Michelle Duggar on Her Daughters Leaving the Nest

Now that it’s actually happening, there are all of these wonderful mixed emotions. You get the joy of watching a loving relationship unfold. Jill and Derick, and Jessa and Ben, are becoming best friends and really getting to know each other in such a sweet way. When the right one comes along, it’s so exciting, shocking and surprising all at the same time!

Our entire lives, we’ve worked toward this, prayed about it, and encouraged our children to really just focus on becoming the person that God wants them to be. We’ve always urged our children to wait for the one that God has for them, and not to make compromises in their life in any way.

On the other side is the sadness that everything is changing at home. It’s good, not bad, yet change is sometimes hard. The other day the Seewald family was visiting, and Ben and Jessa were getting ready to leave with them. As Jessa and Ben were getting in the Seewald car my little Jordyn, who is five, realized what was happening and she just started to cry and cry. She was worried that Jessa was leaving for good. I had to comfort her and reassure her that Jessa wasn’t married yet, just going for a visit.

I took some time to talk with Jordyn and remind her that when Jessa and Ben get married, we get even more great adventures. Not only will Jessa get married, but we get Ben and the fun of spending time with them together. I reminded her that Josh and Anna got married, too, and how much she loves playing with Mackynzie, Michael and Marcus. We’ll be adding that much more love and that much more fun to our family.

Jim Bob is so excited, too, for Derick and Jill, and for Ben and Jessa. When he talks about the girls getting married, he gets a little teary-eyed; it’s a big deal for a dad to let go of his girls. He’s handing them over, but he’s handing them over to some really great guys.

Change can be difficult for all of us, but it is such a good reason to have change. It’s a joyful time.