worried about Josie

[annalena]

December 10! 4 days!

[lizzy]

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.

I don't know about that. Jill seems to be her primary caregiver, and she is a better mom that Michelle ever was.

[Guest Anonymous]

What I wouldn't give to have Jordyn and Jennifer as my children. I can't have children but love all kids. When I watch the show it always seems like Jordyn and Jenny are neglected and wandering around with no purpose or anyone to cuddle with and hold them and smother them with kisses. Its very sad.

[VeraAnne]

Josie is very likely to have problems. My micropreemie needed very intense ST to start using language correctly, and is still very behind in some areas at 6 years old. He's incredibly smart, but he still struggles with sensory issues relating to his prematurity. I really, really hope that Josie is getting therapy now.

[MarsGirl]

What I wouldn't give to have Jordyn and Jennifer as my children. I can't have children but love all kids. When I watch the show it always seems like Jordyn and Jenny are neglected and wandering around with no purpose or anyone to cuddle with and hold them and smother them with kisses. Its very sad.

I personally dont even want to have kids. But there's something about Josie that warms my heart. I wish I could just take her and raise her. And, again, I dont want kids!!

[annalena]

I'm about 99,999999% positive Josie is NOT getting therapy.

[MarsGirl]

Of course not. She has everything she needs. God will provide. :?

[MaroonMandy]

Funny, I grew up believing that God provided doctors (and in this case therapists) with the knowledge to get through all of the training required to help those in need.

[bananacat]

Of course I am worried about Josie, but after that the one I am most worried about is Jennifer. She is just so sensitive. That kind of neglectful family is not right for her. She just seems scared of everything and so shy. I don't know if that's a symptom of some kind of developmental disorder, but even she's "normal", she needs a lot more attention than her siblings.

[marmalade]

Funny, I grew up believing that God provided doctors (and in this case therapists) with the knowledge to get through all of the training required to help those in need.

The Duggars milked this one for all it was worth when Josie was in the NICU. I guess upon release, to them, that means she's cured.

Regarding the sensory issues, I still cringe when I think of Boob blowing that horn like it was New Year's when they brought Josie home the first time. No wonder she totally stressed out, what with that and the total change of environment, and had to go back to the hospital for what, an additional four weeks or thereabouts?

[annalena]

I would so adopt everyone down from Hannie, although it would mean I would have to adapt from zero kids to 4 kids. We don't have too much space here, but I guess they're used to that.

I would make sure to spend quality time with all of them and for now, I'd take them to the christmas market for waffles, bratwurst and childrens punch. Also, when it snows more, we can sleigh down the hills and go cut a christmas tree. Then I would enroll them in daycare /preschool/kindergarten so they can catch up and meet some other kids. Also I would buy them some cute little jeans and watch some defrauding disney movies with them. Of course they would have to go to therapy to deal with their fundy family, but the earlier the better;).

[Mama Mia]

When looking at Jennifer .. she might just be shy and sensitive .. some kids are, and they don't like to talk around tons of people or on cue and are super sensitive to the little things around them, there really isn't anything wrong with that. Some people are introverts .. it isn't a flaw or a disability, it's a personality type. My granddaughter who is 2 1/2 is very similar - around some people she'll talk a mile a minute and she is very, very sweet - but gets scared easily, doesn't like to talk to people outside her close family and is very, very sensitive - if you didn't know her you would think she had a limited vocabulary for her age. A couple of my kids had the same sorts of personalities .. and I was the same way as a kid ( which is probably why I'm seeing this as a possibility )

In some ways it would be a little easier if you were a very shy child with ready made playmates in the form of millions of siblings, but having the cameras around might be really stressful to her.

[annalena]

Didn't you know being introverted was classified as a disorder lately? I'm not kidding.

Obviously, it's not a disorder. I think she's shy, but also definitely delayed in her speech development. I can't really imagine it's stressful for her to be in front of the camera. She's too young to fully understand what's going on and she's know no else since she was born.

[bananacat]

When looking at Jennifer .. she might just be shy and sensitive .. some kids are, and they don't like to talk around tons of people or on cue and are super sensitive to the little things around them, there really isn't anything wrong with that. Some people are introverts .. it isn't a flaw or a disability, it's a personality type. My granddaughter who is 2 1/2 is very similar - around some people she'll talk a mile a minute and she is very, very sweet - but gets scared easily, doesn't like to talk to people outside her close family and is very, very sensitive - if you didn't know her you would think she had a limited vocabulary for her age. A couple of my kids had the same sorts of personalities .. and I was the same way as a kid ( which is probably why I'm seeing this as a possibility )

In some ways it would be a little easier if you were a very shy child with ready made playmates in the form of millions of siblings, but having the cameras around might be really stressful to her.

I never said there's anything "wrong" with Jennifer. She's probably within the normal range, but she's still really sensitive, and that family is a terrible place for her because she needs her parents around to comfort and encourage her. Jeez, get over yourself. You don't have to have a disability to not fit in with that family. It's gonna be just that much harder for her to cope with things without consistent attention from her parents.

[Mama Mia]

Oh excuse me bananacat, I wasn't aware that you were the authority in what is right for a child. Please excuse my ignorance.

[theologygeek]

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.

A couple of times I read a blog about a child who died. Madeline Spore or something like that. Josie reminds me of the child in the blog. I don't think that Josie is healthy either. She looks sickly like the child in the blog did.

[Mommy22alyns]

I agree too. We've already seen how Jordyn got shoved aside in favor of Josie; now poor Josie is going to get the shaft for J20. :(

[dirtyhippiegirl]

I work as a nurse in the home setting with pediatric ventilator patients. Most of my kiddos were born with similar circumstances as Josie -- only Josie didn't have to go home on a ventilator, which is something positive that she has going for her. Honestly, she seems (at least on camera) to be about where my other micropreemie kiddos at her age are. She's still young enough that you could still feasibly see some pretty fast catching-up. (Three to four years being that magical age?)

[nutella addict]

I would add that from what I've seen on the show and what I've seen in my 3, 4, and 5yo classes at work, Jordyn and Jennifer are both behind even my youngest acting children their ages. I have some 3yos who JUST turned 3 and while they aren't quite up to following directions, they seem to engage others more often at least and even the shyest, quietest ones seem more linguistically developed. But some kids are also late to speak without a specific disorder or disability (this is what I study, I'm not making this stuff up), and often at least IME a lot of kids who speak later or less articulately earlier on do catch up around kindergarten/1st grade and not all actually go to ST for that, but social interaction in school plays a role in that and I don't think SOTDRT qualifies...

[elliesmash]

A couple of times I read a blog about a child who died. Madeline Spore or something like that. Josie reminds me of the child in the blog. I don't think that Josie is healthy either. She looks sickly like the child in the blog did.

Maddie Sphor. :c Poor baby. I agree, Josie has the kind similar facial structure, and she's so pale and drawn-looking like Maddie was. I think she was in and out of the hospital a lot too, like Josie is. I hope Josie is lucky and she'll do alright with the casual neglect she's subjected to, but I worry.

[theologygeek]

Maddie Sphor. :c Poor baby. I agree, Josie has the kind similar facial structure, and she's so pale and drawn-looking like Maddie was. I think she was in and out of the hospital a lot too, like Josie is. I hope Josie is lucky and she'll do alright with the casual neglect she's subjected to, but I worry.

Yes, that's the one I was talking about!

[Terrie]

Maddie Sphor. :c Poor baby. I agree, Josie has the kind similar facial structure, and she's so pale and drawn-looking like Maddie was. I think she was in and out of the hospital a lot too, like Josie is. I hope Josie is lucky and she'll do alright with the casual neglect she's subjected to, but I worry.

It seems like casual medical neglect is common to dangerous fundies of many stripes, either the crazy old-fashioned Baptist types, or the more "modern" pentecostal types (a la Jesus Camp). I'm honestly surprised we don't hear about more kids dying of treatable issues in these families.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

I

t seems like casual medical neglect is common to dangerous fundies of many stripes, either the crazy old-fashioned Baptist types, or the more "modern" pentecostal types (a la Jesus Camp). I'm honestly surprised we don't hear about more kids dying of treatable issues in these families.

Sorry, but this is a big off. Most people, yes MOST, do use doctors in this country. Health insurance is a huge problem in this country--even for folks who WANT To have it--and yes that often includes people who are religious. I think it's wrong to say "casual medical neglect" like in this way. Just because someone is part of a conservative church doesn't mean they willingly forgo medical care. I have lived all my 50 years around folks in conservative churches of all types--I've never known ONE who birthed at home, treated ANYTHING with herbs except maybe putting aloe on a burn or who didn't want their kids to be healthy.

I don't normally state things this bluntly but you are off base here. "Crazy old-fashioned Baptist type?" Who are they? President and humanitarian Jimmy Carter was a baptist. That type? Pentacostal "types?" I don't know any Pentacostal who found Jesus Camp to be an appropriate place for their kids.Nor anyone Apostolic.

"Freak Fringe" is the phrase I think you are looking for--the type who pass baskets of snakes or heal by casting out demons. I doubt they even make a measurable part of our country. Let's remember, too, that this phrase also describes the very far LEFT who speak of things like "birth rape".....Sorry but you really danced on a nerve here. I'm not trying to pick a fight--just get you to see how silly this is.

I'm all for snark, but this is not snark.

Back to our regularly scheduled snarking on the Duggars in this thread.

[Terrie]

Wow. I think you just won the award for reading nonexistent subtext into things.

I was going to explain my comments, but then I realized that you're just ridiculous if you can't tell the difference between the fundies discussed here and rational people, so explaining would be a waste of my time.

[Lily]

Wow. I think you just won the award for reading nonexistent subtext into things.

I was going to explain my comments, but then I realized that you're just ridiculous if you can't tell the difference between the fundies discussed here and rational people, so explaining would be a waste of my time.

And on another note of community interest, "subtext" also spells "buttsex."

Yeah. Think about that.