A Family with Sixteen Children - a Look at the Duggar Family

Anyone who has witnessed the miracle of the Duggar Family of Arkansas on Discovery Health channel knows that Jim Bob and Michelle are not your typical set of parents. With sixteen healthy, vibrant children ranging from toddler to eighteen, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar have been in the American spotlight since their pregnancy with baby #14, when the Discovery Health Channel featured the Duggar Family in a documentary called, "Fourteen Children and Pregnant Again." This whimsical account of their life has been a subject of both faith and controversy.

Through the documentary, and the three that followed, the Duggars allow viewers to take a peek into their private lives, an existence filled with a strong faith in God and a lot of ingenuity. In order for the Duggar Family to get through the week, a complex web of micromanagement, discipline, and the all-important buddy system help the family cope a life with a constant flow of brand new faces and the challenges a super-sized family (with only two parents) will face.

Jim Bob Duggar and wife Michelle dote on every new miracle. They absolutely adore children and would always welcome more in their life. Baby 16, born in October of 2005 brought intense media attention to accommodate those who followed the Duggar Family's highly publicized frequent additions. And with good reason, as America's are fascinated with the Duggar Family, their "jurisdiction" style chore list, the fact that this family of eighteen is debt free, how Michelle can manage to homeschool, and how on earth they manage to feed that huge family on under $2000 a month.

The Duggar Children are Johanna Faith (infant), Jackson (2), Justin (3), James (5), Jason (6), Jeremiah (7) Jedidiah (7), Joy-Anna (8), Josiah (10), Joseph (11), Jinger (12), Jessa (13), Jill (15), John-David (16), Jana (16), Joshua (18). They live in a 7,000 square foot house that sits on 20 acres. It took three years to complete and is filled with donated and auction purchased appliances and furnishings including eight washers and dryers and a commercial kitchen. Jim Bob Duggar sells real estate and is considering again running for a Senate position (he previously lost a campaign a few years ago.)

But the Duggar Family notoriety isn't through all fans and admirers. Critics wonder how Jim Bob and Michelle can possibly give enough nurturing and support to so many children, and others are concerned with the impact the Duggar Family has on society as a whole. Fans note, however, that the Duggar Family is a pleasure both on camera and in person, and it is faith, not fame, that encourages Jim Bob and Michelle to continue with their quest to follow God's will on the number of children they have. Are they the most prolific parents in America? Surprisingly, no.

Recently Ukranian born Sacramento family Vladmir Chernenko and wife Zynaida have seventeen children - Sergy (23), Lilia 22), Andrey (20), Dmitry (19), Anatoly (18), Lyudma (17), Anna (16), Vitaly (14), Oksna (13), Svetlana (11), Inna (20), Vyacheslav (9) , Paul (7), Diana (6), Alina (5), Timothy (3), with the latest David welcomed in December 2005. That's currently one more than the Duggar Family who reportedly would definitely welcome a new miracle.