Jim Bob Duggar Is Going To Teach A Seminar On Parenting Grandchildren, Is He Coming To A City Near You?
Jim Bob Duggar will be teaching a seminar on parenting grandchildren, raising the question of whether he’s the right man to be teaching other people about good parenting.
As the Hollywood Gossip reports, the Duggar family patriarch will be the keynote speaker at the Heart of Grandparenting Conference in Springdale, Arkansas, on September 16. Springdale, as you know, is where the Duggar family is based.
“If you’re a grandparent in Arkansas, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, or Texas, you won’t want to miss this special event on September 16th: The Heart of Grandparenting Conference in our hometown, Springdale, Arkansas.”
It goes without saying that the conference is open to anyone, regardless of where they are geographically. But Arkansas, Missouri, and the other states mentioned in the ad are all within a few hours’ drive of Springdale.
Poor Timing?
Hollywood Gossip writer Simon Delott has a lot of problems with the idea of Mr. Duggar teaching any other people about anything, but he’s also concerned about the conference’s decision to include Texas in the list of states to which conference organizers reached out.
“Surely the people of Texas have better things to be doing than learning how to grandparent.”
Most likely, Delott is referring to the fact that much of Texas is still reeling from the aftereffects of Hurricane Harvey.
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10156544809078154&set=p.10156544809078154&type=3&theater
Jim Bob’s Lack of Moral Authority?
The larger problem, as Delott sees it, is that Jim Bob Duggar is simply not the right man to be in a position to teach others how to live their lives.
As Delott points out, even though the Duggars are expressly and devoutly evangelical Christians, much of the criticism directed at the family comes from fellow Christians. There’s their rather “unique” approach to family planning and the role of women, of course. But beyond that, there’s the Duggar patriarch’s history of failing to do the right thing when necessary.
Specifically, there’s the matter that when son Josh Duggar was a teenager, he molested young girls, including some of his sisters. Rather than cooperate with authorities, Duggar conspired to cover up the allegations and keep his oldest son out of trouble with the law.
Josh Duggar: Locked In Court Battle With His Own Sisters?! https://t.co/5uByHQk4fI pic.twitter.com/FtRLqUVNrh
— Thisiss News (@Thisiss_News) September 8, 2017
How Hard Is Grandparenting, Really?
Finally, Delott takes issue with the necessity of a grandparenting seminar in the first place. After all, unless a grandparent has been put into the position of being a primary caregiver to a child, there really isn’t much to it. Shower the grandkids with love and affection, then give them back to their parents when you’re tired of them. That’s pretty much it.
“Being a grandparent is usually a no-brainer compared to parenting.”
Are you planning on attending Jim Bob Duggar’s grandparenting conference? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
[Featured Image by Jacquelyn Martin/AP Images]
