Fans of former "Counting On" star Jill Duggar Dillard have many questions for her, so she and husband Derick Dillard sat down to provide some answers.
The 29-year-old shared her views on everything from nose piercings and tattoos to her faith. She and her husband recorded a YouTube video that also ran on their blog Thursday and shared their personal responses.
Watch TODAY All Day! Get the best news, information and inspiration from TODAY, all day long.
In the almost 17-minute long video titled "Q & A: Babies, Pants, Nose Ring, Tattoos & Faith!" the mom of two sits side-by-side with Dillard and answer a series of questions from fans, starting with how many more kids they want to have (the couple are already parents to sons Israel David, 5, and Samuel Scott, 3).
"We would love more kids if God chooses to give us more," said Duggar Dillard. "How many? I don't know that we have a number. Probably not 20 kids," she said. Her parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, raised 19 kids and introduced the world to their family on reality TV.
"We're not going to rule anything out," Duggar Dillard continued. She speculated that their family could potentially be very large "if God has us run an orphanage."
Duggar Dillard also said she and her husband, who she married in 2014, would be open to adoption too. "Derick's mom was adopted so adoption has a special place in our hearts."
The next question had to do with Jill recently cutting off her super-long hair and getting her nose pierced, both choices which seemingly went against her conservative upbringing.
"I got my hair cut because my hair was so heavy and it was giving me headaches, literally," explained Duggar Dillard. "It was so long I was like, I don't want to get just a little bit off. I looked up different places you can donate your hair."
As for the nose piercing, Duggar Dillard said the small stud was something she and her husband had discussed and agreed upon.
"I always thought they were cute," she said of nose piercings. "Some of the decisions, even if I liked something before, maybe I wouldn't have done it because of the backlash I would get from people close to me," she said, adding, "I hate confrontation."
Duggar Dillard also said that "growing as a person" and "growing closer as a couple" helped her make the decision. She said it was about "being OK with other people not being OK."
Dillard noted that no longer being so closely associated with the show made it easier for them to make their own choices as a couple. Most recently, the pair made headlines when they decided it was OK to drink alcohol on social occasions. Earlier this month, Jill shared a photo from date night with Derick on her Instagram in which she was drinking a piña colada.
As for Duggar Dillard's choice to start wearing pants, she explained that it was not something she did as a reaction to anyone or anything.
"For me, growing up, I always wore a skirt or dress," she said. "I was reevaluating things. It was not a reactionary thing," she said of the change. "It was very much something we were reevaluating. I felt like I could be modest and wear pants. The first time I wore pants was to an amusement park."
When asked about their views on tattoos, Dillard chimed in right away. "The question isn't whether I would get a tattoo, it's what I would get," he said. "I might just get a big bald eagle on my face," he joked.
"We're not against tattoos," Duggar Dillard clarified. "You want to be wise. It's a permanent thing. If it's something meaningful to you, maybe it's a good reminder. I don't think Biblically there's something wrong with it."
Duggar Dillard said that she could see herself getting a tattoo because she's "a very sentimental person" but since she hates needles, she might not.
As for all the big changes they've made, Jill cited therapy as being instrumental.
"I think therapy has been really helpful," Jill said. "But also we haven't changed who we are as people."
Related
"There are people that are in your group, you want to listen to their cautions. (But) you don't want to be overly fearful of people or led by fear. You have to grow as a person and not just be a people pleaser. But also learn the balance and show deference to people, too."
"Our ultimate goal is still to glorify God in our actions and our decisions that we make."
That sometimes means that the couple might be at odds with their families — and that's OK.
"We don't feel like we're obligated to discuss everything with them but obviously those conversations come up," said Duggar Dillard. "Are they supportive? Not always. Some of my siblings have something to say, others are 'I'm happy for whatever y'all are deciding. I'm glad you're making decisions as a couple.' Some of them are more cool with it than others."