Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard celebrated their youngest son Samuel’s fourth birthday last week.
She surprised her little boy with a firetruck ride with his uncle James Duggar and a meal at Chick-fil-A. The former reality star shared photos and included the fact that her sister, Jana Duggar, was along for the ride.
Given what followers know about the strained relationship between Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar and some of her siblings, it was interesting to see who showed up for Samuel.
Why weren’t Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar included in Samuel’s celebration?
In the post Jill Duggar shared about Samuel’s birthday, she did mention her mom, Michelle Duggar, bringing over gifts, but there were no photos of her or Jim Bob there.
When a follower questioned why the Duggar parents weren’t involved in Jill’s boys’ lives, she responded.
Jill said, “[heart emoji] The firetruck birthday party was something we just worked out between us and James. My parents always send or bring gifts for the boys birthdays. We’ve had to put some boundaries in place over time for ourselves as we learn how to navigate life and work toward healing and restoration. They aren’t always invited to everything and vice versa.”
This is something that she and Derick Dillard discussed during one of their YouTube Q&A sessions. They confirmed the rift after he spent months dropping hints things weren’t good between them and the Duggars.
Michelle and Jim Bob released a statement confirming things weren’t good, but they were working toward healing their relationship.
Will Jill Duggar ever reconcile with her parents?
Details about why she is on the outs with her parents haven’t been laid out in full. Jill Duggar and Derick Dillard have dropped various hints, though most of them have been pretty vague.
She had a hard time with the revelation that Josh Duggar inappropriately touched her and her sisters when it was made public in 2015. She had just married Derick, and their lives were turned upside down, along with 19 Kids and Counting being canceled.
Now, the same thing happened with Counting On, though they both walked away from the show in 2017. The last several years have been tough for Jill and Derick, and now that they are finally revealing their truth, progress is being made.
Whether their relationship will be repaired remains to be seen. Still, the couple and Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have attended the same events, and it seems like, despite everything happening, they still have love for each other.