Jessa and Ben 49: Five and Counting

[GreenBeans]

2 hours ago, Cam said:

I don’t own a pair of sweatpants, and I never lay around the house in my pajamas all day. By mid morning I’m showered, dressed and have my hair curled. This was my routine even during the pandemic.

It’s really good to have a routine like that in place! I know that as long as I don’t go out, I tend to hang out in my pjs all day, so leaving the house at least once means at some point during the day I actually get showered and dressed. 😁

5 hours ago, Italiangirl said:

She is a mother of five now the novelty has come off, the show is ended and there is nothing new on the horizon, it has to be kinda boring right now

I guess people are different and some people really do enjoy being around their kids all day. I can say that even though I love my son dearly, I would go crazy if all I did all day every day was taking care of and playing with him. And he’s only 3 years old and an only child.

I can’t imagine being at home with 5 kids of how-many-years-and-under all day every day. There must be so much constant noise… With 5 kids, there’s no way they all play quietly and independently at the same time. I bet there’s always at least one kid crying, needing attention, needing a drink, fighting with a sibling… and let’s face it, little kids are adorable, but they can be so annoying too, and not having an adult conversation for days or weeks while being stuck in a neverending spiral of cooking and chores and laundry can absolutely wear you down.

[dawn9476]

Podcast with Jessa and Ben. I think this is the link to an YT alternative so that other couple doesn't get the clicks.

https://yewtu.be/watch?v=r63hG8xWYdY

Edited May 5 by dawn9476

[Travlr98]

19 hours ago, GreenBeans said:

I’m actually not super active or high energy. I love staying in, reading and not having to socialize and talk to people. But I still feel like I need to get out the house at least once per day. Living in a big city it’s not much of an effort either. Going to the supermarket or the bakery is like a 5 minute walk.

I’ve been sick for months between November last year and March this year. It started off as a cold that wouldn’t go away, the cough turned into bronchitis, it kept getting worse until I could hardly walk for 5 minutes and spiked a pretty bad fever for a week and ended up in hospital with pneumonia and broken ribs from all the coughing. 

I’m in my early 40s and have never really been sick apart from a cold, so this was a humbling experience. I am almost back to normal now thankfully, but these months really made me appreciate being able to do all the “normal” things. Just being able to go for a walk without having to worry whether I’ll be out of breath, having enough energy for full work days, being able to plan outings again without the thought of “not sure if I’ll be well enough to go” at the back of my mind, it feels so good!

So I guess that’s one reason why I try to get out the house every day - because it simply feels good that I CAN!

Glad you are feeling better. I have had breathing problems since December.  I had a mild heart attack at the end of January. I'm recovered from the heart attack, but im still having breathing problems. I have to get a pacemaker. I'm hoping that helps my breathing.  

[Meggo]

On 5/5/2024 at 9:44 AM, GreenBeans said:

It’s really good to have a routine like that in place! I know that as long as I don’t go out, I tend to hang out in my pjs all day, so leaving the house at least once means at some point during the day I actually get showered and dressed. 😁

I guess people are different and some people really do enjoy being around their kids all day. I can say that even though I love my son dearly, I would go crazy if all I did all day every day was taking care of and playing with him. And he’s only 3 years old and an only child.

I can’t imagine being at home with 5 kids of how-many-years-and-under all day every day. There must be so much constant noise… With 5 kids, there’s no way they all play quietly and independently at the same time. I bet there’s always at least one kid crying, needing attention, needing a drink, fighting with a sibling… and let’s face it, little kids are adorable, but they can be so annoying too, and not having an adult conversation for days or weeks while being stuck in a neverending spiral of cooking and chores and laundry can absolutely wear you down.

100% this. Just getting to have an adult conversation has to be a novelty to her- even if it's just a to a clerk at a store. I only have one small person but when he was little - I tried to leave the house every day just so I wouldn't feel trapped in the whole laundry, food prep, cleaning up after rut. 
But we had a park at the end of our street. And we did go bundle up and find all the other parks in the area (even if we had to drive to them). And sometimes play was "here is a giant box of beans and a small cup" (that killed a LOT of time, honestly. Sandbox, but with beans). It's exhausting though. I forget out old unfortunately-named-Spurge is but that's a LOT of kids under his age. And five kids manage to go in 12 directions. I'm exhausted just thinking about it. 

 

[Cam]

Could be Jessa’s fallen victim to the fundie cult conditioning of young wives and mothers: First, they’re married off young while their hormones are raging. They start getting pregnant and giving birth within a year or two. The young women bask in the glow of the attention this brings, so they pump out more kids. The wives’ youthful energies are poured into being joyfully available, pregnancy, taking care of newborns, taking care of the house. Then a few years in, it’s time to add the responsibility of homeschooling the kids. No sending them out into the world! No break from motherhood! No time to connect with others, not even your own siblings whose lives mirror your own! This is what you signed up for! No, wait, this is what your religion insisted is your role in life. I mean, the Duggars can claim all they want that they’re no longer part of the IBLP, but who they kidding? 

Edited May 7 by Cam

[SassyPants]

On 5/7/2024 at 5:12 AM, Cam said:

Could be Jessa’s fallen victim to the fundie cult conditioning of young wives and mothers: First, they’re married off young while their hormones are raging. They start getting pregnant and giving birth within a year or two. The young women bask in the glow of the attention this brings, so they pump out more kids. The wives’ youthful energies are poured into being joyfully available, pregnancy, taking care of newborns, taking care of the house. Then a few years in, it’s time to add the responsibility of homeschooling the kids. No sending them out into the world! No break from motherhood! No time to connect with others, not even your own siblings whose lives mirror your own! This is what you signed up for! No, wait, this is what your religion insisted is your role in life. I mean, the Duggars can claim all they want that they’re no longer part of the IBLP, but who they kidding? 

And it’s awful how that lifestyle ages women. Michelle Duggar looks healthier and more vital now than she did 20 years ago!