Whether you’re a fan of Counting On or you simply watch the Duggars from a safe distance out of morbid curiosity, you have some sense of who and what you’re dealing with.
Put another way, you’re probably aware that the family’s belief system, and by extension, their child-rearing methods have been a frequent source of controversy.
Practices such as “blanket training” and other forms of systematic abuse have led to calls for boycotts and even demands for a full CPS investigation in the past.
But the Duggars have refused to shy away or even issue a public apology, which isn’t surprising – and now it looks like these lessons are being handed down.
According to a report from In Touch Weekly, it looks as though the torch is being passed from one generation to the next, in disturbing fashion.
Are Jim Bob and Michelle’s grown children now practicing the same techniques that were used to quite literally whip them into shape in their own youth?
Understandably, fans are terrified that this continued behavior and methodology may eventually result in someone paying the ultimate price.
The Originators
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have strict views on child-rearing and family hierarchies that were formed in part by their involvement with the unfortunately-named Bill Gothard’s Institute for Basic Life Principles.
The Fallen Idol
Those who follow Gothard may now that he got what was coming to him. He is now a disgraced former minister who was drummed out his own organization after being accused of abuse and sexual assault by dozens of employees.
The Stubborn Ones
Despite the scandal, and attempts to distance themselves from him from an image standpoint, Jim Bob and Michelle have remained true to Gothard’s teachings, including two beliefs that have attracted a considerable amount of criticism in recent years.
Full Quivers
Gothard is the originator of the Quiverfull Movement, which holds and practices the belief that women are put on this planet for the sole purpose of birthing as many children as possible.
A Dangerous Proposition
This isn’t a vaguely-defined “the bigger family, the better” sort of deal. According to Gothard’s teachings, women are to continue having children until they literally cannot bear any more of them. That means they are expected to conceive well into middle-age, regardless of threats to their health or the health of their offspring.
Casting Pearls Before Swine
It was also Gothard who directed Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar to the controversial teachings of self-proclaimed child-rearing experts Debi and Michael Pearl.
The Gruesome Twosome
The Pearls have made a career of advocating the use of extremely harsh forms of corporal punishment – what the non-believers might call simply physical abuse – on children as young as six months old. Read that sentence again.
A Legacy of Violence
Within a year of its publication, the Pearls’ book, How to Train a Child, was found in the home of two different children who died as a result of parental abuse. A petition imploring Amazon to stop selling the book has amassed more than 145,000 signatures.
Blanket Admission
Jim Bob and Michelle have never publicly copped to hitting their kids, but they have expressed their approval of some of the Pearls’ most controversial methods, including “blanket training.”
A Deplorable Practice
Blanket training is a method in which very young children are either swaddled or placed on a blanket and told to stay put. If they fail to do so, they are struck with a blunt object until they learn their “lesson.”
Implied Approval
Not only has Michelle endorsed blanket training quite openly on more than a few occasions, there have been other indications that she subscribes to the Pearls’ belief system.
The Forsyth Seal of Approval
Shortly after Joy-Anna Duggar married Austin Forsyth, his family – considered to be as extreme as the Duggars when it comes to their belief system – booked the Pearls to host an event at the campground they own.
Disturbing Signs
Sadly, there have been other signs over the years that Jim Bob and Michelle use harsh corporal punishment in disciplining their children.
A Revealing Scandal
After the Josh Duggar sex scandals were made public, a newly-released police report (that gained little attention, relatively speaking) indicated that the Duggar children complained to investigators of being struck by their parents.
Not Sparing the Rod
“Inv. Taylor asked [redacted] about getting spanked,” the report reads. “[Redacted] said that when [redacted] is bad that [redacted] mother and dad spank [redacted]. Inv. Taylor asked what they use to spank. [Redacted] said they have a rod.” Wow.
No One Is Exempt
And it seems the Duggar children were all struck with objects at one point or another, regardless of their behavior.
Equal Opportunity Abusers
“Inv. Taylor asked if they do this to all the kids and [redacted] said yes,” the report continues. “Inv. Taylor asked if they leave any bruising. [Redacted] said no.”
A Legacy of Abuse
Last year, a video posted by Jill Duggar has fans worried that the mother of two takes an equally firm hand with her sons.
Cause for Concern?
Obviously, it’s impossible to tell from that video how far Jill and Derick go in disciplining their kids, but it’s not hard to see why so many fans would be so deeply concerned.
Chicken Slog
Over the years, Jill has been accused of countless acts of “abuse” that wouldn’t really meet mosy definitions of the term — such as the time she “forced” her children to walk two miles for dinner at Chick-Fil-A.
A Repeated Pattern
This is a common practice among Jill’s fans, who most recently criticized her for failing to take her kids to the library frequently enough.
Constant Shame
Prior to that, Jill was shamed for allowing one of her boys to be rained on while driving home with an open car window.
Not Alone
Jessa Duggar is another common target of mom-shamers, having recently been lambasted for everything from allowing her daughter to use a pacifier in the car to failing to use the correct amount of sunscreen when her kids are outside.
Priorities, People!
We point these out only as a reminder that if you want to criticize the Duggars for their harmful child-rearing practices, you really don’t need to dig THAT deep. There are plenty of legitimate atrocities to choose from.