These days, it seems that not a week goes by without a new controversy involving the Duggar family.
Jim Bob probably hoped that the scrutiny would die down following the conclusion of Josh Duggar’s child pornography trial, but that hasn’t been the case.
If anything, it seems that critics are paying more attention to the family than ever before, as the trial exposed the dangerous culture of abuse that continues to flourish within the Duggars’ community.
Scandals that have been unearthed in the two years since Josh’s arrest have covered the spectrum from major to minor, and while the most recent controversy might fall closer to the latter side of the scale, it’s still very much worth exploring for what it might tell us about the current state of the Duggars:
This one involves one of the lesser-known Duggars — 22-year-old Jason.
Jason lists his profession as contractor, but like all of his brothers, he works for Jim Bob, presumably doing whatever his father tells him to do.
Now, going home and sitting down at the dinner table with the man who barked orders at you all day would be enough to put a strain on any father-son relationship.
So perhaps it’s no surprise that Jason has decided to move out of the massive home he previously shared with his parents and many, many siblings.
But Jason is unmarried, which means that according to the ridiculous Duggar courtship rules, he’s not allowed to move out on his own.
It appears that Jason has discovered a loophole, however.
He recently gave his Instagram followers a tour of an elaborate tree house.
Jason captioned the post, “The pad,” which led many to believe that he’s currently calling it home.
Now, this is not your standard Bart Simpson-style treehouse.
This thing us equipped with heat, plumbing, electricity, and a loft-style bedroom that allows Jason to make maximum use of his limited space.
Jason limited comments on the post and didn’t answer any questions from the few fans who were allowed to ask them, but it seems safe to say that he’s left the nest and taken up residence in a tree on his parents’ property.
It might not be the sort of freedom that most twenty-somethings dream of, but we suppose it’s better than nothing!
As for which Duggar kids still live at home — well, it’s a surprisingly long list.
There’s Josie Duggar, youngest of the bunch, who turned 12 in December.
Then there’s Jordyn-Grace and Jennifer Duggar who are 13 and 14, respectively.
They’re joined by Johannah Duggar and Jackson Duggar, who are 16 and 17.
The next oldest is Jason’s younger brother James, age 20.
And of course, there’s 31-year-old Jana Duggar, who watches over the whole bunch.
But that’s not all!
Jim Bob and Michelle are also legal guardians to their great-nephew, Tyler Hutchins,14.
Needless to say, even with all of the Duggars who have moved out, gotten married, or gone to jail, it’s still a rather full house.
So we suppose it’s not surprising that Jason has decided to seek his freedomin the limited way that he’s allowed to.
We just wonder how well that treehouse will hold up againt the elements next winter!