Jill Duggar spoke of dark family secrets<\/a>, she also delivered an update.<\/p>\nAs fans and critics alike are aware, Jill has been on the outs for years.<\/p>\n
She has spoken against Jim Bob for his many wrongs against her and her siblings.<\/p>\n
In a patriarchal cult, this has created tensions with many members of her family \u2014 not just her notoriously awful father.<\/p>\n
However, the distance that Jill has had from much of her family is now changing.<\/p>\n
\u201cRight now with my family, we\u2019re definitely in a rebuilding phase,\u201d Jill characterized of where things stand today.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo,\u201d she explained, \u201cwe do have stronger relationships with siblings and family and all of that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jill specified that she and Derick and their three children \u2014 Israel, Samuel, and Frederick \u2014 now receive invitations to some family events.<\/p>\n
That may sound normal in most families.<\/p>\n
But, for the Dillards, it was not the case for a good while.<\/p>\nOn Nightline, Jill Duggar discussed her strict cult upbringing. (Image Credit: ABC News)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u2018We needed time\u2019<\/h2>\n \u201cWhen we get together with family, which is not just weddings and funerals for us now,\u201d Jill Duggar revealed.<\/p>\n
She shared: \u201cThere was a time where we didn\u2019t see a lot of my family except at weddings and funerals.\u201d<\/p>\n
This, Jill diplomatically phrased it, was \u201cjust because we needed time.\u201d<\/p>\n
According to her, there have been stops and starts along the way in the journey to reconciliation.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s like [we] take a couple steps forward and then a step back [in our relationships with them],\u201d Jill explained. <\/p>\nJill Duggar tells her story during an appearance in a documentary about her family. (Photo Credit: Amazon Studios)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\u201c[We\u2019re] just trying to work through and work out and keeping healthy boundaries in place,\u201d Jill emphasized.<\/p>\n
She affirmed that she enforces boundaries \u201cbecause that\u2019s necessary.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jill stressed: \u201cWe are protecting our core family as we move forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
We know that she has spent time with her mother and many of her sisters. <\/p>\n
But Jill is closer to some siblings than to others.<\/p>\nJill Duggar and Derick Dillard film a confessional segment for her family\u2019s TLC reality show during the early days of their marriage. (Image Credit: TLC)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\nSome bridges can be rebuilt \u2014 but maybe some should stay burned<\/h2>\n In their book and on Shiny Happy People<\/em>, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard exposed many aspects of Jim Bob\u2019s behavior.<\/p>\nJim Bob also banned Jill from the family compound, claiming that she might be a \u201cbad influence\u201d on her own siblings. Nasty man.<\/p>\n
Not too long ago, Jim Bob and Jill seemed to be getting along. But it turned out that he\u2019d ambushed Jill and Derick<\/a> for a photo op.<\/p>\nIt\u2019s great to hear that Jill is building up relationships with many of her siblings again.<\/p>\n
But, for her sake and that of her children, we hope that she never feels obligated to speak to Jim Bob again. She deserves better. Doesn\u2019t everyone?<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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