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[lilith]

I'm pretty sure TLC have a deal for "Say yes to the Dress" where the costs are covered in return for the free advertising.

It's yet another example of how the Duggar's lifestyle wouldn't be sustainable without TLC money and freebies though - the leg jumpers looking to emulate them will never achieve that quality of life with one self employed breadwinner, 19 kids, and no debt, no matter how many Gothard seminars they attend.

[lilwriter85]

They would just do what the Muncks have done and assign one of their older daughters as his teacher and therapist. Maybe they would allow that daughter to do a Gothard approved College+ course or two on child development or Christian education, but that would be it.

I can see the Duggars doing that. I think the Muncks might have had assistance from therapists when Jonathan was very young. But I think it is crappy that Elizabeth acts as his teacher. I have been following this blog for over a year wilsway.blogspot.com. The blogger and her husband's only son has DS. They didn't know until birth. The son is 3 and she has detailed a lot about his therapies and the assistance she gets. She has hinted a few times that her and her husband can barely afford some of his expenses. They maxed out their son's insurance paid speech therapy visits and she was very worried. She never gave a price range, but she said paying out of pocket for speech therapy would be out of the question for her and her hubby. She recently got a grant and the boy is in back in speech therapy.

[lilith]

I can see the Duggars doing that. I think the Muncks might have had assistance from therapists when Jonathan was very young. But I think it is crappy that Elizabeth acts as his teacher. I have been following this blog for over a year wilsway.blogspot.com. The blogger and her husband's only son has DS. They didn't know until birth. The son is 3 and she has detailed a lot about his therapies and the assistance she gets. She has hinted a few times that her and her husband can barely afford some of his expenses. They maxed out their son's insurance paid speech therapy visits and she was very worried. She never gave a price range, but she said paying out of pocket for speech therapy would be out of the question for her and her hubby. She recently got a grant and the boy is in back in speech therapy.

That's so sad and makes me so so grateful that I live in a country where the costs for things like speech therapies and care for children with disabilities are shared among all tax payers so no child has to do without therapies while their parents sort out a way to pay for them.

[lilwriter85]

Reading that blog has made me sad a few times. The couple planned to have more than one child, but they decided later to not have more kids. But there are things that make me wonder about them. The husband runs in marathons which are out of state and I think travel and fee costs would add up. They went to a marathon in New York after they maxed out their speech therapy visits. I know they had already planned to go to the marathon, but I wondered why the husband didn't stop doing out of state marathons especially since they have a special needs son and the wife isn't working all the time. She has some kind of seasonal job and she also babysits her niece and nephew. I don't know if she gets paid for babysitting her niece and nephew. This couple is also anti-choice. She annoyed me a bit when she mentioned in a blog posting how some women who had prenatal testing aborted DS pregnancies. If a couple feel that they can care for a special needs child and help that child have a good life, that is their choice not to abort. If other couples feel they can't provide a good life for a special needs child, they should be given an option to terminate the pregnancy. Overall, I still find this couple likable compared to Boob and Mullet who seem to ignore some of Josie's needs. I also find them likable compared to the Muncks.

[pega127]

Definitely. Though I remember when Boob and Mullet renewed their vows they went to Kleinfeld's, there was an episode on Say Yes to the Dress. Unless they got a huge discount for being reality "stars" or whatever, those dresses cost a fortune. Especially custom ones, which I think Mullet had to have to make the dress she picked more conservative. So they have money for a vow renewal dress but not for their kids.

Actually, Kleinfeld's does have bridal gowns in the very reasonable range of $2000; so with TLC picking up the tab; Michelle's dress with simple alterations probably was pretty low. She did not select a high- end designer gown. "They" may have money through TLC for the dress and/or their children; who knows!

[SisiL78]

Actually, Kleinfeld's does have bridal gowns in the very reasonable range of $2000; so with TLC picking up the tab; Michelle's dress with simple alterations probably was pretty low. She did not select a high- end designer gown. "They" may have money through TLC for the dress and/or their children; who knows!

OKay, 2k plus alterations for a dress... let's say it ends up being 2500 is A LOT OF MONEY. Especially for a woman with umpteen children who has already been married for 20 plus years. I'm getting married in August and I want to know when it became "reasonable" to spend thousands of dollars on a dress???? LIKE WTF?! And honestly, Michelle's first wedding dress (IIRC was borrowed, but so what?) was actually VERY pretty. Lace sleeves and fit her perfectly. She was a beautiful bride. The re-marriage dress was thick and ungainly and the alterations were done terribly. She would have looked so much prettier in a simple empire waisted dress and jacket or white suit, or a modest "mother of the bride dress"... many of which are very fancy and far more modest than bridal gowns... not to mention age appropriate. What I don't get is that there are modest dresses at Kleinfelds b/c they deal with a lot of Orthodox Jewish brides, so they must have pre-made modest dresses but she had to wear that unsightly POS. That dress flies in direct opposition to their whole "Buy used, save the difference" mantra and shows what sort of hypocrites they are. They did not buy used, and its REALLY easy to buy a lovely almost new wedding gown. Its yet another thing that the leghumpers are willing to overlook in their idolization of the Duggars. The Duggars apparently "save money" by not sending their kids to "useless" college... but they can spend the equivalent of a year's tuition at a good CC (with money left over) on a dress worn for a couple of hours? (I'm sure they never paid for the dress, but the leghumpers often seem to think that the Duggars don't get mountains of freebies). I admonish any person for whom their children's future is less important than a dress... no matter how "reasonable" the dress cost is.

[Coconut Flan]

I don't think the Duggars paid a dime for the Kleinfeld dress. It was part of the show and no more paid for by the Duggars than the all wedding garbage was paid by the Roloffs on their recent little wedding season.

[SisiL78]

I don't think the Duggars paid a dime for the Kleinfeld dress. It was part of the show and no more paid for by the Duggars than the all wedding garbage was paid by the Roloffs on their recent little wedding season.

I'm sure it was a freebie too. But, the leghumpers seem to ignore that fact which is why it strikes me as weird that they would think its great that she spent thousands on a wedding dress but still believe that they actually buy used and save the difference.

I know its just a rumour, but the idea that they'll take the freebie of a dress no one needs but not take the freebie of certified licensed midwife training from Oprah for their daughters is amazing...

[Maul the Koala]

The dress was a floor sample if I recall correctly since they didn't have time to order one. In all likelihood TLC probably paid next to nothing for that dress.

[Coconut Flan]

Yes, it was a sample since she had to have the dress in two weeks or something like that. More TV drama for TLC. The entire thing was under TLC's control so they could have scheduled the Kleinfeld trip whenever, but it suited them to claim it was all a quick thing. I doubt TLC paid a dime except the usual fee that Kleinfeld's gets for doing the show.

Odd how little the leghumpers know of the world so that they think the Duggars actually bought that hideous dress. It least it was hideous after the "t shirt" was inserted. I can not understand how some of them look at the world.

[Maul the Koala]

Oh and Jim Bob's hideous '80s add ons. The dress was fine by itself without that top and Jim Bob's 'wishes'. The whole modesty shtick was so old. They have someone assisting you in the dressing room for a reason. But hey, it's perfectly fine for your daughter to give birth on a toilet on national television.