‘Counting On’: Jinger Duggar Is Not the Only One to Reject Jim Bob Duggar’s Strict Courtship Rules
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar push their children to have large families but the Counting On couple also has very strict protocols related to courting. From allowing minimal physical contact to monitoring text messages, Jim Bob and Michelle keep close tabs on their children throughout the courting process. Jinger Duggar, however, seemingly broke many of these rules when she was courting Jeremy Vuolo — and she is not the only Duggar to reject Jim Bob’s rule of thumb.
Which Duggars have violated Jim Bob’s courting rules?
Josiah remains the only Duggar to have courted multiple women before finally settling down. Inside sources believe that the family moved quickly in his romance with Lauren Swanson just to avoid any further rule-breaking.
Some Counting On viewers have even speculated that the Duggars arranged Josiah’s marriage to Lauren because they wanted him to settle down. We cannot confirm these rumors, but the two definitely seem happy together.
Another couple who seemingly rejected Jim Bob’s strict courting rules is John David Duggar and Abbie Burnett. The pair tied the knot in 2018 and reportedly came up with their own set of rules prior to their wedding.
John David, of course, was 30 years old when he started courting Abbie, so many Counting On fans argued that he was simply too old for Jim Bob to police. Either way, the fact that some of Jim Bob’s children have broken his rules is a good indication that there will be more rule-breaking to come.
What happened to Josiah Duggar’s romance with Marjorie Jackson?
Josiah happily tied the knot with Lauren in 2018, yet she wasn’t the only person he courted over the years. As Counting On fans will recall, Josiah once courted a girl named Marjorie Jackson.
Josiah and Marjorie hit it off after going on a mission trip to El Salvador and seemed destined to exchange vows someday. In the spring of 2015, they announced their courtship on social media, telling fans that “courtship is like dating with a purpose.”
The romance, however, only lasted four months. According to Romper, the Counting On star has never clarified why his relationship with Marjorie fell apart, but both sides maintain that the courtship ended on amicable terms.
“Marjorie and I had a good time together,” Josiah shared. “We were just trying to follow God’s lead on everything. She didn’t feel that it was the right timing then, so we called it quits for a bit.”
The timing of the breakup, however, led to some speculation that Josiah and Marjorie parted ways because of Josh Duggar’s molestation scandal. Their breakup was around the same time that TLC canceled 19 Kids and Counting over Josh’s sex scandal, and she later shaded Josh in a tell-all memoir.
Although things worked out great between Josiah and Lauren, one of his other siblings broke Jim Bob’s courting rules in a major way.
Did John David Duggar operate under different courtship rules?
John David and Abbie were much older than their respective siblings when they started courting, which is probably why they were given more freedom when it came to dating rules. Ahead of their wedding in 2018, the couple revealed that they pretty much came up with their own set of rules to follow.
As Counting On fans are well aware, Jim Bob has a strict stance against public displays of affection of any kind, especially when it comes to physical contact. But for John David and Abbie, they were allowed some form of physical contact.
This included holding hands in public and giving each other proper hugs. According to Soap Dirt, John David even revealed that he was permitted to put his arm around his future wife, which is a lot less than most people do while dating.
Although John David and Abbie had their own set of rules, they were adamant that they never crossed the line. They may have allowed more physical contact than usual, but they still avoided kissing until the wedding day.
The new season of Counting On premieres June 30 on TLC.
