Derick Dillard Might Be the First Person to Publicly Admit Jill Dillard Raised Her Siblings

Jim Bob Duggar probably didn’t bet on Jill Dillard and Derick Dillard spilling his secrets. Over the years, the rogue Duggar couple has shared their frustration with Jim Bob. They have discussed how they were treated repeatedly. Most recently, Jill spoke up about monetary issues and contract manipulations in her book Counting the Cost. The non-fiction offering was bold enough, but the couple has more to say. In a recent interview, Derick Dillard casually mentioned Jill Dillard raised her siblings. He might be the first person in the family to publicly acknowledge what Duggar family followers have known for years. 

Derick Dillard stated that Jill Dillard raised her siblings 

Derick Dillard isn’t keeping his mouth closed about much these days. The lawyer and his wife, Jill Dillard, sat down for an interview with Dr. Julie Hanks on her podcast, Ask Dr. Julie Hanks Podcast, this week. He let a couple of bombshells slip. 

Derick revealed that Jill Dillard greatly influenced her siblings because they largely saw her as their “mother” despite having “real” parents. He made the statement so matter-of-factly that it feels as though Jil and Derick may have freely discussed how Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar parentified Jill and her older sisters a lot over the years. Despite the topic clearly coming up in their private chats, Derick appears to be the first member of the Duggar family to state the obvious in a public space.  

Over the years, several people have alluded to the notion that Jill and her older sisters essentially raised the younger Duggar kids. Still, no one has come straight out and said it until now. Even Jill isn’t yet willing to publicly call out her parents for effectively forcing her to raise kids when she was still a kid herself. 

Jill was far more careful in how she approached the topic 

Derick was quick to state that Jill was the one who raised her siblings and, thus, understandably had some level of influence over them. Jill was much more careful in how she approached the topic. When discussing her parents’ concerns about her influence over her siblings, she did say she understood why they were worried. 

For a moment, Jill began to discuss how she had “authority” over her younger siblings but quickly walked the statement back. It appeared that the mother of three wanted to avoid admitting she basically acted as her siblings’ mother. She doesn’t need to state it. There is plenty of filmed evidence that she very much served as a parent to them. 

Who was in Jil Dillard’s buddy group? 

While Jill was actively involved in the rearing of the younger Duggar kids, she didn’t raise them all. The Duggar family relied heavily on a “buddy” system. In the system, the older girls were tasked with the care of younger siblings. Children were “assigned” to their buddy when they reached six months old. The handover occurred when they were no longer being breastfed by Michelle Duggar. 

So, who was in Jill’s buddy group? Jill’s very first buddy was Joy-Anna Forsyth. Jill started caring for Joy before the age of 10. She is just six years older than her younger sister. Later, James Duggar and Jennifer Duggar joined Jill’s buddy group. While Joy and Jill don’t seem to spend much time together these days, James Duggar appears to be actively involved in his sister’s life. Jennifer Duggar, 16, remains under Jim Bob and Michelle’s authority.