Josiah Duggar is in an official courtship! Who's the lucky girl? It's Lauren Swanson, Josiah's "special friend" who accompanied the Duggars on their trip to Australia and New Zealand. Lauren is 18 and the oldest of eight, and her family has known the Duggars for years.
"I can definitely say I have found a great friend … even better than I could have hoped for or imagined," Josiah told PEOPLE. “I so appreciate Lauren’s Christlike character and tender heart toward others. She bring sunshine into the room and encourages everyone around her."
Watch Josiah and Lauren's relationship unfold on the new season of Counting On, which premieres February 26th.
Photo/video courtesy TLC
Congratulations Josiah and Lauren! Enjoy this sweet and special time to get to know each other. Excited!
ReplyDeleteHopefully they already know each other or they wouldn't be talking about marriage.
DeleteDid you know everything about your spouse before you started dating them? Probably not. Did you go into your relationship hoping for marriage? Hopefully. That's the point of a relationship. Getting to know each other on a deeper, more meaningful level heading toward marriage. There's truly no need for you to be so cynical and nasty.
DeleteThey're not engaged, 3:09. They're courting and getting to know each other better.
DeleteA Duggar courtship is a 99.9% done deal for marriage. It's only a matter of time til he buys the ring and proposes.
DeleteJosiah you and Lauren look so cute together,so happy for ya'll.
DeleteCongratulations!!
ReplyDeleteSo predictable, announcement just in time for the new season. Nothing different or unexpected happens in this family, just waiting on Jessas baby no 3 announcement.
ReplyDeleteAgree. Wish my life was so well scripted.
DeleteThen why do you watch or read about them???
DeleteWhy so negative
DeleteAnd nothing officially happens until People or TLC announces it! Who didn't see this coming? And you're right, Jessa should be announcing any day now, with the congratulatory videos to follow.
DeleteI wish the big owner would strike posts like yours. Negative and in poor spirit.
DeleteAnd no need to explain what a "courtship" is to us anymore...we know the definition now by heart!!!
DeleteGood luck with this girl, Josiah.
DeleteI predict engaged at easter, married in July pregnancy announcement by halloween.
DeleteCongrats Josiah on your courtship with Lauren. Time 2:08PM
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Josiah and Lauren on your courtship. Can't wait to see you both on Counting On. Bless you both...Jane
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to you both
DeleteGreat news! I'm glad Josiah was able to find the right person for him. I hope things continue to progress. She seems like a really sweet girl.
ReplyDeleteJosiah is certainly punching above his weight lol!
ReplyDeleteWhat's that supposed to mean
DeleteAbove comment is suggesting that Josiah is ugly and that Lauren is out of his league therefore he is not worthy of her. Tasteless, rude comment.
DeleteIts a term used (usually by guys to roast each other) when someone is romantically involved with someone more attractive than themselves, they will say 'hes punching above his weight. Lauren is very pretty!!
DeleteShe's significantly more attractive than he is, is what it means
DeleteGuy friends tease each other like this all the time. They are not calling each other ugly, more that their girlfriend is very attractive, its teasing thats all. Some people here need to lighten up, the Duggar boys (and I am sure their friends) tease each other a lot!
DeleteI agree. She's beautiful, but he has a great personality so I can see why she's attracted to him.
DeleteI guess that would depend on how you describe "attractive". They both have some pros and cons as far as looks, as do most people.
DeleteThanks, I've never heard the term but assumed it meant something along those lines.
DeleteSo it is true! Congrats to you both Josiah and Lauren! I'm happy if you both are and may God always be first!
ReplyDeleteI knew it!
ReplyDeleteDid anyone NOT see this coming? Poor Josiah, the Duggar male pattern baldness has struck early and hard.
ReplyDeleteYou are extremely rude!!!!
DeleteWell it doesn't seem to be affecting his love life, so who cares. Some people bald early, it really doesn't matter, some people are just shallow.
DeleteHow rude! If you could not just congratulate the happy couple why was it necessary to post anything? I don't think you would appreciate anyone being critical of your hairline.
Delete1:45 PM -- Sorry you feel compelled to make an unkind comment. I have found I'm more critical of others when I'm unhappy about my own life. Really hope you feel better soon.
DeleteI have to say you must be one very unhappy individual.I'm going to pray for you.We are all human and cant help genetics I know how hard it is for men to lose their hair its hard for them their self confidence and there's nothing they can do about it both my brothers and the love of my life lost their hair at a very early age so most likely so will all my sons and I hope when that time to come they find a woman that loves them for their character& personality not their hair
DeleteI like bald men.....
DeleteRude! Most men have some sort of balding! My husband is bald.
DeleteMy son started losing his hair in his early 20’s so he just shaved the remainder off. Women stop him on the street and comment on how handsome he is! Genetics is hard to avoid, but it doesn’t mean he’s ugly because of it. Our society is so obsessed with looks; very shallow.
DeleteCongratulations Josiah and Lauren! May the Lord bless you!
ReplyDeleteShe seems sweet! I'm excited to learn more about her. :)
ReplyDeleteThat's nice. Lauren's father is on the IBLP speaking circuit too. They have the same family background which is good for their relationship.
ReplyDeleteGood for their relationship, sure. Bad for everything else.
DeleteAnd they will pass those same views on to their children, as no doubt Derick is doing with his.
DeleteWhat a sweet girl! She will make such a pretty bride (assuming it will end up in marriage).She and Josiah seem well balanced for each other.
ReplyDeleteI miss Marjorie.
ReplyDeletesame
DeleteWhy.....that was years ago and only last a couple month. Do you know her personally?
DeleteShe is really bubbly and cute and great love for our Lord Jesus. They have their reasons as to why it wasn't meant to be for them. I'll bet they remained friends though.
DeleteLet's all be happy for Marjorie.
DeleteWow she seems der than 18 and what a beauty!
ReplyDeleteShe's definitely mature for her age. Her parents did well raising them. She reminds me of myself at that age.
DeleteYay!!! 👏👏👏Finally!!! So happy for you Josiah!!!
ReplyDeleteFinally? He's only 21 years old.
DeleteLol. I was thinking the same thing. Now if it were John David I could see them saying finally.
DeleteThis really is deja vu.
ReplyDeleteHow beautiful & exciting for Josiah & Lauren. Congratulations 💕💙💕 TG Australia 🇦🇺
ReplyDeleteExciting! Does anyone know how he makes his living? If he works in the family business, I'm curious if he has any other ambitions.
ReplyDeleteYeah, the Duggars are quite mysterious with their jobs. What do Joe and Josh do?
DeleteI'd like to know, too!
DeleteNoticed that Josiah is super loyal to the Duggar brand, just like Josh.
DeleteI'm not sure what jobs any of the Duggars have. Jeremy is the pastor of a church in Texas. The other adults in the family never mention any sort of employment so I'm not sure how they support themselves
DeleteReality TV. It’s pays a boatload.
DeleteJosh is selling cars again, and4:57 probably because his first courtship didn't work out
DeleteIf it is curiosity that makes you want to know great. However most just seem to complain about whatever job they do. So perhaps they stopped discussing it. I am sure they work within one of the family businesses. Nothing wrong with that. Family businesses are nothing new. Unless you are a Duggar, then the public thinks you must get out,and find more. More temptation, more independence, probably less financial stability, debt, and be just like the rest of the worldly public. I think it is great to see a family stay together and have strong enough bonds that they can work together as well.
DeleteExcuse me, 2:35, but my and my husband's jobs don't mean temptation, financial instability, or debt. They are the reasons we are NOT in debt and NOT financially insecure! Nor has "temptation" ever played a part in our professional lives. I don't enjoy being included in that group image you so broadly painted.
DeleteDo you watch the show? They take care of commercial properties and rental properties that they own. They buy and fix up cars and sell them. They flip houses.
DeleteYes, 11:33, I do watch the show, but I haven't seen Josiah at work or heard about him doing a particular job in a while. They haven't really focused on showing the guys' jobs in a long time. It's been about the weddings, outdoor adventures, etc. The last things I remember seeing on the show were helping Austin with their new house and showing Ben's rapper friend how to use their big equipment.
DeleteProbably an August wedding after the latest batch of babies arrive.
ReplyDeleteSeems fitting.
DeleteAnd then a December pregnancy.
DeleteThey are courting, so about three months, then the engagement will be about three months, so I totally agree that August will be the wedding date if things progress per usual.
DeleteWow the Duggars AND two royal weddings at Windsor Castle, lots of weddings for us tv viewers.
A wedding timed to hammer out a deal for another season with TLC. But they'll show the wedding first, at the end of one season, then spend most of the next season showing the parties and planning leading up to the wedding. TLC, you have become too predictable.
DeleteHis courtship with Marjorie lasted 4 months, so I assume this one will be longer to make sure everything works out. Unless they rush it for the same reason😬
DeleteTwo royal weddings? I must have missed something.
DeleteI hope they've known each other long enough. From the body language, they kind of seem like strangers. He strikes me as someone who would jump into a relationship too quickly. I never cared for Marjorie, his last girlfriend, but Lauren seems genuine.
ReplyDeleteI don't see how she was around long enough for you to form a dislike towards her? I thought she seemed sweet.
DeleteThey are strangers.
Deleteit does seem very scripted and uncomfortable for sure. They seem like just friends here.
DeleteIt says in one of the two blog posts about them, that they've known each others families a long time. And knowing the Duggar's, I'm sure none of them would court a stranger! They just have certain rules during courtship that they themself set.
DeleteThey might just be focusing really hard on not touching or bumping into each other, so they come off as more rigid
DeleteI find it strange that she had no idea he was interested in courting her, especially since they are suppose to be "friends". Surely, they would have at least spent time together as "friends" before he took that step, even if they had been chaperoned. He would have had to discuss it with her parents and his parents, especially given their extreme youth.
DeleteI wonder if the Duggars know the difference between friends and acquaintances.
The couple does not set the courtship rules; they just follow the rules and accept the rules set by the parents.
Hope it was a surprise "proposal" and not a surprise courtship.
DeleteI think it's peculiar how the courtship rules always seem to be the same, even though each couple supposedly sets them for themselves.
DeleteAnon 3:28, your last sentence is incorrect. The parents do not set a couple's courtship rules,each individual couple sets their own you must be new because this is known to long time Duggar fans.😊
DeleteI wish them the best, but I shiver at the fact that so many 18 year old girls seriously think about marriage. It's beautiful to cultivate relationships, but in this day and age at 18 you're still a child (with the right to vote), you still have so much to grow!
ReplyDeleteThe children in these types of families seem to mature faster than your average 18 year old.
DeleteMarriage doesn’t stop you from making other life choices; education, travel, etc. We seek a mate for biological reasons and purity is easier when the choice to marry young....each to their own!
DeleteThat's a strange thing to say about "shiver"ing. My family is not religious but yet many of my cousins met their future spouses in high school and knew by graduation that they were getting married. They all have several children and have been happily married for 10-20 years. Now, me, I was single til my 30s as I did not meet the right man til then. So there is no "right" age. 18 or 38 or whatever. People like you probably judge me, too, for not being married til I was "old". Also, you are only "a child" "in this day and age" if your parents molly-coddled you. No one in my family was raised like that but I do totally agree with you that most people infantilise their children and it does take them til 30 yrs old just to be where lots of others are at maturity-wise by 20 yrs old.
DeleteI feel the same way. However, these girls seem to expect to get married at a very young age and have babies immediately so for them it is "normal".
DeleteI'm so tired of people saying 18 year olds are children. They are not. Parents and society are stunting the development and growth of our youth.
DeleteIt's not a matter of "infantilising" your children: of course at 18 you should have some judgement and some life skills, but you still have so much to grow mentally and experience. AT 18 you just enter adulthood, but adulthood is a path, not a result that 18 is already perfect.
DeleteGet an education (in whichever field you like!), get a job...
Some say that getting married doesn't prevent people from having other experiences afterwards (education, traveling), but we all know that all of these girls are going to have a baby within the first year of marriage. I love babies, I'm not saying that we should all have the same path in life, but for me marrying at 18 means you go from being a child in your parents' home directly to being a wife and a mother for the following 60/70 years of your life.
If just one girl in the Duggar's circle got married at 18, without going on to college or to get a job first, it would be one thing. But they are ALL doing that, so it only stands to reason that marriage is the aim, not anything else.
DeleteI understand the stigma many people have about marrying young...but as one who got married at 18, went through postcsecondary education alongside my husband, and now have a beautiful family of boys...it can be done quite happily. We praise God for our 11 years of marriage, and look forward to many more ahead!
DeleteIn years past, it was normal for people to marry at that age. I think the primary reason people don’t typically marry that early now is because they’re too immature, AND many people seem to think that there’s no problem with the typical dating scene. (Treating dating like trying on shoes in a shoe store: try a few, ditch them, then eventually settle down to one after you can’t find anything else).
DeleteNot to mention, unfortunately, today's society encourages young adults to get the “college experience” whether or not they actually graduate, or it encourages studying for useless degrees. Then you have young adults who hop from major to major… According to one study, 50-70% of college students change their major at least once. While I most certainly don’t have a problem with going to college (I support it completely) and I don’t have an issue with changing a major, I do have a problem with students who waste years of their time trying to get useless degrees, jumping from major to major, and “living it up” at college while they rack up student loans and mooch off of their parents.
Wouldn’t you rather see young adults marrying and working hard rather than going to college to rack up debt and living recklessly? Eighteen is NOT a child, and part of the problem with society is people who still treat 18 year olds like they’re an overgrown child, letting them have all the privileges of adulthood without the responsibilities, when they’re fully capable of working hard, making meaningful decisions, and being a useful member of society.
They're definitely old enough to marry, if they're old enough to enlist in the armed services.
DeleteOk, then I'll say that 18 year olds are freshmen in college, not children. Except for the Duggars and their friends, where 18 year olds are brides and mothers-to-be.
DeleteYou bring up a good question 5:43. Why haven't any of the Duggars ever enlisted? They are pro-country and pro-freedom, but they wouldn't sacrifice for it or serve for it?
DeleteI don't know anyone who went to college or had their kids go to college for a "useless" degree while they "lived it up." It would be best if most or all 18 year olds went to college or got some sort of higher education or training past high school. The world is going to need that generation of doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, lawyers, etc. I don't know where those will come from if nobody is willing to apply themselves and go to college, even if it means a debt later.
Delete4:47, I agree that we need those who are willing to get those type of degrees such as doctors, nurses, engineers, teachers, and lawyers. And I would be thrilled if a Duggar decided to do something like that.
DeleteThough you don't know anyone who went to college who came out with a useless degree or lived it up at college, I personally know probably twenty or so of my own classmates (in college) who have spent close to ten years getting a associates degree because they were too busy goofing around. And then you have degrees like "Bowling Industry and Management" and puppetry and a thousand other degrees that while they may be "fun," are so much less likely to pay well enough to actually support themselves or a family.
My point was, though of course, it would be wonderful if they went and got a college degree, I'd rather see them do what they're doing: marry and support a family at a young age, than what many other young people do at their age: either goof around at college at a frat house, or get a degree that may look good on paper but serves no purpose other than as decoration on their wall or an extra line on their resume.
So happy for them! They certainly make a nice looking couple. I hope that this leads to marriage for them, and many happy years together with many little ones!
ReplyDeleteAnd if they are infertile, hoping them to have many little ones is unkind. How about wishing the COUPLE good luck and well wishing on their relationship?
DeleteHow unfortunate, the world is so PC now...
Delete@5:30. There is no such thing as luck. You could wish them many blessing though (as I am).
Delete5:30 -- You wish them what you want. We'll wish them what we want. I wish them God's richest blessings.
DeleteCongratulations to the couple. She seems very nice. Hopefully, the media will move on to the future and stop reminding everyone about Marjorie. Things happen for a reason. Hoping this will be a better match for Josiah.
ReplyDeleteI know why do they feel the need to bring up Marjorie? That is old news.
DeleteI am so thrilled for Josiah he has always been one of my favourite Duggers along with Jinger, & I could not be more pleased for him. They actually look like they are well suited & actual have strong feelings for each other, something that did not come across with Marjorie when they were courting. Good luck to this lovely young couple Lauren is a beautiful girl & I truly hope it all works out for them.
ReplyDeleteI am so thrilled for Josiah, he has always been one of my favourite Duggars along with Jinger & I could not be happier for him. Josiah & Lauren look well suited & actually look like they care for one another a great deal already which is something which didn't come across with Marjorie, so perhaps Lauren is "the one". I really hope so as modish deserves happiness, he seems such a kind & gentle young man & reminds me of my own son in in many ways (not least that they are both 21). Good luck to this lovely young couple Lauren is beautiful & comes across very mature for 18.
ReplyDeleteSo happy for them
ReplyDeleteSo happy for them
ReplyDeleteI fail to see the value in formally announcing these courtships. They admit they're just getting to know each other. So, it's just another form of dating with lots of rules. Why put pressure on themselves to carry the ball to the altar when things might not work out? It saves having to explain anything.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't an engagement after all. Regardless, I hope they'll be very happy. I also hope the young lady obtains some practical job skills or education and is able to experience some independence before settling down with a husband. Sure, marrying young is not necessarily a recipe for disaster. However, a woman does herself a huge favor if she isn't 100% depending on a man to support her for the rest of her life. Stuff happens.
Very well put. Here here!
DeleteIt is clear your wise words come from life experience and not just a desire to be heard through criticism.
I agree! Announcing an engagement would make sense, why just a courtship?
DeleteAgreed, 5:19! I think it is healthy dialogue to suggest the importance and opportunities in life that education and/or marketable job skills can offer for a lifetime. Hopefully, the readers of this blog understand that most of them do not (and probably will not) have the same earning potential as a family of reality stars. While I appreciate the Duggar’s ministry and testimony as Christ-followers, I will continue to encourage my daughters to complete their educational pursuits before marriage and becoming mothers.
DeleteWell, when your family receives media coverage, it's probably better to acknowledge it with your own messaging and not just let the gossip columns drive the conversation. To us normal folks, it seems weird, but I think given their position (and the importance of the courtship process), they might as well do it on their terms.
DeleteI definitely agree that women need their own skills and education. My great aunt had 5 children by age 25 yrs old and her husband was killed in a car crash on the way home from work. She had to work (yes family helped but they were not super wealthy that she could just sit at home). It was nice for her emotionally that she met a man in her late 30s who was widowed and he was good to her by-then teenagers and they have been married for >50 yrs now. But she had to develop skills and knowledge to get through those 15 yrs alone.
DeleteThey all rush into marriage very, very quickly. In public, they are always putting on a good front. We all know things in marriage aren't always wonderful which makes them seem as though they aren't being real and want to project an image.
Delete6:50. My husband and I have been married over 25 years. We have had people accuse us of putting on a front (projecting an image), but they find out after a while that we are still so much in love. We aren’t acting. Some people make the choice everyday to love their spouse, be kind to them, take kindly about them, and be affectionate. Just because so many couples seem to be miserable, doesn’t mean that everyone is.
Delete@6:50. Why are you assuming that many couples are miserable. I know many happy marriages of +30 years. They all married in their mid to late 20s and early 30s. I cannot say the same for those I know who married young and had children. Those I know did not make it past +20 years
DeleteI am thrilled for Josiah, he has always been one of my favourite Duggars along with Jinger. Josiah & Lauren are a lovely young couple & the look truly happy & already seem to care for one another very much which is something which did not come across when josiah was courting Marjorie. Perhaps Lauren is "the one" & I could not be happier for this lovely young man who always seems so kind & gentle. Modish has always reminded me of my own son who is the same age & has also recently found his first love. Good luck to this young couple on the next stage of their journey together & wherever it may lead them.
ReplyDeleteThey don't seem to care that much specifically for each other, though. I had that impression for Jinger and Jeremy, for example: you could see that they deeply loved each other. For some of the other couples it just seems that the guy is looking for a good girl with a good heart and the girl is looking for a good guy who would make a good husband.
DeleteI mean... There's thousands of good guys on earth, but that doesn't mean that I could equally marry whatever one of them.
I'll bet we could go back to the Marjorie announcement and find all sorts of congratulatory comments that also claimed they look happy and right for each other.
DeleteActually not surprised. It was announced at the conference in Australia.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it was announced there, only made publicly visible. Had to get TLC involved for the filming, before or after that trip.
DeleteReally ? They announced the courtship ?
DeleteThey may have actually started courting before Australia. The announcement was made from Arkansas. The picture of the couple with their parents is in the Duggar home. Yet they are still in NZ, at least until Jan 26.
DeleteCongratuation
ReplyDeleteOh that's so sweet! I'm happy for them and they make a cute couple too!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Josiah and Lauren!
ReplyDeleteCongrats if they are like other couples three month courtship three month engagement then weding by early fall
ReplyDeleteJosiah's first courtship lasted 4 months, so we'll see
DeleteThen baby announcement by Christmas.
Delete11:52, they could wait like Jinger and Jeremy
DeleteJosiah seems to be a great guy - I wish the couple all the best in life - Get to know each other - hopefully true love will follow.
ReplyDeleteThis is a wonderful time in their lives.
I am SO happy for Josiah! And Lauren is beautiful!
ReplyDeleteIt seems disrespectful of the lady's options, for a man to ask for her to enter a courtship relationship as described here. Why is he putting her on the spot? It is a question for her (and her parents) to begin a serious 'friendship', is that not only for a couple to discuss in private? This kind of thing makes me wonder. She said yes so I guess that is the interesting/exciting part.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I feel the same way about proposals. A decision to share your lives together should never be a surprise to one party, instigated by the other.
DeleteIt's not a decision for her parents, it's between Josiah and Lauren. And Lauren could say no if she didn't want to court him.
Delete10:12 You talk about getting married before you actually get engaged. It's not like the guy just wakes up one morning like hmmm I feel like proposing today
DeleteActually, one guy woke up one morning and said, "Hmmm, what about Joy?"
DeleteI would think she'd wish to consider her parents opinion at least. More than a bunch of his excited siblings. Josiah said Lauren was a tender hearted girl, so maybe saying no to him in front of a group would be hard for her. The situation should not be persuasive.
DeleteUnless he's Austin- Then he wakes up one morning, plants his feet on the floor and says,"Why not Joy?". ;)
DeleteShe seems like one day she'll say I was so young then and all I was raised to was to enter a courtship.
ReplyDeleteIt is always interesting to see the people the Duggars end up pairing with. There is always the expected sequence of life events but when it happens and how each person reacts to them is fun to watch.
ReplyDeleteLauren is adorable and seems quite genuine! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteYAY, Congratulations!!
ReplyDeleteDo they ever court or marry someone outside of the people that Jim Bob associates with?
ReplyDeleteJill snd Jinger's husbands weren't from their typical background.
DeleteJeremy.
DeleteJeremy and Jinger
DeleteAnother question is why do they always go with the first person, except Josiah?
DeleteI'd love to see one of those kids try. There are plenty more good people in the world than who Jim Bob knows.
DeleteDerick was a prayer partner with Jim Bob first. Jeremy was associated with Ben who was Jim Bob's son-in-law already. So it's still all JB's approved circle. These husbands are not coming from an online dating site or out of thin air!
Delete6:47, maybe because their relationships worked out?
DeleteWhat is it with the long hair? Who decreed that all girls in this religious group have long hair?
ReplyDeleteIt's probably deemed "more feminine".
DeleteI guess they're very uncomfortable, though. To keep your hygiene you have to wash your hair at least twice a week and honestly I wonder how long it takes to wash such a mane... Think of all the useful things you could do in that time!
A lot of people think long hair is more feminine. I switch back and forth from long and short hair, and while short hair is easier to fix, I normally miss my long hair😂😂
DeleteIt is biblical: 1 Corinthians 11:15 But if a woman have long hair, it is a glory to her: for her hair is given her for a covering.
DeleteMy hair is very long. I believe in the Word of God. So do they.
Hooooo boy, let's not even go there.......
DeleteThey all have beautiful hair, so what does it matter why?
DeleteMichelle has said a while back on 19 kids and counting, that Jim Bob likes her long hair and so one of the Duggar daughters said that too in a past 19 kids episode. So with that, the Duggar boys just may be attracted to someone who reminds them of their mother. Same goes for the Duggar daughters, in looking for a future hubby that reminds them of their dad.
DeleteHave the Duggars explained in their books why they all have long hair?
DeleteIt is godly to have long hair. That's why the girls have long hair.
DeleteSo anyone with short hair is ungodly???
DeleteAm I hearing that right? He crashed a girls' night out to ask her to court?
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness isn’t she lovely!!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations Josiah! Praying for you and Lauren.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful young lady! Congratulations! God bless
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely lovely couple, best wishes to both of you.
ReplyDeleteDid they start the courtship in Australia/New Zealand or wait until they returned? If the girls were there (including married ones), it sounds like Josiah must have waited until he returned since the married siblings remained in the US.
ReplyDeleteThey were already courting before they left for the trip.
DeleteActually, with the notice today, it seems that they are still in NZ and going to speak on Jan 26. That means that the courtship probably started before they left, because if Josiah interrupted a girls night out, the married daughters would have likely attended. And they did not go to NZ. He likely would not have interrupted a little sisters meeting to ask Lauren to enter a courtship.
DeleteCongratulations Lauren and Josiah. I will enjoy watching your relationship bloom on Counting On. I love the Dugger family and know what a great man Josiah is,I know also you must be a very good match may God bless your relationship
ReplyDeleteCongrats and God bless you both!! I am sad not to see your courtship and eventual wedding but I refuse to watch a network, TLC, that discriminates against Christians. Also you better watch saying "Christlike" in public - when one of the Duggars talks of the Lord or anything in His word TLC pulls that Duggar out of the show. TLC did this with Derrick - and in their statement on the subject TLC states how much they support the LGBT community at the same time they are discriminating against Christians. Guess TLC only cares about certain groups and Christians are not in the groups they support.
ReplyDeleteYou can watch the episodes on youtube, someone always uploads them there but after a few days :)
DeleteDerick has stated that it was his decision to walk away from the show. So the discrimination claim is not valid.
DeleteDerick said it was his decision to quit TLC, and that he was not fired. That is not discrimination.
DeleteThere is nothing wrong with TLC (mutually) deciding not to associate with people who disparage their employees. Religion played no part in that.
DeleteDerrick stated he quit the show. Hardly discrimination. Too bad your false perceptions prevent you from watching TLC.
DeleteCongratulations, Lauren & Josiah! May God bless!
ReplyDeleteShe seems sweet! So happy for Josiah!
ReplyDeleteJosiah crashed the girls' night out so Lauren was put on the spot? Then they filmed the "we are courting" clip for TLC? Don't these people value their privacy at all?
ReplyDeleteShe's very pretty. Although I would never allow my 18 year old high schooler to date an almost 22 year old man. NEVER. Wildly inappropriate and these older Duggar boys dating these younger girls before they are a bit older send the wrong impression.
ReplyDelete18 I still a legal adult, and Lauren seems to be very mature for her age. Just because your daughter isn't mature enough to date at 18 does not mean that no 18 year old girl is.
DeleteIsn't it odd how ALL these 18 year old girls are mature, when others that age aren't?
DeleteFour years apart is nothing. Besides they don’t date. They always have chaperones with them, so what is the problem with that? He isn’t courting a child. She is an adult who has parental permission. I don’t know how that could give off the wrong impression.
Delete1:08, it's the difference in how they're raised.
DeleteWhat I find "odd" is someone feeling that they have the right to control their 18-year old's life. They are an adult, it is their choice who they court or date. How wonderful to do it with your parents' blessing, but at the end of the day...once they are 18, it's not your call.
Delete11:57 you must be kidding. No good parent gives up guiding a child once midnight strikes on their 18th birthday.
Delete11:57... you are very misguided. Regardless of age a parents blessing on a potential marriage is absolutely key.. now that’s not to say all children will listen to parental advice but it is imperative that a parents perspective is given and a blessing bestowed
DeleteAm I the only one who can't get these TLC videos to play? It's so frustrating when it freezes... Congratulations though.
ReplyDeleteMy video will play for a few seconds, the picture will freeze but they keep talking...Jane
DeleteTo 10:27, no, you are not the only one, and yes, it is frustrating.
DeletePull the time bar at the bottom ahead a little to get it over that frozen hump. The videos usually resume then.
DeleteThey are so cute together. Both have such sweet smiles. Praying for God's will to be done in your lives. God Bless!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Two both of you. Praying you both have a wonderful life and that God's will will be done for you. Jessa should be announcing Baby number 3 before to long.
ReplyDeleteUnless she and Ben have decided to hold off having a bio baby for now so they can start the adoption process.
DeleteJosiah and Lauren Congratulations! I cannot wait to watch the courtship on TV you"re a great couple. Lauren is a beautiful girl. I cannot wait until the engagement. Natasha B.
ReplyDelete