Jessa Duggar is replying to online comments about the size of her family.
Jessa and her husband, Ben Seewald, announced they were expecting their sixth child in an Instagram post on Friday, March 7. The pair are already parents to Spurgeon, 9, Henry, 8, Ivy, 5, Fern, 3, and George, 16 months.
Jessa, 32, posted a YouTube video titled, “Baby #6 Q&A + My Morning Routine,” on Thursday, May 8, and acknowledged the negative remarks she’s received about her growing family.
“When it comes to people saying negative opinions, I know this is not the case for everyone, but for me personally, I’ve never had anybody walk up to my face and be nasty,” Jessa said. “I have heard a lot of rude and unnecessary comments, but generally those are just online.”
Jessa, who is one of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar’s 19 children, also responded to comments comparing her to her mother. She noted that she’s read comments saying she and Seewald are “trying to follow in [her] mom’s footsteps.”
“I’m not going to have 19 kids, but honestly, my mom is my hero. I love her. I adore her [and] she is my role model in so many ways,” Jessa said. “Her patience, her love, her gentleness [and] her kind speech. She is the golden example of a mother, in my opinion. So, when people say, ‘Do you want to be like your mother?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, please, Lord, help me.’ ”
“Even if people are saying that in sort of a negative way, I’m like ’Yes, please Lord.’ “
Jessa Seewald/Instagram
Jessa Duggar kids: Henry, George, Fern, Ivy and Spurgeon
She explained that despite receiving comments on social media, she hasn’t had people be “nasty to [her] face.”
“I know some people do have to put up with a lot of that flak or feedback from people who are close to them, just giving their opinion without being asked for it,” she said. “I think that would be way harder, but thankfully, that hasn’t been my experience.”
She continued by revealing some tips she’s learned about how to navigate antagonistic comments. “Oftentimes, we can set the tone for how people receive our news,” Jessa explained.
“When we say something like, ‘Oh, we’re expecting,’ or ‘We’re so thankful for this baby. We’re so grateful,’ that definitely sets a different tone for how it’s received versus [saying], ‘We’re definitely done after this one.’ ‘This one was a surprise,’ or ‘We weren’t expecting to be expecting,’ ” she said.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Jessa Seewald/Instagram
Jessa Duggar in May 8, 2025 YouTube video
“I don’t think it’s wrong to say certain things, but I know that sometimes we can cater to how we think other people might receive the news in the way that we present it,” she said, before noting, “If we think people might judge me for having another baby, we might be quicker to present the information in a way that’s, like, backpedaling or apologizing for where we are in life.”
But the proud mom of soon-to-be six children said she doesn’t “live for” other people’s opinions.
“It’s not other people’s approval that we should want most, but I think that we can definitely influence in the way that we share information [and] maybe how other people will perceive and receive,” she said.
Read the original article on People
