Jessa Duggar rarely speaks about her marriage.
And when she does, it’s the usual Duggar drivel about how her husband leads and she follows, and being a subservient wife is her favorite thing in the world after going to church.
But from time to time, Jessa speaks candidly and admits that her life is not as hunky-dory as it seems.
And her latest confession had to do with recent rough patches in her relationship with husband Ben Seewald.
Earlier this week, Jessa posted a photo of Ben cooking (below), and fans expected the usual Duggar ode to the quiet joys of domestic life.
And indeed, things started out that way, as Jessa observed that she “married up in every way.”
From there, however, Jessa threw us a curveball and admitted that while Ben was making pizza, she was contemplating the many ways in their marriage had gone wrong.
“We have differing opinions, and we have to talk through things and work them out,” Jessa informed her followers.
“We speak hastily and have to repent of our thoughtlessness. Offenses inevitably happen.”
For a second there, it sounded like Jessa was building up to making some sort of serious announcement.
But at the end of the post, she veered back into familiar Duggar territory,
“How we deal with them, and how we respond to one another, makes all the difference in whether our relationship thrives or dies,” Jessa observed.
Yes, in the end, it was just more boring, boilerplate marital advice from a Duggar who thinks she’s an expert on just about everything (as they all do).
Some fans who didn’t read closely walked away with the impression that Jessa and Ben’s relationship was in serious trouble.
But we think the bits about not getting along with her husband were merely offered up so that her advice to married couples wouldn’t sound so boastful.
For the most part, fans praised Jessa for being so “truthful” and acted like she’d just offered some sort of profound insight into the state of modern marriage.
“Some marriages, depending on the individual personalities, are more difficult than others, causing daily frustration and mental fatigue,” wrote one such commenter, according to UK tabloid The Sun.
“It requires a tremendous amount of will and energy to forgive, to be patient, to be loving, and to be quiet in some instances.”
These days, Jessa is rumored to be pregnant with her fifth child, but there’s been no confirmation or denial on her part.
Regardless of whether or not she’s currently knocked up, Jessa probably will welcome at least one more kid at some point.
In the meantime, she’ll probably continue to offer unsolicited advice to her Instagram followers.
It seems that with her reality TV career at an end, Jessa has set her sights on becoming a sort of fundie Oprah.
And who knows — it might work out for her!
