Highlights
- A former friend of the Duggars disclosed that Michelle Duggar is far from perfect, sometimes losing her composure.
- Insider sources suggest that Jim Bob ran the show, leading to problematic behavior from their sons.
- Concerns were raised about the Duggar family’s parenting practices and how this may have impacted Josh Duggar’s early crimes.
Viewers who watched the Duggar family‘s now-defunct reality TV series 19 Kids and Counting and Counting On may have noticed that matriarch Michelle Duggar is quite the personality. In most of the footage of Michelle, she can be seen speaking softly to her kids, always sounding upbeat and positive, even while handling challenging situations like her youngest daughter Josie’s medical issues.
But like the secrets that later came out about Josh Duggar, many suspected that there was more to the Duggars’ story than Michelle being a saint-like parental figure. As much as the Duggars may use their connections to keep their business under wraps, there are some people who continue to speak out against the family, telling what they consider the real truth. That includes acquaintances of Josh who testified against him, as well as people who were friends with the Duggar kids and got to experience Michelle’s parenting first-hand.
A Former Friend Of The Duggars Spilled Details About Michelle Duggar
One Redditor who grew up with Josh Duggar revealed their experiences with Michelle Duggar
When a former friend of Josh Duggar’s took to Reddit for an AMA, details came out about the Duggar kids’ childhoods that might surprise even the most ardent critic. The Redditor wrote that they “grew up with Josh Duggar” and that their hope was to ” raise awareness of the realities of irresponsible TLC-style shows / celebrity culture, and maybe shine a light on the damage caused by fundamentalist religious culture.”
As for the show itself, they wrote that having experienced the Duggars’ household without cameras rolling, the show “generally struck me as weird and staged feeling.” In contrast, real life with the Duggars was “gritty and emotionally exhausting” both at church and at home.
In terms of how Michelle was with the kids, one Redditor asked whether the personalities of the Duggars matched up with what was shown on TV. To that, Josh’s former friend responded that Josh was “sort of bogus” in clips from the show, while siblings like Jill, John David, Jana, Jessa, and Jinger were all “pretty consistent” with their real-life personalities.
How Many Of The Duggars Have Moved Far Away From Home (And Why)?
Did any of the Duggar family’s kids take the first opportunity to move away from their home in Arkansas? Not necessarily.
The anonymous Redditor had much more to say about Michelle, elaborating that, “Michelle is definitely sing-songy in real life, but she’s also more of a human being who’s tired and stressed and exasperated and sometimes scary.”
Without revealing just how close they were to the Duggars, the former friend of the family explained, “I got scolded by her in the past and it was kinda intense.” Not only that, but it seems Michelle didn’t always keep a level head while dealing with her kids.
“I’ve heard her lose her voice,” wrote Josh’s former friend, hinting that Michelle got “intense” with her kids to the point of yelling and becoming hoarse. Michelle and Jim Bob were “pretty controlling,” too, claimed the Redditor, noting that many ‘family activities’ were staged, like the family going out for ice cream, which required four cars just to fit everyone.
But Michelle’s apparent yelling at her kids wasn’t the only red flag when it came to childhood with the Duggars.
Insiders Say That “Ownership” Over The Kids Is Part Of The Problem With The Duggars
Viewers speculated that Josh’s misdeeds stem from a specific mindset in the Duggars’ religion
Diving deeper into Michelle and Jim Bob’s parenting practices and the control they had over their kids, Redditors discussed the fact that teaching the girls to be “modest” seemed to result in the boys being even more wild and, in Josh’s case, predatory.
Jim Bob And Michelle Duggar Are Involved In Another Court Case With Their Kids
Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar have gone to court many times over various children, and they’re back at it again.
Josh’s former friend pointed out that “A lot of the perspectives are definitely taught purposefully,” to the point where there’s an “ownership perspective” toward wives and daughters. As much as Michelle Duggar may seem like the matriarch of the family, insiders hint that Jim Bob really ran the show, which they believe led to bad behaviors by the boys — specifically Josh.
There were also other parenting practices from Michelle and Jim Bob that fans felt were questionable during the show, and seem even worse in light of Josh’s crimes and other exposés like the documentary Shiny Happy People.
Michelle And Jim Bob’s Parenting Practices Have Always Spurred Concern
Footage from their reality show gave viewers pause when it came to Michelle and Jim Bob’s parenting
Viewers who watched 19 Kids and Counting or its predecessors might recall the Duggar family’s organizational system. Each older child had a younger ‘buddy’ that they were meant to supervise and guide. Many viewers thought this placed the responsibility of parenting on the older kids, but it also seemed to create a power imbalance that may have factored into Josh’s early crimes.
Anna Might Have Been Blindsided By Josh Duggar’s Proposal (And Forced To Say Yes)
Josh Duggar’s proposal to his now-wife Anna Keller did not age well, and viewers suspect there was more to the story than two young people in love.
In later interviews, Josh’s parents explained that they stopped the buddy system and didn’t allow boys and girls to be alone together anymore following Josh being caught molesting his younger siblings. Michelle and Jim Bob revealed other details about their kids’ childhoods, like the fact that they sent the kids to therapy and made other changes at home to keep them safe.
However, critics suggest that expecting older kids to parent the younger ones, plus the Duggars’ controversial “blanket training” technique and other habits, were harmful to the children. In fact, the blanket method involved outright hitting the children, according to a book on the subject, but it’s unclear whether Michelle adhered to that part of the ‘training.’
Source: NewsFinale
