'19 Kids and Counting' Duggars Don't Date

By
TLC

Twenty-one-year-old Jessa Duggar, from TLC's show 19 Kids and Counting, got engaged two days ago to Ben Seeward, 19, but not without some old-fashioned courting rules.

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The Duggar family has strict views on a courtship. To them, a courtship is more serious than dating and has marriage as the goal. Jessa and Ben waited until their engagement to hold hands and will wait until their wedding day to have their first kiss.


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"Dating with a purposeful mindset is really such a contrast from what we are used to seeing in our world," Jessa's mom Michelle tells People.

So what exactly is the difference between dating and courting?

Jessa's dad Jim Bob explains it, "Courting is getting to know each other in a group setting, both families spending time together and the couple setting goals together to determine if they are meant to marry. With dating, a couple will often pair off alone and that sometimes leads to a more physical relationship."


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Saving the physical relationship for marriage, having weekly talk time and asking each other lots of questions are just a few of the rules that the Duggars follow to make a relationship work.

So far, Ben has been fitting right in with the family. He tells to People, "The Duggar family gets asked a lot of questions. A lot of times we take it as a lesson, and we ask other people who are older and wiser than us to share wisdom with us about relationships. It's an important thing."


19 Kids and Counting
will start a new season on September 2 on TLC. Take a peek at the show below.