worried about Josie

[jebandpunky]

With the new baby coming I know lot of people are worried that it may be born with problems or not even born alive.But my worry is for Josie who already has special needs.You can tell she has already been turned over to a buddy for care.But when the new baby arrives if it has it's own special needs and Josie slips into a seizer when no one is looking my hope she wouldn't become the victim in all of this because the Duggars attention has been turned in another direction.They already seem to be pushing her aside.I have big worries that Michelle won't make it or the new baby but I think my biggest one is what is gonna happen to Josie when no one is looking. Is anyone else mind wondering about Josie?

[browncoatslytherin]

i've been worried about josie from the get-go, but i am definitely more worried now with the new baby coming. after all, it was a recent episode where she had wandered near a door and somebody opened it and knocked her over and it took a little bit for anyone to go and comfort her [though she shouldn't have been allowed to wander near the door regardless].

[Aurora]

I completely agree, she needs a lot of care and attention and now I really doubt she will get it.

I am also sad for the other young children, who may not be "special needs" but who also deserve some love and attention, and won't get it either. But Josie's situation could become dire.

[lilwriter85]

I worry a lot for Josie too. The recent trips have shown that Boob and Mullet are ignored some of her needs. Josie is pretty much under buddy care now and the J'Slaves might not be catching onto certain things about her.

In another thread, several posters made comments about Jennifer and Jordyn not talking. I kind of wonder about those two.

[annalena]

I feel sorry for Jordyn. She seems to get no attention at all and Jennifer seems closer to Johannah.

Both Jennifer and Jordyn do not seem to be developed up to their age. I actually googled the birthdays today, and was shocked to learn Jennifer is four and a half, Jordyn almost 3.

Doesn't seem like it.

Josie is turning 2 in 5 days! Even with her adapted age, she seems way behind.

[uber frau]

I think she's lost to the buddy system already. She's probably been palmed off to her sister-mother for at least the past 6 months, well before construction began on J-20.

I think that for all the talk of the 'lost boys', the last 3 girls form another group of 'lost' children. Jordyn and Jennifer pretty much got dumped because they were were displaced by Josie (not that there's much attention to lose the time when you're unfortunate enough to be arrows number 17&18)and while Josie got more attention than any of the others (other than Joshie, maybe), she still hasn't gotten anything like what she needed given how a poor start she had.

[terranova]

One thing I've gotten from watching that show is that ALL the kids need more attention. Their parents claim to have one on one time with their kids, but no way you could spent 18 hours every day one on one. So freaking sad.

[MamaJunebug]

One thing I've gotten from watching that show is that ALL the kids need more attention. Their parents claim to have one on one time with their kids, but no way you could spent 18 hours every day one on one. So freaking sad.

I watched a few seconds of the Duggars answering Qs, and in response to the predictable, "how do you LiVE without a tv in the house?" J-slob talks about how there's always something going on, and you see b-roll of 2 or 3 little boys stomping on bubble wrap, as well as other things.

Which leads me to believe, these kids are basically growing up in a daycare situation pretty much like my Junior Junebugs did, before and after school, since I was a WOHM. And the Juniors - praise God - have turned out okay. I mean, the Duggarlings don't even have to be rousted from their warm beds in the dark to be dressed and schlepped to Miss Mary's or KinderCare. And the house they live in is mom and dad's, and there's always a mom sister there to comfort them or provide for them or advocate for them.

I'm not saying I endorse the Duggar way of life. Far from it! But since Michellut and Jim-snob scored that huge house and all its accoutrements, it looks to me like the younger kids (now aged 10 and under) are having about the same amount of familiarl (not parental) attention as a lot of kids whose parents don't have a sweet gig wtih TLC, and who have to leave the kids with non-related caregivers and get at most 3 or 4 hours of time together in the evenings before bedtime.

Not a fan of them in the least, just seeing the upsides - such as they are - for the younger ones.

[Lily]

I've been paying closer attention to Jordyn and Jennie lately, and it's just heartbreaking. I have (normal, not exceptionally advanced but not behind either) kids right around the ages of the younger kids and it's all the more obvious how unusual this pack of younger girls are.

Jordyn is right about at the developmental level of my twins, who will be TWO next week. And they were mildly premature and a bit delayed themselves, so she's probably closer to the level of maybe a 19-20 month old. Jordyn was full term and as far as we know, no problems and she's almost THREE. She even lacks the rudimentary problem solving skills of my twins and other 2YO's. Her process seems to be: 1 - Identify problem; 2 - Scream incomprehensibly until J'slave solves it. She doesn't seem to be on the spectrum, just really, really delayed.

Jennie is the same way. LOTS of kids I live around are the same age and she's noticeably lagging behind even lots of the 3YOs. She finally is starting to look more like a 4 year old, but it's painful when they try to put her in interviews. She's so clearly behind linguistically and socially.

Poor babies.

[Lily]

I watched a few seconds of the Duggars answering Qs, and in response to the predictable, "how do you LiVE without a tv in the house?" J-slob talks about how there's always something going on, and you see b-roll of 2 or 3 little boys stomping on bubble wrap, as well as other things.

Which leads me to believe, these kids are basically growing up in a daycare situation pretty much like my Junior Junebugs did, before and after school, since I was a WOHM. And the Juniors - praise God - have turned out okay. I mean, the Duggarlings don't even have to be rousted from their warm beds in the dark to be dressed and schlepped to Miss Mary's or KinderCare. And the house they live in is mom and dad's, and there's always a mom sister there to comfort them or provide for them or advocate for them.

I'm not saying I endorse the Duggar way of life. Far from it! But since Michellut and Jim-snob scored that huge house and all its accoutrements, it looks to me like the younger kids (now aged 10 and under) are having about the same amount of familiarl (not parental) attention as a lot of kids whose parents don't have a sweet gig wtih TLC, and who have to leave the kids with non-related caregivers and get at most 3 or 4 hours of time together in the evenings before bedtime.

Not a fan of them in the least, just seeing the upsides - such as they are - for the younger ones.

Daycare would be loads better. And I'm not a fan of daycare or even schools to begin with, I'm a radical unschooler for goodness' sake! Home daycare workers have smaller numbers than in the Duggar house and usually either have their own children, have grown children, or have some experience with childcare or teaching. Commercial daycares have qualified workers who can identify problems and work with the children on them, or *gasp* recommend services. The J'Slaves serve no other purpose than to parrot the party line, reinforce the system of the parents, and do the bare minimum of care to keep them alive and looking properly hairsprayed for the camera.

[uber frau]

Daycare would be loads better. And I'm not a fan of daycare or even schools to begin with, I'm a radical unschooler for goodness' sake! Home daycare workers have smaller numbers than in the Duggar house and usually either have their own children, have grown children, or have some experience with childcare or teaching. Commercial daycares have qualified workers who can identify problems and work with the children on them, or *gasp* recommend services. The J'Slaves serve no other purpose than to parrot the party line, reinforce the system of the parents, and do the bare minimum of care to keep them alive and looking properly hairsprayed for the camera.

So I'm not an unschooler, but this. For all of the rants about the evils of childcare, I don't see how relying on untrained, unpaid teenagers who don't get days off and who often really don't want to be there can be better.

And most working parents make a heck of a lot more of an effort to spend quality time with their kids outside of working hours.

[tkr322]

This is off topic and probably mean but I really hope this next baby is fine because I do not want to watch 239048230432 episodes about the new baby being in the hospital. Those episodes of Josie in the NICU were sooooo boring.

[turquoise]

For all of the rants about the evils of childcare, I don't see how relying on untrained, unpaid teenagers who don't get days off and who often really don't want to be there can be better.

And most working parents make a heck of a lot more of an effort to spend quality time with their kids outside of working hours.

Yes, this. Plus, the untrained, unpaid teenagers should not be required to give up so much of their lives to care for their younger siblings. They should be able to develop their own interests and hang out with their friends, and make their own plans for the future.

[lilwriter85]

Yes, this. Plus, the untrained, unpaid teenagers should not be required to give up so much of their lives to care for their younger siblings. They should be able to develop their own interests and hang out with their friends, and make their own plans for the future.

I have to agree the J'Slaves in many ways aren't well qualified child care providers. They aren't able to detect certain problems that the younger kids may have. In daycare and preschool settings, some of the employees have the education and training to notice certain things as another poster mentioned. The J'Slaves have no advanced training or education and they really don't notice certain things.

I feel sorry for the J'Slaves because they do way too much and really have no lives of their own. The only friends they have are usually the kids of other QF families.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

The 4 oldest girls are BETTER qualified than any child care center employee I ever paid for! Honestly, like with education, I wonder what Disneyland of child care you're imagining. Something out of the reach of most working parents no doubt. And let's not even talk about schoolaged summer "daycamp" care.... aka "the holding pen."

I HOPE Josie's care is mostly from Jana and Jill and not Joy. They at least have some sense from years of experience and have had the fire dept's dire emergency training. Jennifer has been ignored since birth and so have most of the others--my comments on how backward Jackson and Johanna are for their age prove that. Jennifer doesn't seem to be "in this world" most of the time.

The new baby? Sadly, I'll have to wait and see. There's a lot of that pregnancy yet to go and while I AM very truly praying for mother and baby's safety a lot could happen yet.

Michelle was scared wit-less by Josie and so took over her care too avoid "liability" so-to-speak. I'd LOVE to have heard what that doctor in Israel said to them when the cameras were OFF. Amazing how Mommy had to have a back-up caregiver stay with her. Amazing. And the doctor flew home with them--that was very, very telling of their stupidity in dragging her along.

[Witsec4]

I've been paying closer attention to Jordyn and Jennie lately, and it's just heartbreaking. I have (normal, not exceptionally advanced but not behind either) kids right around the ages of the younger kids and it's all the more obvious how unusual this pack of younger girls are.

Jordyn is right about at the developmental level of my twins, who will be TWO next week. And they were mildly premature and a bit delayed themselves, so she's probably closer to the level of maybe a 19-20 month old. Jordyn was full term and as far as we know, no problems and she's almost THREE. She even lacks the rudimentary problem solving skills of my twins and other 2YO's. Her process seems to be: 1 - Identify problem; 2 - Scream incomprehensibly until J'slave solves it. She doesn't seem to be on the spectrum, just really, really delayed.

Jennie is the same way. LOTS of kids I live around are the same age and she's noticeably lagging behind even lots of the 3YOs. She finally is starting to look more like a 4 year old, but it's painful when they try to put her in interviews. She's so clearly behind linguistically and socially.

Poor babies.

THIS! Jordyn's 3rd birthday is at some point this month. My daughter will turn 3 in April. I have two older boys, and my daughter had learned a lot by imitating them. This morning, she picked out what she wanted to wear, got herself dressed, and poured her own milk. Now she's pretending to make ice cream out of Play-Doh.

My younger son is also 4.5, like Jennifer. This morning, he got himself dressed for school (horrors!), brushed his teeth, and got his backpack and snack box ready by himself. My kids are by no means child prodigies, but you never see any kind of self-care skills coming from Jennifer or Jordyn. Ever scarier, from a developmental standpoint, is the fact that you never see them imitate the older people in the house, or engage in any pretend plan, other then pushing a baby doll around in a stroller.

[MarsGirl]

Has anyone noticed that Josie seems a little bit strange? When they get her to blow kisses to people, she becomes kind of manic and it turns into hitting herself in the head...? I'm no child expert by any means (dont have any of my own) but some of her behaviors seem like... I dont know... I was wondering if she's mildly retarded or something (sorry, I dont know the politically correct term for that these days).

[annalena]

Oh, we all agree she's not at the level she should be at her (adapted) age. She's turning 2 very soon.

[MarsGirl]

Oh, we all agree she's not at the level she should be at her (adapted) age. She's turning 2 very soon.

Oh, wow. I guess I kind of forgot that. She still acts like an infant in my mind. Or close to it. A very small toddler.

[MamaJunebug]

Oh, wow. I guess I kind of forgot that. She still acts like an infant in my mind. Or close to it. A very small toddler.

I just sent my 23-m-o grandnephew home to mom/dad and I have to say, from what I've seen of Josie on Youtube, you're right. There's no comparison between her skills and abilities and ToddlerJunebug.

It is what it is, but it's still sadz. She should undoubtedly be getting a lot more stimulation and support than just being left in a booster chair and/or tossed about in a bounce house with older sibligns.

[fakepigtails73]

I watched the ep. in Israel and Josie looked (and acted) like a 10 month-old, not an (almost) 2 yr-old toddler! She says "buh bye" repeatedly while blowing kisses and hitting her face. Very cute and charming but it's severly underraged behaviour.

I worry for the 3 youngest girls. Jennifer seems so withdrawn and is lost without her mother (her mom being Jill-witness her bawling while Jill stayed behind in Israel), Jordyn seems so easy-going but lacks words to express herself so is shuffling along, and Josie is not out of the woods yet.

I wonder what is gonna happen with Michelle and #20. I really hope that evens out everything and that it's their last baby.

[AnnoDomini]

Has anyone noticed that Josie seems a little bit strange? When they get her to blow kisses to people, she becomes kind of manic and it turns into hitting herself in the head...? I'm no child expert by any means (dont have any of my own) but some of her behaviors seem like... I dont know... I was wondering if she's mildly retarded or something (sorry, I dont know the politically correct term for that these days).

This is just the opinion of one person, but my sister is severely developmentally delayed (retarded) and that word doesn't offend me if it's used not in a negative way, which yours wasn't.

[graciebeth]

I refuse to believe that josie is perfectly healthy. After reading the blogs of families with micro-preemies like josie, and hearing about all of the feeding issues, therapies and setbacks their children are dealing with, it's highly unlikely to me that josie made it out unscathed and is perfectly healthy like Boob and Mullet would like us to believe.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

She should undoubtedly be getting a lot more stimulation and support than just being left in a booster chair and/or tossed about in a bounce house with older sibligns.

Sadly from at LEAST Jackson on down that's the truth. They need to TALK to people one-on-one and not about piece of their heart. They need to be challenged in appropriate ways and given time to THINK in peace and quiet and to sleep in a bed of their own and eat real food.

Josie especially should not be cooped up on that bus or in a plaine--my goodness the possibilities of what illnesses she could get on a plane are mind-boggling! But gotta get those $$$$$.

As much as people snark, I think they'd have faced MUCH less criticism if Aunt Deanna and the nurse friend had stayed with Josie and a few of the other "littles" had been shipped to the Bates while those old enough to understand went on the big trip. But heck there's so darned much difference between moving an army of, say 17, plus handlers than there is of an army of whatever-number-they-took!

[crazyforkate]

Oh, we all agree she's not at the level she should be at her (adapted) age. She's turning 2 very soon.

She's almost 2?! From the #20 episode, I would have thought she was one, if that. Now, her delays could be due to her birth- but Jennifer and Jordyn do not have such a background. Poor kids. Those parents are completely irresponsible.