Maxwell's are packing the bus....

[Glass Cowcatcher]

Wow. That's just SOOO lolwut.

I loved "Little House in the Big Woods" as a kid. It was American pioneer exoticness, but particularly the early books had a really nice picture of family closeness - I remember the description of them butchering the pig in that first "Little House in the Big Woods" book (where the kids bat the pig bladder around and Ma is busy making all kinds of yummy foods), and it just seemed so marvelously cozy.

The weird thing to me is how Steve-O is not even okay with saying "these are heathens who don't believe as we do, but look at their weird lifestyles" or anything - he doesn't even want his kids to ever see any images at all of "non-real" life. If they read a description of some behavior they might have the idea to do it (so he said about the tongue-sticking-out). Though I suppose wanting to read about foreign people (even if you consider them all damned heathens) would require some curiosity and we can't have that...

I've read some of the LHOTP books with my offspring. While there are a few things that haven't stood the test of time well, and some places where the parents seem overly strict, but those are just about the most innocent childhood stories I can think of.

[FloraDoraDolly]

I've read some of the LHOTP books with my offspring. While there are a few things that haven't stood the test of time well, and some places where the parents seem overly strict, but those are just about the most innocent childhood stories I can think of.

The only other person I ever came across who objected to this book was a far left animal rights activist. She thought "Little House in the Big Woods" glorified guns and hunting and didn't want her kids reading about Pa shooting deer with his rifle.

[Creaky Mom]

Teri looks defeated.

[Lillybee]

All of them except for Steve look defeated.

[HoneyBunny]

All this discussion about Stevie's smug superiority reminded me of one of their posts from a trip several years ago. They were touring some caves or caverns in the southwestern US, and the guide/ranger told the group how they were formed however-many years ago, and Sarah (I believe...whoever was writing the post), said how the guys (because I don't believe the girls were allowed to take the tour) were amused by that, because, of course, they KNEW the earth wasn't that old, but they just looked at each other and smiled knowingly (and smugly).

:doh:

It's THAT kind of false superiority in the face of all that Is scientific, and proven and true that is crazy-making for me.

[Phyllis Styne]

Wow. That's just SOOO lolwut.

I loved "Little House in the Big Woods" as a kid. It was American pioneer exoticness, but particularly the early books had a really nice picture of family closeness - I remember the description of them butchering the pig in that first "Little House in the Big Woods" book (where the kids bat the pig bladder around and Ma is busy making all kinds of yummy foods), and it just seemed so marvelously cozy.

The weird thing to me is how Steve-O is not even okay with saying "these are heathens who don't believe as we do, but look at their weird lifestyles" or anything - he doesn't even want his kids to ever see any images at all of "non-real" life. If they read a description of some behavior they might have the idea to do it (so he said about the tongue-sticking-out). Though I suppose wanting to read about foreign people (even if you consider them all damned heathens) would require some curiosity and we can't have that...

You mean sticking out a tongue is a learned beehavior? I thought it was just something we DO, an autonomic response like when our pupils dilate at certain stimuli! This has me thinking. What did STeve and Terei have to do to suppress all their own histories? I mean I bet they both stuck out their tongues at their siblings, or parents. OK, bad example, we stop doing that about age 8, but how much mental energy did they have to put into suppressing the day to day, benighn habits that everyone enjoys?

Terie had to wean herself off Pepsi, or go cold-turkey from what we're told. Did she also forbid herself from plopping down into a recliner, popping up the footrest, throwing her arms above her head and letting otu a good, long sigh after homeschooling 8 children, keeping the little ones on a damn blanket, and doing the cooking and cleaning they couldn't do, heck, supervising the cooking nad cleaning they could do?

STeve evidently still struggles with suppressing his desires, like to look at a beautiful, curvy, undressed woman in the pages of a magazine or online. Did he ever like to read for pleasure - brain pleasure, not porn? Does he ever remember the satisfaction of getting a good laugh at a funny passage in a book, or the "wow factor" when some mystery or plot twist is revealed? Do they ever miss that kind of stuff?

They easy snarking answer is,'no, they never do, because they have crafted themselves into true Christians, er, Steveians." But you know, in the parents heart of hearts, they've got to kind of sigh and wish for a time when they could go to a movie just for the fun of it. Do they ever reminisce about college, where they met? sure, they don't do it in the hearing of the children, but do they? I think Steve must have done something particularly bad, to be as harsh and unyielding as he is now. Believe me, I don't wanta know what it si and i don't wanta speculate. But something is definitely way beyond 'not right' back in that boy's history, that's my very strong opinion.

[freejoytoo]

I can't believe anyone would be against the Little House books for not being Christian enough! Wtf! If anyone wanted to criticise them I would have thought it would maybe be about the dodgy stuff about Native Americans or being TOO religious!

I loved the Little House books. Steve is crazy.

[zandria]

Does anyone know where Steve goes when he goes out of town? Does he go out of town by himself?

I just started following the Maxwells, so I don't know enough about them to answer this very good question. Please, someone, tell us if he's been known to go away by himself for any reason, "business trip", "visiting relatives", any occasion for him to be away from Teri and the family.

His obsession with purity screams that he has major "sin issues" as they say in fundiespeak. If he's going off by himself, I would not be at all surprised to learn of visits to sex shops or escorts or an affair in progress.

[Phyllis Styne]

I just started following the Maxwells, so I don't know enough about them to answer this very good question. Please, someone, tell us if he's been known to go away by himself for any reason, "business trip", "visiting relatives", any occasion for him to be away from Teri and the family.

His obsession with purity screams that he has major "sin issues" as they say in fundiespeak. If he's going off by himself, I would not be at all surprised to learn of visits to sex shops or escorts or an affair in progress.

Didn't he go off alone earlier this month to Salina, KS, to check out a bus parts supplier? The day that JOsehp found his house and bought it. The other two unmarried bros were with Joseph at the sale table. Maybe Teri was with Steve.

[YPestis]

I realized the Maxwells were really off their rockers when I read "Keeping Our Children's Hearts" when they talked about the horrors of having outside friends or how parents should not have outside friends or interests. I realized the Maxwells were making an idol out of "family time". Reading about their lives prior to all the crazies makes me realize their descent probably started in the 80's and made progressively worse by tools such as the internet where they were able to further isolate themselves and still make a living. It makes sense that something traumatic happened to good ol' Steve to turn him into this weirdo.

It makes me wonder what the Maxwells talk to their kids about or how they present themselves to them. They probably can't bring up their own dating history, or speak of college except in the most hideous ways. The parents can't talk about their early days nostalgically because that may make their 'sinful' lifestyle look appealing. The older kids are taught to look at their pre-isolationalist days as horrible times (i.e Sarah talks about how horrible sleepovers were where so much sinful activities preteen girls could get together). Really, all they can reminiscence about is how great their lives were after they shut out all outside persons from their lives and saw, worked and lived with only each other for years and years and years.....

I would go insane if I was forced to live like that. OTOH, perhaps if the kids have few lifestyles to compare themselves to, they have no idea what they're missing. The five younger kids probably can't imagine any other lifestyle. The oldest boys are married and out of the house and can include other things in their lives. Poor Sarah is the only one still stuck at home, who probably still remember life prior Steve's craziness started up. She's probably been taught that the world is a sinful, scary place and don't dare cross into it herself. Sarah will probably be stuck at home until Steve dies, then be forced to hop from one brother's home to another, offering childcare and housework services as needed. Perhaps the younger ones, raised in such a bizarre environment, will find a way to escape such a fate. For Sarah Maxwell, her age is truly working against her.