Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard Want to Pass on Their Values to Their Child; Why They Chose Courtship Over Dating
Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard have had a whirlwind time lately, with getting engaged, married, and now expecting their first child. The couple took time to speak with The Christian Post about their plans for the future and what they want to pass on to their child.
They broke the news last week that they were expecting their first child just weeks after exchanging vows in front of friends and family. Both shared their excitement and overwhelming joy at learning of the pregnancy. Jill and Derick told CP what they hoped for their children.
"Well, ultimately, we want to be an example for them. For a daughter, I want to show her how a man should treat her, just like Jill's dad did for her," Derick said. "And just be the best dad I can be to both my sons and daughters and really purpose to teach them the Word of God early on and pray that they will come to the Lord early in life. And helping them be open, not afraid to come to us about anything."
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"Both of our parents have had the hearts of their children, knowing that they can come to them and talk about anything," Jill added. "And then, just really leading by example and purposing to have a Godly marriage and one that is focused on the Lord. And hopefully the children will learn to fear God and be a servant of all."
Jill grew up in a large family, while Derick was raised with only one brother. His father passed away, leaving him with just his mother. But the two have come together and merged families, which means plenty of advice for the expectant parents.
"I think just appreciating that area of life … I had heard less about parenting than Jill, but getting to experience that ourselves and finally being at that point, that season in our lives," Derick said when asked about how learning he was going to be a parent had changed his relationship with his own mother and in-laws.
"It's really exciting just thinking about being parents. I'm sure we'll be getting plenty of advice from our parents. I've always dreamed of being a mother and having kids and so, it's something that I've prepared for while growing up and taking care of babies and loving on them. It's really exciting, and so I'm doing the first thing I can do as a mother, which is to stay healthy and take care of the baby right now," Jill added.
The newlyweds also spoke as to why they chose courtship rather than traditional dating for their relationship. Courting often requires a great deal more supervision and thought than dating and focuses on religious and/or moral ideology.
"I think as far as courtship, we wanted to be purposeful in our relationship and make the most of our time so we wanted to know pretty quickly about those deeper issues – is this someone I can serve God better with than without and really get to the heart of the issues early on," Derick noted.
"We promised to save ourselves physically for marriage so we could focus on communication," which was difficult because Derick was in Nepal and trying to set up Skype dates. "But I think it really is beneficial. When Derick came back, we set standards as well; we always wanted to have a chaperone, and sometimes it was difficult to even find someone to go with. We really wanted to set our standard high and not compromise. We made different standards we wanted to hold to, and if we wanted to change them, do so on the front end," Jill explained.
The two exchanged vows in front of family and friends, and their wedding will be featured this season on "19 Kids & Counting," which premieres tonight on TLC.
"Married life has been great – very well worth the wait. We were just looking forward to marriage; we're dating a lot more now and it's exciting to spend that time together now. Every day is better and better," the couple said.
"19 Kids & Counting" airs Tuesday nights on TLC.
