Jessa Duggar and her family members loved to talk about their love lives on 19 Kids and Counting , but it’s been a while since fans of the TLC show have heard the Duggars spout of their courtship rules (no kissing before marriage, side hugs only, dates must be chaperoned, etc.). Luckily for fans of the Duggars’ dating talk, Ben Seewald recently decided to give his female followers a little love advice.
Fans of 19 Kids and Counting know that Jessa Duggar was Ben’s first serious girlfriend (possibly his only girlfriend), and he’s now married to her. Jessa and Ben saved their first kiss for their wedding, and they didn’t “front hug” until they were engaged. Jessa and Ben might not have a lot of dating experience, but they sure like to dish out advice on how to find love.
“Ladies…watch out for dudes that want to date you, but have no intention whatsoever of any serious relationship,” Ben recently warned his female Instagram followers. The 19 Kids and Counting star would likely be shocked to learn that there are actually women out there who want to date without committing to a long-term relationship. In his mind, women are only interested in getting married and having babies as soon as possible.
Ben’s warning also contained a subtle abstinence reference.
“They’re thinking ‘Why do I need to commit? I’m getting what I want…and when I get tired of her I’ll just move on to the next girl I can use.’ Just be careful girls. Don’t give away your heart or your body to someone who isn’t prepared to cherish you for the long haul.”
Jessa Duggar’s husband failed to point out that there are other ways people can take advantage of their significant others — they might use them for money or fame, for example.
Ben’s Instagram post was accompanied by the photo below. As you can see, the guy in the picture is putting a move on the girl that would never be allowed during a Duggar date — that chin touch is simply too much.
https://instagram.com/p/5DKqSTAJog/?taken-by=ben_seewald
Ben’s wife has shared her own love advice in the past. According to the Daily Mail , Jessa Duggar once advised girls to keep their engagement short. The 19 Kids and Counting star said that sex is “good motivation” to rush into marriage.
Jessa, Jana, Jinger, and Jill Duggar shared more of their favorite relationship advice in their book, Growing Up Duggar . A passage that E! News shared online was somewhat similar to Ben Seewald’s Instagram post above.
“Sometimes even just the thought of a guy texting you or chatting with you through the Internet world can make you think, Maybe he likes me! But remember, when a young man who has no commitment or obligation to you is flirting with you through texting or the like, it’s probable that he is also flirting with many other girls in the same way—and even at the same time.”
None of the Duggar daughters were in a serious relationship when Growing Up Duggar was written, and Jessa Duggar later admitted that she and her sisters simply regurgitated advice that they were given by friends and family members.
“We did write a section in there about dating and finding the right guy and all that,” Jessa told the Beauford Gazette . “But that was before any of us had really walked that road. It was just advice that other people had given us and things we assumed we would do when we came to that. It’s been interesting now that Jill and I have gotten engaged and married.”
Many Duggar fans are upset that TLC decided to pull 19 Kids and Counting from its schedule after Josh Duggar confessed to sexually molesting Jessa and three of his other sisters. However, it sounds like the Duggars will continue trying to reach their fans through other media. Now that Jessa and Jill are married, they’re working on an updated version of Growing Up Duggar .
“We actually are in the process of writing an additional chapter for the paperback version for a sort of updated edition,” Jessa revealed. “We’ll share our story and different things we learned along the way.”
Unfortunately, the 19 Kids and Counting star didn’t say whether Ben Seewald will be offering any of his input. Are you looking forward to reading more of Jessa Duggar’s advice?
[Image credit: Jessa Duggar /Instagram]