Recap: "Duggars' Guide to Love" and "Digging In with the Duggars"

19 Kids and Counting "Duggars' Guide to Love"

• The Duggars discuss "rules of engagement" for courtship.
• What is courtship? Jason's definition of courting is "dating with a purpose." The focus of courtship is to get to know the person and his or her family with marriage in mind.
• "Not all courtships end in marriage, and that's okay," says Jinger.
• "Don't be afraid to get involved in your kids' relationships," Jim Bob tells parents. For the first half of their courtship, Jessa and Ben's texts were group texts with Jim Bob and Michelle.
• Jim Bob and Michelle admit that they kissed before marriage, so they encourage their kids to learn from their mistakes and save their first kiss. But they want their children to set their own courtship standards.
• Jim Bob and Michelle encourage their kids to take a chaperone along on all their dates so they have someone to keep them accountable and ensure that they stick to their courtship standards.
• Anna says it's not about having the same guidelines as one's siblings. Rather, the goal should be to maintain a pure heart before God.
• Even the youngest Duggar kids know their family's guidelines for relationships. "A chaperone is one that watches like [an] engagement or courting person," says Jordyn. "But they don't watch a married person."
• The married Duggars (Josh, Jill, and Jessa) all had three-month engagements. They chose to save their physical relationship for marriage, and a shorter engagement helped cut down on the temptations. Joy shares her perspective: "Once you say yes, I mean, why wait forever? I just say get it done."
• The Duggars also make sure they are ready to be parents before they commit to marriage. Jill and Derick found out they were expecting only four weeks after their wedding. Jessa and Ben got pregnant about three months after they tied the knot. Josh and Anna received a positive pregnancy test four months after their wedding.

19 Kids and Counting "Digging In With the Duggars"

• Erica Hill, a journalist for NBC, chats with the Duggars about their milestone year. Everyone is there but Joseph, who is away at school, John-David, who is working, and Derick, who is recovering from dental surgery.
• Why is modesty so important for the Duggars? Michelle says that as a teenager, she did not understand how her revealing clothing was affecting the men around here. "What's she's saying is, she used to mow her yard in her bikini," says Jim Bob, laughing. Michelle smiles.
• Erica shows the family a combination of clips that illustrate their overuse of the words "special," sweet," "amazing," and "hey, hey," as well as Jim Bob's overuse of the phrases "I'll tell you what" and "hey, hey, hey."
• "Hey, hey is a greeting," says Jessa. "Hey, hey, hey is something else." The whole family laughs.
• The Duggars also discuss jurisdictions (chores). Josie is currently in charge of gathering the laundry, and according to Jinger, she likes to smell it to determine whether it is dirty or clean.
• Michelle talks about the eating disorder she struggled with as a teenager. She brought it to light in her daughters' book, Growing Up Duggar, in hopes that it would help others going through the same thing.
• Jim Bob and Michelle discuss Josie's premature birth and the seizures she has had since then. "I'm all better now," says Josie. Doctors expect that Josie will outgrow her seizures, which occur when she spikes a fever, by the time she is ten. Josie performs "Amazing Grace" and reveals her incredible singing voice.
• Josh and Anna plan to give baby #4 an "M" name.
• Jessa and Ben are still pursuing adoption and are scheduled to attend a class for perspective adoptive parents.
• Jill and Derick are adjusting well to being parents. Derick blesses his wife by changing all the nighttime diapers. Jill says that many people have commented on how Israel looks like "a mini Jim Bob." The Duggar dad's response to that is: "What a beautiful baby!"
• Do the kids ever get jealous of one another? Jessa says yes, especially when it comes to music. But Jim Bob and Michelle encourage their kids to ask God to help them be content with who they are and to look for their own strengths.
• Marjorie, Josiah's girlfriend, joins the family on the set and shares her first impression of her boyfriend: "He was a jokester."
• A few months ago, Josiah asked Marjorie's parents for permission to get to know Marjorie better. Their courtship became official on April 6th. Joy says Marjorie fits in well with the Duggar family.
• What is next for the Duggar family? Jim Bob and Michelle are still hoping to have more kids. Josh predicts another courtship, but Jana and Jinger say they have no news to share.