I was watching a show on my newest addiction the Discovery Health Channel. It was on the Duggar family, in case you don’t know who they are; this family lives in Arkansas and they have 17 kids and #18 is due in January 2009. Now before you jump to conclusion and think I am going to lambaste this family, think again my friends. I know I am the one person on the planet you would never expect to agree with their lifestyle but I do.
I first heard about this family through friends who were making comments (some good but most bad) about this family choosing to have 18 kids without any medical intervention. These kids all came naturally not through IVF or fertility drugs. The comments I heard were “How can they give each child individual attention?” and “Isn’t that cruel to have that many children in today’s world?”
I first heard about this family through friends who were making comments (some good but most bad) about this family choosing to have 18 kids without any medical intervention. These kids all came naturally not through IVF or fertility drugs. The comments I heard were “How can they give each child individual attention?” and “Isn’t that cruel to have that many children in today’s world?”
Most people I know assumed I would disagree with this family's choice of lifestyle. Because I disagreed with the family who had 7 babies at one time. The difference is that the Duggar family has their children naturally and the other family used medical intervention in order to have their children. They would then profess how god gave them these children. God did not give them those children, he chose for them not to have anymore children. Medical science gave them 7 babies. Either way, I did not agree with their choice but I support their decision to keep all babies and create the best life for them they can. From what I have seen in papers and magazines over the years they are doing remarkably well and are all happy well adjusted kids.
What I saw from the show I watched about the Duggar family was two people who love each child they have 110%, they never ever talk about how easy life is for them, they are honest and tell you up front, that it is crazy in their household. Their oldest child is 20 years old and their youngest is 10 months old. From what I saw of this family and from what I read on their website they have an amazing family.
This family is what every family in America should hope to be. Their children are polite, courteous and every one of them including the little ones help around the house. Each child is given a “buddy” to take care of and help them with everyday chores. The parents are not your overly lovey dovey parents they are realistic and organized, but understand chaos will happen. They may be a bit too religious for me but I am working on my own version of religious tolerance. Either way it works for them.
I was thinking about the comment “How can they give each child individual attention?” it is a good question but they seem to do it. To be honest if you stop and think about it how much individualized attention do you give your children? Not as much as we would like. We work, we play and we crash, so do the Duggar’s they just do it together. The one thing I really thought was cool was the way the siblings take responsibility for each other, they grow up with the a relationship with their siblings that most of us wish we had.
And you thought I was going to bad mouth them, fooled you.