Remember when your only worry in the world was having to keep up with the Kardashians?
Then, the reality TV universe threw a curveball your way in the form of TLC's 17 Kids and
Counting.
Soon, 17 grew to 18, 18 grew to 19 and as some of those 19 started having babies of
their own, America grew more and more fascinated with the Duggar family.
In a family the size of a small army, standing out is no easy task.
However, thanks to her candid and forthright demeanor, Jessa Duggar has managed to accomplish
just that.
The young wife and mother seems to constantly be in the news, for either her parenting skills
or rumored pregnancies but there's more to this Duggar daughter than meets the eye.
Here's the untold truth of one of reality TV's most famous faces.
A difficult childbirth
Famous for being one of America's largest families, the Duggar clan seems to grow by
the second.
In fact, Duggar pregnancies have become such a common event that People created a guide
to help any inquiring minds stay up-to-date on the expecting Duggars.
But Jessa's 2015 birth to her first son almost ended tragically.
After a difficult delivery at home, the new mother was rushed to the hospital, requiring
a blood transfusion and overnight stay.
"Mother is bleeding after birth"
Luckily, she made a full recovery, and the traumatic experience made her that much more
grateful for the "surprisingly fast" and easy birth of the second Seewald son.
$40,000 per episode, and counting
Jessa and now-husband Ben Seewald came under fire in 2015 when they appeared to solicit
wedding gifts from fans of 19 Kids and Counting.
In a post on the family's blog which has since been edited, the Duggars wrote,
"For readers who have asked about sending gift cards to the Seewalds, Jessa told us
that her favorite stores are Target and Walmart."
According to Ashley's Reality Roundup, the Duggars even listed an address for fans who
wished to send the newlyweds cash and even an Amazon wish list.
But the Duggars are reported to have made up to $40,000 per episode of 19 Kids and Counting
and Counting On.
The original show ran for 15 seasons, with a total of 227 episodes even divided up between
the whole clan, that's a lot of moolah.
Jessa also has her own show, Jill and Jessa: Counting On, which, by early 2018 had already
aired nearly 50 episodes.
So it might be obvious why the newlyweds' hint for gifts didn't exactly sit well with
the general public.
G-rated I do's
It was no secret to fans, friends and family of the 19 Kids and Counting clan that Jessa
and Ben were waiting until their wedding day to experience their very first smooch.
So when the officiant presented "Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin Michael Seewald" without prompting
the new groom to kiss his bride, the crowd of adoring loved ones were understandably
confused.
"Something did not happen that usually happens at the end of a wedding ceremony"
The officiant explained that it was the couple's desire to share their first kiss together
alone not in front of a crowd, cameras, or their parents, and said,
"The longer I talk, the longer they can smooch in private.
So if I could just have your attention for about three hours.
The first kiss is a long one, you know what I'm sayin'?"
And, for the record, they've been kissing in public ever since.
The Regina George of her family
According to InTouch Weekly, 19 Kids and Counting fans call Jessa the, quote, "fundie Regina
George" "fundie" indicating Christian fundamentalism, and "Regina George" referring to the meanest
girl in school.
Of course, growing up Duggar means your school is also your home.
"Homeschooled.
That's really interesting"
According to a Jinger Duggar fansite, many fans of both 19 Kids and Counting and Counting
On believe Jessa to be bitter, attention-seeking, and smug.
One user wrote:
"Jessa is young, smug, and pregnant."
While another commented,
"I refuse to believe she's that cunning and underhanded to consciously steal the spotlight.
She's an idiot."
"It's not up to you, nobody asked you, this is what we're doing"
Between the sheets
According to the Duggars themselves, the eldest girls receive hundreds of questions each week
from inquiring minds who want a Duggar's hot take on dating, boys, fashion, and even sex.
Sure, the Duggar children may not be allowed to date or even be alone with a person of
the opposite sex, but lack of experience certainly doesn't indicate a lack of opinion, for these
ladies.
"The past couple years we've been asked to speak at a couple different events to young
girls on the tops of experience we've gone through in our lives and just kind of encouraging
them"
Written by Jill, Jana, Jessa, and Jinger Duggar, Growing Up Duggar was published in 2014.
Marketed as a book "all about relationships," the eldest Duggar girls told The Times Free
Press they hoped their words would help young women not only in their romantic relationships,
but in their relationships with both God and their parents, as well.
"Everything was centered around character...kindness, patience and self control"
All in a baby name
When Jessa and Ben announced their first pregnancy in 2015, fans immediately launched into speculating
what the baby's name would be.
"We are so excited to announce that we are expecting a baby"
It's unlikely anyone could have ever guessed the name that was to come: Spurgeon Elliot
Seewald.
The Seewalds' inspiration for their first-born's name came from an influential figure in their
lives 19th century British preacher, Charles Spurgeon.
According to the couple, the preacher...
...Had a big impact on our lives...continued to impact many many people."
When their second son was born in 2017, he was also given a name taken straight from
the history books:
"We have come up with a name for our new baby boy...
his name is Henry Wilberforce Seewald"
His namesake, William Wilberforce, was an English philanthropist, politician, and leader
within the movement which ended the slave trade.
You can't sit with us
It's been said that it "takes a village to raise a child."
Between 19 children, two parents, an adopted nephew, and ten "grand-Duggars" so far, the
Duggars already have a village all their own.
However, when your life's most pivotal experiences unfold in front of millions of people each
week, those fans begin to feel that they're also part of your village.
And they're not afraid to tell you exactly what they think of your parenting from the
safety of their keyboards, of course.
Jessa Duggar is no stranger to this phenomenon, often finding herself the subject of internet
"mommy-shaming" for her particular parenting style.
In a September 2017 Instagram post, many felt Spurgeon was too old to be bottle-fed.
One comment read:
"You've got to watch and pray against speech impediments and crooked teeth."
And another cited the "scientific research" linking tooth decay to prolonged bottle feeding.
But Jessa didn't let the haters get her down.
She sardonically captioned the pic:
"If you are experiencing anxiety over [the photo], please share all your wisdom and perfect
parenting advice in the comments section below."
No TV for a reality TV family
Some people are simply destined for a life lived in front of the camera.
These people include the Kardashians, the Teen Moms, and the Duggar family.
But you might wonder why the Duggars would even want to be on a reality TV show in the
first place, especially since they reportedly have a strict TV policy in their home, only
allowing the Duggar children to watch select DVDs under supervision, of course.
So, why would a family notorious for steering clear of television programming then seek
out opportunities to be on TV?
According to Duggarfamilyblog.com (which is managed by close family friends of the Duggars),
they do it for the fans.
"Mornings now with two kids...I try to sleep until Spurgeon wakes up, and then...our day
starts from there"
Their purpose, starting with their first show 14 Children and Pregnant Again and including
every show they've done since, has always been to show the world how children are a
blessing from God.
"We're just average kids.
We're not the best kids in the world"
Is she pregnant again?
Looks like this apple didn't fall too far from the growing family tree.
Jessa, who has given birth to two children since her 2014 wedding and dodged widespread
pregnancy rumors, does have plans to grow her family.
According to a People exclusive in February 2017, Jessa and her husband plan to welcome
more children into their family; but maybe without the baby bump.
The young mom of two confessed,
"It will be a little while since we just had a baby, but adopting and fostering to adopt
is very much in our hearts."
Between new Duggar babies, newly-wed Duggar couples, and those swirling pregnancy rumors,
it's safe to say that the world will be seeing many more Duggars in the years to come.
It's a Duggar world, and we're all just living in it.
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