelle1197]

11 hours ago, HA88 said:

You're right I overlooked many businesses that can be run from home. I was solely thinking of Jill Rodrigues and her selling Plexus. Also I wish we could do away with MLMs if I want to buy makeup, leggings, essential oils or a health supplement I would prefer to do so online or in a store. 

No worries! I sounded a little bitchy up there! Sorry