http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/parenting/10/12/sixteen.kids.ap/index.html

By Jewlz on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 08:25 pm:

OMG 16 kids in 20 years !!! Id go stir crazy. How did they get the money to raise the kids and keep life moving and build the house 7000 sqft? and whose going to clean it nine bathrooms ? ohh geeesh thats just crazy

By Christylee on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 08:58 pm:

I think it's crazy, I would be really resentful as an adult to have to grow up in dormatory style because my parents couldn't stop having children. I can ALMOST see if some were adopted but that doesn't seem to be the case here. They'd be providing for kids who NEED a good home rather than making more.

Where's the individuality? Where's the one on one contact? Where's the privacy? I just don't see it any other way than like living like their in a boarding school or orphange type place. JMHO...

By Luvn29 on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 09:29 pm:

I love kids, and I understand wanting to have more, but I feel that they are just being completely selfish. I agree with what Chrisylee said. When would you ever find time to make a child feel special? Could you imagine trying to go out and do something special as a family? Even going to the movies or going to McDonald's would be soooo expensive. How about trying to take them to an amusement park? Or bowling? Or anywhere??? I know some will say these are not important things and that what counts is just being together, but these things sure do make good memories to look back on.

Besides that, how can all of them ever go anywhere together? Can you imagine trying to make a special dinner, oh, say maybe steak, or chicken breasts, etc. for a family that big?

Anything that a small family, or "normal" sized family takes for granted, this family would find nearly impossible. Family vacations? Ummmm, yeah.

I know I'm being cynical and some will think materialistic. But I'm just making a point about how difficult it would be to do anything "special".

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 10:33 pm:

Sixteen Kids!

My favorite childhood memory is my family of 5 going to the Dairy Queen for ice cream cones and driving up to the Lake Michigan bluff, so we could watch the lake, while we ate them! The logistics of trying to do that with a family of 18 is mind-boggling!

They want more? Yikes!

By My3cuties on Wednesday, October 12, 2005 - 11:43 pm:

What would they drive????

that's the only thing that keeps coming to my mind.

By Nicki on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 12:42 am:

A bus comes to mind...lol

By Emily7 on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 06:37 am:

I have seen a special on them & they are actually a very loving, self supportive family.

By Vicki on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 07:19 am:

I saw the special on them too and they are an amazing family. If I recall, they have a two very large passenger vans that they travel in. I don't believe they all fit into one... They showed the house they were building and how they all were working on it together etc. At the time, I remember thinking they reminded me of the families on Little House on the Prarie. LOL They seem to have it down to a Science and the house seemed to run very smooth!

By Colette on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 07:30 am:

If they have the time, the love and the finances to take care of their family then I think it's great.

By Feona on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 07:33 am:

I know a family with 12 kids. The mother breast feed everyone of them. She is a la leche leader and a nurse.

The kids are really well adjusted and love her to death. The house is nice but not too big. I don't think they were all small at once.

I don't know how she did it.

By Kittycat_26 on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 07:55 am:

After reading the article, the father makes a good living. Probably better than the average person by quite a bit. He's a politician who is running for senate.

My thought is that they probably are no worse off financially then the rest of us when you take into consideration the additional money he makes. If they have made it work so far and are self-sufficient, I see no reason for them to stop having children. More power to them.

By Eve on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 09:50 am:

Ok, I just can't imagine being pregnant that many times!!!

By Cat on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 10:02 am:

Ditto Colette.

By Karen~moderator on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 10:37 am:

There was a show recently on either the Discovery channel or TLC, while she was pregnant, and it chronicled their routine and life style, followed them through a grocery shopping trip, showed how they planned meals and shared in all the chores, etc.

I can't imagine having that many kids, I think you have to be *very* special and routine and discipline consistent to make it work, and apparently they are. They appear to have a very happy, loving family.

I look forward to seeing these other shows on this family.

By Tayjar on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 11:31 am:

I guess because I live in a town that has a church that believes in large families, I didn't express shock at this. No joke, we have one family that has 23 kids, most adopted though, and they will be adopting more. Usually 5 to 10 at a time from Haiti. They only have about 8 or so that are biological.

But, we have many, many families, I'd say at least 50 that have at least 10 or more kids, one I know of has 14. They are mostly farm families and very religious. Many are homeschooled but there are a large number that go to the public school in town. In boths of my DKs classes, half of the kids are cousins. And, lots of third and fourth cousins marry one another.

By My2girlygirls on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 12:00 pm:

I saw the special on Discovery about them too. They have no debt at all, if they cannot pay for it outright, they don't buy it. They are building their house themselves and paying for it as they go. I think it's a pretty spectacular thing. I could never have that many children but I think if they feel like this is what they are meant to do and they can provide for them then why not. The Dad is in real estate and apparently made some good investments and I think I remember that they have rental properties also. It is not for everyone, but if they are raising healthy, responsible and happy children then who am I to judge? But still, WOW! 16 kids!!

By My2girlygirls on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 12:01 pm:

I saw the special on Discovery about them too. They have no debt at all, if they cannot pay for it outright, they don't buy it. They are building their house themselves and paying for it as they go. I think it's a pretty spectacular thing. I could never have that many children but I think if they feel like this is what they are meant to do and they can provide for them then why not. The Dad is in real estate and apparently made some good investments and I think I remember that they have rental properties also. It is not for everyone, but if they are raising healthy, responsible and happy children then who am I to judge? But still, WOW! 16 kids!!

By My2girlygirls on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 12:01 pm:

Sorry, didn't mean to post twice.

By Jewlz on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 02:00 pm:

lol all the kids' names begin with "J"

By Kernkate on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 02:28 pm:

They have their own website.
Duggar's website

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 04:23 pm:

It looks like their first child isn't much older than Sarah! LOL! Their oldest is 16 and the picture of them with just one baby, is dated 1988. I was married late 1987. So, all she's done since then is have baby after baby after baby! Yikes! I just can't imagine! By 1992, they had already had six! Wow! (although, one set of twins in there.)

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, October 13, 2005 - 08:09 pm:

From the AP article:

Michelle Duggar, 39, had her first child at age 21, four years after the couple married.

So, she was married at 17, in 1988. On the website, she does look quite young in the wedding picture! So, for as long as I've been married, she has been having all those kids!
Family Pictures

AP Article

By Cybermommyx4 on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 12:29 am:

I would have to say "God Bless Them"...but He already has !

By Karen~moderator on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 07:58 am:

LOL Wendy!!!!

By Dandjmom on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 03:17 pm:

I've seen them featured on Discovery Heatlh a couple of times. Candis there vechile is a Limo/Bus you know the 18 to 24 passenger types.

MoM I really hav eto give her her props, if there werent' just acting for the camares( which I can't see gettign all those kids to act perfect just for the sake of it) she really has a handle on everything.

I can't recall the name of the other family that they are friends' with , but they are a large family as well, I dont' recall how many kids but more then 8.

They have bible study at each other's house. They even go out to eat on a regular basis. We've all seen the deals , for each adult 2 or 3 kids eat free, or the 1.99 cents night outs. well they take advantage of this.

What stood otu to me was that her kids where so well behaved( I mean i have to repeat myself twice sometimes before anyone hears me)the older children help out with the younger children.

Mom had a c-section wtih the rchild before this one I believe and she didnt'have to worry abotu her recovery time, even her 2 year old knew and understood that mon needs reast and can't hold me right now, So he hung on his older siblings.

And yes se did say that she wants more. .

What I want to know is How has it affected her body? I mean each pregnacy is different. I"ve only had two (that'a all I'm having)and each pregnacy wwas totally diferent, each time my body as well as me personally where affected differently. So I wonder has givign borth so many times caused any problems with her?

By Dawnk777 on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 03:41 pm:

Well, that's the thing, with lots of kids, if mom can't take care of you, someone else can!

By Feona on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 04:13 pm:

http://www.jimbob.info/images/2004family__duggar.jpg

OH my goodness. Just think about buying all those outfits for all those kids for the picture.

By Emily7 on Friday, October 14, 2005 - 04:14 pm:

Feona, if memory serves me right they make the clothing.

By Bobbie~moderatr on Saturday, October 15, 2005 - 12:12 pm:

They were on the Today Show. Dad said they have their clothing donated and they shop at yard sales and the Good Will. I watched a program about them about three kids ago and they are building their own house slowly. The older boys are helping. They have TWO sets of twins, one boy boy set and one boy girl set. And today this is very uncommon but it didn't use to be.

My neighbor is 72 and she is one of 14 kids... My Great Grandmother (same generation) would have had 12 if they had all survived, she only has five living children. We talked and she said back in her day they didn't have birth control and once they came out with it if you were married you didn't use it. Their out look was if God intended it it would happen and it happened a lot. But she said that loosing your babies was common, she was a farmers wife and she worked up until the day she delivered and many of her children miscarried and others only lived short times. It was a hard life but it all worked itself out.. Her youngest is a year older than my mom.. Meaning her oldest would have been 20 when she had him... To us that seems NUTS, but to them back then it was what you did... And her older children helped on the farm and they helped raise each other.. AND her mother lived with them, which was also common back then... She said she probably would have had more children but my Great Grandpa died the year after my mom was born and she never remarried... Talking to her is so much fun.. She is 97 by the way...

I think the whole thing is crazy and DH said their is no way they are living with out state aid. The dad basically admited to accepting hand outs. So this would lead me to believe they are doing it because they have been enabled to. Meaning if they would have had to support all of them on their own that they might have limited their decision like the rest of us have.

I would like to have more children, but I am thinking in the lines of adobting in "unwanted" ones (taking care of the ones already here) not creating more of my own... So many kids out there need love and a family to call their own..