#19 on the way for Duggars

[Christine]

Michelle I admire you for giving everything to your daughter. The Duggars do seem to make it work but you are right its not for everyone. Everyone has to have their family in the way that works for them.

[mrsrhbtobe]

I saw this online today! It also said she'd been pregnant for a total of almost 12 years of her life.....HOLY COW! They do seem to have a loving family, and be very happy with the life they've chosen. They also claim to be debt free, and to live on $2000/month, which is amazing! Whatever it is that they're doing, they seem to do it well.

 

I must admit, however, that one of my 1st thoughts when I think about the mom is that she must either have had/or need some serious work (i.e. surgery) on her pelvic floor muscles after delivering all of those babies. LOL!

[Jess]

how is it "disgusting" to have that many children? I think it is amazing (yes a little odd and not everyone could handle that many) that this family can do this. And I am pretty sure the last one wasn't planned based on that article. I think this family is doing the opposite of taking the amount of children they have for granted.

 

And we are not overpopulated with people - in fact people are having less and less children these days

[Jess]

double post

[Weddingin2010]

Well, I give props to the Duggars. With all the craziness going on in reality tv (Jon and Kate, octomom, etc) I think they portray a very stable and loving family. I don't know how they pull it off but somehow it just works for them. Their house is way more organized than mine and I only have one kid!

[*kellis*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FoxyBride Wow! I only have one child part-time (my future stepdaughter) and that's almost too much sometimes! LOL. I don't know how I'd take care of 19. And to have another one, naturally, at 42, whoa!

It is not unhealthy nor uncommon for a woman to still be having children at 42. Until a woman goes through menopause, those are still her childbearing years. Yes, there is research that the risk of certain birth defects may rise the older a woman gets, but in the majority of cases, it is in no way harmful to the woman or baby if the mother is that age or even older.
When I was in high school, my mother and my friend were both pregnant at the same time. It is ridiculous to me that it is more socially acceptable for a 17 year old to be having a baby than a 43 year old.

Quote:

Originally Posted by michelle6114 Ignorant? I don't think so. This woman has 18 emotionally, developmentally, physically healthy children ALREADY and should not take that for granted. Do you know how many children are born with disabilities today? Do you know the amount of stress it causes for a family when a child has a disability, how the other children get shorted attention and other basic needs? I'm just saying, god forbid the new baby is born with down syndrome or autism. Since she is doing such a "balanced" job (ahem) with the 18 kids, what should happen if one is not perfect like the rest? Will she pass it off to one of her teenage daughters to care for, and rush to get pregnant again? Do the math...there are only 24 hours in a day, minus about 6 or 7 for sleep. These kids are lucky if they get 20 minutes each a day of individual attention from their parents.

Well, first, they aren't "rushing to get pregnant". They just don't believe in using preventative methods. It is a religious and health thing for them. I personally am not of the belief that if I'm meant to be pregnant, I will be and if it is not the will of a higher power for me to get pregnant then I won't if I don't use some method of birth control. But I respect that they do believe that.

And second, anyone who has more than one child can tell you that they probably don't spend more than 20 minutes of time set out specifically as one on one time with each of their children. And I promise you the majority of those families don't suffer from it. I grew up in a large family, not as large as theirs, but I can tell you that while yes it was easy to get lost in the shuffle sometimes, when you have a large family there is always someone there to support you or spend time with you and if anything, people with large families have a stronger support system, feel less lonely and have more ability to handle healthy responsibility at a younger age then say, an only child whose parents work full time.

That's just my honest opinion.

This is my first multi-quote, lets hope it works.

[alkoch]

So I started watching the show like a train wreck - I just couldn't believe it, and I mostly watched it for the shock value of what their life is like, but now that I watch it regularly I'm starting to like them myself..lol. I just have to wonder if the kids are brainwashed or something - because I have never seen a family much less with 18 kids that believe and act as their parents believe and act (there is at least always a screw up or a black sheep come on..they can't alll be perfect) JK - well kinda I really wonder how they did it with that many kids

 

But I am surprised or amazed that Michelle's uterus hasn't "fallen out" (not sure if that's the right term) I have some friends whose families are from Mexico where lots o kids is the norm, and all of their grandmas uterus's "fell out" due to all the births. Sorry if I sound like an idiot about that but we talked about it in high school so I not sure how correct my info is!

 

Also I love the cousin Amy she cracks me up!

[*kellis*]

Quote:

Originally Posted by alkoch So I started watching the show like a train wreck - I just couldn't believe it, and I mostly watched it for the shock value of what their life is like, but now that I watch it regularly I'm starting to like them myself..lol. I just have to wonder if the kids are brainwashed or something - because I have never seen a family much less with 18 kids that believe and act as their parents believe and act (there is at least always a screw up or a black sheep come on..they can't alll be perfect) JK - well kinda I really wonder how they did it with that many kids

They aren't brainwashed, it's just the extremely conservative and religious lifestyle. I grew up around a lot of conservative Christians who homeschooled and so the Duggars just reminded me of all of that. I hated it at first and felt like this was just opening them up to be mocked but now I think it's good that people can see that it's just a different way of life. I don't plan on doing that with my family someday but I respect their choices.

And 9 times out of 10, there is a black sheep in those families. Maybe not in theirs right now, but for a lot of families like that, once the kids get out on their own, things change a lot. It seems like their oldest that just got married is following in his parent's lifestyle but chances are some of the rest won't.

And Amy cracks me up, and I love how she respects them and doesn't do things to make them uncomfortable even though she does not follow their lifestyle. I don't think I could contain myself to not be kissing my FI around a married friend who saved their first kiss for the alter like she did in one episode.

[islandbride317]

I can't figure out how they take care of all of those kids either, but good for them all the same!

 

I just worry about the effects of giving birth to 19 kids (who knows how many they will end up with in the end), and what it will do to her health in the long run.....having THAT many kids just can't be good for a woman's body! But, it is HER BODY and a choice that she and her husband made, so again, I support the Duggars' regardless!

[Krista_H]

I've never watched the show, but know of them. All I have to say is yikes!!