The Duggar children are nothing if not loyal.
Sure, Jinger decided to wear pants in violation of the family dress code, and some of her sisters have followed suit.
And yes, Josiah is rebelling against certain aspects of his father’s teachings, but at the end of the day, these are very minor acts of defiance.
For the most part, Michelle and Jim Bob’s offspring do as their told and dedicate themselves to preserving their family’s proudest traditions.
Unfortunately, as many have pointed out, by following in the footsteps of their elders, Jill, Jessa and company might be doing irreparable harm to their own children.
Here are some of the unsettling trends that fans have noticed in recent years:
Mama Michelle
For some, Michelle Duggar is a parenting role model. After all, it’s a major challenge to not only raise 19 children, but to also over-parent them to the brink of insanity.
Stuck In Her Ways
Unfortunately, some of Michelle’s favorite techniques haven’t aged well. In fact, some have described them as downright abusive.
The Next Generation
At this point, four of Michelle’s daughters are moms themselves, and they beam with pride when discussing how much they’ve learned about parenting from their mother.
Passing the Buck
There’s an irony in this, as Michelle is famous for handing off her parenting responsibilities to her eldest children (most commonly poor, put-upon Jana), but we digress.
Mom of the Millennium
Though they admit to resenting the amount of responsibility they were often burdened with during childhood, the Duggar kids concur that Michelle is the world’s greatest mom … Of course, that opinion doesn’t mean much coming from Josh.
Mixed Results
Now that they’re able to implement the tips and tricks they learned from Michelle, some of the Duggar kids are finding that their mom’s methods might belong in the past …
The First and Most Important Rule
Of course, all Duggar children enter marriage with the knowledge that they are expected to sire as many children as possible.
A Quiverfull of Duggars
The reason for this is that the Duggars are adherents of the controversial Quiverfull movement founded by disgraced minister Bill Gothard.
An Outdated Idea
Gothard’s ideas about family planning were antiquated even in Michelle’s time, but they’ve only become more outmoded in the years since. And the Duggars are starting to learn that lesson the hard way.
Outside Looking In
Not only have they created a society that marginalizes women who cannot or choose not to have children, the rush to pair to pair off women while they’re still in their teens or twenties has made for less-than-ideal matches.
No Going Back…
In fact, many believe this practice is the most destructive part of the Duggar legacy, as many women may potentially be forced into mismatched marriages from which there is no escape.
Alive and Well
Despite the fact that the idea has proven to be psychologically damaging to young women, it’s alive and well in the new generation of Duggars. “We want as many as the Lord thinks we can handle, and we are putting it into his hands,” Joy-Anna Duggar recently said when asked how many children she plans to have.
The Buddy System
To be fair, Michelle has a method that she says will help young mothers cope with the stress of raising a dozen or more children. Unfortunately, it’s also quite destructive …
Sharing the Burden
Older kids in the family are assigned several younger siblings to look after. The upside to this system is that it teaches responsibility. The downside is just about everything else …
Left Behind
For one example of why this is true, we return once again to Jana Duggar. Family friends say she’s been so busy helping to raise her younger siblings that she’s never had time to make a life of her own.
Homeschooling
Michelle’s daughters are also taught that they must homeschool their children. To be fair, some of her daughters, such as Jill seem truly committed to ensuring that their kids receive the best possible education.
The Cycle Continues
Unfortunately, as they have little formal education themselves, the Duggar girls may not be equipped to educate their children with zero outside assistance.
Little Hacks
And then there are the practices that have been described as downright dangerous. Jill Duggar recently shared a tip for combining a car seat and umbrella stroller in such a way that kids can be stuffed into small spaces. We’re hoping no one follows her advice on this one.
Hands-Off Kitchen
And of course, like their mother, the women of the Duggar clan don’t cook anything from scratch. It’s a bit odd, as they’re so traditional in every other way, but we suppose home-cooked meals for 19 children just aren’t practical.