“There needs to be more children because our world needs more joy,” says Michelle Duggar, mother of 19 and star of TLC’s reality show ’19 kids and counting’.
“The idea of overpopulation is not accurate,” she said in a recent interview with the Christian Broadcasting Network. “The entire population of the world could fit inside of Jacksonville, Florida. I agree with Mother Teresa when she said, ‘to say that there are too many children is like saying there are too many flowers’.”
She explains how her large family is resourceful and therefore does not pose a big environmental problem. “We buy the things that most people would not be using. We are teaching our children to be helpers, servicers, givers instead of takers.” They buy used cars, she says, and shop at thrift stores and garage sales purchasing things that others have discarded.
Given that, according to National Geographic, around five percent of humans use 23 percent of the energy being used, 13 percent of the population can’t obtain clean drinking water and 38 percent of humans lack adequate sanitation, maybe it’s not just space and buying second hand goods that makes an impact …
The Duggar family
Have you ever considered the environmental impact of your family? Are big families a modern indulgence or an opportunity to create more love in the world?
Read more about the Duggar Family here, here and here
Comments
148 Comments so far
Interesting article in the Sydney Morning Herald “Women’s long life linked to children – lots of them
Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/national/womens-long-life-linked-to-children–lots-of-them-20120412-1wwwl.html#ixzz1s4rV8uuX
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They eschew tv but make a huge amount of their income from that medium. They don’t want their kids on the net, yet Michelle Duggar has a site there. They do not support higher education for women. They take it upon themselves to speak for God. And they do not separate themselves from other animals when it comes to taking responsibility for their reproduction. I do not feel sorry for the parents. I feel terribly sorry for the children who have never had a chance to become independent, free-thinking adults. The parents had the opportunity to grow and make choices, but they deny the same rights to their children. A responsible society would send in social workers to ensure that the children are not being raised in a cult-like fashion and are being given avenues to escape their lives of servitude to their parents.
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I think Mrs. Duggar would feel differently if she lived a 3rd world life and not a 1st world one, regardless of what values they model for their kids. Especially when she factored in the much higher likelihood of her dying in childbirth, and the drastically increased mortality rates for her babies.
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I would love to have a big family, unfortunately over-population and quickly dwindling natural resources is reality so we’ve decided that two kids (if we can have another) will be the absolute limit for our family.
I have no doubt Michelle is a great mum and is raising her kids to be ‘givers not takers’ and to be environmentally aware, but to publicly dispute the facts about the state of our planet in relation to over-population and it’s effects is ridiculous.
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“Her Body, Her Choice!” (Except if your name is Michelle Duggar.)
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I think ppl need to be more open minded & less judgemental. 100 years ago, a large family was the norm. Today, society is more focused on money & careers & ppl tend to see children as an inconvenience or a financial burden.
I for one, would love to have a huge family (maybe 4-6 kids). I wouldn’t go as far as having 19 but I don’t judge the Duggars for choosing to do that.
I think it’s crap that just because they are different to the norm, everyone thinks they have the right to judge them. How is that different to judging your next door neighbor for having no kids & focusing on his/her career? Or what about the man down the street who is sleeping with a woman twice his age? Or what about the lady at work who is sleeping with the boss & is never at home with her own kids because she’s always at the boss’s apartment? Like.. where does the judgement end?
I don’t think it’s a pleasant life to live just sitting back judging and criticising everyone else simply because they’re different to you. It achieves nothing.
Let’s look at the facts: Michelle Duggar is the most calm patient mother ever. Their kids all look healthy & happy.
I think everyone needs to back off judging the Duggars and find something more important to whinge about.
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It’s not 100 years ago anymore. The population has TRIPLED in the last hundred years. Do you not understand that this whole debate is about the impact of overpopulation? It is amazing how many people on this post are just too ignorant to consider what the argument actually is. It is highly relevant at this time and something people shouldn’t dismiss just because it doesn’t affect them now at this time.
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People only had such large families because half of them wouldn’t make it to adulthood. Today, with medical care and vaccination, that’s not an issue for developed countries. IN developing countries, large families are still the norm for this reason.
Another reason is that 100 years ago, contraception wasn’t widely available. In most cases, having a baby a year it wasn’t a question of choice, and many many women died in childbirth in their 30s after giving birth to ten kids.
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Would you please notate your facts? Such as 50% of children 100 years ago didn’t make it to adulthood?
Rule number 1: Don’t quote percentages unless you have data to substantiate them.
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I say good on her. She has 19 kids that are healthy and would seem relatively happy and well adjusted. some people can’t even do that with the one child they have…maybe everyone should lay off a bit here.
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I have never seen so many nasty, ignorant comments on an article as I have on this one. The very same people who I frequently see writing “hey don’t judge her for her choices, you don’t know her” are gleefully doing just that.
But this is mamma mia’s bread and butter isn’t it? If the haters didn’t hate, they’d all be out of a job. Another day, another woman held up for a public lashing. Pfffft. Next!
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Those poor, poor children.
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Wow 19 kids, I have trouble with 3 let alone adding another 16 to the mix. Someone needs to give the pill or a pkt of condoms.
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No see that’s one of the biggest issues that people have with the Duggars….. I can’t handle my two or three “perfect angels” so I am going to make crappy comments about a family that is better at handling 19 than I am at handling 3.
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it’s a vagina, not a clown car!
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lol
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No one rips into another woman like a woman. Does it come naturally or do you have to work on it?
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I don’t discriminate, a man breeding non-stop like that would also cop a serve.
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She has a husband. You didn’t even mention him.
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Consider him mentioned!
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Wait, wasn’t redqueen rhetorically telling Mr Duggar that Mrs Duggars vagina isn’t a clown car? How do you know she was having a go at the woman in this occasion?
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Her face seems to have the “wide eyed & spaced-out” look of one of those “cult women” with the ignorant rant to match. Take her to Calcutta (for eg) and if she still maintains her stance then it’ll confirm her madness……she’s had enough children to create an income from the Government perhaps and it would appear that even though they live in a kind of “Leave it to Beaver” modesty, some of those children would be contributing financially………I want to see the husband interviewed – what’s his story ? “Head of the household ?” “Head of his very own religious community?”……….’pardon my cynicism…..lol.
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They should change the name of the show to People Hoarders.
The mother is seriously psychologically ill. Having children to “add joy” to the world? And her argument doesn´t even hold itself. Clearly she thinks that children bring only some limited amount of joy, since she feels the need to keep adding more children one after another. Her joy is over pretty quick once she gave birth. She must be addiced to progesterone or something.
Either she is sick or the whole family is hiding something. I wouldn´t be surprised if it came out that some of the daughters are having some of the babies. Some of them are old enough to move out, why do they keep living together. … The whole thing is just weird.
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It’s simple math. More children, equals more people sharing less resources.
There are currently too many people in the world for the finite resources we have. Even with political corruption gone, unless the population takes a nosedive there will always be people starving and living in terrible conditions.
Have your 3, 4, 19 kids, but accept that you’re contributing to the problem by making this choice.
Oh and for all those people who talk about boosting numbers for the ‘aging population’ …when does it stop? Each generation will just get bigger. That argument is as sound as bringing in cane toads to reduce cane beetle numbers.
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Good on em, I say. Live and let live.
All I know is that if I had more than the 3 I have, I’d be tucking my uterus into my socks…
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The scariest part of this is that her kids are homeschooled….
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Hi
Just curious as to what you think is problematic with home schooling.
Thanks!
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Unless you’re a trained teacher who has become a SAHM, everything is wrong with homeschooling tbh.
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This allows the parents to brainwash their children with a “Christian” curriculum rather than give the children the opportunity to be in a group of people with a variety of opinions. This is a form of mental servitude. The children are raised not with the goal of being well-rounded individuals but rather with the goal of absorbing the narrow views of their parents. Parents who do this run the risk of directing their children to develop into rather obnoxious, self-righteous, intolerant human beings who often see no need to continue their education beyond grade 12 as long as they plan to work hard and lead a “Christian” life. And often, the females are raised to feel that they must be led by men. Also, who monitors the homeschooling teachers to ensure that children are taught evolution without hearing the parent teacher’s negation of this? There are good reasons why most of us want the classroom to be free of religious instruction. When a child’s education is ‘guided’ (brainwashed) with a Christian curriculum, the child is not going to graduate as an open-minded, seeking person. The child will have had so many “Christian” ethics drilled into her brain over the years that she will be less accepting of the ways of others than someone who has been educated in the public system and has been exposed to a variety of beliefs and customs. And at the end of grade 12, the homeschooled student who DOES choose more education either has to study online, thus further isolating herself from the real world, or absorb a huge shock for which she is ill-prepared after having been sheltered for 18 years. She will have to make the adjustment from being spoonfed a diet of religious beliefs to living in a community of mostly freethinkers who will challenge her beliefs. She will be mocked if she tries to espouse creationism in anthropology class. She will be easy prey for those who see in her someone who has not learned to make decisions for herself and is always looking to a higher authority to do that for her (parents who are no longer there). All of THAT is what is wrong with homeschooling. Even with its many flaws, public schooling prepares a youngster for reality. The child lives in the world in which she will work.
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My brother and sister-in-law live in a two storey McMansion, two big cars, more toilets than people to use them, two fridges, four TVs, lots of processed food because they don’t have time to cook, no clothes line because they have no yard, running cooling even on mild days because of poor house build….
In the suburb they live in this isn’t uncommon. I would imagine that if this lifestyle, which a lot of people live, would be of more concern than the few people who have dozens of (thrifty and environmentally conscious) children.
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Agreed!
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Seven billion people in Jacksonville? This woman has a serious problem with numbers, in more than one area.
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I agree. Lack of education certainly shows up, does it not? Michelle Duggar also needs to undergo a psychiatric evaluation to determine whether she is in touch with reality, why she places so little value on herself as a person, and why she allows her children to be used as labour in her camp.
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I definitely think about the environmental impact of having kids, and don’t believe that the problems of an ageing population outweigh the problems of limited resources.
So, I won’t be having kids.
People can make their own choices for their own family – it doesn’t make it the right choice, but it is their right to do so. Personally, I think it is a crazy and selfish choice – but I support her right to be crazy and selfish.
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I think we really need to focus on the more important issue here: Michelle Duggar’s hair.
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haha!
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LOL!
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All her children seem content with their situation. I completely disagree with it and don’t see the necessity of it all, but I defend her right to have as many children as she wants.
I do wonder though, what if she doesn’t go through menopause until her 60s? Is she going to be a 59 year old mother of a newborn? Or even older? Is it really fair on her children for her to choose to continue having children when chances are the responsibility to take care of them and play with them and pay for them is going to fall on the older children. Coming from a family where parents have died very early in the younger children’s lives, this is where the burden is. Even though once the kids are here, you love them and couldn’t imagine life without them, if she stopped now, noone would miss sibling #27.
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She’s crackers! Too late now, but perhaps she should have found a hobby after kid 3 or 4.
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They are quite open in saying they don’t believe in contraception to control the number of children they have. Many many years ago, Michelle was on the pill, fell pregnant, then miscarried. They are of the belief that being on the pill was a direct cause of losing that child.
Now they’re letting god/nature decide how many children they’ll have. Surely with their 2nd last child being extremely premmie and their last child dying at 19wks gestation – surely they should be listening to nature and realising that with her age and reproductive history – her body can’t cope anymore. I think it’s ignorant and unfair on putting that sort of stress on themselves and the children.
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I disagree that they’re “letting god” or whatever determine how many kids they have. They must be making some sort of conscious decision about it. They would have some vague idea of when she was fertile each month. Perhaps not each and every pregnancy, but at least some of them.
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Yeah, that’s been my main confusion with this whole thing…surely you would just avoid having sex during those five days of fertility?
That is assuming they don’t want to get pregnant…
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Cant say that I really know anything about this family but wow, imagine, 20 kids, 20 times the love. I love kids, only have two myself though but I do envy people with large families. Coming from a sibling group of four myself and the wonderful relationships I have with my siblings, I truly wish that for my kids with each other and their cousins. Parents won’t be around forever and your siblings are your closest genetic match. I really don’t give a hoot that she has that many kids. From the info provided they seem to be loved and wanted and I really don’t think they will be influencing too many others to have that many kids. Let’s face it, most of us couldn’t even if we wanted to.
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Always interesting to see the slogan “a woman’s right to choose” take a dive when she actually chooses life.
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Most comments have supported that right while not personally agreeing with it for various reasons.
The right to choose isn’t universally agreed with either and you know that.
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I am surprised with all those kids she and hubby have time to get jiggy with it!!
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Yeah, or how they could be bothered, quite frankly. She must be totally knackered at the end of the day!
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It is just food for thought MamaMel. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with the quality of it. It is short and to the point.
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It seems my original comment was removed. Humph!
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On a personal level I certainly don’t feel I have any right to weigh in on their decisions regarding the number of children they do or don’t decide to have. But the Duggars have a large following now (ie why we all clicked on the video to take a peek) and many people are listening to, and taking on board, their views. Michelle Duggar’s uneducated (or mis-educated) comments regarding the world ‘needing more children’ is a concerning piece of ‘information’ to be passing on to many.
Sure, shoulder to shoulder, perhaps all 5 billion of could fit in to quite a neat space – but every one of those 5 billion require a ‘land space’ to provide their food, water, oxygen etc needs. Surely she’s familiar with basic farming principles… no farmer jams his paddock with stock and goes ‘ah, that’s better… they’ve got nowhere to go, nothing to eat and they can’t move’ (well a few do – hi, battery chicken farmers – but they’re slammed for their unethical and unsustainable choices).
C’mon Michelle, if you’re going to be in the media spotlight, please be informed, for all our sakes.
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Hmmm, isn’t it all relative? She has 19 children and a dozen families out there might decide to have none. Each to their own. Her 19 kids don’t affect my life in any way, and most of all they seem happy. They are committed to raising children. Those kids are loved!
I recently tracked down an old friend whom I hadn’t heard from in ages, and discovered that she has chosen a life of drugs and prostitution. She is convinced that she is doing it all for the sake of her kids – to provide for the & teach them that they shouldn’t just go on the dole when times get tough. These kids are left in the hands of friends and aquaintences while mum “works” (the kids have different Dads, neither of which are around). The abandonment issues, the emotional and phsyical abuse, the constant fear that surrounds their unstable life…no one to tuck them in at night, or read them a story, or give them a relaxing bath, or feed them nutritious food, or change their nappy frequently to avoid a nappy rash…..no kid should have to endure that. I bet these 2 boys would love to share a room with a dozen other kids like the Duggars if it means being surrounded by a loving family.
Perspective…
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Well said PPP.
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Aww, they are all very cute – maybe she could give me one..just one?
I hope their car window is big enought for all of their ‘my family’ stickers.
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She clearly didn’t understand the question or has no idea about the debate around population policies, overpopulation and the environment.
The 100% pre processed foods they eat alone is worth a rainforrest of water, energy etc.
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Well she can have as many babies she wants, as long as she can support them. But her comment is totally ignorant and illogical.
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some of these comments are outrageous. my husband and i both come from big families (6 children in each) and it is and will always be one of the greatest joys of our lives. yes money was tight, but do you honestly think i would have traded my younger sister in favour of my own room or my big brother for a nicer car to be taken to school in?! there is no physical thing that can substitute the plethora of precious family memories that i cherish.
as long as all fundemental needs are met and no child is being in any way neglected or abused it is NOT OUR BUISNESS how many children someone chooses to have.
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I don’t think how these children are living has anything to do with the debate. What is being discussed is population policies and the effect of people being free to have this number of children on the planets resources. Most of the resources we have are non-renewable and the population already puts strain on this without having this many babies. The debate is whether or not the individual right to have an almost outrageous number of children should outweigh the rights of the human population to reduce the strain on and waste of natural resources so that our grandchildren and great grandchildren (and great great grandchildren) can enjoy the Earth as we do. One way to achieve this it control population by putting a cap on the number of children we can have. Noone is being nasty to her personally by having this discussion. It is a valid argument.
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Perfectly said. I have no issues the how large families live, in terms of love shared etc. I’m actually sure it could be really great. I have 3 siblings and would love more! My only issue is with the effect of over population. I know plenty of one or two child families where the kids are packed off to boarding school by busy career parents – the 20 or so Duggar kids probably get more attention each than those one or two kids in small families. I also don’t judge how they live in terms of older kids helping younger, the Christianness, whatever. Those things do not really affect the rest of the population.
What is at issue here is Michelle spouting nonsense about flowers of joy in the face of serious questions about how promoting a large family could be irresponsible given we all need to share access to resources.
I don’t know where you draw the line numbers wise, but I think people commenting from 6-8 kid families in favour of Michelle need to look again at the number we are talking about – 20 puts 6-8 into the shade. I think far fewer people think 6-8 is too big. I know I’m unsure about that. 20 however, is for sure too much to me.
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She actually has 20 kids, not 19. I think the youngest would be nearly 1 now.
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The 20th child died and she miscarried the 21st recently.
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The 20th child Josie Duggar didn’t die. She was a premmie and is improving everyday. She miscarried with the 21st child.
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Josie was the 19th this one was the 20th
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Just agreeing. Josie was 19. Miscarried number 20 recently
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Given the longevity and popularity of their show, I’d suggest they have pulled in a fair bit of coin from the reality show itself. And they spend a fair bit of time as “guests” at tourist attractions and the like…including the one that recreated the death of Jesus
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There aren’t enough kids in the world ?
I knew that it was those pesky fruit bats to blame for the population explosion !
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Children are like flowers but what are they once they’re adults? Children aren’t children forever.
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If they’re raised in love, then hopefully those adults are kind, contributing members of society.
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It fascinates me how people can just make anything about themselves or act as if it affects them. Here we are, the majority of readers living in Australia (that’s an assumption that I feel safe to make), with people saying how angry it makes them and how ignorant and wrong it is to have so many children? It will not actually impact on any of our lives. We do not live in the same country so none of our taxes actually go to this family but people complain about supporting them?! Our taxes don’t jump up when someone has their 7th child! It’s not like “oh this will be a strain on the system lets take an extra 1% off all those hard workers” we aren’t sustaining this family. And all this sustainable living and overpopulation talk? We are talking about 19 people! Seriously?! I hate arguments like “what if everyone had 19 children THEN we’d have a problem wouldn’t we?!” WELL not everyone will have 19 children!! If that day comes feel free to rub it in my face and moan about it but that day isn’t going to come. People are different! Some people will have no children, some will have 2 and then others might have 19. I think it is ridiculous to fling personal insults at a family acting as if one family can actually throw off the balance of the world so much! I think it would be much more effective if people want to make arguments about family size to not turn it into such attacks and personal judgment!
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Well said!
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Apply the same logic to gay marriage and see what happens shame on you!
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I don’t understand the shame on you comment? Do you mind explaining? Applying this logic to gay marriage would be saying just like the number of kids this family has doesn’t affect you, allowing gay marriage also wouldn’t impact on those who oppose it? I strongly believe every human being has the right to marry who they love but that isn’t what this post is about?
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Just because the problem isn’t on our doorstep doesn’t mean it’s not a problem though Kathy. If you’ve ever lived in a high density part of the world you can have little doubt there are problems in store for a lot of people in the not too distant future. Sure, it doesn’t affect most ‘readers living in Australia’ yet – and may take a long time to do so, but the fact still remains that there are more people on the planet right now than any time in history, by the billions – our resources are running thin, and people are becoming aware of this now. And worried. To understand that we are part of society, the wider world and its problems is our duty as responsible citizens during our time on earth. To have 20 children in this day and age is to have no social conscience – and that is what is so objectionable here.
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I think it’s a bit dramatic to equate having 20 children with having “no social conscience”. I think that’s a harsh judgment. Like I said at the end of my comment people should be able to discuss overpopulation and the problems surrounding it without attacking this family. That is NOT what’s happening here, the majority of these comments are not a discussion about overpopulation and what will happen to the world people are talking about and passing judgment on this family (some positive, others not). I would never ever want to suggest I don’t care about a problem unless it’s on my door step I just find the reaction to ONE large family ridiculous! This family is being used to “spark discussion” and encourage talk but all that it means is people just focus on the family (make cruel comments) and don’t discuss the issue. I think the reaction of some people also suggests they feel personally wronged by this family which is something I take issue with.
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But of course this family will be used to ‘spark discussion’ on the topic of overpopulation – not only have they have set a new benchmark in rampant, irresponsible breeding, they have also invited the world into their home for money where their ignorance of the world around them is on show. If people feel ‘wronged’ or concerned by this then they are entitled to, regardless of how ‘nice’ Mrs Duggar is.
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While 19 kids is definitely not for me, and while I don’t watch their show regularly, I think Michelle Duggar is quite a likable woman. She seems very nice and a very loving mother and now a grandmother. They do seem to live a very simple lifestyle, and at the end of the day, I’m sure 99% of people who watch the show won’t follow their example of having 19 children!
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Well when you declare your house a place of worship and avoid tax to the extent that they do, it makes affording a zillion children a lot more doable.
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Home churching is very popular in the USA not because of the tax implications but because the families attending home church tend to be larger than average and it is a more comfortable environment to take children all ages to worship. Mums with bubs can feed in private, toddlers can toilet train (at church!) and older children can worship with their fathers. It is a wonderful way to worship the Lord!
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I have a sibling with 5 children and it makes me sad what they miss out on…and the fact that family are always chipping in to help out financially. Sure have all the kids you want but make sure you can afford them and that they are not underprivilidged and miss out on what their peers take for granted ( and I am not talking electronic equipment and expensive holidays but things like new shoes, enough warm clothes for winter, a chance to go to the movies or the Easter show for once in their lives etc). Just my take on it. It was lovely to hear of others experiences who loved/love it but I wonder how much finances played a part in it?
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I grew up in a large(ish) family (4 kids) with two parents who worked hard in poorly paid jobs. I didnt have a perception of missing out at the time but as an adult I now know that we did. We almost never did things that cost money (no movies, music lessons, organised sport), my parents were often stressed and there wasnt a lot of time/inclination to do enjoyable family things. My siblings and I competed and fought, and as adults we are not particularly close. Its something that has informed my own approach to raising my kids. I wouldnt say I had an unhappy childhood, but it was certainly constrained by too many kids and not much money – so I definitely want my children to have a better one with more opportunities.
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Shes clearly ignorant however raising her kids to be thrifty is ethical. The critical equation in our relationship with the earth’s resources, is how much each individual consumes – and if what she says is true, her family may well have a smaller ‘footprint’ than plenty of much smaller families, and even plenty of individuals.
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If you believe that nobody gets to tell a woman whether to have an abortion or not, then surely consistency demands that nobody gets to tell Michelle Duggar when to start or stop having babies?
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As a pro-choicer, I don’t tell women to have an abortion. It’s their choice. I also don’t tell Michelle Duggar to stop having babies. But I also have the choice of believing her to be an idiot.
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Would you be OK with someone calling a woman making a choice to terminate an idiot? Or some other perjorative?
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What, like murderer, or mother of a dead baby?
Oh, that’s right pro lifers already do that….
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So calling women names for their reproductive choices is OK with you Fabian and Odette on the basis that people are entitled to their opinions. I don’t agree.
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Jay, whether you or I like or not, people judge us for a lot of things, but you often don’t know whwt they’re thinking because they don’t tell you to your face. Michelle Duggar will live th rest of her life happily not knowing that Odets thinks she’s an idiot. Pro choicers, on the contrary often tell people they’re murderers to their faces.
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I think she’s an idiot. I don’t walk up to her and call her an idiot. If a woman had 19 abortions, even though I believe she has the right to do so, I would think she’s an idiot as well.
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It’s ok guys. Being a devoted Christian, she will already know that god will have his way of culling the population eventually. The indulgence and disregard for reducing waste and consumption in the world will lead the planet into global famine, disease outbreaks and reduced fertility sooner rather than later. And then we will find out which people truly are capable of self sustainable living. I hope she’s taught her children well lol
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Muslims also have very large families.
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As do Jews… don’t worry, each of their gods is the ‘right’ one and will save his faithful
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‘the population of the world could fit in Jacksonville, Florida’?” What the? I take it she also believes the world is 2000 years old? Maybe she should get an education and learn a bit more more about the world…don’t really care how many kids she has but she sounds like an ignoramus, hope her kids received a better schooling.
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Yeah, I was thinking, geez, Jacsonville must be a big city TO HOLD 5 BILLION PEOPLE. What the?
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Try 7 billion.
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Jacksonville? WTF? For her sake I hope she was misquoted. Not criticizing her choices but seriously questioning her worldly knowledge.
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This family is self sufficient and their children all seem to be well adjusted and have a work ethic so I dont think they will be a problem.
I dont have a problem with large families who can afford to support themselves, educate their children and provide them with dental and medical care.
The large families that are a concern are the ones who are welfare dependant and who pop out children with little or no thought of the sort of life they will live.
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Unless they’re tilling the fields, milking the cows,slaughtering the pigs and making garments from wool they’ve spun off their own sheep etc, they’re not self sufficient. None of us is.
It does seem that they’re more careful consumers than the majority however. They will still leave a foot print though, just like everyone does by simply living. So, in that manner, they will leave a decent sized footprint.
I know I’m being picky and they probably live a pretty blameless life, but something about them just disturbs me.
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What I meant by self sufficient is that they are paying their own way. They’re not relying on government handouts to help pay for their choice.
Thats my issue. People who have lots of kids who have no hope of breaking the poverty cycle and government handouts are their sole income.
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Faybian, I know you’re a midwife…..question: is having 20 kids okay for her body? I know we are meant to carry babies, but that many? Is she going to have problems? I mean, I’ve only had two and some things just ain’t what they used to be, if you get my drift….!!! What kind of damage has she done?
Question is not really relevant to the topic, but I’ve always been curious!
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My Ob told me ages ago so it might not be completely accurate but something to the effect that after about the 5th or 6th the uterus becomes stressed and childbirth can become more difficult.
Thats why I think her second last baby was born so early and she miscarried the last one , because it just cant cope any more.
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I’ve attended births of women having their 10th or so baby and let me tell you, those babies come out in a hurry.
Each pregnancy adds a bit more damage to the abdominals and pelvic floor, so by the time you have 20 odd pregnancies I hate to think of her pelvic floor. She delivered one baby very early, so I wonder how competent her cervix is by now. I’m also amazed she hasn’t had a placenta previa (placenta over the cervix) by now, as higher parity(pregnancy) is a risk factor.
You can carry lots of babies, but I think things would be wearing out now in short.
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Are you serious? So it is all well and good for this woman to breed like a rodent, because she got rich off a reality tv show and can afford to, but if someone happens to need government assistance they shouldn’t have children? Most people claim a government payment at some point in our lives, because things don’t always go to plan. That is why we pay taxes. Everyone should have the same rights to have children regardless of their financial situation… most people don’t have the luxury of being wealthy enough to never need help.
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I am talking about families who are totally welfare dependant, who have never worked, who have LOTS of children who have no hope of ever enjoying a decent life. They are out there.
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Yes that is very true Lu. And I agree that those families are a concern… you have to feel sympathy though, those families are perpetuating a constant cycle that is hard for them to break and the solution is always very complex. I don’t think the number of children is the biggest problem in this kind of situation, but the overall lack of education, motivation, resources etc that could help them break the cycle.
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It is really sad for the children. A friend of mine teaches in an underpriveleged school and she says families with 5 or more children are common. Few of the families have anyone employed fulltime, the children dont wear the correct school uniform, they rarely have new shoes at the beginning of the year like most kids and their lunchboxes are enough to make her want to cry. They have terrible teeth and never see the dentist, are often sick and still come to school. The kids cant do homework because they dont have pens and pencils at home to do it with. Its tragic that this is happening to 1 child but when its happening in a family with 6 children its 6 times more tragic. If welfare wasnt so freely available to support these families and they were forced to go and train and get a job having so many children might become something they try to avoid because it would make their lives more difficult to juggle.
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I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask people to consider their financial situation before having children.
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I want to know if the Duggars have ever met Octomum? They could compare notes..
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Pfffft Octomum….amateur compared to the Duggar breeding machine!
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Your response made me laugh
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Octomom had 14 kids via ivf with no job, no father. The duggars have a good income and don’t get any money from welfare. They also look after their children. They’re totally different
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I think she’s a lovely person and her family is amazing.
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I think it doesn’t matter as long as children are being born – this family is large but it is functional. Given that Australians have such a low birth rate, and Europe is even lower, and the aging population problem is looming in a big way – someone has to have them!
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I’d like to take the older children aside and ask them what they think of having so many siblings? I would imagine they wouldn’t have much one on one time with their mother. I wonder, do they feel that? I have two children and I cherish the one on one time we spend together. You hear the most amazing stories and get asked unexpected questions when it’s just you and one child together. I think Michelle is missing that closeness that mothers of fewer children would have.
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I’m one of seven kids and it was the best childhood ever. I have three kids of my own and we won’t be having any more but I think they are actually missing out. All seven of us kids are close to our mum. I certainly don’t feel that I missed out on any attention from her. She has always been there for every single one of us. And we have the bonus of having six siblings’ support and friendship.
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I’m the second oldest of 9 kids and while I adore my family and know my parents work hard, over the years I certainly looked at smaller families with jealousy. No piano, ballet or organized sports for me. And yes we made our own fun but I always felt the desire to get out of the house, go to friends places for a break. Finally and probably my only actual regret is my mum is often so busy with everyone else that she struggles to listen to me or ever find time for advice or support. Just my personal experience, and you are right, I wouldn’t trade any of them to improve my life but it can be a burden to the kids is all I wanted to point out.
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