What ‘Counting On’ Star Joy-Anna Duggar Is Most Looking Forward To About Motherhood Won’t Happen For Years
Joy-Anna Duggar can’t wait to teach her son about Jesus. During a recent interview with Us Weekly, the Counting On star shared a few of her thoughts about motherhood. She also talked about why she and her husband Austin Forsyth chose to name their firstborn after a “man of power.” Based on what she had to say, she’s going to love teaching little Gideon Martyn Forsyth about his namesake.
A lot of moms with older children reminisce about the days when their sons and daughters were clad in diapers and completely dependent on them. However, Joy-Anna Duggar thinks that the years of motherhood that she’ll most enjoy are still to come. She and Austin Forsyth just welcomed their baby boy on February 23, but the parents are already looking forward to the day that the infant is old enough to learn about Jesus.
“Our desire and thing we’re most looking forward to is the day our son understands the gospel,” Joy-Anna said.
So when will this be, exactly? According to Newsweek, children begin to grasp the concept of omniscience around age four. This is also when they begin to understand what prayer is. Wendy Thomas Russell, author of the book Relax, It’s Just God: How and Why to Talk to Your Kids About Religion When You’re Not Religious, says that children between the ages of four and six “are ready to start exploring ideas of spirituality.” During an interview with PBS NewsHour, she explained that this is when kids begin to welcome “supernatural ideas.” They also become curious about why the world around them is the way it is and turn to their parents for answers.
When Gideon is old enough to learn about Jesus, his parents will also likely teach him about the Old Testament character that he’s named after. As reported by Patheos, Gideon was a military leader who tested God multiple times before he agreed to lead a small army of Israelites against the Midianites. Joy-Anna Duggar has admitted that she’s had her doubts about her family’s faith, so perhaps it’s fitting that she named her son after a man who questioned God. However, she revealed that it’s Gideon’s God-given military might that she and Austin really admire.
“Austin and I wanted a strong name for our son and when he was born we decided on Gideon because it is a Biblical name,” Joy-Anna said. “He was a man of power and one that was willing to serve the Lord even when the odds were against him.”
Even though Joy-Anna Duggar stated that her happiest moment as a mom will be when her son learns who Jesus is, she’ll always cherish the memory of his birth. She said that she cried when she held Gideon for the first time, and her heart has been forever changed by his existence.
“Holding him for the first time was incredible,” Joy-Anna said. “My mom had always talked about the love that God gives you for your own children, but really, it’s amazing, the love that I have for him.”
