The Duggar Courting Process: Ben Seewald Says Jim Bob And ‘Duggar Money’ Were Key To Jessa’s Heart

The Duggar family’s “courting” process has been highly publicized on the former reality television series 19 Kids and Counting.

From side hugs to chaperons, the Duggar children are known for their conservative approach to finding their significant other. The most recently wed Duggar, Jessa Seewald, had her entire courtship aired on the TLC program for all to see. From courting to marriage, the pair shared the Duggar approach to finding love. However, what wasn’t shown on television was the process leading up to the pair’s courtship. Ben Seewald has shed some light on that process in a blog post that outlines exactly what he went through to enter courtship with Jessa Duggar.

On the Seewald family blog, Ben discusses his first awkward encounter with Jessa and the process of earning Jim Bob’s approval to court the Duggar daughter. Ben notes that his first encounter with the Duggar family, and Jessa, was while he was on a mini-vacation to northwest Arkansas with his family. The Seewald family attended the Duggar family’s church while in the area and were invited to a conference by the Duggar clan. Ben notes that he approached Jessa as she was using her phone and asked, “Is that an iPhone?” Jessa replied, “Yeah, but it is a really old one.” And with that, love was born, and Ben was smitten with Jessa and knew he had to get to know her better. However, knowing the Duggars courting process, Ben knew he couldn’t immediately make a run for his lover’s heart. Instead, Ben had to first win over Duggar patriarch Jim Bob. Therefore, Ben made it his mission to ensure his family went to that conference.

“We gotta go to that conference. I’ll even pay for our gas money if I have to.”

Ben says initially, his mother wasn’t too keen on going to the conference, as Ben’s father would be unable to attend, and she was worried about traveling by herself with all the children. However, the Duggar daughters immediately provided a solution by offering to help babysit, and Ben got his way.

At the conference, Ben says he smoothly befriended Jessa’s two brothers, Josiah and Joseph, and got Jim Bob Duggar’s phone number, which he says was vitally important for his quest to earning Jessa’s hand in marriage. Ben says he had an awkward first personal encounter with Jim Bob when he experienced a leg cramp while playing sports. He says he was in so much pain he couldn’t have a proper conversation with the Duggar dad and instead chirped, “Hi! I’m cramping,” before pedaling his bike to his campground for relief. After the cramps subsided, Ben says he went back to Jim Bob and properly introduced himself and spoke with his future father-in-law for 15 minutes.

After getting to know the Duggars, Ben knew he wanted to spend as much time with Jessa as possible, so he worked at a local country club to earn what his friends called “Duggar money.” The money was used to pay for trips to Northwest Arkansas in a bid to earn the trust of the family and ultimately Jessa’s heart.

A short time after his conversation with Jim Bob, Ben requested Jessa’s phone number so that the two could text one another, in group text form with parents included, of course. The rest is history. After just 11 months of courtship, the pair were engaged, and are now expecting their first child together in November.

What do you think of the Duggar family’s courtship process?

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