Not gonna lie - I see a ton of sexism wrapped up in this whole “Jim Bob is a better parent than Michelle” argument.
You know why Jim Bob seems like a more fun, more engaged parent than Michelle? Because he could be a more fun, more engaged parent, because he wasn’t actually tasked with raising his children or running his home.
Fundie women are specifically taught to keep the challenges and frustrations of childrearing away from their husbands, because a man’s time at home should be happy and wonderful, because he’s the provider of the family and deserves to come home to a peaceful, quiet house after a hard day of work.
What do you think it was like for Michelle, alone in a home with 5 kids under 6, 6 kids under 7, 7 kids under 8, etc. etc. etc.? She may have detached from raising her kids at some point – but she got more child-raising in before she snapped than 99% of women see in a lifetime.
Also, what do you think it is like to be pregnant for literally almost your entire life for 20 years?
Jesus, no wonder Michelle is a broken shell of a human being.
And you know what? Jim Bob did that to her. All of it.
I will never, ever in a million years accept the “Jim Bob is a better parent” argument. I’m not absolving Michelle of responsibility, either – she chose that life, the same as he did.
But it was 1000% harder on her than it was on him.