Michelle Duggar, the matriarch of the 19 Kids and Counting TV family, spoke recently about marriage. She focused on one little secret that has kept the flames of romance burning for the couple with so many children. Now that one of their daughters–Jill Duggar–is married and expecting a child of her own, and another daughter–Jessa Duggar–has just gotten engaged, she will likely be sharing her advice with them as well. She has no doubt already shared it with eldest son Josh Duggar, who is already married with two children.
So what are some of the secrets to a good marriage, according to Michelle Duggar?
“Keep your spouse on your toes,” she said during a recent Facebook chat.
Date night is her number two secret. Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar have enjoyed a weekly date night since before they had their nineteen kids. She admits, however, that Jim Bob is far more spontaneous than she is about their evenings out.
“Jim Bob is so much more spontaneous than I am. I like to plan ahead and think about it for days and always have my ducks in a row. But I’ve learned to just jump and go; it’s so much more fun that way,” she recently wrote on the Duggar Family blog.
Michelle Duggar says she's learned to be more spontaneous on date nights with Jim Bob: http://t.co/RtgBeg84pf pic.twitter.com/EypUDhADUo
— Us Weekly (@usweekly) August 22, 2014
“If we’ve got something happening on our regular date night, Jim Bob usually will just call me up on a weekday and ask me out on a date. It’s really sweet, he’ll call up and say, ‘Hey, can I come and steal you away for a date?’ Then he’ll surprise me and take me for lunch between his office work and my work at home,” Michelle Duggar adds.
So what might the perfect date night be for Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar?
“When it’s quiet and there are no interruptions.” Michelle says. “We really enjoy that because we’re not around a lot of people then, and we can catch up with each other. Other times, we’ll go out for a coffee or ice cream, which is my favorite weekly sweet treat, or occasionally a nice meal.”
Michelle Duggar recently blogged about daughter Jill Duggar’s marriage and daughter Jessa Duggar’s upcoming marriage with mixed emotions. She said five-year-old daughter Jordyn is having a hard time with it, especially since Jessa just left for a visit with fiance Ben Seewald’s family.
“It’s good, not bad, yet change is sometimes hard,” she said, adding that Jordyn was afraid Jessa would soon be leaving for good.
“I had to comfort her and reassure her that Jessa wasn’t married yet, just going for a visit,” Michelle added.
Michelle said the notion of yet another Duggar daughter tying the knot affords her and Jim Bob and their family “even more great adventures.”
“Not only will Jessa get married, but we get Ben and the fun of spending time with them together,” she said in her blog. “We’ll be adding that much more love and that much more fun to our family.”
Michelle Duggar’s heart is filled with joy–both for the continuing date nights with her husband of thirty years–as well as the growing family they are surrounded by.
Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar Celebrate 30th Wedding Anniversary, Reflect on Honeymoon http://t.co/iPoPLHCo3i #MichelleDuggar #TheDuggarFamily
— US Celebrity Gossips (@GoCelebrityUS) July 22, 2014
When [Jim Bob] talks about the girls getting married, he gets a little teary-eyed,” Michelle shared. “It’s a big deal for a dad to let go of his girls. He’s handing them over, but he’s handing them over to some really great guys…It’s a joyful time.”
Do you suppose Jill Duggar, brother Josh Duggar, and soon even Jessa Duggar will all follow Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s example of enjoying weekly date nights?
It seems to have worked for them.