‘Counting On’ Alum Slams Duggar Family for ‘Taking Advantage’ of Jana Duggar Amid Charges

Amy Duggar is coming to the defense of her cousin Jana in light of her recent misdemeanor charges. News broke that Jana was hit with child endangerment charges earlier this month. “I believe that if you are a parent you should watch your own children. It’s not right to always have someone else watching them for you,” Amy tweeted on Tuesday.

The Counting On alum went on calling out other family members who “take advantage” of their relatives by using them to take care of their children. “OK let me clear something up I’m not talking about loving good parents that work and provide for their families. I support that! Of course!” she continued. “I’m talking about people who rely on Aunt’s [sic] or friends or anyone that takes advantage of people. Just simply because they can.”

“Your kids even your older kids should not be your built-in babysitter. Your kids no matter what their age is should be able to live a normal adolescent life. Helping out every once in a while is great but if you’re gonna have that many kids then be responsible for them,” she added. 

Jana was charged with endangering the welfare of a minor in Arkansas in September. She pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to appear in court in January. She addressed the situation via her Instagram story, explaining the facts to her followers.

“I was babysitting a few months ago when one of the children wandered outside alone. A passerby who saw the child called the police. This resulted in a written citation, as well as a follow-up with child welfare who concluded that it was an accident and the child was unharmed,” she said. “They recognized it was a case of a child slipping out of the house when you turn your back for a moment. It all happened so quickly and was scary.”

“I am grateful for law enforcement and those who protect and serve our community. I was certainly never arrested like some may have implied. In the end I was just upset at myself that it had happened at all, but so thankful it all ended safely and that’s truly what mattered the most to me,” she continued.