In 1890, the president of the mainstream LDS Church issued a manifesto counseling the members of the Mormon church in Utah to stop participating in polygamous marriages. I had several ancestors living in the principle of plural marriage at this time, but one of their stories in particular has always stood out to me. My great-great-great grandfather had three wives and lived in a small community on the Arizona Strip, near the border with Utah, called Moccasin. When the manifesto of 1890 was released, he feared that he would be unable to continue living with his wives and perpetuating the practice of plural marriage within the United States, so
“I have not publically shared any of the following details” Last month was pregnancy and infant loss awareness, and I have been thinking a lot on if I’m ready to share the infertility journey I’ve been on. Up until now, I have not publically shared any of the following details. I have decided at this point to share. When we were filming season 2 of Seeking Sister Wives, I was asked many times, “Are you planning on having kids soon?”. I remember trying to come up with a polite answer on how to respond to this question as it was incredibly personal, and a very vulnerable topic for me.
Watching the Tell All! That was intense! We all got together last night and watched the Seeking Sister Wife reunion episode (aka the Tell All) and we were not expecting that ending. We are saddened to hear about Vanessa leaving the Snowdens. We got to meet them in person after the tell all and thought they were a great family. We respect that Vanessa continued forward on her path and stayed true to herself and the journey she needed to follow. Life is too short to not be happy! The choice is yours! Many have thought that we only live this way because we feel we HAVE to. But
Hello! I am April, Sophie Winder’s mother. The Winders have invited me to be a guest blogger today; in support of their intention to stand up for who they are! I know they are making every effort to show their family values to the world. I am so proud of them and the way their family is standing up for their beliefs. They are willing to take on the world and make it a better, more tolerant place, for their children to grow up in… Hopefully!!! I was subject to persecution from those who believe living this way is somehow morally wrong. I am a second-generation plural wife
It was a very unique and trying experience, but we’re grateful that we had it. We don’t think that we’ve ever had an experience that was as challenging as appearing on the second season of Seeking Sister Wife. In the beginning, we struggled with public perception and we struggled with knowing if we were actually accomplishing our purpose in being on the show. We don’t know what the future holds for us. We’re hopeful that our family will continue to grow, but that is up to God. All we can do is continue to live the best that we can and seek out His will. Looking back on filming
“…A highly sacred, sensitive, and secretive topic” Plural marriage has always been a part of my life, as a highly sacred, sensitive, and secretive topic. As I grew older and had a larger span of social circles, I realized how controversial the topic was. I came to realize there was a stereotypical illusion of what Polygamy/Plural Marriage was…and it did NOT reflect what I knew it to be. “You’re not a polygamist!” “You’re not a polygamist!” Was a response I knew all too well, as acquaintances found out my family structure and my belief system. “My mother was a second wife,” I would respond. “But, you don’t dress like ‘them’.” Them,
“Hello, this is a bit out of the blue. But my name is … and I am a producer for various shows in the television industry. I helped cast the first season of seeking seeking sister wife towards the end of casting. Now we do not know if there is a season 2 yet but if there was would you and your family be interested this time? If so I would love to talk possibilities. The show is about families journey into finding the perfect fit even if they don’t find the right one. Thank you for your time. Hope to hear from you.” That’s how it all
Choosing to have a voice Out of everyone in the world, I’m the last person I would ever have guessed would do a TV show, let alone live in as controversial a lifestyle as plural marriage- yet I’m happily doing both of those things. Life has a way of throwing you curve balls and being on a TV show about plural marriage is full proof of that. I’ve always been quiet and shy. I can stand up for myself if I want to, but it seems there have always been other people in my life that have always done it for me. They usually do it quite well. Not
“My family has always taken a stance of “live and let live.”” I come from a very diverse family. Growing up with that diversity has helped me to have an open mind throughout my life. While I have ancestral lines that have chosen to live plural marriage, the practice of it in my life began with my grandmother. I am the only descendant in the third generation that has decided to live it. Most of my relatives in the second generation have decided not to live it as well. I’ve been somewhat the odd one out, since choosing to live in this controversial lifestyle. However, my family has
Experiencing life openly This has been a very interesting experience for us. Choosing to open up our (not-so-popular) lifestyle for viewers to see. It’s been a little bit nerve-racking, but all in all, we feel like this experience has been a good one for us. Farm days and family time Yesterday we spent the day checking on cows, getting stuck in the mud, pruning our orchard, and making a wonderfully satisfying dutch oven dinner over a campfire of all our pruned limbs. As we sat there, all I could think about is how grateful I am for our family, and for the life that we live. Not only did