For a few days there, it looked as though the feud between Derick Dillard and Jim Bob Duggar may have subsided.
Now, it appears that not only is the war back on — Jill Duggar has entered the fray, and she is not holding back.
Before we get into Jill’s remarks, we need to say a quick word about Jim Bob and Michelle’s child-rearing practices.
The Duggars use very specific terminology when talking about the bizarre way in which they discipline their children.
Rather than “raise” they prefer to say they “train” their children.
For many fans, the word brings to mind the relationship between owners and pets, rather than parents and children.
But for those in the know — namely, fellow members of the Institute of Basic Life Principles, the clut that forms the basis of the Duggars’ belief system — it sends an important message.
The Duggars engage in the practice of “blanket training” as well as other forms of “training” that involve corporal punishment — and they want to confirm this to their fellow cult members without spilling their secret to the public.
Jill has stated that she does not engage in corporal punishment, and as In Touch Weekly points out, it seems she threw some subtle shade at Michelle by posting the following quote from Christian author Edith Schaeffer on her Instagram page:
“You cannot expect to have a close relationship with a teenager who, after all, is still the same person as the 2-year-old you stuck crying into bed, the 3-year-old you spanked and shoved aside, the 4-year-old you wouldn’t listen to, the 5-year-old you never shared beauty with, the 6-year-old you found boring, or you ‘trained’ never to butt in, but never gave time to make a cozy and beautiful background out of which you could talk to him or her,” Scharffer wrote.
“[G]reat moments of trust and confidence do not spring out of concrete. They need a long time of being planted, fertilized, weeded, watered, warmed by sun and cared for lovingly before they become mature ‘plants’ — plants of understanding communication and loving relationship,” the author added.
“If you never have time to enhance moments together by making some preparation for beauty as well as for meeting necessities, you are apt to miss altogether the spontaneous response and opening up of the personality which this would bring.”
“Beautiful. So good,” Jill commented on the quote. “[Attention] all parents!”
Whoa.
Now, obviously Jill never mentions her mother by name, but she’s well aware of what she’s doing here.
The word “training” would make it abundantly clear to any Duggar fan that she’s referring to none other than her own mother.
Jill has been mom-shamed in the past, but she’s usually accused of being too lenient with her kids.
It seems she’s of the opinion that her own mother was much too strict.
This is the latest salvo in the ongoing war between the Dillards and the Duggars.
Derick has accused Jim Bob of stealing from his own children, and many assumed he was lashing out against his wife’s will.
Now, it seems that not only does he have Jill’s approval — she may have been the one who encouraged him to speak out in the first place.