Jinger Duggar Reveals Which Brother She’s Closest With of 18 Siblings: ‘Can’t Have Favorites But …’

Out of 18 siblings, Jinger Duggar revealed who her “favorite” brother is in a new Instagram Q&A session with fans.

“We can’t have favorites but … ,” Jinger, 30, wrote via her Instagram Stories on Wednesday, March 20, adding a wink face emoji. “@Jamesaduggar.”

Jinger and James, 22, are six years apart and it’s well known the five eldest Duggar daughters, Jana Duggar, Jill Duggar, Jessa Duggar and Joy-Anna Duggar, assisted in parenting their younger siblings.

Duggar matriarch, Michelle Duggar, known for the “buddy system” she implemented in her household, saw that an older child was assigned with a younger child in “teams,” which they were supposed to watch over and guide. According to the mother of 19, the system came from a need to be everywhere at once, which was impossible with such a large household.

Michelle, 57, perfected the system with color-coded chore charts and team leaders were responsible for ensuring they got done whatever the chart instructed them to do.

“All pink are Jan[a] and her team. All blue are Jill and her team,” Michelle divulged to Parenting.com. “There is a schedule from morning until bedtime so that they know what to expect — what their goals are, what they are aiming for, what they try to get done.”

In the past, Josh Duggar‘s wife, Anna Duggar, seemingly shaded her in-laws and slammed the system they had in place. “We do not have a buddy system,” Anna replied to a fan via Instagram in September 2020. “I’m mom, and as much as possible, I want our children to be free to enjoy their childhood!”

Jill, 32, later revealed in January that she was assigned her first “buddy” by her parents at only six years old. She explained there were “different levels,” as responsibilities with her “buddies” changed as she got older.

“An older child would be paired with a younger sibling, or two or three,” she explained about her upbringing while appearing on “The Unplanned Podcast” on January 10. “That way nobody slipped through the cracks. There was always somebody making sure this one got lunch and this one got their diaper changed.”

The Counting the Cost author noted that Michelle would “keep the itty bitty babies with her in her room.”

“Even during the night, like if we woke up with a kid they would help,” she explained about Michelle and her father, Jim Bob Duggar. “If somebody’s sick, it’s her dealing with them. It’s not us.”