The Duggar Family of Arkansas Has 17 Children - Good Idea or Not?
But I was recently thinking that however much I admire the Duggars in many ways, I would not want to be one of their children. Why? I cannot imagine that any of the individual children are getting much of Michelle and Jim Bob's attention. I have a downright puny family of just three children, who are now 10, 8 and 6. However, even these three have challenged me at times. There are many occasions where I feel that I am short-changing one or another of them because I need to give attention to another. When I taught school, I often had about 17 children in my entire classroom. While I tried to give the children somewhat individualized attention, there is no way I was giving the amount of attention a child would need from a parent.
From watching programs about the Duggars, I know that they use a "buddy system" where an older child is paired with a baby, usually when the baby is around 8 months old. The older child is then responsible for much of the baby's caretaking and raising. I feel sad about this both from the baby's perspective and also from the caretaker's. Caring for a baby or a toddler is a lot of responsibility for a child of 10 or so.
Speaking of responsibility, I have been really impressed by the Duggar children's maturity and behavior, at least as it appears on TV. Perhaps because there are so many of them and because there is an atmosphere of respect in the family, there seem to be no real troublemakers in the bunch. Again though, this makes me sad in a way because I wonder if the kids all have the opportunity to express themselves fully. I am a big believer in responsibility and maturity, but I think kids also need time to just be a kid and make childish mistakes that serve as great learning opportunities. I hope the Duggar children have that.
When I think of having 17 children, one of my first nightmare thoughts is the amount of work: cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc. However, I know that the Duggars solve this dilemma by designating various children to tasks (known in the Duggar family as "jurisdictions"). For instance, one girl's jurisdiction is laundry. As a mom, I love the thought that someone else in the family is doing the laundry. But again, it makes me a little sad to think of a girl, even if she is a teenager, being responsible for the laundry of 17 people.
For the Duggars and other large families, I believe "the proof will be in the pudding" so to speak. I'll be interested to see how the children turn out in the years to come. Will they want large families themselves, or will they be so tired of children and work that they seek a totally different life? Will some of the Duggar children opt for the single life?
I would be interested in comments, especially from those who either grew up in a large family or who have a large family now. Do you see large families as an overall plus or minus?
Published by Susan Braun - Featured Contributor in Arts & Entertainment
Susan Braun is a freelance writer with special interests in education, the arts and music. She freelances for several sites, and is one of Associated Content s Top 1000 Sources for each year from 2008 to 201... View profile
- 18th Child for the Duggar Family a Baby GirlMichelle Duggar gave birth to her 18th child Thursday by Caesarain section. Michelle Duggar named her baby girl Jordyn Grace Makiya Duggar weight 7 pounds 3 ounces and 20 inches long.
- Duggar Family Welcomes Eighteenth ChildThe Duggar Family of TLC fame welcomes their eighteenth child, a girl named Jordyn-Grace Makiya on Dec. 18, 2008.
- Top 5 Things I like About the Duggar Family: There's Always Room for One MoreThese are my top 5 things on the Duggar family.
- Duggar Family Announces First Grandchild on Today ShowThe famed Duggar family has 18 children, all of whom are reality show stars for TLC. Now a grand child is being brought into the mix, thanks to eldest son Josh and his wife Anna. The latest Duggar bundle was announced...
- Duggar Family to Add Number 19 to Their 18 Children?Another Duggar? Get the scoop on this family's latest addition from TLC's "18 Kids and Counting."
- Michelle Duggar Makes Announcement: Duggars Expecting 19th Duggar Family Addition
- Duggar Family Stealing Headlines from Jon and Kate Plus 8 with New Grandchild
- 6 Things to Love About the Duggar Family
- A Family with Sixteen Children - a Look at the Duggar Family
- Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar-Child #18 Has Arrived
- 17 Biological Kids and Counting: Who Am I to Judge?
- The Duggar Family Spawns Child Number 18, Part II
*The Duggars do approximately 200 loads of laundry each month.
*As of August 2007, Michelle Duggar has spent 126 months (10.5 Years) pregnant.
28 Comments
Post a CommentIn my mother's day, people had babies becuase that's what happened when you copulated. Nothing to do with religion or anything else. This was the result. Families were eleven, 12 - I had an aunt who almost made it to 20. The older kids were expected to help out. My family wasn't as large but being the second oldest female I not only helped with the younger ones, I had to do for my oldest brothers. No thanks, no recognition, nothing. My mother was no Michelle. So I only have one kid. It isn't fair though to the oldest to be expected to help because your parents keep popping them out. You didn't ask for it. Why should it be your responsibility?
My grandmother grew up in a family of 14 children and by the time she left home at 17 her mother was pregnant again. She's not the most pleasant person since she didnt get a lot of lap time with mom since she was busy having babies.
The kids are happy!They have said they love being in a large family because "you always have somebody to PLAY with." They are not slaves.They are being taught to contribute to the family & society."Black and white only view" concern?!These kids go on constant trips across America.They also serve in foreign countries to bring gifts & buy months worth of FOOD for starving people. HOW MANY OF YOU enviromentalists COMPLAINING DO THAT? I'd think you would be happy about starving people because the less people eat the less people deposit waste on this earth! Individuality?! We all look the same too in our jeans,shirts,and hair trends! Are we worried they can't be "normal" because they are not disfunctional and selfcentered as the rest of us who live in the "real world"? I love the Duggars!!
If you have it--you care for it%21 The care of a child should be the parent%27s responsibility--not another child%27s. Oh%2C when the oldest announced that he and his wife are expecting and the whole family clapped %28some of the girls looked uncomfortable%29%2C it made me sick%21 BTW%2C someone into modesty so much%2C sure does get busy a lot.
Well to each its own. If you can afford it, then do your thing. Myself, that is too many for me to handle and too much noise for me to deal with at one time. I admire the Duggar famil and wish you all the best.
Jeneka admitted on screen to doing drugs and being disobedient when asked to stop. Whatever other problems occur drugs and a drug user around my other children would be my line. If I remeber correctly Jeneka is not Jims natural child and their may be some problems there as in all step families. I find it interesting ALL the children are named with J"s like Jim and not also M's like Michelle. I does send a message from birth that individuating from Jim would be an act with consequences.
I am absolutely appalled as well. A child in America consumes as much as 20 in a developing nation (my environmental politics class) and the absolute disregard for the environment, the overconsumption patterns, the disgusting amounts of electricity and waste this family must use, consume and create is mind boggling. They raise their children to be religious fanatic drones, all repeating the same thing as their parents and older siblings like parrots. They are sheltered and cut off from the real world, are the parents going to home school them through college? Oh wait, the oldest owns a used car place and is getting married at 20. He and his fiance, by the way, are only "allowed" to hold hands and are assigned a chaperone when they go out! They are 20 years old! Are they 12??? NO! Absolutely act like they are 12 years old. No maturity and no opportunity to live and grow on their own, no opportunity learn to make mistakes and learn life lessons. The second that poor sheltered fiance gets
The United States has the nerve to go and distribute literature and contraceptive measures to "3rd world countries" while some uneducated bible thumping hicks from Arkansas pollute the environment driving their busload of kids to and from locations on the 3rd largest country in the world. I am appalled and disgusted by this family's lack of concern for our environmental problem of over population, over consumption and over production of waste. While I do admire their organizational skills, I don't think it's appropriate in this day and age to be pumping out babies like we're in the middle of a Civil War. These Quakers ought to be ashamed of themselves.
Oh, brother! Why can't they have individuality, just because there are 17 of them! And why would anyone put their kids in school if they were so all-fired concerned about individuality! We just had our 6th child, and it's the best gift we could have given our older kids. They are in LOVE with this baby. I have 5 boys and 1 girl, and they are constantly fighting over who can hold/feed/burp/sit by the baby. They all do diapers. Then daddy comes home and demands his time with the baby. The people who are "concerned" about the attention the Duggar kids get from their parents are likely thinking of their own hectic schedules and not of the unique situation of the homeschooling family. If you want more time with your kids, bring them home!
I find them fascinating since their lifestyle is not typical anymore. Older siblings should be responsible to some degree for younger siblings while the youngest should have responsibilities also. I believe large families are great, though to me that would be four or five kids. I do not feel if you want to have kids, especially a large family, you should "just adopt" to be "environmentally friendly". That person does not understand the desire to be a mother, or the feelings once you are. I do think the Duggar children are going to have a hard time adjusting to adult life if they are as isolated as they appear to be.