How Do the Duggars and Nadya Differ? Four More Kids and a Lot More Class

The Duggar family recently appeared on the Today Show, and announced that their oldest son Joshua and his wife were expecting their first baby. After months and months of incessant drivel about the trials, tribulations and insanity of Nadya Suleman, this latest Duggar announcement was actually like a breath of fresh air.

For those of you unfamiliar with the Duggar family, this is a large (and I mean really LARGE) family that has their very own TV show on Discovery Health channel called "18 kids and counting."Yes, you read it correctly. This family has 18 children, and has no plans on stopping their uber-fertile reproductive practices any time soon. Mom Michelle Duggar and Dad Bob Duggar have been married for 25 years, and have been very busy reproducing and popping out babies at an unbelievable rate. Their 18th and youngest child was born last November, thus totaling their family to 18 children who range in age from five months to 21 years. Can you even imagine having 18 children? You'd be pregnant almost every second of the day for 21 years! My body aches just thinking about it.

However, if you've actually seen this show, it is quite opposite of the chaos you'd expect. When I tuned in for the first time, I thought it would be like watching a train wreck in action. In truth, it was more like watching a finely-tuned, well-organized self-sufficient, albeit large family functioning like a normal unit. This is definitely a family that has its act together in a BIG way. They receive absolutely no public assistance and are 100% debt free. They make many of their own necessities, including laundry detergent, baby wipes and dryer sheets. They utilize energy-efficient appliances and light bulbs, and shop for their clothes at thrift stores. Their carbon footprint is probably smaller than that of families 1/6 their size. All of the children are home schooled, and each one learns to play the violin and piano. Is this family for real? The simple answer is "yes," and they make it look so easy. The Dad even took ten of the children to El Salvador to build refugees. Are you kidding me? I know this family has its critics, but after actually watching the show, and hearing the Duggars talk about their family values, I admit it, I'm sold. While I in no way endorse having this many children, I can see how these two parents are making it work for them. They are not imposing their unusual lifestyle upon society.

Now, let's look at the flip side of this coin. Nadya Suleman has made her own headlines in the past few months. She also has a large family, but chose to have eight children all at one time. That's OK, right? Well, how about the six children she already had at home, including several special needs children. Well, that's OK, right? She's not working, but plans to go to school to become a self-supporting psychologist. That's OK, right? Let's put aside our ideology and focus on the babies. Angels In Waiting agreed to step up to the plate and provide very specialized and expensive care for all 13 children. Whew! Perhaps this situation will right itself, and the babies' needs will actually be met in the long run. Uh-oh. Nadya fired the agency and all of its specialized nurses because she thought they were spying on her. That's OK, right? Sure it is, because now she's set to star in a reality TV show where she looks for love. HUH??? I guess her promise to keep the babies out of the spotlight wasn't really a "pinky-swear, I-really-really-mean-it" kind of promise.

This is America, the land of the free, and everyone is entitled to raise their own family as they see fit. I get it. However, these two families illustrate just how far our liberties can be stretched. The Duggars or Nadya Suleman? I'll choose the Duggars every time.