Duggar critics' 'hearts break' for Josie, 13, after watching 'sad' clip of rarely

May 29, 2023

FERVENT followers of the Duggar family have voiced their distress after a throwback video resurfaced.

The documentary Shiny Happy People: Duggar Family Secrets was released last week, and its content has shocked viewers.

In one clip from the show based on the Counting On family and their church, Michelle Duggar, 56, spoke at an Institute in Basic Life Principles conference about parenting.

Talking about a clip she was about to show, the TLC star explained: "It is so sweet, it goes into all areas of their life."

The clip that followed showed Josie Duggar, now 13, as a toddler.

The young girl wore a pink striped dress and stood in front of a toilet in a small bathroom.

Michelle's voice encouraged from behind the camera: "Say it again!"

Josie raised her hands, clapped them together strongly, and recited: "Instant obedience to initial prompting of God's spirit," while shaking her finger at the camera and raising her hands to clap them again.

Blogger Katie Joy (@withoutacrystalball) posted a full clip from Michelle's talk at the conference, and many critics of the Duggar family weighed in with their opinions on the incredibly strict parenting.

One person lamented: "This is so sad. I saw this and my heart breaks for those kids. This is child abuse. Why did TLC keep quiet? They were filming at their home for years. No one spoke out."

"Sweet Josie. Breaks my heart," wrote a second.

A third commenter agreed: "Watching this was devastating to me."

Another critic stated: "This is just so disturbing, and in retrospect I’m shocked this family was allowed on TV."

A final person added: "When I saw this on the documentary it made me feel sick. Children are NOT robots or slaves to submit and obey every command. I'll never understand how a person believes just because they created a child they can treat them this way..."

Michelle and patriarch Jim Bob, 57, have also spoken up in support of blanket training, in which obedience is taught by making a child sit on a blanket to do a certain activity, or for a certain amount of time.

If the child moves from the blanket, parents should correct the child. It is reported that some parents using blanket training might even hit the child with objects such as flexible rulers or rods.

Amy Duggar, 36 - who appeared in the documentary alongside her cousin Jill, 32 - slammed this parenting technique.

In 2020, Amy posted a picture of her son Daxton, now three, playing on the floor on Instagram.

She captioned the social media post: "There is NO blanket training happening at this house!! I want my child to roam free and to feel safe doing so! I want him to explore and be curious and make messes!

"Yes, we will be right beside him every step of the way. Dill and I believe that a blanket should be used for comfort only!!!

"Children need love and acceptance and praise! They shouldn't ever be controlled. And there's a fine line between re-direction and abuse. Our child will not grow up being fearful!"

Alongside "instant obedience" and blanket training, strict rules remained imposed on the Duggar children as they grew up.

According to the Duggar family rules imposed by Jim Bob, women weren't allowed to wear revealing clothes, meaning that high-cut shirts with long sleeves were preferred.

Some of the guidance went even further, suggesting that they shouldn't have social media, consume modern entertainment, visit metropolitan cities, or even share front-facing hugs.