Can you say "Birth Control??"

[Chrissy]

Somebody needs to hand the Duggers some condoms 

http://blog.al.com/entertainment-press-register/2009/09/michelle_duggar_pregant_again.html

[RoadKingLarry]

Seeing as how they are more than capable of supporting their brood and seem to teach their offspring the same sort of values I have no problem with it.

[Balog]

Probably more kids than I'd like to have (gotta start adopting at some point imho). However, they can afford them and they raise them well, so I have no problem with their choice. The legions of people who hate them irrationally will be along shortly.  :rolleyes:

[taurusowner]

I don't hate them.  I do wonder if each child is receiving the amount of attention one needs from their parents in order to be a emotionally developed person though.

[Perd Hapley]

We note with some surprise that having more than three kids is about all it takes to get your own TV show right now.  Am I the only one who's more fascinated by this fact, than by the fact that some people reproduce more than other people? 

And is it acceptable to switch from the editorial we to the first person in the same paragraph?  :)

[RaspberrySurprise]

I don't hate them.  I do wonder if each child is receiving the amount of attention one needs from their parents in order to be a emotionally developed person though.

To the best of my knowledge the older children help to take care of the younger ones. That said I think they passed silly a few children back. But the children show no signs of any sort of neglect so I have no reason to think they're bad people.

[MicroBalrog]

We note with some surprise that having more than three kids is about all it takes to get your own TV show right now.

Technically, the number cut-off seems to be "12".

Do I think this is the best way to raise children? No.

Do I think these people should have their children taken away? No. There are plenty of 'nuclear' families who are worse than this.

On the other hand:

How healthy it is for your children to make your life a reality TV show?

[Perd Hapley]

Technically, the number cut-off seems to be "12".

Do I think this is the best way to raise children? No.

Do I think these people should have their children taken away? No. There are plenty of 'nuclear' families who are worse than this.

On the other hand:

How healthy it is for your children to make your life a reality TV show?

I wonder about that last point myself.

On the first point, google John and Kate Plus 8.

[MicroBalrog]

Eight is still a lot, a lot of kids.

[Perd Hapley]

Eight is still a lot, a lot of kids.

Meh.  I doubt it's that many, in the long view.  For modern Americans, yes, but we tend to have small families. 

[MicroBalrog]

Meh.  I doubt it's that many, in the long view.  For modern Americans, yes, but we tend to have small families. 

According to this book, around the 18th century the average Philadelphia household had 5.2 people in it. A working-class woman was expected to give birth to 4-5 children throughout her lifetime, but of course not all of them survived.

[RocketMan]

1. Not my cup of tea.
2. Not any of my business.

[Chrissy]

I don't hate them.  Does anyone know what they do for a living, or are they just supported by their reality show?  There is also the issue of each child getting the attention they should be having.  There's no way with that many children that they can give each one the attention they should be having.  If the older ones are taking care of the younger ones, is that fair?  The adults shouldn't expect their older children to be parents when they didn't have the children. 

No, the children aren't abused, yes they are able to support them, but I still don't think it's good for the children to have that many siblings.

[Standing Wolf]

Except for my siblings, I'd have been an only child.

[Jamisjockey]

They own commercial real estate.  One of their ventures is a strip of warehouse buildings, and some of their others include land that has cell phone towers on it.  
They are a bit creepy and uninteresting.  Wife watches the show from time to time.
Under Obamacare, I heard that a Death Panel will make them give back some of the kids...
 

[Gewehr98]

I don't hate them, but I wonder when her uterus will just plain fall out... 

[White Horseradish]

I don't hate them, but I wonder when her uterus will just plain fall out... 

Dunno, but when that happens someone could get a hot air balloon out of it... 

[KD5NRH]

I don't hate them, but I wonder when her uterus will just plain fall out...

I just wonder how he can get the job done anymore...I mean, getting a couple extra stitches after the birth can only do so much.

[Perd Hapley]

There is also the issue of each child getting the attention they should be having.  There's no way with that many children that they can give each one the attention they should be having. If the older ones are taking care of the younger ones, is that fair?  The adults shouldn't expect their older children to be parents when they didn't have the children. 

Some Romanian immigrants I used to know would find this to be a pretty good laugh, as double-digit broods of children seemed pretty typical for them. I think one family had 12 children and another had 18. They seemed very well-adjusted and happy to me. I don't think I've ever encountered the idea that helping to raise a younger sibling was "unfair," or that it is equivalent to their being parents. I thought it was usually considered very good training for future parents. 

I fear such comments are only the typical reaction of the modern Westerner, as we have come to view the two-child family as the norm.  I'm not saying 19 children has ever been the usual number, but plenty of people would find 19 to be much more reasonable than 2 or 3. 

I have one sibling, FWIW. My parents both have five siblings, but the younger generation just had one or two kids a piece. 

[Hawkmoon]

And is it acceptable to switch from the editorial we to the first person in the same paragraph?  :)

Strictly speaking (wearing my editorial hat): No. It allows your schizophrenia to show through. It's better to be either "I" or "we" consistently, at least for the duration of a two-sentence paragraph.

[Perd Hapley]

It allows your schizophrenia to show through.

Oh, I hate it when that happens.   

[Sindawe]

Hey, more power to 'em.  The Duggers are just doing the job that this American won't do.

Keep the kids off my lawn and there will be no trouble.

[BryanP]

Every time I see them I want to say "Hey lady, it's a uterus, not a clown car."

[red headed stranger]

I fear such comments are only the typical reaction of the modern Westerner, as we have come to view the two-child family as the norm.  I'm not saying 19 children has ever been the usual number, but plenty of people would find 19 to be much more reasonable than 2 or 3. 

I think everyone you talk to has some number they can't imagine.  At this point, my parents get gasps from some people when they find out that they raised 4 children! 

I was the oldest of of the four, and I was expected to pull my weight around the house in the form of chores and helping out with my younger siblings. It only made sense that I should he out with things like meals and sibling's homework.  I think this dynamic had the effect of building a stronger family, as everyone (kids included) had a part in the running of the household, rather than the dynamic I see today where many parents are essentially servants for their children.  Hell, I can't remember the last time I saw a teenager mowing a lawn. 

Another interesting thing about the US in the past few years is how the family has gotten considerably smaller while the size of the typical house has grown.  Now you will see a dynamic where family members all retreat to their respective rooms in the evening to watch enjoy their own TVs, Computers etc.  There is less and less sharing of spaces and devices.  Kids sharing rooms (as I did) is now looked on as something odd, or something only poor families do.   

The Duggars certainly have more children than my wife and I would attempt, but they aren't placing a burden on the welfare system, unlike many families with far fewer children.   It doesn't sound like their kids are getting into any trouble either. 

[RaspberrySurprise]

I just wonder how he can get the job done anymore...I mean, getting a couple extra stitches after the birth can only do so much.

The vagina and uterus are basically large muscular organs, meaning if the muscles are kept well toned they will retain their size properly. There are exercises for this.