It’s been nearly two months since we first learned that Josiah Duggar and Lauren Swanson are engaged.
The news came just weeks after word of Josiah and Lauren’s courtship went public, but that’s not unusual in the Duggar clan.
Relationships proceed quickly for the members of reality TV’s biggest brood, even when the parties involved are as young as Josiah and Lauren.
(He’s 21; she’s just 18.)
But the newest Duggar couple is unique in at least two important ways:
For one thing, this is not Josiah’s first courtship.
As Duggar obsessives are no doubt aware, Josiah briefly courted Marjorie Jackson back in 2015.
The relationship didn’t work out, making Josiah the first of his generation to enter a courtship that didn’t result in marriage.
On top of that, virtually nothing is known about Lauren, her past, or her family.
A few details about Lauren’s parents and siblings have been revealed on the Duggars’ social media pages, and not surprisingly, her clan shares a lot in common with Josiah’s.
“They’re really similar, our families, with a lot of the same goals,” Josiah said of the Swansons in a recent interview.
He’s certainly not joking on that score.
Lauren is the daughter of a minister, and her mother is currently pregnant with her ninth child.
The Swanson family may never balloon to the staggering size of the Duggars, but it seems Lauren’s parents are also big into procreation.
But what about Lauren herself?
In video interviews she’s recorded alongside her fiancé, Swanson has been virtually silent.
No big surprise there, as we imagine it’s rather daunting to go straight from the shadows of obscurity into the glaring spotlight of Duggar fame.
But between her youth and the quickness with which her relationship with Josiah has proceeded, it’s possible that Lauren will marry into the Duggar family while remaining more of a mystery to fans than any of her predecessors.
Naturally, fans have a lot of questions.
For now, at least, Lauren’s not doing much talking, but fortunately, some of those questions have laughably obvious answers.
One thing that a lot of fans seem curious about is Lauren’s education level.
Many have wondered if she’ll attend college, and while Ms. Swanson has been mum on the matter, we think we can safely answer for her by saying, no, she will not.
Duggars have little respect for formal education, and very few members of the family have shown any interest in further study beyond the GEDs they all get when they complete their homeschooling.
As for Lauren’s curious lack of a southern accent – a matter that’s also raised quite a few eyebrows among the Duggar faithful – well, we don’t know for sure where she’s from, but we’re guessing it’s of little concern to Josiah.
After all, a woman doesn’t have to be Dixie Land to pop out a whole lot of children.
Watch Counting On online for more from reality TV’s most controversial family.
