Posted on 05/21/2007 6:24:57 PM PDT by Pinkbell
Who are you to judge? Who are you to say that the more than slightly creepy 39-year-old woman from Arkansas who just gave birth to her 16th child yes that's right 16 kids and try not to cringe in phantom vaginal pain when you say it, who are you to say Michelle Duggar is not more than a little unhinged and sad and lost?
And furthermore, who are you to suggest that her equally troubling husband -- whose name is, of course, Jim Bob and he's hankerin' to be a Republican senator and try not to wince in sociopolitical pain when you say that -- isn't more than a little numb to the real world, and that bringing 16 hungry mewling attention-deprived kids (and she wants more! Yay!) into this exhausted world zips right by "touching" and races right past "disturbing" and lurches its way, heaving and gasping and sweating from the karmic armpits, straight into "Oh my God, what the hell is wrong with you people?"
But that would be, you know, mean. Mean and callous to suggest that this might be the most disquieting photo you see all year, this bizarre Duggar family of 18 spotless white hyperreligious interchangeable people with alarmingly bad hair, the kids ranging in ages from 1 to 17, worse than those nuked Smurfs in that UNICEF commercial and worse than all the horrific rubble in Pakistan and worse than the cluster-bomb nightmare that is Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise having a child as they suck the skin from each other's Scientological faces and even worse than that huge 13-foot python which ate that six-foot alligator and then exploded.
Excerpt...Read rest, it gets more interesting.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
LOL. Also, ouch!
They actually do have a bus.
Ace and Gary?
Click on the photos in the link and read the captions.
I admit I laughed at the squirrel line..
Thank the ladies who've had 43+ million abortions in America for skewing the stats. And I don't put any of the blame on the guys, because if liberals have taught me anything about abortion, "It's totally up to the woman, it's her body." After all, how can these men be fathers if it isn't a baby?
Oh, I did. Juvenile, personal insults - including toward the kids. Messed up guy - obviously very miserable.
I think Mom looks pretty darn good for having 16 kids. I only have two and don’t look that good. Ok, so the hair is a little wild, so what. Still good looking family.
The author is a total bigot, but its OK because his hatred is for strait Christain white people. Plug in another race/religion and watch Al and Jesse slither forth.
What this Heterophobe doesn’t realize is that this mother will have a far healthier future having 17 kids by one partner than he will with 17 partners tonight in the bathhouse. THAT is nature’s design, to prevent genetic mistakes such as him from being perpetuated.
Many liberals give off this weird “I hate people” vibe that makes you think they came from very troubled families that skewed their views of mankind.
I've also seen on t-shirts
"We have lots of children to make up for all the selfish people." and
"Yes, we know what causes it."
and my favorite
"No, I'm not getting fixed, obviously, nothing is broken."
One thing to think about:
Is it advisable to have more children than you can care for and see they get a good education?
Currently, it costs at least $10,000 a year to send a child to college. With 16 children, that could amount to a total at least $640,000. It is doubtful the family in the article would have that much assets to fund educating their children.
Furthermore, let us consider how much it costs to raise a child (food, clothing, and medical care). A reasonable estimate would be about $5,000 dollars per year. Thus, the estimated outlay for the family would be about $1,440,000, assuming support for 18 years prior to the child starting college.
Adding the costs, the family needs to be able to raise over $2,000,000. IMHO, they have absolutely no chance of raising that level of funding.
I found this article. It’s so good I put the whole thing down, even though it’s a touch long. No wonder they scare Mark. They are active Christians, they support themselves, and they reproduce!
For Arkansas family, 18’s not a crowd
Parents of 16 rely on faith, family to make full house run
07:02 AM CST on Monday, December 19, 2005By ARNOLD HAMILTON / The Dallas Morning News
SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are baby boomers.
They may not fit the age profile of the post-World War II generation, but the numbers don’t lie: They have 16 children.
Ten boys, six girls. Together, as a couple. All theirs, biologically.
And they may have more, Lord willing.”We never dreamed we would have 16 children,” said Mr. Duggar, a soft-spoken, 40-year-old former state lawmaker, as he surveys what Michelle lovingly refers to as their home’s “serene chaos.”
Now, he said, “We wouldn’t have it any other way.”
As a couple, the Duggars’ approach to family planning is simple: They are born-again Christians who view the Bible as their life’s manual – and the Bible describes children as a blessing from God. They will cheerfully accept as many blessings as God ordains.
So far, the blessings have added up to more children than all but a tiny fraction of American families have.
Life with the Duggars in the hills of northwest Arkansas is part- Little House on the Prairie, part-Yours, Mine and Ours –except the only blending in this real-life family occurs with restaurantlike precision at mealtime.
The girls – and their 39-year-old mother – don skirts or dresses (no pants) and white socks. The boys – and their father – dress most days in the same colored polo shirts and slacks or jeans, with black socks. The sameness of their attire helps with laundry and organization.
The girls embrace a similar hairstyle, long and pulled back with a clip, flowing to near their waistlines. The boys’ hair is closely cropped, often cemented into position with gel.
The girls do most of the cooking, though they’ve been taught to change a tire and check the oil. The boys are trained to fix the cars and make home repairs, though they cook occasionally – mostly on the grill.
Against the trend
The U.S. Census Bureau’s latest figures, for 2002, reveal that 0.3 percent of women ages 15 to 44 have given birth to seven or more children. Moreover, the number of U.S. women birthing seven or more children has declined steadily since the government began tracking the demographic in 1976.
DallasNews.com/extra
Photos: Spend time with the Duggars
In an era when the ideal family is widely viewed as two children – one girl, one boy – the Duggars are an anomaly, attracting worldwide media attention.
For two years, the Discovery Health Channel has chronicled the family through a series of documentaries. When Johanna Faith was born Oct. 11, the network’s cameras captured footage for the series’ next installment, to be aired in March.
In the weeks after their 16th child arrived, the couple appeared on CBS’ The Early Show and NBC’s Today. Mrs. Duggar did about 75 radio interviews. And the family has welcomed a steady stream of foreign journalists, including a recent visit from a three-man crew with the Korean Broadcasting System.
Inquiring minds want to know: How do they make it work? The answer: It’s all about faith, finances and family. It’s a system developed over their two decades together, and still evolving today.
A family begins
The Duggars met as teenagers. She was a cheerleader at the public high school here. He attended a private Christian school.
They first crossed paths when he and a friend were visiting prospects for their church, First Baptist of Springdale. She had just become Christian. They didn’t see each other again until much later, when she was hired to work in a frozen yogurt shop that was managed by Mr. Duggar’s mother, Mary.
The couple married just after she graduated from high school. He was 19, she 17. Neither went to college. Together, they launched a used-car business, then towing and real estate businesses. Both are licensed real estate agents.
The Duggars didn’t start out to have 16 children – or more. Early on, she took birth-control pills. After their first child, son Joshua, was born in 1988, Mrs. Duggar began taking them again. Before long, she suffered a miscarriage they believed was caused by the birth control.
“We were just shocked,” Mr. Duggar said. “We consider ourselves pro-life. We thought, ‘What have we done?’ “
They decided to let God determine the size of their family. Fifteen children later, Mrs. Duggar remains healthy and willing to keep having children. None of their children has health problems, and only one wears glasses.
Building a new home
The Duggars live temporarily in a 2,200-square-foot rented house along a busy street, not far from Interstate 540 in this town of about 50,000. They are building – debt-free – a 7,000-square-foot house in nearby Tontitown.
They don’t adhere to a rigid schedule, but in an often-frenzied world with 18 people living in such tight quarters, there are daily imperatives: a midmorning Bible reading with Dad, home-school lessons with Mom.
“This place is like Grand Central Station,” said Mr. Duggar’s mother, Mary, a real-estate broker who often lends a hand.
Indeed, it seems solitude is a precious, elusive treasure. But it is a house of smiles. There are squabbles. But amid the chaos, there is a vibrant rhythm to life.
There is the ever-present backdrop of hymns, played on the piano by the children. Television is watched sparingly. There are rambunctious little boys chasing one another through the house, climbing onto furniture, balancing themselves on the arms of chairs.
Someone always seems to be snacking, usually on a large dill pickle, a family staple. And 4-year-old James never seems to tire of sidling up to a media visitor, tilting his head with a grin, and asking, “How many are you?”
“It’s like going to a 10-ring circus,” Mr. Duggar said. “It is just fun all the time.”
On a recent morning, the family gathers in its spartan living room, most sitting in a circle on the light tan carpet, their legs crossed. Opening a black leather-covered King James Bible, Mr. Duggar reads a chapter from Proverbs, then stops to drive home the meaning of verses that exhort truthful speech.
“What would you think if I said, ‘We’re going to go to Silver Dollar City tomorrow’ – then the next day, I told you, ‘No, I’ve changed my mind; we’re going to stay home and do laundry’ ?”
The youngsters giggled at the thought. It was no contest: Silver Dollar City, any day. And it wouldn’t have been acceptable for Dad not to make good on his word.
“Some day,” Mr. Duggar said, “you guys are going to have your own family. Make sure your words are accurate.”
They joined hands for prayer. Joshua thanked the Lord for Scripture and their family.
Handling expenses
The Duggars aren’t unusual simply because they have so many children. They also live a frugal existence that permits Mr. Duggar to spend most of his days, right now, with his older sons, putting the finishing touches on their new home. Mrs. Duggar is a stay-at-home mom who takes the lead in home-schooling the children.
BRAD LOPER / DMN
Greeting the media has become commonplace since the birth of the Duggars’ 16th child. They don’t have a precise budget, Mr. Duggar said, but it takes about $5,000 a month to operate their household. They live off the rental income from commercial property they own debt-free.
They have no house or car payments and no credit cards. They purchase their clothes at a thrift store that benefits the homeless in northwest Arkansas. They eat out occasionally but take advantage of the dollar menus at fast-food restaurants or the 49-cent children’s meals at AQ (”Arkansas Quality”) Chicken, a local favorite once frequented by former President Bill Clinton. The three older girls give the boys haircuts.
It’s the fruit of a financial freedom seminar Mr. Duggar attended years ago.
“We haven’t had an overabundance,” he said, “but God’s always met our needs.”
For example, when the family moves into its new home, TLC television will be there to film a program akin to the home-makeover reality shows. Sponsors are donating food for the pantry and appliances, such as washers and dryers. Then, Discovery Health is sending the Duggars on a trip west to Disneyland and a dude ranch.
Though thrilled with the help and the trip, the couple’s oldest daughter, 15-year-old Jana, said her family isn’t welcoming the cameras because of the freebies or because the spotlight is coveted.
“We’re able to share with others about Christ and what he’s done in our lives,” she said, stressing the family’s primary message: “Children are a blessing and not a burden.”
In the Duggars’ temporary home, there is no Christmas tree or garland, no wrapped presents. It’s not a protest against holiday commercialism. It’s a practical matter: They must vacate their rented home by mid-January. Their new home must be inhabitable. And every extra dime they have is being poured into the new house.
“I told the kids the house is going to be our Christmas,” Mr. Duggar said. “We didn’t want them to think Christmas is just about gifts you’re going to receive, but it’s about Christ coming to earth.”
Focus on youths
The Duggars may be swimming against society’s tide with such a large family, but it’s clear children – lots and lots of children – are at the core of their social network. They are members of a home church that numbers about 100. They are active in a home-schooling network. Their friends all seem to have lots of children; one family has nine, another six.
And there almost seems to have evolved an unofficial, loose-knit network of large families that home-school their children and attend in-home churches. Some even have volunteered time to help the Duggars complete their home by mid-January.
For example, a St. Louis family with six children recently traveled to Springdale for the weekend to help the Duggars paint the interior of the two-story, white home with green metal roof. And they planned to return to help stain cabinets throughout the house.
Joshua, the Duggars’ oldest son, finished high school at age 16. He passed the state’s test for a general equivalency diploma, or GED. He is considering applying to a California law school that permits distance learning. His goal: to enter politics.
His political interest was stoked during the two terms his father served in the Arkansas House. The Duggar family relocated to Little Rock during the sessions – and young Joshua often went to the Capitol with his father, where reporters dubbed him “the governor.”
Mr. Duggar said he sensed God encouraging him to run for the U.S. Senate in 2003, but he lost. He now believes God’s purpose was fulfilled, he said, in a most unexpected way: When he and Michelle went to vote, with 14 children in tow, an Associated Press photographer was present. The family photo appeared the next day in The New York Times.
Mrs. Duggar was contacted by Parents magazine to write a story on parenting. Discovery Health Channel then arranged to shoot the documentaries. There were more children and reporters to chronicle the new arrivals.
“This is an opportunity to share and hopefully encourage other families, not only here in America, but around the world,” Mr. Duggar said.
“A lot of people are amazed to see that you have 16 healthy, beautiful children that are intelligent and all work together as a team. A lot of people are struggling with one or two.”
THE DUGGAR HOUSE RULES
Posted in the Duggars’ dining area:
Always use soft words, even when you don’t feel well.
Always display kind actions, even if you have been mistreated.
Show joyful attitudes even when no one else is looking.
Have sincere motives with no thought of self-gain.
Think pure thoughts.
Always give a good report of others. Never talebear unless physical harm will come to someone. Use Matthew 18.
Never raise a hand to hit.
Never raise a foot to kick.
Never raise an object to throw.
Never raise a voice to yell.
Never raise an eye to scowl.
Use one toy/activity at a time.
Never let the sun go down on your wrath. (Don’t go to bed angry or guilty.)
Amendment J.O.Y. – make serving your family a priority – put Jesus first, others second, yourself last.
STANDARD FARE
The monthly grocery bill runs from $1,500 to $2,000, including diapers and paper products.
GO FIGURE
7 Grocery carts the family can fill on a trip to fill the pantry.
4 Gallons of milk consumed every three or four days.
7 Loads of laundry each day (9 when they wash bedding).
2,200 Size of their rental house, in square feet.
7,000 Size of their new house, under construction, in square feet.
I also imagine that each and everyone of these girls will have lines of guys waiting for them when they get old enough to court.
With the work ethic of this family, I imagine that any of the kids that go on to college will work there way through school.
And with the popularity that this family has, I'm sure there will be a few philanthropists out there to invest in the lives of some hard working, well valued, young people.
I thought the exact same thing. The girls will be taught to keep themselves pure for their husbands and anyone is crazy to think men don't go for that.
Also they have seen the way their house runs and understand it's up to the men/husband to aspire to and pursue the careers that interest them and be the breadwinner and for the girls to aspire to support their husband as housewives.
If their money is limited they will see it's frivolous to educate the girls whose job they can learn from their mother and invest in the boy's futures since they will be heading households.
Thanks for posting that. It was really interesting.
The idea that men should pursue their interests while women should be supportive housewives doesn't even seem to be a theory that the Duggars ascribe to - I believe the two oldest Duggar girls are looking into careers in nursing or nurse/midwifery, both of which would require college degrees and careers outside the home.
“Michael Irvin of Dallas Cowboys fame has 18 brothers and sisters. I wonder if this guy would write so scathingly about his family.”
I doubt it. For most leftists, white people are evil, you can have as many children as you want, as long as they are not white....
Excellent post-wonderful family!
Who pissed in this guy's Wheaties? If these folks are able to support their kids, it's nobody's business but their own.
EVERY girl should be educated and have a career. It is ridiculous and even dangerously irresponsible for a girl to not have something she is good at that will bring in money from the real world. What happens if the husband dies? Then what? Not every girl is suited for housewifery and in variable economy, a part time job comes in handy.
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