Joy Anna

[Whit88]

I have to admit...out of all the duggar girls...Joy Anna seems like the most fun and interesting one to me...She does not seem so robotic and uptight as the rest of them...I LOVE that she is soo close to Amy Duggar b/c I think hanging around her kind of opened her up a bit. FINGERS CROSSED that she does not drink too much of that kool-Aid...man I wish she could go to college...she could really be somethin special

 

--Such a cute pic of the both of Joy and Amy~~

http://instagr.am/p/Gz0AiAtkHs/

[Lady]

I fear for Joy. When one of the older daughters eventually gets married Joy will be the one recruited to take over her chores. Add to the fact that Jim Bob and Michelle will try to stamp out her "tom boyness" she has a miserable future.

[YPestis]

I feel bad for her since she is squashed between the boys. There will be little female help for her after the older girls leave. I find it telling that even at the young age of 11ish, she was running around doing chores and caring for siblings while the brothers her age are running around making a mess.

I know that traditionally, especially in nonagarian households, girls were put to work earlier than boys---i.e boys would require more schooling to work while girls can be put to work cooking/cleaning early on. Therefore, the boys can goof off and screw around longer. Still, I'd be pissed if I saw siblings my age fooling around while I pick up after THEIR mess. Josh had it made with several sisters his age. He can get away with not doing chores and being waited on. Poor Joy-Anna will be up to her neck in chores trying to clean up after her numerous brothers!

[Feberin]

I also feel sorry for Joy. I also think she was "spoiled" (not sure if this is the right word since I think it's how one's childhood should be) by having a early childhood spent running around with her brothers only for her parents to come down on her as she hit her preteens and start expecting her to do similiar chores to her sister. I think that must have in some ways been rougher then the childhoods that Jana or Jill experienced where they were expected to help out from the time they could walk so for them it's just a way of life.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

Joy will not even think about college. My bet is a very early courtship to "solve" the Joy-problem. Poor girl........

[Lady]

Either that or she will bolt when the last of the older daughters get married. Poor Hannie.

[lilwriter85]

I think Joy might leave once she turns 18.

[Eclipse]

Joy is my favourite because she has the most spunk and the one I would have wanted to be friends with as I kid. I'm glad that she is still able to do some normal things, which JimBob would term, tomboy things. I do really fear for her though, that the spark in her is going to be snuffled out by their lifestyle and faith. I really hope that in two or three years, she won't be robo answering, like her sisters.

[freejoytoo]

Joy is my favourite, as you can probably tell from my username! She has such a spirit and is a keen tomboy. I love to think that she'll get away and that her parents will let her be herself but I highly doubt it. It seems in that house you live the Gothard way and have to fill the traditional gender roles whether you want to or not :( Don't drink the koolaid Joy!

[JenniferJuniper]

I think Joy might leave once she turns 18.

I think a lot is going to happen with that family in the next 4 years and Joy's teenaged years are going to be heavily impacted by whatever changes take place.

For starters, the show will likely end, which will create an entirely different dynamic for the family. Smuggar will almost certainly try to make a name for himself in local politics (and hopefully fail, getting lots of negative publicity in the process), and the fates of the young women of the family will be more clear. (Jana will be 26; Jinger 22). With six teenaged boys around, the testosterone level in the house will be pretty intense.

Generally speaking, I see a fair amount of chaos. Hopefully the dust clouds that result will make it easier for Joy to slip out relatively unnoticed.

[xReems]

Remember how "free spirited" Jinger was during "17 Kids and Counting?" She had a bunch of facial expressions and we all thought she'd be the first one to ditch this lifestyle. Fast forward to now and she looks like she's drunk the kool aid a bit more and sounds just as robotic as the other older ones. If anything, JB and Michelle will probably send Joy-Anna off to one of those "reeducation camps", aka Journey to the Heart, until she ends up sounding like her older sisters. I really hope that doesn't happen but it wouldn't surprise me too.

[YPestis]

It's hard to rebel when you have half a dozen siblings to mind and several brothers to cook and clean after.

I know the Duggar family have chores for every child but the heavy lifting and the "must-do" chores are still performed by the females.

One of the girls is responsible for daily laundry, another takes care of meals, others have to help with kitchen cleanup. I see the boys having a lot of free time to run around, only the younger girls have that same freedom.

It's easy for the Duggars to say, 'hey we have both boys and girls doing chores' but when the boys' jobs includes cleaning their own toilets and the occasionally dinner cleanup, it doesn't compare to doing several loads of laundry DAILY that has to be done each day, every day or people would run out of clothes, or the three meals cooked EACH DAY every day.

[Feberin]

Remember how "free spirited" Jinger was during "17 Kids and Counting?" She had a bunch of facial expressions and we all thought she'd be the first one to ditch this lifestyle. Fast forward to now and she looks like she's drunk the kool aid a bit more and sounds just as robotic as the other older ones. If anything, JB and Michelle will probably send Joy-Anna off to one of those "reeducation camps", aka Journey to the Heart, until she ends up sounding like her older sisters. I really hope that doesn't happen but it wouldn't surprise me too.

I agree with this however Jinger didn't have the same childhood as Joy did being surounded by all those boys. I also hope Hannie keeps her spunk.

[JenniferJuniper]

Remember how "free spirited" Jinger was during "17 Kids and Counting?" She had a bunch of facial expressions and we all thought she'd be the first one to ditch this lifestyle. Fast forward to now and she looks like she's drunk the kool aid a bit more and sounds just as robotic as the other older ones. If anything, JB and Michelle will probably send Joy-Anna off to one of those "reeducation camps", aka Journey to the Heart, until she ends up sounding like her older sisters. I really hope that doesn't happen but it wouldn't surprise me too.

The main difference between Joy and Jinger (aside from the fact that it doesn't seem Joy has a girlie girl bone in her body) is that Jinger is a member of the Older Girls club and has no doubt been strongly influenced by the other girls. Joy is a free agent. Her closest friend in the family has always been Josiah, who so far seems to be the boy who fits in least with the role of younger son set out by Jim Bob for John and Joe. He doesn't seem to have much of a relationship with his older brothers and the twins are a few years younger and have each other.

Joy and Josiah by virtue of their personalities and positions in the family are the weakest links in Jim Bob's quiverfull dream. He knows it, and I don't doubt he'll do whatever he can to get them in line. But with so many kids and so much shit going on around him, there's a limit to even his control. Things are going to start falling apart, and when they do, I’ll be surprised if Joy and Josiah hang around. They'll never lose their entire family and if Michelle and Jim Bob are too unkind to them, TMZ is bound to find out about it. Fame and fortune is a double edged sword.

[mstee]

I remember someone coming to FJ saying that they knew the family, or knew someone who knew the family (or whatever) and that they thought Joy would be the one to leave the movement. I can definitely see that happening. She doesn't fit in with the older girls as much, and I've aways thought that she is Amy's favorite. Hopefully some of the older girls will still be around when she hits 18 (so the care of the kids and house isn't all on her, thus making her stuck at home), and she will be able to get the heck out of there. It was sad to see her having a lot of fun at space camp and watching her say she knows something like that will never be in her future.

[ElphabaGalinda]

I worry for Joy Anna, because she seems to just naturally not be able to fit the mold of what a girl is "supposed" to be according to that lifestyle. That and she didn't have any sisters close to her age, which would really be the only people she's allowed to be friends with. She used to seem really close with Josiah, but that's probably not allowed anymore. She's either going to be the one who gets out or the one who's the most miserable. There's nothing in that lifestyle for her. She is what happens when you try to fit all children into a rigid mold.

[Whit88]

Wow I never thought about the fact that she was born in between the boys...this is sad because there is no doubt that she is going to have alot of work on her shoulders when the older girls leave...I do see this family going through many many hardships within the next couple of years...JB and michelle are SOOO incredibly OBLIVIOUS to life itself that they do not even see it coming

JB and Michelle are going to be in their 50s and still have over 10 children to raise so yes Joy will have her hands extremely full...I agree that she has this unique spunk about her but you guys already know that JB and Michelle will surely make sure that goes away to conform to their way of thinking....Grrrr...They better stop having kids...they have done enough damage

[browngrl]

I feel so sorry for Joy Anna. Her options are so few and her world is so small....

I hope that any lurking Duggars do not take this thread as a reason to crush what ever spirit Joy Anna still has.

[FloraDoraDolly]

The space camp episode was the first time Joy has looked happy since I-don't-know-when.

[Witsec5]

The kind of work Joy Anna has to do every day is soul crushing. I can see her leaving someday out of despair.

[emmiedahl]

The space camp episode was the first time Joy has looked happy since I-don't-know-when.

Just from what I have heard, it sounds like she really enjoyed it. It makes me sad because in a normal family, a love of science would be something to encourage and be proud of. I would be buying the girl a microscope and a chemistry set, but instead she is insulted (tomboy is probs not a good thing in that family) and taken home for a lifetime of scrubbing.

[Three and Done]

The poor child... At 14, she should NOT be burdened with the amount of work she has. I have three daughters, and I would never have expected so much from any of them at that age.

My "baby" is almost 12, and she just recently got chores of her own to do (besides keeping her room somewhat clean) - but she gets an allowance for doing them.

[emmiedahl]

My 16 yo unloads the dishwasher once a day and keeps his room above health code.

Joy would probably be so thankful for a normal, frivolous teen girl life. Hanging out at the mall, texting friends, wearing normal clothes. I could see her being a soccer player, a straight-A student, and generally having a bright future ahead of her. So sad. I just don't understand how anyone looks at all of the wasted potential and still thinks the Duggars are a lovely family.

[Three and Done]

My 16 yo unloads the dishwasher once a day and keeps his room above health code.

Joy would probably be so thankful for a normal, frivolous teen girl life. Hanging out at the mall, texting friends, wearing normal clothes. I could see her being a soccer player, a straight-A student, and generally having a bright future ahead of her. So sad. I just don't understand how anyone looks at all of the wasted potential and still thinks the Duggars are a lovely family.

Scary, isn't it? Both of my girls that are still at home talk about what they will major in when they go to college.

And, of course, they both have cell phones, laptops, "cool" clothes... AND are very good students. My youngest loves loves loves sports, and wants to be a pro basketball player when she grows up (hey, why the hell not aspire to that?). College is an expectation, not an ever-unfufilled dream.

(FYI - youngest DD is already 5'5", and isn't quite 12 yet!) :o

[fluttershies]

My 16 yo unloads the dishwasher once a day and keeps his room above health code.

Joy would probably be so thankful for a normal, frivolous teen girl life. Hanging out at the mall, texting friends, wearing normal clothes. I could see her being a soccer player, a straight-A student, and generally having a bright future ahead of her. So sad. I just don't understand how anyone looks at all of the wasted potential and still thinks the Duggars are a lovely family.

QFT

I have a friend who is a college graduate and mainstream Christian (she homechurches because there isn't a church liberal enough for her in her area of Tennessee) who seems unable to look past the Duggars' bullshit and just thinks of them as a 'nice Christian family'. I just don't get it.