Dear Duggars

Lately a lot of Duggar drama has been going on. Now usually I am not one to get wrapped up in this kind of thing. I don't usually watch reality television shows, and I am probably not as up to date on pop culture as most, but I like it that way. However the Duggars and 19 Kids and Counting are a different story for me and my family.
 I started watching 19 Kids and Counting late in the game. But when I discovered the show, I started watching it religiously (no pun intended). Even though I am not an Evangelical Christian or even a typical Christian, I discovered, much to my surprise that I really liked the show. I liked it because I could watch it with my kids in the room, and not have to worry about them being exposed to anything that I deemed inappropriate. I also found out that my daughter liked watching the show with me. She usually is totally uninterested in watching anything with me, so I enjoyed that quality time together, even if we were watching tv. I also really liked what I thought the Duggars were about. I mean some of their beliefs were far fetched and much too conservative for me, but I liked the way they looked at some things. I really thought Michelle Duggar was right on when she would talk about "different seasons of life." I liked that they were focused on family, and that they seemed kind, and  were soft spoken, and that they really seemed to love each other and truly care for each other. I liked that they seemed to take things in stride, even with all those kids they have. I mean not too many mom's can be that calm and laid back about everything. I guess if I had that many kids though, all my brain cells would be fried, so I probably would be that laid back too. I liked that they worked, and they helped out in the community, and they seemed wholesome in a world that is usually dirty, mean, and full of violence and hate. Most of all, I liked that they were simple.
  Then the unthinkable in the Duggar reality show happened. My wholesome show was suddenly not so wholesome! My dvr Duggar sessions were over! Everyone seems to be talking about Josh Duggar, or Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, or Jill and Jessa Duggar, and then the other unnamed girls who were victims, and now poor Anna Duggar (who I totally feel awful for by the way). But let me take a moment and point out all the Duggar watchers like me. What about us? We were lied to. We watched this show, fell in love with this show and this family. We trusted this family. We let our children watch this show with us. We might have even read the books they wrote. We celebrated with them, we rejoiced with them, we mourned with them, and we cried with them. We believed that they were good people, and that they were doing good things. We loved that they made family first. We loved that they celebrated life and children so much. We loved that they held strongly to their belief's, even if we didn't agree with all of them. We love the kindness they seemed to have for others, (before I found out about the LGBT bashing) of course.
  The reality of it is much different than what we were lead to believe. The glimmer of hope that we had for this family who we thought was straight forward, and everything they said they were, was totally destroyed when the news came out. I think it was destroyed even more by the interviews that they gave. Trying to see them defend what was done, and watching them play it down, was even more despicable to me than the original news. And now this current news with Josh Duggar and his sex accounts and unfaithful escapades. How are they planning to defend this? How are they planning to "make this okay?" So far I have seen the oh so popular "everybody sins" hoopla. Of course everyone "sins." Or better yet, everyone does not so nice things every once in a while, or even on a daily basis if you're a real jerk. Everybody doesn't molest family members and friends, everybody doesn't set up internet accounts for the sole purpose of having affairs, everybody doesn't cheat on their wives or husbands or significant others. And everybody doesn't try to hide behind religion, and use it as a get out of jail free card.
 So dear Duggars. You have deeply disappointed me. You lied and you cheated and you tried to make us think that you were wholesome and true, and you just aren't. You tried to rationalize and make what your son did okay to yourselves, your son, your daughters and the world. You stood behind your son, and you shamed your daughters, and now you shame his wife. You hid your dirty laundry and when it was found, and boy it was stinky, you tried to make it okay. It is not okay. The way you have handled it, is not okay. And even though it is really not our business, you have made it our business by putting yourselves in the spotlight for all these years. People trusted you, and you broke that trust. If you had come out and been honest about the reality of it all, we probably wouldn't be so pissed off. But you didn't. You tried to sugarcoat something that just shouldn't be sugarcoated, because it smells. You should be ashamed of yourselves. So dear Duggars, don't pray for me, I will pray for you.