Duggars by the Dozen 46: Living with the Fallout

[SassyPants]

Is that Paul Ryan? I swear I worked with a lady who looked just like him. Put shoulder length curly hair on him and you’d have my former co-worker. I think it was the eyes and nose combo.

[Kiki03910]

On 10/20/2023 at 5:59 PM, SassyPants said:

Is that Paul Ryan? I swear I worked with a lady who looked just like him. Put shoulder length curly hair on him and you’d have my former co-worker. I think it was the eyes and nose combo.

It is indeed that smarmy shitbird. And oh my god, your poor coworker.

[EmiSue]

Okay, so Jason shows up at weddings with Claire Langdon for over a year, including her sister's wedding. Then he's a groomsman in Jackson Bates's wedding and no sign of Claire, yet she's at Big Sandy Family Camp hanging out with Michelle and the Spiveys while Jason's posting muscle-building pics. This is either a weird-ass courtship or a weird-ass break-up, even by fundie srandards.

[QuiverFullofBooks]

6 hours ago, EmiSue said:

Okay, so Jason shows up at weddings with Claire Langdon for over a year, including her sister's wedding. Then he's a groomsman in Jackson Bates's wedding and no sign of Claire, yet she's at Big Sandy Family Camp hanging out with Michelle and the Spiveys while Jason's posting muscle-building pics. This is either a weird-ass courtship or a weird-ass break-up, even by fundie srandards.

Maybe he just didn’t go to Big Sandy? He might be needed to cover at work for his brothers who have homeschool-age children. If the relationship has never been confirmed, maybe they’re just friends who hang out when they’re at the same weddings. But those workout photos do have a post-breakup vibe, don’t they?

[JDuggs]

Jason and Elijah participated in a Spartan Race in Granbury, TX yesterday so he’s in TX now.

[JermajestyDuggar]

20 minutes ago, JDuggs said:

Jason and Elijah participated in a Spartan Race in Granbury, TX yesterday so he’s in TX now.

Shirtless. I bet JB didn’t call him upset over this like he did when Jill wore pants. 

[Mama Mia]

14 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Shirtless. I bet JB didn’t call him upset over this like he did when Jill wore pants. 

I don’t know. I don’t get the feeling JB likes it when any of them step out of his perceived lines. I do wonder if the combination of Josh being in prison, the documentary,  and 2 of his daughters writing uncomplimentary books (1 much more so than the other, but still) might make him reign it in a little with the adult kids. Maybe more internal seething and ranting to Michelle. Not out of any self-awareness, but concerned on a practical level about push back. 

[Alisamer]

47 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

Shirtless. I bet JB didn’t call him upset over this like he did when Jill wore pants. 

Didn't Jim Bob have them running a 5K in jeans back in the TLC days?

Maybe JB should call up Steve Maxwell and start a "Pissed-off Patriarchal Patriarchs" support group?

[front hugs > duggs]

53 minutes ago, Mama Mia said:

I don’t know. I don’t get the feeling JB likes it when any of them step out of his perceived lines. I do wonder if the combination of Josh being in prison, the documentary,  and 2 of his daughters writing uncomplimentary books (1 much more so than the other, but still) might make him reign it in a little with the adult kids. Maybe more internal seething and ranting to Michelle. Not out of any self-awareness, but concerned on a practical level about push back. 

I feel like he wouldn’t have enough restraint to not speak his mind 

[FiveAcres]

7 minutes ago, front hugs > duggs said:

I feel like he wouldn’t have enough restraint to not speak his mind 

I agree. Anyone who feels he is entitled to make demands of a federal judge is pretty damned entitled.

"I am not gonna allow that! Are you going to allow that?"

[Father Son Holy Goat]

I think the kids have seen some of the older ones make their own rules and noticed that everything turned out okay. Jill wasn’t supposed to break away, write a book, or wear pants, but now she is living in a paid off house with her husband earning a good living. Jinger wasn’t supposed to want a life in the big city or limit her family size, but now she’s living in LA seemingly doing financially well, with a manageable family. John David wasn’t supposed to set his own courtship rules or allow his wife to work, but now he’s in a happy relationship and in at least a somewhat stable financial position (I assume).  Obviously there will be behind the scenes things we don’t know about but I think Jim Bob has lost control of the narrative. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

I do think JB has lost some of his control like Steve Maxwell and probably can’t call them and chew them out every single time they step out of line anymore. It just happens too often. 

[Giraffe]

I wouldn't be surprised if JB had become so obsessed with micromanaging Josh and his daughters that the other boys were left to themselves* once they reach adulthood or move out. 

*Perhaps I'm being naive but with so many children I don't see it happening the way it does with the daughters. If the "boys" are in close enough proximity to him that he can grab their arm and grill them he probably would or does but otherwise I assume he can't be bothered. 

[Father Son Holy Goat]

40 minutes ago, Giraffe said:

I wouldn't be surprised if JB had become so obsessed with micromanaging Josh and his daughters that the other boys were left to themselves* once they reach adulthood or move out. 

*Perhaps I'm being naive but with so many children I don't see it happening the way it does with the daughters. If the "boys" are in close enough proximity to him that he can grab their arm and grill them he probably would or does but otherwise I assume he can't be bothered. 

Josh, the eldest four daughters, Jackson and the youngest four were really the stars of the show. The rest got a bit lost therefore it’s less threatening to the brand and Jim Bob’s pride if they stray. 

[Coconut Flan]

There is probably more freedom especially for the lost boys now that the show is off the air, JB and Michelle are mostly off the talk circuit, and a lot has already been released about how not perfect it all was.  JB has much less of a "front" to protect and is older and more tired.  He's probably not quite as into trying to herd all those cats and many of the cats are actively evading him.  

[JermajestyDuggar]

It wouldn’t surprise me if he was only focusing on the youngest five still in the home. They are right in front of him everyday so he doesn’t have to put as much effort into controlling them. Which makes me feel really sorry for the 4 youngest girls. 

[Mama Mia]

6 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

It wouldn’t surprise me if he was only focusing on the youngest five still in the home. They are right in front of him everyday so he doesn’t have to put as much effort into controlling them. Which makes me feel really sorry for the 4 youngest girls. 

I feel bad for Jackson. He was always lumped with the younger girls, despite being an equal distance between Justin and Johanna.  He got included in that group for a very long time. At least until middle school age.  When the several years younger Tyler came along he was made his bestie. Tyler appears to be gone now.  He eventually seems to have gotten the Joy treatment and shoved in with the bros doing manly bro things.  

[Coconut Flan]

Tyler is now with his grandparents.  

[Pammy]

9 hours ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

It wouldn’t surprise me if he was only focusing on the youngest five still in the home. They are right in front of him everyday so he doesn’t have to put as much effort into controlling them. Which makes me feel really sorry for the 4 youngest girls. 

I feel that way about the younger girls too. JB has got to be asking himself what went wrong. I doubt he's going to imagine he was overly controlling... I think he's going to double-down on repressing every expression of individuality at the very youngest ages.

[JermajestyDuggar]

5 minutes ago, Pammy said:

I feel that way about the younger girls too. JB has got to be asking himself what went wrong. I doubt he's going to imagine he was overly controlling... I think he's going to double-down on repressing every expression of individuality at the very youngest ages.

My guess is that he will try to marry them off into families that are drowning in the fundie kool-aid. He messed up when he married Jill and Jinger into families that are way more lenient Christians than he is. Next time he will choose strict families for the girls.

[anjulibai]

1 hour ago, Coconut Flan said:

Tyler is now with his grandparents.  

Oh that's interesting. I thought JB and Michelle adopted him. 

Was their taking him in just for show? Poor kid. 

[SassyPants]

33 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

My guess is that he will try to marry them off into families that are drowning in the fundie kool-aid. He messed up when he married Jill and Jinger into families that are way more lenient Christians than he is. Next time he will choose strict families for the girls.

Frankly, I think the elder Dillards and Vuolos are both actually closer to espousing the tenets of Jesus vs the Duggars who had all these kooky rules and followed IBLP principles in addition to whatever JB was teaching with his bible, and from his couch perch. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

45 minutes ago, anjulibai said:

Oh that's interesting. I thought JB and Michelle adopted him. 

Was their taking him in just for show? Poor kid. 

I think he still had visitation with Michelle’s sister (his grandmother) and his grandfather all while living with the Duggars. He was not adopted but they were his legal guardians. I think his grandparents didn’t feel up to the task of raising him. I don’t remember if they had medical issues or what. But if they now feel they are able to raise him, I think it’s for the best. 

[marmalade]

4 minutes ago, JermajestyDuggar said:

I think he still had visitation with Michelle’s sister (his grandmother) and his grandfather all while living with the Duggars. He was not adopted but they were his legal guardians. I think his grandparents didn’t feel up to the task of raising him. I don’t remember if they had medical issues or what. But if they now feel they are able to raise him, I think it’s for the best. 

The grandmother had a stroke. That's why she gave up custody to begin with. 

[JermajestyDuggar]

1 minute ago, marmalade said:

The grandmother had a stroke. That's why she gave up custody to begin with. 

Ok thanks. I couldn’t remember. If she has gotten some mobility back and feels more comfortable helping to care for him, I can understand wanting him to go back to their home. Maybe they always assumed it would be temporary and he would eventually go back.