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Among her siblings, Jill Duggar has been a “black sheep” for some time.
Not quite like her “wild” cousin Amy Duggar.
But, at times, Jill has seemed to get more heat from her family than her disgraced brother Josh.
Now, she reveals, she’s in a “rebuilding phase” with her relatives. Is that for the best?
How are things for Jill Duggar and her extended family?
During the same Instagram Live chat in which Jill Duggar spoke of dark family secrets, she also delivered an update.
As fans and critics alike are aware, Jill has been on the outs for years.
She has spoken against Jim Bob for his many wrongs against her and her siblings.
In a patriarchal cult, this has created tensions with many members of her family — not just her notoriously awful father.
However, the distance that Jill has had from much of her family is now changing.
“Right now with my family, we’re definitely in a rebuilding phase,” Jill characterized of where things stand today.
“So,” she explained, “we do have stronger relationships with siblings and family and all of that.”
Jill specified that she and Derick and their three children — Israel, Samuel, and Frederick — now receive invitations to some family events.
That may sound normal in most families.
But, for the Dillards, it was not the case for a good while.
‘We needed time’
“When we get together with family, which is not just weddings and funerals for us now,” Jill Duggar revealed.
She shared: “There was a time where we didn’t see a lot of my family except at weddings and funerals.”
This, Jill diplomatically phrased it, was “just because we needed time.”
According to her, there have been stops and starts along the way in the journey to reconciliation.
“It’s like [we] take a couple steps forward and then a step back [in our relationships with them],” Jill explained.
“[We’re] just trying to work through and work out and keeping healthy boundaries in place,” Jill emphasized.
She affirmed that she enforces boundaries “because that’s necessary.”
Jill stressed: “We are protecting our core family as we move forward.”
We know that she has spent time with her mother and many of her sisters.
But Jill is closer to some siblings than to others.
Some bridges can be rebuilt — but maybe some should stay burned
In their book and on Shiny Happy People, Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard exposed many aspects of Jim Bob’s behavior.
Jim Bob also banned Jill from the family compound, claiming that she might be a “bad influence” on her own siblings. Nasty man.
Not too long ago, Jim Bob and Jill seemed to be getting along. But it turned out that he’d ambushed Jill and Derick for a photo op.
It’s great to hear that Jill is building up relationships with many of her siblings again.
But, for her sake and that of her children, we hope that she never feels obligated to speak to Jim Bob again. She deserves better. Doesn’t everyone?
Jill Duggar & Estranged Family Are In The ‘Rebuilding Phase’ After Years … was originally published on The Hollywood Gossip.