While her husband continues to expose Jim Bob Duggar as a control freak and a grifter, Jill Duggar remains a stay-at-home mom.
Now, Jill is clapping back at a concerned fan who wants her to have a real life beyond her high-strung kids.
"Got kiddos down for naps … whew!” Jill writes in an update on Instagram.
She shares: “Now taking a breather and starting my Bible study/[devotional] time with some of my fave candy."
"To any fellow mamas out there who are dealing with the crazy before naps … I hear ya!" Jill announces.
Well, try being a child who's forced to stay in bed for what feels like an eternity and you'll understand why they hate it.
"Like my friend @sierrajodominguez says, ‘Choose joy, speak life & keep marching,'" Jill quotes.
"Which, [by the way], I didn’t do all of … LOL," she laughs.
Jill then admits. “I think there may have been some yelling and lectures mixed in there too this mornin’. LOL"
Yelling? Jill is 28 and supposed to be the grownup in the situation. Of course, she didn't exactly have healthy parenting role models.
"Jesus, Jill put Izzy in school, Sam in daycare and go back to school or work," demands a commenter.
"Your story is beyond heartbreaking," the follower writes.
"It’s OK not to be a stay at home mom," the fan affirms, "it’s OK not to like it."
The comment continues: "but it’s not OK to be constantly overwhelmed and sad."
"You need to be happy too and if that’s outside the home, that’s OK!" the commenter encourages.
The follower points out: "You raised your parent’s kids for enough years at home."
"You deserve to focus on yourself now," the kind-hearted but possibly overstepping comment concludes.
All of that is true, but it's clear that Jill did not welcome the advice, no matter the commenter's intentions.
“Thanks for being concerned," Jill writes.
"I do love my current job at home with the boys [though]," she claims.
Jill continues: "And totally get that there will be some crazy times for everyone."
She writes that this is true "no matter if you work at home or outside of home."
"We do [reevaluate] goals regularly," Jill notes, before quoting scripture.
"But we also understand that to everything there is a season," she notes, making the biblical reference.
"And right now although at times it’s stressful, I’m actually quite content with where I’m at,” Jill insists.
She concludes: “Also, keep in mind that social media doesn’t show someone’s entire life."
Jill is absolutely right -- social media does not show the whole story of someone's life any more than a reality show does.
And it's okay for people, even public figures, to set boundaries about what advice they are and are not willing to hear.
Some people occassionally have the misconception that there's one path to personal liberation.
A diehard feminist can be a stay-at-home mom. A determined anti-feminist who loves living in a patriarchal world could be a working, childless woman.
But there's one thing about which that commenter was absolutely right.
At 4 years old, Israel should be attending preschool, learning about peer interaction and what it's like to interact with children who aren't family.
Parents can of course teach their children many things, but that doesn't mean that they're as qualified as actual teachers.
And even if they were, their children need to learn to socialize with their peers, not just with handpicked other children.
Jill was done a great disservice when her abusive parents subjected her to homeschooling. She should do better by her own children.
