When you have 19 children, you have to expect at least one of them is going to be the "rebel." For better or worse, that's the label Jana Duggar has been saddled with because it looks like the eldest Duggar daughter is flying the coop and wants to quit 19 Kids and Counting—for the smartest reason imaginable.
Jana, who just turned 25, is apparently taking a good, hard look at her siblings' lives and isn't feeling the path they've chosen (or, I guess you could say, the path that has been chosen for them). While sister Jill and sister-in-law Anna prepare to give birth, and Jessa talks babies, Jana reportedly has no interest in getting married and having children—yet.
Instead, she has told her parents that she's looking into Christian colleges and will be applying soon—we're guessing in time for next fall.
As you can probably imagine, Jim Bob and Michelle aren't happy. Her dad apparently tried to talk her out of it right away, which is beyond bizarre. Are they afraid her pursuit of a higher education is going to sway her to leave the family and her faith and set off on the road to sin? Isn't an education always a positive thing?
This isn't the first time we've heard that Jana's parents are trying to hold her back from pursuing her dreams. There were rumors that she wanted to work as a midwife or midwife's assistant, but those just sort of vanished. Considering how her twin John gets to wear several hats—he does police work, works in construction AND just got his pilot's license—it seems backwards and ludicrous to keep Jana from living her own life because she is a woman.
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Love this girl and am rooting for her here. And I'm rooting for us, too, because this could mean a Duggar spin-off starring the most interesting member of the family. I, for one, would watch Jana and cheer her on as she explores the world outside of her family's home.
Do you think Jana should leave home and go to college or should she settle down and get married?
Image via duggarfam/Instagram