Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar: Do They Avoid Physical Contact With Their Own Children?!

If you know anything about the Duggars, you know they’re very big on rules.

Name an aspect of the human experience, and Jim Bob’s got a strict set of guidelines governing his children’s participation in it.

That includes, of course, sexual relations, particularly those of the pre-marital variety.

The Duggar courtship rules are notoriously harsh and uncompromising.

Not only is premarital sex prohibited, unmarried couples are only allowed to go on dates in the company of a chaperone.

It’s the chaperone’s job to ensure that no other forbidden physical contact takes place, such as extended hand-holding (for a period of longer than 15 seconds) and “front-hugging.”

The Duggars allow brief “side-hugs,” but front-hugging is forbidden for fear of contact between clothed genitals.

Yes, Jim Bob and Michelle have spent an unsettling amount of time contemplating their children’s sexual desires.

And according to claims made on the Duggar Nation Facebook page, those bizarrely strict rules are not limited to interactions between romantic partners.

Several users have claimed that Jim Bob and Michelle follow the rules themselves by severely restricting physical contact between themselves and their children.

“Michelle and Jim Bob are sick, twisted, evil people. They didn’t hug and cuddle with their own children,” one user recently wrote.

“They have stated that they didn’t want to stir up desires that couldn’t be righteously fulfilled. In other words, they were worried that they would get sexually aroused by their own children,” she added.

“These two shouldn’t be anywhere near children. Only someone who is completely depraved could get turned on by their own children, or any children for that matter. Why do people love these deviants?” the user asked.

“Children need love and affection. Michelle and Jim Bob beat them instead,” she concluded.

Obviously, a lot of shocking claims are made there.

Not only is the user alleging that Jim Bob and Michelle’s hyper-restrictive rules about physical contact extend to parent-child relationships, she’s also repeating the common claim that Jim Bob and Michelle use corporal punishment in disciplining their children.

She later elaborated that she was referring to “blanket training,” an abusive technique endorsed by Michelle in which children as young as two are struck with an object if they move from a blanket placed on the floor.

Several commenters pushed back against the claim that Jim Bob and Michelle never hug their children, but no one was able to offer any compelling evidence of this occurrence.

“Jim Bob and Michelle have stated numerous times that they don’t front hug their children because they don’t want to stir up desires,” the original poster commented.

“Only twisted, sickos would be turned on by their own children, or any children.”

“I saw Jim Bob hugging his girls at there [sic] weddings. When he talked to them he had tears in his eyes,” one commenter argued.

“Side hugs. They have said numerous times that they don’t do front hugs because they don’t want to stir up desires,” the OP countered.

As many pointed out, even if Jim Bob hugged his daughters at their wedding, that hardly makes up for the decades of neglect that came prior.

Of course, the irony in all of this is both obvious and tragic, as Jim Bob and Michelle’s eldest son, Josh Duggar, molested five young girls — four of whom were his sisters — while he was still in his teens.

Many believe Jim Bob and Michelle should face criminal charges themselves for hiding Josh’s crimes and helping him avoid prosecution.

If there’s any truth to the latest claims about Jim Bob and Michelle’s bizarre teachings, we may have new insight into why they did so.

In all likelihood, the couple felt guilty for warping their first son’s mind and fostering an unhealthy obsession with physical touch.

We’ll continue to look into this matter and update you with new information as it becomes available.