While “19 Kids and Counting” followed the lives of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar along with their children, “Counting On” follows the lives of the older Duggar children after they have moved out and gotten married. The name comes from the idea that now that the Duggar children are all grown up, they are adding to the family by having children of their own.

Besides how many children they have, another somewhat unusual fact about the family is that the children decide to get married at a young age. For example, Jill Duggar Dillard married her husband, Derek Dillard, when she was 23 years old, and her younger sister, Joy-Anna Duggar, was only 19 years old when she married Austin Forsyth.

Recently, after Justin Duggar’s 18th birthday, he announced that he is engaged to Claire Spivey, who is 19 years old. Some people have been wondering why the Duggar children choose to get married so very young. Is it because they want to have large families like their parents? Were they just lucky enough to find true love in their teens and early 20s?

Watch the video below to hear Derek Dillard’s very honest answer about why the Duggar children all choose to get married at a young age.

Many viewers have applauded Derek Dillard’s honest answer, and some have pointed out that this thought process of waiting until you’re married to have sex was not uncommon several decades ago.

As mentioned in the video, Jill and Derek are currently not on the best terms with Jill’s parents. As Jill explained in a YouTube video, “We’re not on the best terms with some of my family. We’ve had some disagreements and stuff, but we’re working toward healing definitely and restoration.” She added, “We’re having to kind of just take some time and heal and just doing what’s best for our family right now and just working through it, I guess. It’s difficult, but we’re praying and trusting God that the timeline is his and what that looks like and everything. So, definitely appreciate your prayers, but don’t want to go into detail too much.”

Were you surprised by Derek Dillard’s honest answer about why the Duggar children get married so young?