Let’s be real, there are a lot of things we can criticize the Duggars for.
Like, so very, very many things.
There’s the whole Josh Duggar scandal — well, the two Josh Duggar scandals, the child molestation and the adultery.
Three scandals if you count the porn addiction!
Then there’s that whole thing where the family likes to have as many children as humanly possible, regardless of their ability to care for them or the mother’s ability to carry them.
There have been plenty of rumors about the Duggars’ religion and the way the religion teaches them to discipline their children — lots of horror stories there.
But while this wild and crazy family definitely deserves some of the hate they receive, it’s important to understand that not every single thing every single Duggar does is worthy of such hate.
Like that photo the family shared of Jessa Duggar’s oldest son, Spurgeon, drinking from two bottles last month?
Yeah, it wasn’t really a huge deal.
Spurgeon was 21 months old at the time — his second birthday is in November! — and sure, most doctors recommend that toddlers transition to sippy cups around their first birthday.
Bottles aren’t great for those cute little baby teeth for a number of reasons, it’s true.
But not every kid is automatically ready to give up the bottle at the same time, and that’s OK.
As a parent, you just do what you have to do, you know? You follow your instincts and do what you feel is right for your child.
And it seems like that’s what Jessa has been doing for her two precious boys.
But, and this goes back to our earlier point, the Duggars just can’t do anything right for some people.
And those people made sure to inform Jessa of her terrible ways in the comment section for that photo.
“Uh, he’s a little old for a bottle,” one person told her, while another advised that it’s “time to take them away, sweetie.”
One particularly outraged person wrote “There’s nothing you can say make think this ok. Lazy parents let their child over Yr have bottle. This just bad.”
Lots of anger for one cute photo, right?
But now, Jessa is finally responding to all that outrage.
And we can’t help but applaud her.
She shared that cute photo of Spurgeon with another bottle (just one this time though), and asked “How’s this for a little ‘SeeThroughSaturday!”
“That’s my boy!” she continued. “Yes, he’s 22 months old. Yes, he drinks water from a sippy cup, and yes, he still prefers to drink much of his milk/kefir from his bottle — especially before nap/bedtime.”
“TBH,” she admitted, “I wish she wouldn’t have weaned himself early, and would’ve bf till 2. There, I said it.”
In conclusion, she told her followers that “If you are experiencing anxiety over this, please share all your wisdom and perfect parenting advice in the comments section below.”
So much sass!
The comments on this post were overwhelmingly positive — lots of “you go girls!” and “screw the haters!”
But some people stuck to their guns.
As one person wrote, “I love how paying attention to pediatrician recommendations and scientific research is equated with being negative.”
So hey, you can’t please everyone, it seems.
But still, when it comes to the Duggars … save your rage.