Back in January, Jana Duggar turned 30.
And we probably don’t need to tell you she’s the first of her siblings to hit the big 3-0 without getting married and popping out some kids first.
Around the time of Jana’s birthday, a lot of fans made comments on her Instagram page (yes, Jana has an Instagram account even though she’s unattached — another Duggar first!) about how they hope this is the year she finds the right man.
And some of them went even went so far as to point out that the clock is ticking on Jana’s "five-year plan."
"I don’t really know what the next five years will look like," she said back in 2016.
"Maybe I’ll meet the one and get married and have kids and stuff. There have been different guys come along and ask. But yeah, it’s just not … They haven’t been the right one."
While Jana seemed very open to the idea that she would get married and start a family, she also seemed okay with the possibility that that might not happen.
In the years that followed, the topic of Jana’s romantic future came up again and again.
And whether it was in interviews or conversations featured on her family’s reality show, Jana conveyed one message over and over again:
She doesn’t know what’s going to happen — but she knows she doesn’t want to be pressured into marriage.
"I’m not just out to get married to the first one that comes along," she said in a 2019 interview.
"I mean, sometimes it can be tempting. It’s like, ‘Oh, I really want to be married,’ in those moments where your siblings that are married and have little boys, they’re going on dates and doing their things," she added.
"It’s like this weird in-between stage. You know, I’m not a younger one — but then I’m not an older, married one with kids. And so just being busy with where God has me right now and being content in this place, and learning as much as I can."
That same year, Jana opened up about the stress of being the only single Duggar woman in her twenties.
"There can be that pressure, I guess. Everyone’s always giving their suggestions," she said.
"Some will pressure in some ways, I’m like, ‘Y’all when the time comes.’"
There are those who believe that Jana is stuck at home, forced to forgo marriage and children so that she can remain at the compound on help care for her younger siblings.
But she insists that’s not the case.
Jana says she’s been courted by several men in the past, and she simply hasn’t found thr right man yet.
"None of them worked out," Jana said on Counting On.
"Different ones of us have been in relationships, courtships, whatever you want to label it as," she added.
"Of course, it doesn’t always end in marriage and that’s OK," Jana continued.
"You have to sometimes talk to someone, get to know someone and realize, you know what, it doesn’t have to end in marriage
In other words, there are certain aspects of her life that Jana would prefer to keep private.
Unlike most reality stars, she didn’t choose to be a public figure, and she was essentially thrust into the spotlight unwillingly.
Something to bear in mind next time you feel compelled to comment on her love life!