How Jessa Duggar Handles Mom-Shamers: I 'Don't Live for' Their Approval
Not giving in! Jessa Duggar will never let anyone’s negativity get to her when it comes to her parenting style.
Celeb Moms Clap Back at the Parenting Police
The 27-year-old Arkansas native welcomed three children with husband Ben Seewald after tying the knot in 2014: sons Spurgeon and Henry in 2015 and 2017, and daughter Ivy in 2019. While gearing up for Counting On‘s two-hour season 11 premiere on July 7, the couple dished to Us Weekly exclusively about how they handle harsh comments about their kids on social media.
“Whenever I look at people who are super, super negative or super hateful in their comments, a lot of times they’re not real people in the sense that, like, it’s an account that has zero posts, zero followers created specifically for hating,” Duggar explained on Wednesday, July 1. “We just have to remind ourselves, like, we don’t live for the approval of every single person out there. We love each other. We love our kids. We love God and we try to live our lives to please God. … You can’t please every single person out there.”
Seewald, 25, acknowledged that trolls hiding behind anonymous accounts “probably wouldn’t say” that sort of negative comment “to your face,” and while the pair of young parents might always face some criticism, they’re trying to lead with positivity instead.
The Duggars: A Comprehensive Guide to the Family
A post shared by Jessa Seewald (@jessaseewald) on
“I think you have to be careful not to just become jaded at people,” he told Us. “We don’t really know the experience of that person and what they’re going through. You know, maybe they’ve had a really rough day … I think it’s important to be understanding and just kind of take people where they’re at.”
Despite facing the parenting police on social media, the 19 Kids and Counting alum and her husband stay grounded in their faith to help them through their most challenging days. “It just gives us such security where we don’t have to … feel the pressure as much to try to find approval from other people,” Seewald added. “We were loved by God, you know? And that’s what matters the most. So, as long as we can remind ourselves of that, that gives us a lot of comfort and security.”
How Melissa Joan Hart, More Parents Are Homeschooling Kids Amid Coronavirus
Duggar and her extended family, who have been navigating new social distancing guidelines amid the coronavirus pandemic, will come together for a virtual reunion to kick off the 11th season of TLC’s Counting On, airing Tuesday, July 7 at 8 p.m. ET.
