Josiah Duggar and Marjorie Jackson are continuing their trek toward the altar, and it’s looking more and more like their trip might be a very short one.
According to Radar Online , 18-year-old Josiah Duggar has started the Duggar family tradition of documenting his love life on Instagram. The 19 Kids and Counting star recently shared the photo above that shows him snuggling up to 17-year-old Marjorie Jackson, his girlfriend of one month. Marjorie and Josiah were enjoying a dinner date together, but the lovebirds weren’t alone — Josiah’s family was there to act as the young couple’s chaperones.
“Had fun with Marjorie and my family at Cracker Barrel! #goodfood #goodfriends #siandmarj,” Josiah captioned the Instagram snap.
In his courtship announcement video, Josiah Duggar explained that he and siblings follow much stricter dating rules than most typical teens — a Duggar only courts someone if they’re pretty positive that they’re going to marry that person. Marjorie Jackson described her courtship with Josiah as “dating with a purpose,” and that purpose is to get married and start a family.
There’s a lot of pressure to make these relationships work, and most young people would find it really hard to get to know a partner while following the Duggar family dating rules — courting couples must always be accompanied by chaperones, they can’t hold hands or kiss, and they’re only allowed to side-hug each other.
Luckily for Josiah Duggar, he got to know Marjorie Jackson before he was old enough to court her. According to People , he met his future bride years ago while taking Spanish lessons from her mother. They went on the same mission trip to El Salvador, and Josiah worked as an apprentice for Marjorie’s father (Mr. Jackson is a graphic designer).
“Once a week he would go over a few hours or so and visit with the family,” Jim Bob Duggar told People . “Josiah maybe had some other intentions.”
Because Josiah and Marjorie have known each other so long and have spent so much time together, they might think that a lengthy courtship is unnecessary. Jim Bob also hinted that the teen couple might get engaged and married young by talking about his own marriage.
“I was just looking at a picture of Michelle and I on our first date. We were married when she was 17 and I turned 19. A lot of it is somebody’s focus in life … Josiah has a lot of skills, he is gifted in doing video work, and he’s making a living.”
According to People , Josiah works for Jim Bob’s construction company . The 19 Kids and Counting patriarch likely pointed out that Josiah has a job because he wants fans to know that his son is capable of supporting a family.
As the Inquisitr previously reported, Marjorie Jackson has been spending a lot of time with the Duggar family lately. She was photographed with them during their trip to Big Sandy, Texas, and she was invited to attend Derick Dillard’s birthday party. She’ll make an appearance tonight on 19 Kids and Counting during Jill Duggar’s birth episode . Marjorie and Josiah spent one of their date nights at the Duggar home singing together, and you can check out their performance below.
How long do you think it will be before Josiah Duggar and Marjorie Jackson announce their inevitable engagement?
[Image credit: Josiah Duggar/Instagram]