In a recent interview, soon-to-be bride Jessa Duggar and pregnant sister Jill of the hit TLC show "19 Kids and Counting" revealed the dating rules imposed by their parents Jim Bob and Michelle.
The sisters told E! Online the Duggar kids must CC their parents on all text messages-- even the older kids allow Jim Bob and Michelle to check on their text conversations. However, once the texting rules are lifted once the child gets married.
'It has been interesting to watch their interactions because they share very similar beliefs,' said Michelle of Jessa and fiance Ben Seewald's text messages.
'It has been fun to watch them and both of our phones are going off back and forth, ping, ping, ping
Second, Jim Bob and Michelle insist that every date a Duggar child goes on must be chaperoned. The chaperone is usually a sibling or a close friend. According to Jim Bob, this rule prevents "things from going in the wrong direction." According to Jill and Jessa, they agree with the importance of this rule, because they feel that they could be in "moral danger" if they are left alone with men.
Third, the Duggar children are also not allowed to have physical contact--except for side hugs--with their significant other prior to marriage. Jill and Derick shared their first kiss on their wedding day--a trend Jessa and Ben will follow.
"We're just really trying to keep our relationship focused not on the physical but really just more on communication and continuing to learn more about each other," Jill explained at the time. "We're saving our first kiss and things beyond that for our wedding."
The Duggar girls also must follow a strict dress code that promotes modesty, which include covering up their shoulders, thighs, and cleavage.
The Duggar children also avoid sexual temptations by refraining from reading romance or erotic novels. Instead, the family reads only Christian texts to refrain from "gratifying the pleasure of the flesh."
However, once the Duggar girls are married, Michelle encourages them to always be intimate with their husbands.
"Anyone can fix him lunch, but only one person can meet that physical need of love," the mother of the 19 Duggar kids explained. "You always need to be available when he calls," she reminded her daughters.
The Duggar parents also forbid their children from drinking alcohol, celebrating Halloween due to its pagan origins, and from dancing to modern music.
Jessa and Ben plan to walk down the aisle on November 1, and Jill and Derick are expecting their baby sometime next year.
