I read an article similar to that years ago, I wish it played like a scroll before every show. They aren’t some quaint out of time family. What they are is cult members whose children need rescuing and reprogramming.
Thanks for that insight, twoinanddone. It’s such a sad and difficult situation and I do not believe any of us here are in a position to make pronouncements or judgements. But I have said that several times now and I don’t think much is being accomplished.
But CMM, don’t you think that it is appropriate to judge them harshly for agreeing to the reality show right when the family is in the throes of this terrible crisis? Surely we can judge them for that! My heart breaks for those little girls when I think of it.
Do I question that decision? Yes. And I surely do wish I could hear their answer and their reasoning. But it’s NOT my place to condemn them for it…
I do want to think that they truly thought their boy had overcome his problem and that the girls were okay as well. They surely do seem to be…
Others have described this family as a cult from which children need to be rescued. I do not think that is the case at all.
Nope.
Not the exact same situation, but when I spanked my toddler on her diapered bottom for running out into the street(& that was my first reaction), I told my therapist about it, knowing she would have to make a report to Child Protective Services.
I can also tell you that if my kids were being sexually abused, I would not attempt to " handle it myself", but to seek help from professionals.
Some things are too important to let self interest rule the day.
“I do want to think that they truly thought their boy had overcome his problem and that the girls were okay as well. They surely do seem to be…”
Well, we all want to think this didn’t happen - and it did. Whether the girls are “okay” as well …I don’t know that I can buy into the fact that they “seem to be”. I think we may hear more at some point - but I will say that the kids seem to be dropping like flies in marriage lately ( 2 girls quickly this year and one boy - Josiah, I think? - who is quite young - maybe 17 and in a current courtship)! But I will say, over anything, I cannot imagine what those girls are going through right now - and honestly, I feel sorry for them, but not for Mama/Papa/Josh Duggar - and Anna - if she willingly agreed to follow Josh.
I’ll prefice this by saying I’m brand new to the site as our D16 scored high enough on the PSAT to be above the NMF cut line in our state and wanted some associated info. That said, I’ve been disappointed in the general content of this thread (although admit I haven’t read every post).
My take on this news coming right after the news out of Brown/Syracuse this week is that both reinforce that sexual immorality is a rampant plague that can touch any family regardless of religion, race, socio-economic standing, etc. Instead of online railing of the Duggars or anyone else, I’ve taken this as an opportunity to have conversations with my teenage daughters on these topics that hopefully will help them as they mature.
Parents, teenagers, young adults - my challenge to you is to do something about the plague of sexual perversion that is so pervasive - and make it something more than hitting letters on your laptop or tablet.
Thanks for correcting me. So you’re saying the statute of limitations is over now, but wasn’t over then?
I don’t think we can believe a darn thing that the family portrays. I don’t watch the show so I don’t know if the girls seem like they’ve “gotten over it” but if I had to live with my sexual abuser, I would be horrifically depressed. I am also good about hiding my emotions though.
^^^ And you know this how???
Chargerparent, rest assured, many if not most of us have likely done what you mentioned way before this Duggar crisis. And it is because of our stance of this “plaque” that we sound off here.
Not to mention that the point of the Parent Cafe IS to discuss things in-depth! 
Welcome though!!!
Young women who have been victims of repeated sexual assault have many psychological scars to address. Lets hope they have gotten excellent therapy and the brother has as well. I hope someday they can heal from this. But I do not believe that they are “ok”, as the impact of this violation is lifelong.
Wow, VeryHappy, that is a powerful commentary that gives a lot of context.
It may take years before the young women are really able to understand the magnitude of what happened to them.
We have lots of protective mechanisms, so that we are still able to function, despite horrific circumstances.
As they mature, and gain distance from their family of origin, they may feel safe enough to let their guard down and deal with it, enough so they can move on as much as they can.
Chargerparent, what exactly do you mean by the so-called “plague” of “sexual immorality” and “sexual perversion”? Are you talking about child molestation and abuse, or something beyond that?
You beat me to it @DonnaL The Duggars were supposedly all about stamping out “the plague of sexual perversion” so I wonder.
What is the news out of Brown/Syracuse this week?
@churchmusicmom - you may think of yourself as being like the Duggar’s in being devoutly Christian. But think of this - here you are on cc, happy and interested to find out about colleges and universities, while they would never do such a thing. Their children are not allowed to go to college.
Your faith must be stronger and truer because they are afraid that their faith would crumble if their children were exposed to any other influence outside of their home.
Of course they’re hypocrites, twoinanddone. Even assuming their motive was to take the least disruptive course of action, they “handled” the situation by taking the easiest way out, essentially doing nothing and taking no steps whatsoever to separate their son from the daughters he had molested. At the same time, they continued to go out of their way to excoriate and defame LGBT people and do their very best to disrupt (and in some cases ruin) their lives – for example, spreading the lie about trans women that they have a propensity to engage in sexual abuse (i.e., what they knew Josh had done), and should be treated as if they were all guilty of it by excluding them from women’s public bathrooms. I call that hypocrisy of the worst kind.
If they had devoted their time to actually handling their own family situation themselves, and had shut the [expletive] up about LGBT people, I wouldn’t find them quite so contemptible.
I find it absolutely creepy, beyond creepy, that these young women are doing their hair in a certain way because their dad demands it that way.