albania

The only word that comes to mind is damn. This family has 17 children and I know if I had that many I'd forget a few of their names. Personally, I don't think I'd ever want more than 3 kids(depending on whatever the woman that would actually give birth to them thought), but if I was ever going to go for it I'd shoot for 28. Eleven players on each side plus 3 substitutes per team, it would be a hell of a game. An excerpt from the article is below and there is a video of them in the link... http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20134584/
(I think they missed a kid because I count 16 names up there)

la petite moi

Ah yes, I've been following this family since they were 14 going on 15.

QuasiMondo

I think it's a crime......









...to give all of them names that start with the same letter.

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ngdawg

Tour buses for Michelle Duggar's womb will depart every 20 minutes...please line up in an orderly fashion near the entrance to her vagina....

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Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

ShaniFaye

How nice for them that they still have time for sex (note...heavy sarcasm)

Their website makes me wanna puke...oooo "daddy bible time" ooooo Daddy can override the schedule whenever he wants....

It says they are both real estate agents.....how does she have time to work since he has laid down the law that she stays home with them?

Their whole website rubs me the wrong way.

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

Mister Coaster

^^ My thoughts exactly, ngdawg!

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LoganSnake

Way to use up out planet's resources!

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ngdawg

What really really bothers me is how they make the kids all look, dress, act the same. The girls are relegated to the must-haves of long hair and dresses reminiscent of "Little House on the Prairie", the boys with their Brylcreem haircuts, the gender roles that are enforced....reminds me of those reports I've seen about those radical Mormon polygamy enclaves. I'd be willing to bet that, during Homeschooling her brood, she teaches them Creationism and poopoos Evolution with a "We know this is wrong, but the state says you have to read about it".
And, for God's sakes, Michelle!! Get a freakin haircut!!!!
Ok...done with that....if she wants to pop out kids like a Pez dispenser, fine...I think they're insane, but I'll still sleep every night.

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Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

LoganSnake

Didn't you read the article?

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ratbastid

Well how many kids would you THINK a man named Jim Bob Duggar would have?

sprocket

It kind of comes off as a bit selfish to me... To create that many new kids when we can't even feed all the ones alive today. Adopt for gods sake. I doubt their genes are so superior that they need to pass them along by creating an army of evangeli-bots.

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canuckguy

Just creeps me out. No need to produce that many unless your trying to make your own football team.

"yes god told us to fuck like rabbits".

LoganSnake

Still, that's nothing.

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Willravel

Matty, Sally, Jenny, Jessie, Willie... um... Freddy... damn it dinner is ready!!

hambone

I know a family with 14 kids and they are not all wacked (at least somewhat, from the site) out like this. Fairly normal if you ask me.

However, this is not for me at all.

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albania

Yea, when asked about that her response was that it just kind of happened, and they didn't want anyone to feel left out. When you have 17 kids things don't just sort of happen.

la petite moi

I don't know, from what I've seen, they're really nice people. The family gets along fantastically. And this family isn't a burden on society or anything because they don't have any debt. They seem really hardworking and that's a lot more than even some people without kids can say.

Demeter

My grandmother had 15 children, from 1922-1947. 8 died before the age of 3.

When you look at the likelihood that half (or more) of your offspring will die, then I could understand the concept of going forth and multiplying.

Given the modern state of existence, I don't think breeding like that is wise or feasible. However, the Duggar's are entitled to their own beliefs, and as long as their children are loved, well cared for and educated, then they are doing a damn fine job of raising their brood.

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guthmund

Here's my bitch... the logical school of thought says that once you start having problems keeping track of your kids and such, you stop having kids. Close shop, raise the ones you got to the best of your abilities and live life. Not Mrs. Duggar.

I mean, good gravy...
I don't know. I've watched the specials, read the articles and such, and I just feel sorry for these kids. Not because they're parents are lousy--I think they're fine parents as parents go, but because you see the 15-16 year old kids having to get up, get ready, get the younger kids up, get them ready, and then supervise them all the live long day, while Mom manages the managers and Daddy pops in every once in a while for some face time with the camera. I know what I wanted to do at 15-16 years old and "raise a toddler or two" wasn't on the list. Maybe I'm projecting, but it seems like these kids kind of got wrangled into playing surrogates with no hope of ever doing their own thing because to rebel against the status quo is to rebel against Mom and Dad (who the kids love) or, worse yet, their religion.

Seems I've rambled a bit...

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Demeter

That's they way families were raised in times gone by. Elders and older daughters watched the babies and younger children because the mothers and older sons had to assist out in the fields, gardens, and with livestock.

The responsibility of family duties was once the part of all members, not just the parents. A little different than what we've become accustomed too, but the norm in more traditional homes, and in many countries.

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alicat

I first heard about them 4-5 yrs. ago and it pissed me off then and still does today. Their religion and selfishness (imho) aside, what really stuck in my craw was the donations and freebies they were taking in.

If they won't stop having sex, then use birth control. If they won't do either and want to breed their own little army, then they sure as hell should be able to support that brood without help from other people.

I have no idea if they're still accepting charity (my peaceful calm prevents me from reading their site), but Jim Bob must be one hell of a real estate agent if they paid for their 7000 sq ft compound on their own while feeding and caring for all those kids. Maybe it was child labor, The House the Duggar's Built.

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la petite moi

Alicat, what kind of "charity" did they get? According to what I've heard and watched, they have no debt, work hard, and pinch pennies. If they get charity, I doubt it's because they ask for it- at least that's the impression I've been given by everything I've seen. And yes, the kids helped build their house.

hunnychile

It takes alot less time to put on a clean rubber than a clean diaper.

Makes me think about the phrase "barefoot and pregnant = slavery".

Yuck!!!!!

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TotalMILF

One thing that worries me about this family is that NONE of the children seem to have friends. They all just hang out with each other, all the time. And when they're not studying they're raising their younger siblings. Seems like a very sad existence to me.

I just don't think there's any way Jim Bob and Michelle can properly give all 17 of their children the individual attention they need and deserve. There aren't enough hours in a day! It really is a case of the siblings raising each other under management of Mr. and Mrs. Duggar.

Pathetic.

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Jetée

Such hostility towards the manner the in which other people live; don't judge based on your own perception and what has been offered to you in your intake of knowledge, but contemplate why this matters at all. Of all the regions of this vast globe, they interview a law-abiding family that only wishes to procreate in America where they have the freedom to do so, prejudice or not.

I have no need to be judgmental or vindictive towards others that aspire to build a loving community based on faith. I'd rather not ponder on how you all perceive this family, other than by your preconceptions and right to argue the idea, it seems.

Let it be.

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la petite moi

TotalMILF, they do have friends. The family has get-togethers with other large families of similar beliefs.

And Jetstream, right on!

TotalMILF

la petite moi, you cannot argue that the children are, indeed, largely raising each other under the supervision of the parents. I just think that this is a responsibility that children should not have, since they are CHILDREN and not PARENTS, and the fact that the parents more or less force it upon them is absurd. It's one thing to babysit your siblings once in a while, and help out with them as needed, but the older children in the family are doing most of the caretaking of the younger children. I just think that the parents have a responsibility to give individual attention to each and every one of their children, which is impossible when you have 17 children under the age of 19.

Yes, they have fun "playdates" with other ridiculously large families, but I'd bet money that most of those kids are socially stunted and lack any close non-family contacts.

from www.m-w.com
The Duggars are parents in the sense that they procreated and created 17 offspring, but they are not properly fulfilling their role as parents when it comes to actually CARING FOR their children. You just can't do that with 17 kids.

/rant

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Jetée

Only to comment on your quotations as such, I do not see how you can accurately assess that the parents are falling short of their responsibilities in any way other than by your misconceptions of what having a family of that size would affect you. Does the article state that the parents are failing their children in any way? Do any the children speak of negligence due to improper supervision? I only say this because it is a tad unfair to impose one's own opinions into a matter that, barring unseen consequences, merely portrays a family that is getting press for being none the more than what it is: a family.

It is not an institution of labor or an act to show off to the neighbors, but a household in which dominates a belief that the ties that bind are of flesh and blood, which are cared for with love.

An observation of a family should be just left at that. Admire it if you like, but there is certainly no need to become offset by them at all, regardless of what you may have to offer them because in all due respect, how can you suppose to break a family apart or moderate their actions?

A family of nineteen is most intriguing, and I would suppose in this society it would receive attention because of how we are doctrined and predisposed to think; but I would respond "whatever ensures your happiness, seek it out to its extent".

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

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Lady Sage

I want to know how they can afford to diaper all the infants and todlers and still continue to feed everyone with one working salary. While making a mortgage payment and paying all the bills. The water bill alone must be hellacious.

Please, someone, spell it out for me.

If they wanna screw like bunnies- so be it. I, however, fail to see how they do this without assistance. Probably government assistance. I have deep issue with supporting people who cant keep their legs closed.

They could also be debt free because their credit is shot all to hell and they filed bankruptcy.

Until proven otherwise, the above is my theory.

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ShaniFaye

they have no mortgage, that much at least is detailed on their site

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

TotalMILF

Jetstream, I never said the children were suffering from neglect or lack of supervision (that's what the older siblings are for!) or anything of that sort, just that they couldn't possibly get enough individual time with their parents due to the family's massive size. That, to me, is incredibly unfair to the kids and very irresponsible of the parents.

Children raised with only one parent often turn out just fine (my husband is a shining example), and there are many children who grow up without parents at all and go on to be well adjusted and productive members of society.

What I am saying is that I don't think it's fair to the children to be so socially isolated and to have to raise each other while receiving minimal face time from the parents themselves. I think large families are great, but only to an extent. When you have so many kids that you have to delegate child-rearing responsibilities to your other children, then you might just have too many damn kids.

The kids aren't going to complain because they just don't know any different. This is how life is, and since they don't seem to have too many ties to life outside of the family, they just don't question it.

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"I'm sorry, all I heard was blah blah blah, I'm a dirty tramp."

Lady Sage

How did they pay off the house with a $2,000 grocery bill?

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If only closed minds came with closed mouths.
Minds are like parachutes, they function best when open.
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ShaniFaye

They built it themselves, using the kids as their labor

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I want the diabetic plan that comes with rollover carbs. I dont like the unused one expiring at midnite!!

Jetée

Again, this is perhaps your predisposed perception coming into play. 'Negligence' is literally conveyed as an oversight, one which appropriately depicts what is supposed to happen here because the parents cannot fulfill their role rightfully, at least according to you. Considering the facts alone, this is a stable, well-maintained family successful enough to care for itself.

I see no reason to get involved of the affairs that this family maintains or holds because it is truly not my right to do so.

I'll float on.

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As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.

—Mohandas K. Gandhi

ngdawg

The older son, mostly, but the kids pitched in. Much of the appliances and other acoutrements were donated-they had a short series about the family, which, like a trainwreck, I'd watch while shaking my head.
Their 7,000sf house only has three bedrooms-boys' dorm, girls' dorm and the parents'.

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Don't blame me. I didn't vote for either of'em.

warrrreagl

A bunch of smug pietistic asses butting in uninvited to tell a happy, healthy family how they should live their lives. Now THERE'S something you never see.

As long as I don't have to sit next to them in the restaurant....

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Nisses

Personally, I think it's too many.

However, I can't see how you would call them socially stunted. As far as I can see, Dad and Mom are just not the regular kind of parents you people want them to be. Which doesn't make it wrong, just besides the norm.

The kids get enough face-time with a parent... TotalMILF just proved that with the dictionary excerpt: "A person who brings up and cares for another". They have that in their older siblings. With the added possibility of still talking to the real mother and father too.

It's not quite what you're used to. It's definitly not for everybody (organisation is everything, I know I couldn't do it). But I dare say they're probably more socially skilled than alot of people I see every day.

As far as the homeschooling goes, just let the oldest couple take a few standardised tests before you all go rolling your eyes about it.

Open mind and willingness to empathise seems to go right out the window for things that don't suit some people here.

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xepherys

Debt isn't a burden to society, it is a burden only to the debtor, and potentially the creditor if the debtor tries to escape that burden without full payment. Their burden is multi-fold. First, unless they farm their own food (all of it) there is an extraneous amount of food going to just this family, when still far smaller families in the US itself go without food. Wrong answer! Come college time, god-forbid they are smart and get scholarships. Again, this family could potentially have a small squadron of freely educated children at the behest of other families trying to get one kid through college. The list goes on and on, both in the definite and potential realms.


Indeed! They won't stop having children because it is not aligned with their religious practices. I have to say though, that if people are willing to give them things, more power to them. I mean, people certainly don't NEED to give them shit. I know I wouldn't. If I had the money and resources, there are far more deserving causes than a fucking human-rabbit hybrid race that the Duggar's must certainly be bringing in as our new overlords!


Yeah, I agree that the likelihood is that these children are socially stunted. It may not appear so outwardly, but all the press and specials show them in their family enclave. Show them in a few years as they head out to college and the workforce, if they are allowed to do so, and see how they fare. Kids might be cruel, but adults can be moreso. Just mark my words, it'll be ugly for most of them.


Would it not be difficult for them to judge such a thing with no outside influences in their lives? What would any of them know of a one- or two-child family with public schooling and working parents, which is more or less the societal norm these days. Take it to a more heinous level. How many abused, physicall or sexually, children really understand that something is wrong? If it's all you know it's almost never a problem for you until later in life.


Haha, this must be your vision of hell warrrreagl. If this occured, and you came on the TFP to bitch about it, I'm pretty sure for a change I would be firmly on your side!

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Lady Sage

I wonder if she realizes the dammage she is doing to her body having all of those children so fast?

IMO if they need assistance, the church should be the one to give it to them. I wonder how fast said church would go broke supporting all of its minions?

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If only closed minds came with closed mouths.
Minds are like parachutes, they function best when open.
It`s Easier to Change a Condom Than a Diaper
Yes, the rumors are true... I actually AM a Witch.

abaya

Well, if you think of it in terms of evolution (which I am QUITE SURE they do not ), they've hit the jackpot. 17 living offspring to reproduce and carry down their DNA (as well as religious beliefs)? It doesn't get much better than that, in terms of biological fitness.

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