Duggar Kids’ Dreams and Ambitions Cruelly Squashed by Their Duggardom

Jinger's dreams of moving to New York City were flatly denied by Michelle and her sisters.

I'm going to start here because it's A. the most overt example and B. something I've been thinking of nonstop for weeks. There's this really horrifying video where the Duggar girls (including an uncomfortably permed Joy) talk about what they want and SUPRISE, it's a husband. But with Jinger, she specifically says she wants someone to take her out of this damn place. "She doesn't want to live three hours from civilization," Jessa starts. "No, OK," Jinger agrees. "City please!"

Jessa goes on about how she'd do fine in New York City, which is a sweet BFF move. And though Jinger monotones that she'd be fine "anywhere," she lights up when she adds "a city would be awesome."

Then goody-goody interrupting cow Jilly Bean is all, "BUT, if you didn't get somebody like that the Lord could be working and teaching you something in that area." Jinger is literally like rolling her eyes at this, but she tries to placate everyone like "Yeah, that's for sure, I need to work on being content with the garbage circumstances I've been thrown."

Terrified that one of her children was showing a shred of individualism, Michelle had to do damage control to Radar. "Jinger didn’t mean she wanted to move to New York City," Michelle said. "She meant that she wants to live closer to a city. We’re talking right near a city, but not New York City. Jinger meant she wanted to live 15 minutes from a WalMart."

WTF, Michelle, let Jinger speak, please and thanks.

We all know how this story ends, with Jinger settling for a New York City proposal and an old Southy housewife life. And while, yes, it isn't the Duggar compound, it's still a downgrade. Laredo is like some excruciatingly hot rando town in Texas. Is it really a better deal than living in some excruciatingly hot rando town in Arkansas?

Jinger's dreams of being a photographer.

We've documented Jinger's photography prowess extensively if you want to look at some incredibly surreal pictures of Josiah with a cello and bowtie. Her skills are earnestly commendable, and something she worked to develop: her early bio says she wants to improve. Then it mysteriously vanishes from the post-Jeremy version. Weeeeird.

Truth is, no matter how much "mentoring" she gets, Jinger's not going to be a professional picture-taker, at least for like, money. If you go to the girl's Instagram, you can still see that she has a talent for making her social media feed look decidedly aesthetic. But again, should we be celebrating how Jinger's passion for photography is being utilized now, with strategically filtered photos of her husband? Speaking of which…

Jessa once wanted to be a beautician, and we know how that story ends.

There's a whole rundown of aborted Duggar careers thanks to the special Raising 16 Children but this one sticks out to me. Like, say what you will about Jessa —like how she's a smug monster who spends her free time tormenting Jana and bragging about her wedding day — but she's mastered the art of vanity. Like it helps that she's begrudgingly beautiful, but she really has a knack for hair and make-up. Is that talent encouraged by the Duggars in any formal way like, you know, cosmetology school? Well…

When you look at the side-by-side of Jessa's 2006 versus her 2014 bios she goes from wanting to be a beautician to "sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and adopting lots of children." However, it also lists her occupation as "wife and family's barber." Like Jinger, Jim Bob and Michelle have decided to take Jessa's talents and utilize them as a free service for the rest of the family. Very uncool.

Joy-Anna gave up hope of being like pants-crazy Jinger.

Or maintaining the tomboy lifestyle she led when she was still a rowdy little kid (i.e. four minutes ago). After getting hitched to uber-strict Austin Forsyth, Joy-Anna firmly committed to dresses. "I said before that I don’t like dresses, but Austin likes them on me, and so I’m branching out and I’m wearing some dresses now," she revealed on an episode of Counting On. "I don’t really have fashion. I just kind of wear whatever Austin likes. Before, I just wore whatever was in the closet. I’m trying to improve that."

I hope she can hear the massive aggravated sigh I just gave while typing that.

There's the curious case of Joe Duggar and his one year of college.

Yes, you heard that correctly, Joe went to Crown Bible College in Tennessee or something for a full year. That's pretty insane since at best, Duggar kids take a college course online here or there. Anyway, not shocking that they announced he dropped out as quickly as they announced he was attending.

"Joseph just completed a year at Crown Bible College and is now back working with the Duggar family business doing construction," the fam wrote on Facebook. "He now plans to acquire his real estate license and his CDL license."

So f–king weird, because that pretty much sounds like what Daddy Duggar does for a living. Sigh.

It's unclear if Jana was ever allowed to have real hopes and dreams, but it's guaranteed that Jim Bob and Michelle made her give them up to raise the children.

Or, rather, they did what they always do with their daughters' talents: spin it toward the family. Jana can really redecorate a room? Let's have her fix the lighting in Jessa's house! Jana isn't half bad at painting and drawing? Go paint the nativity for our Christmas decorations! Jana possess a green thumb? Well, let's have her make a garden so the little kids can eat something besides Tater Tot Casserole.

And you know what, even if Jana's hopes and dreams simply are to get married and have children of her own, it seems like Jim Bob and Michelle have killed that too by keeping her as the nanny.

There is no winning when you're born into this life.

More from In Touch

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