Youngest Bates to Court

Five of Gil and Kelly Bates' 19 children are married, and two are in serious courtships. All the kids' relationships have had similarities and differences, and it has been neat to watch them unfold.

So far, Josie has been the youngest Bates daughter to enter a courtship. She and Kelton Balka made their relationship official earlier this year. They actually started talking three years ago, and things quickly became serious. At that point, Gil asked Josie if she would be okay with putting a pause on the relationship for a while, since she was so young. She agreed, and she and Kelton took a break. They resumed their relationship a little over a year ago.

For comparison, we have calculated the ages at which each of the Bates daughters began courting.

Michael: 23
Erin: 21
Tori: 20
Carlin: 19
Alyssa: 18 (three days before her 19th birthday)
Josie: 18

Photo courtesy of tarynyagerphotography.com