The famous fertile Duggar family was featured on The Today Show yesterday morning to promote their new show on TLC, “17 kids and counting.” Jim Bob Duggar and Michelle Duggar reside in Tonitown, Arkansas with 16 of their 17 children. All their children, ten sons and two daughters which include 2 sets of fraternal twins, have names that start with “J”. They range in age from 1 to 20. Jim Bob works as a commercial real estate investor and has served two terms as a State Legislator in the Arkansas House of Representatives. Michelle is a homemaker. They are committed conservative Baptists and say that every child is a gift from God and they’re always open to more.
The family has been featured in multiple reality specials on Discovery Health and The Learning Channel. Their oldest son, Joshua James, 20, was just married to Anna Keller of Gainesville, Florida. The Duggar family traveled down to Florida for the wedding in an RV bus complete with enough beds for everyone. The newlyweds will reside in their new home in Fayetteville, Arkansas after their honeymoon. Joshua James and Anna’s website doesn’t have details of how they met, and just says that story will be posted soon. Both come from devout Christian families and were home schooled and it is likely that they were introduced by their parents.
Michelle is currently pregnant with her 18th child, a girl, and she made the announcement on yesterday’s show.
This family somehow makes it all work with 17 and one on the way. If you’re interested in seeing their home, their website has a lot of photos and I found it pretty fascinating. They have four washers and four dryers in their laundry room along with a huge adjacent “family closet” from which they pick out their clothes for the day. They have two kitchens, an industrial kitchen and a “pretty” kitchen near the living room, with a total of six ovens, three refrigerators and four freezers.
The boys sleep in one big room with two bathrooms attached and the girls are in large another room.
A few years ago I saw a special about the family in their old house and they managed everything through schedules and teamwork. They’re all homeschooled and every child plays an instrument and takes lessons in piano and violin or harp. An older child will take responsibility for a younger sibling through something they call the “buddy system” where they will help the younger one get their meals and get dressed.
I’m interested in whether Michelle or Jim Bob ever lose their patience with their kids. They seem to have everything under control and Michelle has this kind of Pollyanna-ish personality that makes it seem like there’s nothing else she’d rather be doing than having a child every year and raising them. Maybe that’s true for her. One of those 17 soon-to-be 18 kids is going to write a tell all one day.
[Thanks to ONTD for the heads up on the video. Some details from Wikipedia]
While I applaud clean-living responsible families having spiritual beliefs to be well rounded, nonetheless, these people scare the hoo-haw out of me. This huge amount of children is something I am very very glad not everybody is doing. Makes me wonder about the gene pool in Arkansas 😯
Notice, none of the girls can cut their hair or wear pants. 😯 The reasons why, depending upon whom you ask, vary from ‘symbolic’ to downwright freaky.
A vagina is not a clown car.
Truer words never spoken Vdantev. And yeah, they look happy but they kind of creep me out too. It seems like they’re raising an army or something.
I´d call it freaky! lol
Do they get homme schooled too?
At least they seem to be able to afford it, still… I just wonder, how much of individual attention and affection can ya give your children when there are so many? Do they ever get to really bond as siblings?
Or it just turns up to be people ya live with? Like in a boarding school?
Am sure it can be a lot of fun… I come from a big family with lots of cousins (bout 10)and we spent many many summers and some weekends together, but I can´t imagine how it would be like having them there ALL THE TIME!!!!!!
Maybe we wouldn´t enjoy eachother´s company as much as we did during the summer holidays! Guess not, we had our share of fights during the summer.lol
That house is ENORMOUS!!!!!!
In this day and age, how does one afford to raise all those children. It doesn’t look like the husband has a huge salary. Wow. Nonetheless I wouldn’t want to be one of their kids. I always needed my privacy.
Didn’t she have number 17 only a few months ago? I thought she waited at least 6 months in between (seriously, if you read about their “strategy” for conceiving, birthing and raising their kids, your jaw would drop). Maybe she’s starting to realize that, at her age, she only has so many babies left in her. The whole thing is just weird, and I hate how much attention they get.
Socially irresponsible, I don’t care how many kids God gives you or how well you are raising them. Talk about a carbon footprint..
Stop breeding already. Geez.
And that house they live in? The family built it together…seriously. It was on one of the specials they had about the family.
Who cares how many kids they have, it’s their life.
I am alarmed at what Michelle’s body is going through. I had some medical problems from just having 5 kids.
Her bladder must be in her shoe. 😯
gross.
“Her bladder must be in her shoe”
Her bladder? I am surprised that her uterus is still inside her body, maybe she carries them around in a pouch like a Kangaroo.
Did you hear that? They will be having more. How does her bladder, uterus, veins, pelvis cope? This family fascinates me too. How does Michelle even make time for sex to concieve every year? Goodness, I am speechless.
The father’s supporting his family, they’re supplementing their income with reality TV, they seem happy and content, they’re not hurting anyone, can’t see the harm.
Why the mother would WANT to put herself through this is another story…. 😯
It’s medically very risky for her to keep carrying and delivering babies – her uterus could rupture from all the stretching back and forth. It’s a fairly accepted belief in the medical community today that the ideal length of time to allow your body to heal between pregnancies is at least 18 months, and that’s if you are of optimum health and maternal age. This woman is in her 40s and waits up to six months before getting pregnant again. There is no way her body is properly healed, especially at such an advanced maternal age. This is why I think it’s weird and shouldn’t be promoted so heavily.
Kolby – where did you read about their “strategy”?
I am a Christian but admit it kind of freaks me out – what they’re doing.
The kids are clones of their same sex parent – in terms of dress, hairstyle, clothing, etc…
Daisy: Lol! I felt that way after only two pregnancies.
I think I read somewhere that Michelle has essentially been pregnant for ten straight years. 😯
If Jim Bob was looking out for the health of his over 40 wife he should go and get himself fixed. I suspect though that she’ll keep pushing them out until her menopause or else her body gives out beforehand. Well with this latest they’ll have two baseball teams.
Stop blaming this poor woman – her husband won’t get off of her!
*puts blanket over head*
LEAVE HER VAGINA ALONE.
Good god! I understand their midset & why they live the way they do, but JEEBUS!
The thing that freaks me out the most is that the girls can’t cut their hair or ever wear pants. One of those kids is going to rebel eventually
Susan – I can’t remember but it was right around the time #17 was born. I read an article that detailed how Ma Duggar nurses and cares for each baby for the first six months of his or her life, and then after six months the child is handed off to an older sibling, or “buddy” for raising (I’m not saying she ignores them after that, but the older sibling takes over the day to day dressing, bathing, feeding responsibilities). Then she and her husband can get to work on the next pregnancy. I swear I am not making this up, I just wish I can remember where I read/heard this.
So American, thinking you deserve to hog as many resources as you possibly can. Massive cars, houses, accumulation of stuff…or overpopulating the planet with your progeny when humans are breeding themselves to extinction…
If you love kids so much, have your one, or two, or three biological children…then adopt!
my vagina hurts just reading about this woman.
What country do you reside lunachick?
I am pretty sure that India,China & Africa outrank the US in births.
I’m in the U.S. And of course many countries have much higher birth rates than the U.S. does, my point was about individual responsibility when we have access to reproductive education and birth control here.
This is just plain gross, disgusting and totally bizarre.. WTF???????
lunachick,
I find your post to be highly offensive. I did just what you suggested – had two biologically and adopted two more. And, I am as American as apple pie – Thank You very much.
You could stand to not lump all of us into one definition. Just as you are different from your neighbors, I am too.
There’s got to be some incest going on in that family.
Lunachick;
Because I chose to have 5 kids I am “hogging resources” as you put it? Ask my children if they are glad I made the decision to give birth to them.
BTW, I am informed about birth control and planned each one of my children.
Whether it was your intention or not, your broad comment was very insulting.
What’s wrong with having all the children you want, can take care of and support?
Nothing. This is a close knit, loving family. If all families in this country were like this, not just in numbers but in responsibility, we would be a great country indeed. Do you realize these people pay as they go? Most families owe a bunch and don’t have nearly so many children. I wish they would have seminars on how they do it. I’d be very interested. God bless them.
My sister has 8 biological children, and miscarried 3. By all accounts she has a HUGE family. She home schooled all of them and they’re brilliant and the older ones have gone on to college. Her husband is a dr. in Seattle and while they get many rude comments like, “it’s called birth control lady” – it’s THEIR choice. They have plenty of money and love to go around and why self righteous observers feel the need to make rude comments is beyond me. Some people need to mind their own business!
Sorry, this story just clearly hits a nerve with me.
As being number 9 out of 13. I understand what its like to be in a big family. However we all grew up in three different families, The youngest three with my biological dad and his third wife, myself with my biological mother and her husband (who I call dad), and the rest of the siblings with my biological fathers first wife. I couldn’t imagine having us all in one house, I remember at Christmas one year we had 9 of us children and it was insane! Though I do applaud them for keeping their family together, I have brother and sisters I wouldn’t know from Joe if they walked by on the street.
I suppose her birth canal is more like the waterslide at Six Flags. Wheee!
Smart move to augment income with the reality show but we’ll never really know the “reality” of it. Nobody believes they’re letting it all hang out for the world to see do they? This is sort of reminiscent of the Paskowitz family (about whom the film “Surfwise” was made) with their tons of kids and tons of strange rules. Between all those kids, they probably won’t have to worry and wonder about their own eldercare later on.
By the way I think China still has their “one child” rule, don’t they?
Um, I count six girls in that photo including the baby in the pink dress that mom is holding.
I don’t have kids and don’t plan to, that’s a personal choice just as its some women’s and their significant others’ choice to have a large family. As long as the kids are getting love and proper care, then I don’t see the harm. But 18 kids with no sign of stopping soon!!! something just don’t seem right there. They are gonna have to stop at some point though or mom might end up with prolapsed uterus.
Ugh. Eighteen kids and each just as ugly as the last. This family’s carbon footprint is going to be the size of India.
i think this situation is pretty strange. i watched their show last nite, it seems like the mother doesnt have a whole lot of duties raising the kids, they all are handed off to a “buddy” to be taken care of.
i agree with some of you that said its just socially irresponsible. i wonder how the kids REALLY felt when they found out momma was havig baby #18? i know i wouldnt like it too much, especially if i was one of the older ones who knew that in 6 months or so, i would be raising that little one.
i kind of feel like they are having one after another for publicity?? what do ya think?
lunachick and Dingles: You are right on.
Seems kind of unfair to the older kids to have to take on the responsibility for the care of a younger sibling. I know this does happen, but usually it is not planned so that Mom can hurry up and gestate another one.
They appear to be some sort of very conservative religion.
Why am I seeing a lot of teen rebellion in their future?
i agree with lunachick that it is not responsible to the planet to have so many biological children. in terms of carbon footprint, it is especially selfish here in the US, where we produce less than 5% of the earth’s resources and yet we consume almost 25%. there are limited resources in this world, and many scientists are predicting that the next resource battle will be over clean water. i don;t have kids, but i am concerned for the next generation. why parents get upset is beyond me…after all, it is their children who will inhereit all these problems, you’d think they would do their best to leave a healthy planet for them. adoption is a beautiful thing and having a “blended” family is, too. why is that offensive?
I watched some of it last night too and honestly, they all looked pretty happy.
*scratching head*
Could it be we are all the cynical ones and they know something we don’t?
They are Christians. I am too – but they have stronger faith than I do.
They already have several children in their teens and no troubles yet.
OMG! don’t they know there are children starving in the world? why bring more? In any case, adopt!
Who’s feeding these kids (meaning who supports the family)???? my, my, my
Susan, I don’t think they necessarily have stronger faith than you, or that they are “better Christians”, I think they just express it in a different way.
kate, I couldn’t agree more. I really don’t believe that people really think about what will happen when they’re gone, and the kids they’ve brought into this world have to deal with the consequences. I find it extremely selfish, but to each their own, I guess.
I think adoption is a wonderful option, but it is unfortunate that there is a lot of red tape involved in the process. I think it’s easier for people to go into debt and endure the frustration of fertility treatments than going through that process. But in my opinion, the true desire to become a parent would outweigh the desire to have a biological child. Just my $0.02.
As far as the Duggars…I find them very odd and creepy. But mostly I wonder about Michelle’s health. She pretty much gets pregnant about 6-8 months after the last birth–that can’t be healthy at all.
i dont get why anyone living in a first world country would need to do this. the big families in countries with really high birth rates are largely agrarian families and they need all the hands and help they can get to make a subsistence living. China does have a one child policy but this is largely in urban and suburban areas, and there are exceptions for the population (the majority) who are farmers and live in the countryside. there are also exceptions for ethnic minorities in china as well.
but back to my main point: this many kids serves no purpose in terms of their livlihood. they are just procreating to procreate.
oh but to the brat who said this is something only americans do: check ur facts sweetie, im pretty sure this kind of abnormal birthing family pops up in most developed countries, and is an exception in developed countries, including europe, rather than the rule.
it wouldnt be fair for me to make a blanket statement about europeans being all f’ed up just because of that one freaky family in Austria where the dad fathered 8 kids and kept one in a secret bunker in the basement raping her and fathering 5 more kids with her, right? get off your high horse.
I found this site — I think this is what the Duggar family believes as well.
http://www.quiverfull.com/aboutus.php
i know adoption can be a long and frustrating process, but i think it is worth it. i believe the average wait time is about 2 years, but if you go outside the US it is faster, also if you adopt a toddler rather than a newborn. i have a friend who is a single mom and adopted a 2 year old girl from a serbian orphanage, and the total wait time was less than a year. but biological children can be take just as long: most couples take 6-8 months of “trying” to get pregnant, and then 9 months on top of that, and that is provided there are no problems. with IVF the wait time can actually be much longer than the average adoption time.
I really just don’t see how each child could get proper nurturing when Mother is just a queen bee, pumping out progeny.
Anyway, it does appear the girls have trimmed their hair at some point. On the bright side, it does seem that the kids are gregarious and intelligent and well-spoken. Still too many though I think.
I had always thought they were Mormans
I’m with Syko, in that I think it’s really unfair to place so much responsibility on the older children. What a life.
Both of the Duggars are licensed real estate agents. If you consider that many agents make great money (and they are obviously among the ones who do), then it’s not surprising that they built their 7000 sq. foot house debt free.
Why are people harping on a family that pays their own way (long before they became famous for their reality show) when there are plenty of people out there with 1 or 2 kids and WE are footing the bill because they live on public assistance.
“I really don’t believe that people really think about what will happen when they’re gone, and the kids they’ve brought into this world have to deal with the consequences. I find it extremely selfish, but to each their own, I guess.”
Jess: So let me get this straight: You’re saying that those of us who choose to have biological children are selfish and, essentially, irresponsible for electing to bring children into this world? Do you have any idea how many women you’ve insulted with that foolish generalization? Do you care?
I have a daughter who is a licensed real estate agent and broker. Trust me, in today’s economy she is not making a ton of money.
Jess: Totally right. Sounds like giving birth is this chick’s hobby.
I’m pretty sure they recycle their clothes. Everything is a hand me down basically. They have one big huge closet and it’s divided up into girls/boys and sizes. When a child needs something to wear they go in there and get it. I saw a documentary on them and it was before they moved into the big house. They were going on a family outing and they made something like hamburger helper, etc. I don’t think they live a fancy lifestyle – quite the contrary.
I cannot fathom having that many kids and I don’t know how she does it – physically or emotionally — but nothing is impossible with God.
I expected the mother to be a ditz and she actually came across as really down to earth on the reality show. Not like someone who would be in a cult or a kook at all.
“Jess: So let me get this straight: You’re saying that those of us who choose to have biological children are selfish and, essentially, irresponsible for electing to bring children into this world? Do you have any idea how many women you’ve insulted with that foolish generalization? Do you care?”
Codzilla:
I think that MOST people don’t consider what hardships and issues future generations will endure as a direct result of this generation’s actions, including overpopulating the planet.
I’m sorry that my statement offended/insulted you, but I firmly believe that we need to strike a balance somehow, population-wise.
There’s a dangerous message in this society that if you don’t have kids, you’re not a complete person. I think that’s getting us into more trouble than we realize.
The nastiness on this blog again surprises me, and I would think it wouldn’t by now. If they are happy, more power to them.
As far as them hogging resources, I am 40 something and will never have kids. My mom had just 2. My sister is having her first. Her husband is an only child. So as an extended family unit, we’re well below replacement rate. So we’re canceling out her ‘overage’.
As long as they are happy, why do people care?
Teen rebellion happens in a lot of families, regardless of the situation. If this family escapes that hell, good for them. If not, then my sympathies, but it’s darn common. But the feigned consternation on this thread cracks me up.
Jess: While I understand your concerns, I still feel that such a blanket statement vilifying parents who choose to have biological children is simply unfair. If you don’t want to have kids, or prefer to adopt, more power to you, but ultimately, it’s not your place (or mine) to tell other families which path to follow.
I wonder if the older children, especially the girls, have stomach ulcers from basically have to take over parenting for their younger siblings?
They are a beautiful family, the kids are really cute. They seem very happy and now that they have their own reality show things much be easier for them, economically at least. I do believe kids need love an attention from their parents, how can they get equal time when there are so many?
Since I’m dealing with infertility, I wish I had that kind of Fertile Myrtleness, but I just don’t see how in the world they can devote individual time with each child, which I believe is very necessary. And I don’t think any child should be responsible for any of the others. I guess if they can afford it, good for them, but I’m pretty sure there’s got to be some of them that are not getting the attention they need.
Amen Codzilla 😉
Agree Gracie!
I work with a woman who was one of 19 brothers and sisters. Her mother had 2 stillborns for a total of 21 kids. Poor black family in the south.
I don’t belive God has anything to do with this. Why should people fornicating like bunnies and producing children have anything to do with God? That’s my opinion but as long as they are not abusing their children physically or taking tax money, i don’t really care. They should be able to do what they want to.
I disagree with the whole passing off the child to an older child as that is not parenting. It doesn’t seem fair and a child requires attention from their parent and not a sibling.
Jess: I agree with you. But I understand what codzilla is talking about.. If I couldn’t have children, I would adopt but i don’t blame people to try to have their own. It is heartbreaking for most women who are dealing with infertility. It takes a special person with a lot of patience and love to adopt and not a lot of people can do that.
Nevermind all that – I just hope they’ve finally introduced the odd fresh vegetable into the diet. On their website is their “cookbook” – who knew there was such a variety of uses for canned mushroom soup. 😐
*psst Sweet – technically you’re not fornicating if you’re married to the person you’re sleeping with 😉
Mairead: HAHAHA! LMFAO! You are right! I was trying to be smart and it crashed and burned! But I meant to say, “having sex like crazy”. LOL! But I would be disturbed if my parents were doing it after my little sister/brother was born. I believe my parents were only together 3x to have my siblings and myself.. no other times! 😀
vdantev ~
“A vagina is not a clown car.”
oh my god, that is probably the funniest thing I’ve ever read. 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆 😆
@sweet
Funny! Oddly enough, all three of my kids, when presented with the “facts of life”, had the identical reaction: “You did THAT three times!?!?!” 😆
They use “blanket training” in which a baby is placed on a blanket (the baby has to be old enough to crawl) and anytime they wander off the blanket they are popped with a wooden spoon and thus it teaches the baby to never leave the boundary of the blanket.
Also there’s a girl in that family (she’s either 12 or 13 now) who does ALL the family’s laundry. All of it. It takes her 20 hours a week. The rest of her time is spent on their homeschooling “lessons” and taking care of her “buddy” child. Other girls have similar nearly-full time jobs–one of the older girls does all the meal preparation. Another one does all the sweeping and mopping (and they have a HUGE house).
The older children all have a younger child assigned to them and they take care of the younger child full-time. There’s no other way they can do this.
They are not allowed to socialize outside of their family and one or two other similar homeschooling families in the area. They are their own church, meeting on Sundays in their own home, so they get to use their home as a total tax write-off, since they are a “church.”
The only lucky person in that whole family is the dad. He is not assigned a child as his “buddy” and he is catered to since he is “Daddy” and the head of the family. He also doesn’t have to have the babies or carry the pregnancies.
The only other semi-fortunate one in that family probably hasn’t been born yet–the last one. The last one will never have to take care of a younger child. They might get out of having to do laundry 20 hours a week. They WILL still be blanket trained. Of course at that point, they might just fall out of their mother’s uterus and suffer a concussion, but life’s tough all around.
This is, in short, a crazy family. The size is just socially irresponsible. (Why not adopt?) And the way they raise them is not good for the kids. The gender roles are extremely strict and unbendable.
It’s been mentioned several times that it’s not ‘socially responsible’. How is it socially irresponsible?
These people are Nuts and they are milking it for all its worth. I am a Christian (Methodist) and grew up with some crazy baptists in my hometown. They werent allowed to cut their hair and always had to wear dresses that covered their ankles. I dont understand. I want one of these kids to rebel. Make their own reality show about how they want to sleep around and drink booze and become Paris Hilton’s best friend. It would get great ratings.
This family is very cultish to me, they even wear matching outfits, it freaks me out and my vagina hurts too.
also if you go to JOsh and Anna’s wedding page and click their walmart registry, they registered for Sprite and gatorade. WHo the hell does that???? https://www.walmart.com/giftregistry/gr_detail.do?registryId=00541868001
I wonder whose spawn slides out faster? Duggar’s or Jenna Jameson’s? Someone needs to be on stand-by with a stopwatch . . .
Seriously though, I’m all for marching to the beat of your own drummer, but save some drumsticks for the rest of us! I wonder if the Duggars make any attempt to make their household run as greenly as possible, or if they’re all too busy fulfilling Manifest Destiny to give two shits about our environment.
anastasiabea, so I assume the boys do very little–maybe take out the trash and some yard work? And I wonder if any of those girls will ever go to college?
Sounds like child abuse to me.
I have seen several documentaries about this family, and frankly, I am not impressed or moved. The most disturbing thing I find is that, during the documentary, you never see either parent hugging or having any physical contact with the children. It appears that once they are out of the crib, that’s it; the other children are responsible to raise each other.”Buddy System”!!come on, they are surrogate parents no matter how you look at it. This couple is self-centered and self-serving – nothing noble about them.
its a vagina not clown car people im jeez you think after number 6 the kids can just walk out
Josh and Anna’s wedding was on the same day of my first wedding 21 years ago…its an omen…LMAO.
Anastasiabe that is so sad. The ‘blanket training’, in my book, is definately child abuse! How dare they hit the baby with a spoon to keep it from crawling away. If they didn’t have so many damn kids they wouldn’t have to worry about them wandering, etc.
I cannot stand the parents. They are religious nuts! Total fruit-cakes. Having babies because the lord wants them to, give me a freaking break! They have so many babies for their own selfish needs.
18 children isn’t God’s will. God was smart enought to let us invent birth control. We should be smart enough to use it. The carbon imprint of this family is several generations will be huge. Their reproduction is selfish and irresponsible.
If you want juicy information about Jim Bob and Jichelle, check out TWOP‘s Duggar thread.
🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 Sadly! I was raised in a religious order the encourges having baby after baby! and I had a dark childhood of raising younger children! not enough to eat! and not proper supervision where hidden molesting was going on to the younger females!
these people.. put on the face of the perfect family of god!..as our group did!! but belive me as one raised in a happy face huge religious family!!
children are raising children! younger kids abused by overwhemed older kids! and sexual abuse being kept quiet between the older boys and younger females! work loads that take away alot of your childhood! and the goverment does end up paying out in food stamps to those who dont have free homes built for them and shows on cable!..rember the saying if it looks too good to be true..it probably is!..wait about 20 years and see what all these kids say then!! and all the issues they will be trying to over come!…I stopped pretending!!
How is it socially irresponsible?
As with other living things, over-breeding stresses the local and regional resources, be they financial or otherwise. Let’s not mention the stress of living in a packed house with barely an inch of privacy. Can you imagine the food and utility bills for such a crowded home? Then there’s all the garbage pouring out. And, like it or not, their neighbors are footing part of the bill for all those f*ckin’ kids through school taxes etc etc etc.
Said it once I’ll say it again- if you have more than 2 kids, regardless of finances, there’s something seriously wrong with you.
Seriously – are they millionaries? If not there is no way they can support this many children. They are supporting them by selling them to the public. That is really wrong. What has happened to society where you make money off children? It really is just so wrong. Children deserve privacy until they are at an age where they can decided for themselves if they want to be made into a freak show. also who will pay for the medical expenses if a couple of these children get sick, who is going to pay for university the parents? I don’t think so. These parents are having these children knowing that they cannot support them with enough money, time or love. It is impossible.
looks like factory farming
Every pregnancy these people risk losing the pregnancy Lotto. Women DO die because of childbearing, even with good healthcare and optimal circumstances. If they don’t quit now Discovery may end up doing “The Duggars – Minus One” someday.
More and more…the horrifying cruelty and bigotry on this site repulses me. There are quite a few of you…seriously…who define the word, “bigot.” You should be ashamed of yourselves. The bald-face intolerance of anyone who is not like you. Wow.
I’m from Arkansas. I was born there and lived there until I was 16. My entire family for 3 generations back all live in the state, and my parents returned to Arkansas to retire. It is a naturally beautiful place with rivers, hills, and untouched forests. The society is typically friendly and unpretentious. There is as much wealth, enlightenment, culture and education in my home state as I have encountered anywhere else in the world. I feel qualified to state that my opinion there actually means something as I have lived in 8 states across America and 3 other nations in my adult life.
Large families do not equal incest. Christianity does not equal batshit crazy. These people are living in the manner in which they please. They work, worship, and raise their family within the laws of their society and according to their own conscience. They are living and pursuing happiness in their own way which is the right of every American.
I don’t understand why some of you are so downright hateful and ugly. I just don’t.
“vdantev:
September 30th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
A vagina is not a clown car.”
hehehe!!
Well apparently she begs to differ. 😀
That could be an interesting throw-down.
I’m picturing that Monty Python movie; The Meaning Of Life. “Get that, would you Deirdre?”
And aspen, I notice you completely sidestepped this fact: 18 CHILDREN!!!!
Stated above: “Their neighbors are footing the bill through school taxes?”…..and “a packed house.”
Yes, but as home owners, the Duggars pay school taxes as well, yet they don’t utilize the school system because they home school. So actually, it’s unfair to the Duggar’s to have to pay for other people’s children to go to school.
Yes, they have a big water bill, food bill etc. but it’s not socially irresponsible since they pay the bill themselves and do not rely on public assistance like SO many other families.
They are not crammed into a small house. 20 people spread over 7000 square feet seems pretty nice to me.
The beauty of living in America is our FREEDOM! And that includes freedom to have as many children as you like. If you want to pick on a big family, choose one that continues to have babies so they can continue to receive welfare.
The Duggar’s have paid their own way WITHOUT the help of the show, for years. They don’t believe in debt, and work hard to live economically so they can avoid owing lenders.
I think some of us are just going to have to ‘agree to disagree’ on this family. But it’s been a fun thread!
I was homeschooled, and actually it doesnt foster any rebellion. Theres somethign about being close to your parents and siblings that alleviates any urges to rebel that would otherwise flourish and promote it. You come away satisfied with yourself and your education– so whats there to rebel about?
So yeah it doesnt make sense to an outsider, but form an inside point of view its easy, pleasant, and a positive experience.
Oh and I graduate this december and will move on to pursue Masters and hopefully Doctorate too.
But I am not speaking for all– there are some peopl who dont want to go to college, even if capable, and some capable but because of a funky chidhood never wind up going, and so on. But my two cents is that it is never a black and white issue. Each person and families’ story is their own. Im just speaking for mine. 🙂
I have mixed feelings about these folks. I’ve always said “live and let live”. However…everytime I see them (I mean “Jim-Bob and the wife”…they make me feel a little creeped out. I don’t know, it seems like (to me) if she’s going to keep popping out kids SHE should take care of them not her other kids. They didn’t ask to be brought in to the world and they SURE didn’t ask to be born to “take care of another kid”. Guess the last one born (whatever number that will be?) gets the best deal, right?
Thanks for sharing, heehee. Although homeschooling is somewhat common now, it is interesting to hear about the experience of someone who is the “result” of a non-traditional education.
Did you ever go to school or were you homeschooled from kindergarten on? Did you have organized daily lessons or a less formal approach? What advantages do you think you gained as compared to traditionally-educated kids? Any disadvantages you’ve come across?
edited to add: My apologies for the lameness of this post. I didn’t realize my inner researcher was so hard to control. I’m fully aware I’m off-topic and a dork. But heehee, I’d still like to read your reply!!
I went to regular- both public and prviate school, until the 5th grade.
Yes everything was organized- what books, what pages, what quizzes and tests- housework too etc. I think I learned the advantage of teaching myself and loving to learn from the start, instead of being shocked by the responsibility in college when I got there. It was completely no change for me to begin higher education. I htink part of my love for learning is that it was never pushed on me, and I had a choice in my textbook use, and there was basically no stress involved in learning- no noisy classrooms or peer pressures or teachers I hated etc.
I do think I was at a disadvantage, in that I could have done BETTER- academically. Unfortunately we also hit hard times and went thorug a divorce where the father then abandoned us and we had nothing, financially and started from the bottom. We slept on the floor for a long time and had to ask for food or food stamps until my mom made more than mimnimum wage with us two teenagers to care for. That meant mom wasnt home most of the day but that wasnt a problem since we already learned self-discipline– but it DID mean depression for us kids and we got a little fuzzy about our academics. We still carried through and always tested far above average, but I know I could have pushed harder and learned more– but it just wasnt in me. Its not the fault of beign homeschooled, though, and more circumstantial– life happens and you cant deal with it all all the time.
As far as socialization, I have no issues relating to anyone of any age from many backgrounds. 🙂 Im actually happy I wasnt socialized into the culture we have kids growing up in now. Especially given my darker times, I know I would have fallen prey to drugs, or alcohol, sex, and maybe even an unwanted pregnancy. I was able to stay away form it all just because it wasnt all around me. I feel blessed in that way- protected and very very grateful I could stay away from that and come out clean. 🙂
I wouldnt say there is a negative to homeschooling. When its well organized you learn as much or more and have plenty of time left for going out and pursuing hobbies and more interests and meeting with friends. Im happy it was done for sure!
When I heard she’s pregnant with her 18th, I was like…WHAT?!, didn’t she JUST have another one, that’s just crazy now!!!
Being 1 out of 7, I can tell you there will be resentment from lack of attention, especially one on one attention from mama…..and to give the older children the responsibliy to take care of the “baby” is NOT right!! It’s their business on having kids, but its crazy and getting out of control….is she trying to get an even 10 boys/ 10 girls???
I agree that children are a blessing from God, but it makes a woman who can’t get pregnant feel like she’s less deserving, what would make her MORE deserving, just because she has 18! God blesses you with children “IF” you so choose to have them….free will, but to say that you’re going to keep having them because God is blessing you with them, insults me….as it took me 11 years to pg w/ my children (au natural), makes me feel as if I was LESS deserving….not right!
I hope she comes to her senses! SOON! 🙄
I’m not trying to be judgemental, or rude, but I find the Duggars very odd. Hey, I love how holy they all are–so innocent and pure….but first, I’m wondering if this mother is just having all these kids for the publicity….I mean, come on, I think she is….even if it’s a small part of it.
But, what I don’t understand is….where do these people live?….Their clothes are styled like twenty-forty years ago. I see that the mother had style once—back in the eighties—she has crazy eighty bangs—so why did she suddenly stop caring or noticing that her coif looks ridiculous this way in the year 2008?
Her style doesn’t even make sense–she dresses like Little House on the Prairie/Flashback to the Eighties. Sorry but I don’t recall Laura Ingalls having big bangs.
I think it is almost unbelievable how good they all are…I come from a religious family, but we are pretty laid back compared to this family. I even have large familied cousins who were home-schooled and strictly religious, but all were fun, normal kids who wore clothes and hair in style–but then again their mom encouraged social activity.
The Duggars seem a little like a cult (there actually was a crazy cult with that hair do too!) The oldest son didn’t even kiss his girlfriend until their wedding day? Sweet I guess, but where did their dating period go? And I don’t remember Jesus saying “thou shalt not kiss your love until the vows of marriage are sanctified.” Sounds like the Duggars are making more rules for themselves than even the bible has!
Oh, and one more thing. I am not against big families…however one of this size can’t possibly be alright.
There is NO WAY that these children are getting all the attention, love and nurturing from their PARENTS that they need. There isn’t enough hours in a day. I don’t think it’s fair that these kids are being raised by their siblings. There is no way that they can a have a real bond with their mother or father—there’s no way that they would know all of eachother’s quirks or even their whole personalities…that’s very, very sad.
None of them can really say that they are very tight with their mom, b/c she basically pops them out and hands them to the kids so she and Jim Bob can work on some more.
I think a medium sized family is ideal–I really think all children benefit from having at least one sibling–also it makes for more wonderful memories…seeing all the warm faces of your family and remembering how you grew up together—but just the same, when you have seventeen or eighteen brothers and sisters….lets be real—there’s going to be some of them that you just don’t know. Sure they’re a big loving Christian family–I love that—but they can’t really “know” eachother—especially their own parents. That’s very sad. 🙁
I can’t believe she’s pregnant again! but I don’t really think this kids could have the best attention of their parents, and I think Anna she has a really really good medical insurance. Take care Anna!
ok so ma and pa duggar say that they are going to have as many as they can. great but think about this… if they are raising their kids like this then what about their kids? sounds like josh and anna are already planning to do the same thing… if this keeps going they just might have to get their own state! i wish them the best of luck and blessing to their future but i can’t help wonder what is going to happen in the future to michelle health wise and the kids mentally 😮 🙄
How can one family (big, huge GIANT family) cause such passion and opinionation? Granted, the Duggars are extreme, but this is how things use to be done–before birth control. My parents were part of ‘The Greatest Generation’, and we’re catholic–so I have TONS of aunts and uncles and some cousins too. The average family size is 10 kids, and yes there is some disfunction. But there is a dynamic to large families that we just don’t understand anymore because big families are an anomaly. The older kids take care of the younger siblings–helps them to bond, teaches parenting skills (a skill that seems lacking these days) and self suficiency. I can’t see any reason to fault the Duggar family for the choices they’ve made. I’m sure not all the Duggar kids are happy with the way they were raised–but who of us are? (truly, who of us had exactly the family we wanted?) Me…I was a lonely, only child in a family just LOADED with dysfunction. The size of my family didn’t spare me any of the problems that some people feel will befall the Duggars because of the size of theirs. This pro-choice, family planning mother of two says, “More power to them!”:D
Is it fair to have so many children
that you have to delegate 1 or more to
a older child to completely care for?
how old are they when they become
resonsibel for the other kids or get
a jurisdiction such as cooking or the
laundry.
sounds like slaves to me.
Hey-it’s, obviously, their choice to have as many children as they do and to raise them the way that they do but if they think homeschooling, limiting social contacts to families like theirs (one traveled from another state to visit them), limiting access to the realities of the world, etc. is in anyway doing these children a favor, they are very mistaken. While everyone is under 20, it somehow works but how are these kids going to grow up and be prepared for the real world? I don’t think anyone is going to go to college-not a must but should be an option. Josh’s marriage was obviously kind of arranged. He met the girl at a Church Convention and they never even kissed before they got married? Who is going to take care of the “kids” when they become adults and have their OWN kids? They are just not preparing their children for life as it exists outside their little cocoon. Every notice how “flat” everyone seems? And then cousin Amy comes and she laughs and is animated and has more personality in her body than all of them do collectively!
Just wanted to point out that Mr. Duggar is a realtor/broker as well as a commercial developer. Not to mention if you pay cash, even if business is slow it’s not that bad if you don’t have house, car, or credit card payments. Forget the finances of it. Have you ever considered the logistics of taking so many children to get haircuts or buying clothes. I only have two and I feel like I’m shopping all of the time as quickly as they grow. Simplicity is good! There’s a link from the Duggar’s site to Josh and Annna’s site with their testimony of how they got together. Very insightful. The Duggar child-rearing style works better than you would think.
i don’t like seeing, with lots to children when here in america, it is very expensive to raise children. like how did they afford for the insurance for all their children, hospital bills. or maybe they are free from govt insurance. while me, i have to suffer a bit so i won’t be able to pay 10-15thousand hospital bills for delivery. am so amazed how they can afford everything. they must be rich. yes i beleived children are gift from God, but i think to have 18 is too much.
Congradulations!
To those of you who think adoption is the best option, I find the suggestion insulting. Adopting might be a fine choice for you, but someone like myself it is not. I don’t have have children yet, but it has always been one of my desires to bring a life into this world. Giving birth to a child is one of God’s greatest mirecals. If every person that does bring a child into this world would step up and take on their responsibilty as a parent and do what they are suppose to do, then you wouldn’t have so many neglected children in this world. But again, why should the good have to suffer for the bad. At least we, the working class, are not having to support the Duggar’s with our hard erned money through tax dollars. They are supporting themselves. Are you jeolous because they are debt free. May God continue to bless them and may God have mercy on those that critize and judge!!!
Did anyone see the original special before they had a show? There was a bald headed son who had some disease that kept him bald. Just thought it funny that they dropped him and brought in the hot neice to make a show.
I, personally, don’t care how many kids Michelle and Jim Bob want to have, or anyone else for that matter. I find the rigor of their religious structure quite disturbing though. Women can’t cut their hair, wear pants, and wait… Here’s the kicker for me: No dancing because dancing makes men lust after women. I’ll have to remember that the next time I’m at a wedding reception doing a bad rendition of the Electric Slide. That just drives the men crazy!
I don’t judge the Duggars for having a large family. Although it’s not common in this day and age, I say if you want that many children and can afford to care for them, more power to you. I also don’t think it’s odd that the oldest son and his new wife didn’t have any intimate contact until their wedding day. Many people have different religious beliefs and I respect them for adhereing to their belief system. That being said, the whole family strikes me as kind of odd. Not because there’s so many of them, not because of their belief system, but because they’re all so well behaved. Seriously, when was the last time you saw that many people together in one house who got along so well. I come from a really large family and we all love each other to death but there are still times when we get on each other’s last nerve and we fight like cats and dogs. But the Dugger’s get along perfectly. They’re like something out of a 1950’s sitcom. I don’t begrudge them their happiness, it just doesn’t seem normal.
wow! Kids are so expensive..really how do these people afford all them. And by now they’ve had so many I’m surprised they don’t just fall out of her. scary.
To those of you who think adoption is the best option, I find the suggestion insulting. Adopting might be a fine choice for you, but someone like myself it is not. I don’t have have children yet, but it has always been one of my desires to bring a life into this world. Giving birth to a child is one of God’s greatest mirecals. If every person that does bring a child into this world would step up and take on their responsibilty as a parent and do what they are suppose to do, then you wouldn’t have so many neglected children in this world. But again, why should the good have to suffer for the bad. At least we, the working class, are not having to support the Duggar’s with our hard erned money through tax dollars. They are supporting themselves. Are you jeolous because they are debt free. May God continue to bless them and may God have mercy on those that critize and judge!!!
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Reproducing 14 (octomom) plus times is no miracle, its over working the sexual and reproductive organs. Besides aren’t miracles suppose to be unexplainable yet happy? Debt free? They are on tv without being on reality TV I would think these people would flounder with all sorts of bills and debt. From Groceries to utilities.
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