Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar have just had their 18th child. Wow! Have you ever watched the TV programs on their family? Diane Sawyer did several pretty interesting in-depth interviews with the family. The Learning Channel (TLC) also has an ongoing series.
That many children makes news. It didn't so much just a generation ago. My mother came from a family of 15 children. My father's mother was one of 13 children. Does your family have a history of having large families or multiple births?
All I can say is... thank goodness for birth control. I can't imagine being constantly pregnant. I've only experienced it twice, but the first one produced twins. Personally, I wouldn't rank the experience as being pleasant. The side effects are a huge pain, the total havoc it wreaks on your body, not to mention what happens 9 months later... and then, oh yeah, the next 18+ years!
Don't take me wrong, my kids are the best thing that have happened to me. But had I known in advance???? Not so sure I would have been brave enough to let it happen.
Arkansas family welcomes 18th child, a girl
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I think it's about time somebody got fixed.
I think she has a baby addiction. I can't imagine being pregnant 18 years of my life.
I'll probably take a hit for this but if you have kids old enough to be married and have their own kids then maybe its time you stop?
maybe it's her way to avoid being an empty nester?? she just keep restocking the nest...
geez Louise, that's insane!
Mom and dad only had sis and me. I worked with a guy in Chicago who came from a family of 12 boys and 1 girl - I figured she was either very picked on or very spoiled.
I guess that as long as you can support your family, it's no one's business how many children you have, but I can't imagine why anyone would want so many. Then again, I never had kids - I've always been too immature to accept such a responsibility.
Well, Mary, I am about to risk getting blasted a lot more than you!
The elephant in the room when you look at so many of our global problems, food production, climate change, pollution, oil and natural resource consumption, is the growing population. Continually growing population and consumption is simply not sustainable and the math needed to show this is true is not that hard (continuous growth models are simple enough I can do the math on my fingers).
It doesn't help that our current economic system is based on always having a growing population! I know it will be difficult to transition to sustainability, but not nearly as painful as when we run up against some hard limits on how many people this world can support!
I am doing what I can...trying to get the word out. I am also childless by choice, but there are only so many children I cannot have!
I was incorrect on the Diane Sawyer interview. It was the Dilly Sextuplets, not the Duggar's herd of children.
Both families are very religious. I guess you would have to be believers to continue to replicate. I would think, maybe, that she feels she is good at this, that this is her calling.
I'm glad my talents are more varied. And yes, hale, I over-populated (by .5) I never figured out how to achieve the 2.5 replenishment figure.
I'm sure the notoriety has been a huge financial assistance. No one could afford to properly care for and educate so many children alone.
Having wandered into so many different social circles (worked with a midwife and was a homeschooler myself for a while), I've run into several families who have 10 kids or more. With the rare exception, these families are *phenominal*, and more than justify any "impact" they may have on the population or earth. The kids tend to be exceptionally well behaved and responsible, and know from infancy how to use and reuse and use again every last possible resource they have avaiable to them--the ultimate recyclers (how many smaller families thoughtlessly toss away tons of food, clothes, and toys? Almost never happens in larger families).
I only have two, but have always felt sad that they didn't have to learn how to share, get along with everyone else, and have a large group of built in best friends and confidants. FWIW, I'd take a large, homeschooling family like the Duggars over the modern practice of having 2.5 kids, only to toss them in daycare in infancy and hope "the village" raises them to be only slightly less naval gazing and self actualizing as the generation that preceeded them;-) I'm just sayin'...
Watch this video, it really made me sad when I first saw it:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKCRHhmHvjg
p.s. believe it or not, these families are *very* self sustaining. I know of plenty of smaller families who think nothing of asking for assistance so they can save their $$ for gymnastics lessons (or large screen TV's, etc. I used to work for a state run food program), but the families I knew lived well within their means, had their own health insurance (i.e. didn't look to the state to support them in any way), and made do with what they had.
My family was classically dysfunctional, so I envied the few larger, happy families that I encountered. I knew a guy in high school who came from a Catholic family of three boys and two girls. Both mom and dad worked, blue collar jobs. Each child was expected to get a part time job (deliver newspapers, whatever) when they got into their teens. I know it wasn't easy, but they owned a small house, had a decent car. But what always impressed me was the love and the warmth that you could sense amongst them.
I understand Hale's point. The same thing applies to our economy, which I believe is growth based. What happens when there's no countries left to turn to for cheap labor? Who will buy the goods if they have no jobs? Maybe there's life on other planets that we can exploit, or sell to.
Thanks for the perspective, cyndi. I think many large families do it well and teach patience and tolerance. Numbers are probably less important than the quality of parenting.
I witnessed a lot of selfishness and pettiness, even as adults, between my 15 aunts and uncles. They all vied for attention and resources (food) that wasn't readily available. I guess it can go either way.
Interesting point,Cyndi. Here's a story of two familes. My ex comes from a large family. Four girls and a boy. They often squabble over petty things. The usual he said/she said thing. It seems that the only time that they all get along is during the holidays. Some of them can go for months without speaking to each other. Funny thing is,with the exception of the brother,they all live in Racine.
On the flipside,my family. I come from a small family. My folks,sis,and me. We were raised to respect one other. We often call each other to see how things are going. The funny thing is that they all live Up North,except me.
That is totally insane.
I just can't imagine a woman wanting to go through that.
If you ask me, I think her cheeze slid right off the cracker!! And his along with it!
I would never want to have an only child. i think it's great to have siblings to learn to share not only material things but also time. I think you learn earlier and easier that the world doesn't revolve around you. that being said I think 18 children is crazy. Not so much if they are self sustaining or not just going through that much pregnancy.. I'm speaking as a woman that is at the moment 8.5 months pregnant. I couldn't imagine doing this another 16 times.. But it's not my life so who am I to say anything?
I was hoping to get your input, Why Not? I wish you the best. 2 more weeks? Hope you are feeling ok.
I have heard women say they loved being pregnant. Me? Not so much! I just mostly felt crappy and totally out of control of my body. You are right though, it is a personal decision. But 18 of 'em... whew, no way!
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