Snarky Gossip

79 opinions for The Duggar family welcomes their 17th child

• Mommkf
  Aug 2, 2007 at 13:34

  Excuse me, but how is this news? I know of at least 4 families with 20 or more kids.

• cari
  Aug 3, 2007 at 00:36

  So what. My Aunt had 15, and now she has like 50 grand children.

• Nicole
  Aug 3, 2007 at 08:20

  Has this family ever heard of our World population problem?? I think that this is not something to celebrate. It is irresponsible to have so many.
  n

• Julie W
  Aug 3, 2007 at 09:10

  Having that many children is not necessarily good for those children. I grew up the 10th born of 11 children and by the time I came along, there was not enough love or attention left for me and my other younger sibs. There is no way parents can possibly give that many children the love and attention and individual time they need to grow up feeling secure. Believe me, I know. When people find out I’m from such a big family, they always comment on how fun that must have been, but it really wasn’t. Wearing hand-me-downs that have already been passed on from 8 older sisters was not fun, it was humiliating! I was ridiculed a lot by other kids for my ragged clothes. Plus my mom was always too tired to really spend any time with me; she was spent way before I was born. I wonder about what kind of long-term effects there will be on the kids in these extremely large families.

• Maria
  Aug 3, 2007 at 09:17

  I think it’s because these days it’s even more expensive to raise a child and big families that size aren’t as common these days as they were back then. I think it’s also because they have been all over television about this. This is nuts. These kids don’t even interact with other children. They get dragged to church conferences and go to school at home. They’ll probably end up marrying on of their siblings and having 50 kids too! Ugh, I don’t know.. It’s just NUTS.

• Adam
  Aug 3, 2007 at 09:38

  Ohhhhh and there homeschooled, great now we have more idiots in the world. Wow all there names start with J, how original. Someone should bring that lady to the vet and fix her.

• Giovanna
  Aug 3, 2007 at 10:59

  I was wondering if you would ever think of being a surrogate mom? We are a Christian family that would love to raise a few more babies ourselves. But do to Cancer in the baby area we can no longer have any more children. If that would be a possibility please email me back. Thanks, Giovanna

• Amy
  Aug 3, 2007 at 11:19

  Adam,

  You obviously learned to spell in the ’superior’ public schools. Also, you are a master at the run-on sentence. Way to not prove your point.

• Kristine
  Aug 3, 2007 at 11:54

  If anyone has ever watched the Discovery programs on this family they would be better informed to make statements about them. The Duggar family, although large in number is a very self sufficient family. They do not rely on public assistance, a fact a lot of families in this country with only one child can not say. They have made it work with alot of love and a strong belief in God. After reading a few of the comments on this site, you all should know that the parents that are home schooling the children are indeed intelligent and educated individuals. I may be one of the few, but I believe they are a beautiful family and deserve the respect of being a family who has had tough times as well as good and has remained together and strong! How many of us can say that about ourselves?

• LB
  Aug 3, 2007 at 11:55

  Whoa, nobody on here is jealous, are they? I only have one child but I would have more if I could afford it. If these people can afford to have 17 kids, so be it! It is a big deal…ever had ONE baby? Having 17 is a major deal…not just having it but caring for that many. You have people in this world that have children & dump them in dumpsters, at least these children are wanted & they are well taken care of. I think it would be nice to have so many siblings. To know that you always have someone to talk to. The parents aren’t the only one’s who can give love & attention. Home schooled children are not idiots & one of them will more than likely be your boss someday. I just think people need to quit hating over what other people have. If they had 17 nice vehicles you’d probably think that was cool & envy them more. Grow up people……

• jessica
  Aug 3, 2007 at 12:05

  That is so cool
  WELCOME JENIFER!

• Chelsea
  Aug 3, 2007 at 13:02

  i think its great my dad is one of eleven and he loved it big families are fun. I love having a big family thats just more people to love you. And so what its her body and her decision to make babies so much.

• Tina
  Aug 3, 2007 at 13:22

  Kristine,

  Since you claim to have watched the programs on this family, maybe you can explain how such “good” people could disown their OLDEST child?
  That’s right. They have an older daughter that had a child out of wedlock and no longer wanted to have religion crammed down her throat.
  How do Mom & Dad repay her?
  By not even acknowledging her birth!

  Michelle & Jim Bob are nothing more than a bunch of selfish, self-righteous media whores who are FORCING the older children to do the parenting that they can’t because Mom & Dad are too busy making the Duggar.

• Amusing
  Aug 3, 2007 at 14:25

  There is a picture all over the news of the Duggars at the hospital. I think someone forgot to fill in the caption:
  “Mrs. Duggar holds up her hand to show little Jackson how many months it will be until the next child is conceived.”
  The older kids’ faces do not look too thrilled to me!

• Amy
  Aug 3, 2007 at 15:35

  Tina, where did you hear that about the Duggars having an older daughter? I’d be very curious to know if that’s true.

• Misti
  Aug 3, 2007 at 18:31

  17 children. The Duggars are probably fine people, and this is America, so they are free to have as many kids as they want…however, their family does seem excessive, especially in this time of overpopulation. Why wouldn’t it be just as good to adopt kids who desperately need good homes? They are already here and surely could use the love that the Duggars have to give.

• allaficasion
  Aug 3, 2007 at 23:15

  Michelle Duggar is 40 years old and had her first child at 21 years old. Her eldest son is 19, making him the first child she had Tina. While I find the famiyl extremely wacky, spreading false rumors is still not ok in my mind. Where you thinking of another family prehaps? And if so, does your opinion of the Duggars still stand?

• Luisa
  Aug 3, 2007 at 23:47

  What is she a new kind of animal???Come on that’s ridicoulus! I agree with Adam she needs to go to the vet! And here it comes another member of the frick family!Do they have a brain??????we are human being not animals!!!!!

• Doug
  Aug 3, 2007 at 23:49

  If anyone has ever watched the Discovery programs on this family they would be better informed to make statements about them.

  I have watched the programs, and this family gives me the creeps. But then, I believe my responsibility as a parent requires me to allow my son room for independent thought.

  I’m curious about Tina’s comment, too. If true — what a bombshell! And it might be true . . . I had thought Michelle was incubating #18, yet everyone is calling Jennifer Danielle #17.

  By the way, at my place we ran a caption contest for that photo (above). You can find the winning image in this post.

• Doug
  Aug 4, 2007 at 00:20

  Okay, I did a google search based on Tina’s comment, and I came up with this comment on Television Without Pity:

  I think that the older Duggars will either be forever children living under their parents’ thumb or will commit some unforgivable sin and be banished. On another dozen kids show, I recall the dad basically writing off the oldest kid because she made decision “incompatible with our family” and had a baby out of wedlock. I could see this happening with the Duggars…

  Perhaps Tina is mistaking one family for another. If you want to read the rest of that quote at TWP, it’s at the bottom of that linked page.

• Phyllis Berry
  Aug 4, 2007 at 08:13

  You are mixing up the Duggars with another family that was featured on TLC. That other family had disowned their eldest daughter for having a child out of wedlock–not the Duggars. All of the Duggar children still live at home and are a model Christian home–full of love and support for each one of their children.

• geneva
  Aug 4, 2007 at 09:05

  i have 11 sibilings now

• kris
  Aug 4, 2007 at 11:00

  The Duggars did not disown a daughter. You are confusing them with the Jeub Family. Get your facts straight before you make statements as truth.

• Kristine
  Aug 4, 2007 at 22:09

  Thank you to those who wrote back to address Tina’s incorrect “facts.” She did confuse the Duggar’s with another family. I would like to address the male who commented that Mrs Duggar should be taken to the vet and fixed. You are obviously a man who thinks he has the right to tell a woman what to do with her body. To me, you sound like a rude individual who just can’t handle someone else’s decisions if they differ from your own. So when hell freezes over and you grow a uterus maybe someone will take you serious about your comments about women. Until then, keep your rudeness to yourself.

• allaficasion
  Aug 5, 2007 at 02:52

  “All of the Duggar children still live at home and are a model Christian home–full of love and support for each one of their children.”

  Model Christian family, UNTIL….

  Come on people. No matter how desperately others attempt perfection, it aint possible-and being 95% perfect doesn’t exist. The Duggars are just people who like to have sex a lot. Being pregnant for 10 years probably numbs Mrs. Duggar to the REALality of her life. As long as she keeps getting pregnant, she remains “important”. Children, like moons, revolve around their parents, and apparently these parents need many moons in order to keep on their axis. I don’t care what philosophy or religion you prescribe to, a narcissist is a narcissist. These people don’t just want 17 little people revolving around them, the poor kids are even made to LOOK like their parents too. Someone is getting disowned as soon as they get their own authentic voice.

• Andrea
  Aug 5, 2007 at 05:55

  To the Duggars, family is the most important thing in the world, and you seem to know that. Life is so short, and the little day to day things are what make it all worth while. Congradulations. To all those out there ready to cast judgement, hold. The Duggars do not ask for charity, they work hard, the children are taught proper manners, and they seem to be more well behaved in the home and in public than some 2 children households. So instead of insulting, I think we should be asking for advice. We will always fear what we do not understand, and the Duggars understand true family values.

• Worried
  Aug 5, 2007 at 12:01

  Go ahead and have as many as your saggy uterus will allow before it falls out. But don’t keep the poor kids prisoners with rules like: “Girls don’t wear pants, girls can’t cut their hair; all girls wear white socks and boys wear black; everyone must stay home to be schooled and must do what everyone else in the family does and dress alike” How are they ever going to develop individuality?
  What if the kids want to join a school volleyball team, football or baseball team, marching band, chorus (not church), be in a play (not a church play), take pottery, painting, art metals, chemistry lab, math or academic teams, cheerleading, march in a parade, be a Scout, learn a new skill? What about high school level calculus, foreign language, geometry, fine arts? Certainly Michelle doesn’t have the ability to teach all these things!!!!
  Let the kids decide if they want to wear jeans, tee-shirts, cut their hair and go to school to learn how to get along in the real world. Public schools are not evil cesspools of sin. I have five top-honors students who have don’t experiment with drugs, sex, alcohol and they wear jeans and shirts (that cover their bellies) every day. They also participate in many of the above listed activities and are on their way to be well-rounded adults!

• gerthea
  Aug 5, 2007 at 12:43

  Kristine, how do you KNOW the Duggar Family don’t have any public assistance? No Medicaid, no food stamps; no Aid to Dependent Children?

  And how socialized can the children be in their situation?

• gerthea
  Aug 5, 2007 at 12:59

  Upon further investigation I find that the Duggars fully qualify as a ‘Quiverfull’ family. They take Old Testament guidance via Psalms 127 and build from there: Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
  The fruit of the womb is a reward.
  Like arrows in the hand of a warrior,
  So are the children of one’s youth.
  Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them.

  The children are homeschooled, the woman is to do the bidding of the head of the household. EVERYONE is to obey the man. Pity the person who falls for one of these poorly developed lil psyches/

• rupad
  Aug 6, 2007 at 09:45

  Adam
  You dont have manner at all you have to respect a married woman ok remember your mother is a girl not a boy and you dont have the authority to tell that Mrs. Duggar has to see a vet. are you crazy maybe you will be the one to see a Vet. instead you say something just pray for the family

• rupad
  Aug 6, 2007 at 09:54

  Luisa
  You and adam are common you have the same brain ‘idiotic”

• rupad
  Aug 6, 2007 at 09:58

  Worried
  Worried to yourself people dont mind the duggar family if they want their childrens to homeschool them maybe they know what they are doing and they are smart and intilligent than you and they are not asking your help ok if you love the lord with all of your heart mind and soul the lord will love you more and dont be judgemental.

• rupad
  Aug 6, 2007 at 10:06

  Duggar Family,
  Congratulations to your new sibling dont worry with the other comments you receive they are nuts as long as you love one another and respect with each aother abd dont forget to pray always to the Father the Lord will bless you just fix your eyes on Jesus. God bless you always Mr.&Mrs Duggar if you dont mind can I suggest that will you search this in the internet http://www.kingdomofjesuschrist.com thank you

• Christa
  Aug 6, 2007 at 10:15

  Why does it matter how many children one family has???? No one ever said that you should only have 1 or 2 children and that’s it!!! I would never have 17 kids but you know that’s just me and I don’t judge them for it! Don’t judge people on how many children they want to have or how many they already have! It’s not your life, not your money, not your decision! I think people who say bad stuff about this family are just stupid, you have nothing better to do with your time and you need to grow up!! Not every family is the same some people have 1 child and they are happy with that others dream of a big family. So what!!!! Just because you wouldn’t have that many children don’t mean that The Duggars are bad people or are overpopulating and bla bla bla they have an idea of what “THEIR” perfect family may be and how many children will fully complete them!!

  Yes I know that everyone is free to say what is on their minds but you know what imagine yourself in their position and reading what all everyone has to say all the hurtfull comments and well all the good comments, I can’t believe that just because this family has 17 kids now that alot of you would say that they are stupid and that she needs to get fixed and whatever else you have mean to say about them. I think you need to wake up and realize YOU ARE NOT THEM!!!!!! They are free to have as many children as you are!!

  I know a family that only has 4 children they were homeschooled and the parents had the 2 oldest children help take care of the 2 youngest, I don’t see why it’s such a bad thing for the oldest to help out the youngest because if you think about it the oldest are learning responsibilities!!!!

• Chelsea
  Aug 6, 2007 at 16:39

  Christa is right

• Sue
  Aug 6, 2007 at 17:26

  I would just like to state that everyone has there own opinions but maybe we should learn from this family.

  How many parents out there with only one, two even three kids can’t raise them. Kids in general today are rude and behave badly.

  The Duggar children are polite, very well behaved and have better education that any publicly educated kids in our country.

  I can’t beleive the audacity of some of the people who post their opinion and say that she should be taken to the vet. This goes to show who rude and uneducated people are.

• Worried
  Aug 6, 2007 at 19:21

  To Rupad; Perhaps you need to brush up on your spelling and grammar before you tell me how intelligent I am or am not.
  My point was that one person cannot possibly teach 17 children of all different grade levels, and take care of newborns and toddlers.
  How does one teach the high schoolers things that need to be taught in a chemistry or science lab; advanced math; music (not just violin for all 17 kids), other specific classes that lead to career choices while also teaching primary reading and writing to the younger ones, changing diapers and running a household? You know someone is being shorted here. I wonder if they ever asked the older kids if they want to go to school and learn things that are beyond the parents’ knowledge. I am college educated (I read that Michelle isn’t) but I wouldn’t even pretend to say I could teach my kids all the advanced math and science they have learned in school to prepare them for college.

• home school mother
  Aug 6, 2007 at 21:05

  Okay everyone I think some people need to get a life more power to the Duggars. I would have loved to have more children but God granted me one. He is home schooled and takes advanced placement classes. When he is 16 he will be able to attend community college. So do not tell me that he is an idiot.

• Cheryl
  Aug 6, 2007 at 21:35

  Duggar family. Congratulations on your new child a beautiful blessing indeed. I am expecting my first and hope to be at least half as happy and succesfull as you with all the happyness in the world i wish you the best.

  To the rest of you, you do all live in the same world where we all have been raised in diffrent cultures with new and upcomeing beliefs. what does it matter if one person knows how to spell or has good grammer.. i know it is not my best area, gramer, however where i lack in one area i prevell in others. dont you all see that the god that you believ in, weather christian, mormon, cathlic, JW or whatever you choose to follow has given everyone blessings and gifts. the duggars simply have the gift of following our christian gods words “replenish my earth” i hope everyone does well and can remember the classic saying our mothers tell us that saves our souls the most “if you dont have anything good to say, dont say anything at all.
  Good night and god bless.

• Jan
  Aug 7, 2007 at 05:54

  I don’t care how many children the Duggars have–I think it’s nuts to dress all your children alike especially a 19 year old boy. It’s one thing to dress the little ones the same but the entire family??

  I agree–I don’t see any individualism. The girls are in long dresses all the time. They may or may not be all happy and well balanced…they just seem too “perfect” to me.

  I can appreciate their Christian principles, but I think there’s some element of truth in what poster allaficasion said, “as long as she keeps having babies Michelle remains important”.

  I read somewhere that Jim Bob and Michelle are real estate agents. Is that what generates their income? How did they build a 7,000 sq ft. home with no debt? Gotta give them some credit.

  I think it’s nuts to continue to having children but
  that’s their right.

• gerthea
  Aug 7, 2007 at 08:02

  I don’t care how many children the Duggars produce as long as WE are not SUBSIDIZING them!
  Their only statement with reference to public assistance is ‘we don’t like to rely on public assistance’. Okay so what does that mean? Did they say ‘no we don’t need public assistance?’ or ‘we have had to use public assistance in the past but don’t need it now.’ But not needing to ‘rely’ on public assistance begs the question. Do they or do they not receive public assistance? If their income is $7,000 which is a tidy sum of money, will it cover all the utilities, vehicles and gas/oil changes, paper products, maintenance of house and vehicles? Oh and how about health insurance? Anybody sell health insurance? Take your own premium and multiply it several times and see how far it cuts into that $7,000.

  Sorry, but I don’t think what they’re doing is admirable at all. Just because you can give birth doesn’t make it a good idea. How can Mr. & Mrs. Duggar possibly nurture and give affection to and spend time with each child? And what’s worse, anyone care to bet on #18?

• Annie
  Aug 7, 2007 at 19:29

  Every body who left mean comments should know that this family is loving and carring. I grew up in a family of 2 and didn’t get as much love as these children do! Congratulations on new little one!!!!!

• ALynn
  Aug 7, 2007 at 21:20

  For those of you who have been watching them on TV, the TLC Channel finished, decorated, and furnished that house for them, as in free. That house is tax free as they got it considered a church. The all matching thing is really just for TV and going out of the house (which they probably don’t do often) and I believe the oldest is wanting to go on the law school, we’ll see as he just turned 20 this year.
  Homeschooling is a choice, where I live more kids are homeschooled than attend public schools, horrible schools account for why.
  A while back all the kids got bikes for christmas, tell me that wasn’t a write-off for the store, as it could qualify as a donation to a non-profit organization, and churched ddon’t pay sales tax. They shop at Aldi’s, which hasn’t been know to carry a huge selection or lots of healthy food.
  On another end, this is only the most publicized family, there are bigger. In an early episode the went to a convention thing that was all huge families, some even bigger than their own. They do exist, and I don’t hear anything about all the people choosing to have 6 kids all at once (and do end up on assistance).

  I will give her one thing, I often see women after giving birth to only 1 or 2 kids balloon to huge proportions and never loose the weight.

• gerthea
  Aug 8, 2007 at 11:31

  [IMG]http://i16.tinypic.com/4ya1fo0.jpg[/IMG]

• gerthea
  Aug 8, 2007 at 21:08

  Interesting information ALynn. Do you suppose their next venture will be their very own “The Duggar Family Reality Show”? Or might that reveal too much? Hmmm…….

• deb
  Aug 14, 2007 at 18:06

  Obviously Michelle Duggar does not realize how dangerous it is to have so many pregnancies. The more pregnancies you have the more at risk you are of bleeding to death as the uterus has trouble contracting back to its normal size. The Duggar’s continue to have children as the media is obviously paying their bills

• gag
  Sep 12, 2007 at 15:35

  If you want to really be disgusted, look at the latest pictures on Discovery channel. A big sister trying to play piano with the new kid in a baby knapsack…
  all the kids once again posed with their forced smiles…..a video of Michelle being really fake at the baby’s doctor visit. Someone please pass the Rolaids.

• Helaine
  Sep 21, 2007 at 09:54

  I have seen the show. There is something very “stepford” about this family. No one has any tantrums or mood swings. This cant be real!! Come on, good editing here. ALL NORMAL kids have emotions other than SMILING CONSTANTLY AND BEHAVING. GEESH

• Helaine
  Sep 21, 2007 at 09:57

  How on earth will these parents send these kids to collage??? No braces I noticed! That was one heck of an expense for two kids. At $25.000 minimum a year what the heck are they going to do if the 20 year old wants to go to law school?? He cant live home and commute, they live in the middle of nowhere

• gerthea
  Sep 21, 2007 at 14:14

  Nothing very realistic about their situation, including the size of the family and leaving the parenting to the older children the younger ones are paired with. I’m sure with that show they’re making some good money now so maybe they won’t be on the public dole any more. Lucky taxpayers!

• Hoagie
  Oct 10, 2007 at 21:38

  Parents are certainly entitled to have as many children as they wish and, most assuredly, some are more capable of nurturing multiple dependents than others. What concerns me about this family is the unconditional praise they receive from various members of the public, particularly conservative Christians, while they portray a world in which there are no people of color in their lives (not representative of the real world) which causes me to suspect that they may be racist; no contributions to society in the form of service learning or volunteer work; young and older females clothed only in long, but open dresses which is neither practical, healthy, or modest dress for children all of the time; teen-aged boys sharing bedrooms with toddlers and young brothers; no mention of college after home-schooling; multiple acres of adjacent land purchased specifically so that the children can build homes when they grow up; and more. In my view, these are red flags enough for me be concerned when such people are held up as unconditional role models.

• Wendy
  Nov 13, 2007 at 13:37

  I’m so grateful that we live in a free country where people can have 20 kids or no kids. And people can write comments on blogs about them lol. This has been very entertaining to read the back and forth on various sites about this family.

  A woman’s “right to choose” goes both ways, does it not?

• Wendy
  Nov 13, 2007 at 13:48

  If they called themselves Amish then would their lifestyle be okay? Or do a lot of you hate what those people stand for as well?

  Couldn’t the Duggar lifestyle be considered a form of “individualism” as they are NOT mainstream? Since when is individualism so shallow as to only mean the kind of clothes a person wears?

  And to the people that talked about the “population problem” in the world… how many children did you add to the “problem”? How many children did you adopt? Why are you living in a free country like America when you obviously aline your beliefs with countries like China? That one way ticket is just waiting for you ;)

• Gerthea
  Nov 13, 2007 at 15:54

  As I said before, I don’t care how many kids they have as long as they’re not on the public dole.

  I give them a big HO-HUM! I think they’re boring.

• Lisa
  Dec 23, 2007 at 18:33

  She needs her tubes tied because they say these children are a gift from God. HELLO they can in no possible way show 17 kids full attention and love everyday with only 24 hours in the day. It is just plain selfish. As a firm christian I am pretty sure that God would not agree with not being able to physically, mentally, and EMOTIONALLY fully being able to support your kids. They can say they do but they dont. If everybody had 17 kids we would have a serious problem.

  Not to mention the fact that I am sure they are not able to fully support these children 100% on their own. That is selfish to the rest of the country. I mean we have to pay for her children… then how would they pay for my kids if I decided to have 17 also!??!

• Kaylee
  Jan 29, 2008 at 10:44

  Well I think that the Duggars are great. And for all of you who say not cutting their hair, wearing the same clothes, etc, are ignorant because that is part of their religion. There is a girl at my school that has long hair and doesn’t wear pants. It’s her religion. They believe that every child they have is a gift from God, and they are right. We shouldn’t criticize them for what they are doing, it’s their choice. They have enough money to do it. Every child feels loved and welcome in their home; they all have different personalities and I’m sure that Michelle and Jim Bob recognize that. Yes, the older siblings do a lot of work, but it’s good for them. They need to have some responsibilty and step up to the plate. A lot of you say that since the older kids take care of the younger kids they have no time to be kids themselves. Not true.

  Why do people always have rude comments about big families? What’s so bad about having a lot of kids? People seem to think that big families are just a bunch of wild animals that have no control over anything.

  The reason why they have so many kids is because they don’t believe in birth control or having surgery to stop getting pregnant. It’s part of their religion. Every child is a gift from God and they should accept it with open arms.

  You guys need to think before you comment. Seriously.

• christa
  Jan 29, 2008 at 11:50

  Kaylee, I completely agree with what you have to say! I couldn’t have said it better!!!

• Sophie
  Jan 30, 2008 at 00:06

  I watched the Duggar show last night for the first time and was frankly horrified by the size of the family and the fact that the mother is pregnant again! It seems she feels her soul purpose in life is to procreate. I feel sorry for the children who are not only forced to vie for what scraps of parental attention they can get but whose list of responsibilities continues to grow as the family gets bigger and bigger. Last night’s episode revealed that one of the girls is responsible for cleaning her parent’s bedroom, which makes me wonder what responsibilities the parents themselves take on, besides having sex and procreating. Daycares have rules and laws governing the number of children a staff member can manage. This is for good reason–young children have special attention requirements in order to grow up healthy. The Duggan children are attention deprived and will never be normal. Mrs. Duggan, I have some advice for you: find some other way to give your life purpose besides reproduction; try using birth control or abstinence if birth control is against your religion; and for god’s sake, recognize that when you force your kids to raise your kids, you are foolishly and selfishly depriving them of the childhood they deserve. TLC, this show is disgusting for what it represents, and should be taken off the air.

• Balls and Walnuts - more than you ever wanted to know » How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Duggars
  Jan 30, 2008 at 00:46

  […] August, 2007 post at Snarky Gossip still gets comments. The reason why they have so many kids is because they don’t believe in birth […]

• Heather
  Feb 1, 2008 at 14:53

  The Duggar’s DO have another child. A daughter named Jenaka who is the first child. Of course they never mention her because they disowned her when she was only 18. She would not conform to their ways so she was kicked out of the house. She is now 21 and in college. She did not have a baby out of wedlock that must have been some one else’s show. She had to repeat many high school courses before she could enter college as her mother did not teach her what she needed to know to get in.

• Heather
  Feb 1, 2008 at 15:00

  I don’t know how everyone can think what these people are doing to these children is wonderful!! All I hear is that anyone who says how terrible they are is just jealous. Shame on you. Those children have no childhood. They are raising their brothers and sisters and being worked like slaves. Why does the state not intervene and help these poor children!! There is nothing wrong with having a large family, but don’t have more then you can handle. Their sacrificing their children for the attention and money people lavish on them for having so many children. They exploit their children for money. They definitely receive money for the shows they do. They advertise products that you can buy on their website. Wake up people!!

• Maria
  Feb 1, 2008 at 19:00

  I have never heard of this other child..Jenaka duggar…?

• aly
  Feb 1, 2008 at 21:28

  pray for all to keep your marriage together

• roxanne monro
  Feb 18, 2008 at 02:33

  ive never heard oh jenaka before ive watched all the shows,it good that she has been able to have that many children,they must be doingsomething right,for the lord to bless them with that many children,id like someone to ask michell that question,of the other child and would like aanswer from the duggars,congratulations,on baby 17,keep up the good job,roxanne,australia.

• Today’s afternoon gossip brought to you by Harley the Wonder Dog
  Feb 19, 2008 at 16:07

  […] if these two don’t watch out, they’re going to be like the Duggars. Rumor has it that Angie has asked for maternity leave next summer on the set of her newest […]

• Jayne
  Apr 14, 2008 at 17:58

  It’s amazing the assumptions so many people make here. The Duggars are leaching off of the system; they are incapable of giving enough attention to their children; they’re doing this for money and attention; oh, and they are racist.

  As a Hispanic married to a Caucasian, that one is crazy. People just look at my husband and assume he’s racist–without ever knowing anything about him. How’s THAT for racist?

  The first show wasn’t aired until they had 14 kids. There was no attention and they were paying the bills (debt free) until then. There are several reality shows where families or individuals get perks. Do we criticize them? And many of these other recipients aren’t exactly model citizens.

  It is possible to afford to raise a large family. I know several large families (8+) that survive on one income–and homeschool! In a society where the average house hold runs debt of $8k in credit card bills and a mentality of consumerism, I guess it does sound impossible. But many do without eating out, vacations and the latest trends in clothes to make it work. Their priorities are just different. So what? Aren’t we supposed to be a society of “diversity”, “tolerance” and “choice”?

  As a member of my home-school group there is plenty of diversity. I think it’s funny that so many assume that a kid who spends his/her entire school career (18+ years) in class w/ ONLY kids his/her age, who listens to music with much of the same themes–even if it is to a different beat; dresses according to what everyone else is wearing; wears his/her hair in similar fashion to his/her classmates; and who’s manners are SUB-par is considered more of an individual and socialized.

  Also, do we really think our kids who are in public schools where classes are 14+ in size get the attention they need? Or how about those of us who send their kids to daycare? Someone could accuse us of “paying someone” to raise our kids.

  I also think it’s funny that so many “small” families will dress alike for family pictures (go look at the portraits at Picture People) criticize this family for doing the same thing they are. The Duggars do this on vacation–which makes sense–and for pictures, not every day.

  I have four and one on the way. Believe me, there’s a lot more negative attention than positive when you venture out of your house–even if your kids are behaved perfectly (to some on here, you’re now creepy b/c there’s something “Stepford” about you).

  A person w/ more than the “accepted” number of kids just can’t win with some people.

• ames
  May 9, 2008 at 19:02

  who know for sure if the duggar’s have a child named jenaka who they kicked out because of nonconforming, etc….I can not find much credibility to this story. Does any one have a picture of mystery child number 1?

• just me
  May 9, 2008 at 20:14

  Statistically home schooled children do better as adults. They do better academically, they vote at a higher rate, the serve within the community more than the average public and private school educated person.

  People have the right to choose how many children to have and how to educate them. I live across from a junior high school, I don’t understand why the parents let their children dress and act the way they do. It is an interesting story of a family in the US. If Ozzie Osborne family can grace our TV screens in all its dysfunction why not the Duggars.?

  I agree with Jane, I only have 4 children and people think I am crazy - even when my children are being perfectly behaved. It is not really about how many children you have but how you run your family.

• POd
  May 9, 2008 at 23:45

  I think everyone should have at least 20 kids. I won’t be happy until we have so many people on this planet that we can’t move or everyone goes starving. We don’t have other species that need space on this planet. We can put everything else in a zoo or better yet…just kill off everything else and read about it in a book.

  FOR GOD’S SAKE…GOD gave you a brain. Must we really become another China? Sure, people say that there is plenty of room…BS. There may be room but it also takes alot of room to support a person for food, etc. We are NOT the only species on the planet.

  If you want to have that many kids…ADOPT!!!! There are plenty of existing kids that need a home.

  Jim Bob should be castrated and Michelle should have her tubes tied.

• jayne
  May 10, 2008 at 14:54

  And POd’s entry is a perfect example of intolerance.

  Believe it or not, overpopulation is up for debate (even if a person does not agree) and many people do not buy into (do some research).

  Further, from the comment, “we are not the only species on the plant,” I assume that humans and cockroaches should be treated equally? A LOT of people don’t buy into that, either.

  And adoption is not that easy. It costs about as much as having a baby w/out insurance. Most of us do not have that kind of money lying around. Also, most couples are on waiting lists for years before they get to adopt ONE child.

  “Must we become another China?” To me, that’s like saying, “Must we become another Nazi Germany?” But I guess some people have no problem with women forcibly strapped down to abort their babies or to be sterilized–against their will. This person wouldn’t happen to be pro-choice, would they? Where’s the choice here?

  I realize the Duggars are not mainstream in their beliefs. But I think deeming them selfish and irresponsible to the point where they should be sterilized is not mainstream, either. It’s extremely judgmental (and base).

• jayne
  May 10, 2008 at 15:01

  Yo, ames.

  I think a lot of people might have the Duggars mixed up with another family. A while back, TLC did a few shows on large families (something like 14+). A family from one of these episodes did ask their oldest girl to leave.

  She was pregnant and unmarried, but I did not gather that this is the reason why they did this. It was because of the life she was leading (in the show I remember her saying the she was doing a lot of stuff that she knew was wrong, but didn’t care at the time); and the parents didn’t want that kind of influence on the other children. They did not give details on what she was doing.

  In the end she was making amends with her father. It was sad, but I was glad to see that they were making peace.

• kris
  May 10, 2008 at 16:34

  Jayne,
  You are spot on. Thank you for putting into words what I was thinking. I am really tired of folks using the overpopulation argument.

  I am a mother of a larger than average family and I like to tell folks we are trying to outnumber the stupid people. We have our work cut out for us!

• kris
  May 10, 2008 at 16:35

  Jayne,
  You are spot on. Thank you for putting into words what I was thinking. I am really tired of folks using the overpopulation argument.

  I am a mother of a larger than average family and I like to tell folks we are trying to outnumber the stupid people. We have our work cut out for us!

  Oh, and the family that asked their daughter to leave was the Jeubs. You can learn more about the story on their website. And they did not ask her to leave because she was pregnant. She became pregnant later. It was because of her poor influence on her siblings.

• POd
  May 10, 2008 at 16:43

  Jayne,

  Intolerance? We all have eyes. What about common sense? Over population not a problem? Have you even travelled around the world at all? Have you done any foreign aid? I have. The news doesn’t report anything to what the problem really is.

  Adoption that difficult? Let’s see…I did it, my aunt and uncle did it and so did my neighbor. What a copout.

  Comparing my comment to Nazi Germany? Good grief. Whatever. What a way to get noticed and to justify stupidity.

• POd
  May 10, 2008 at 16:46

  Jayne, I am not saying to force abortions. I am saying to not “praise” them so much for having so many kids. Once again…common sense right out the freaking window. I cannot get over how many drones live on this planet.

• POd
  May 10, 2008 at 16:50

  Jayne,

  The population is increasing at a very fast rate.

  Read:

  http://www.susps.org/overview/numbers.html

  In just a handful of generations, we will be as populated as China is now. All someone needs to do is look at the numbers. Plan ahead. “THINK”!!!!!

• POd
  May 10, 2008 at 16:56

  Jayne,

  And yes….I am pro choice. Within COMMON SENSE yet again. I do not think a woman should just have an abortion anytime they want for any reason but if they are raped, etc. No problem. In fact, men should not even be allowed to vote on that. It should be a woman’s decision completely. Afterall, men have the easy part.

  I will admit, my castration comment was out of line. I do apologize for that. It was late and I was tired. But…it got some dialog.

• POd
  May 10, 2008 at 17:51

  Oh and Jayne…it isn’t intolerance. It is tolerance with LIMITS.

• jayne
  May 10, 2008 at 18:17

  POd,

  I’m glad you did not mean what you said about castration (and tube tying). Perhaps I offend too easily in this regard, b/c so many people comment so quickly (and rudely) on personal and delicate matters of fertility, yet wouldn’t dare criticize another for stuff like having more than one car, or a large house, or dragging children through divorces 3-4 times over (no abuse).

  *sigh* Overpopulation. I could send you a dozen sites to counter yours (and we can go back and forth until our faces are blue). In fact, in places like Russia and Europe, they are concerned that the population is increasing too slowly! We’ll just have to agree to disagree.

  As much as so many people in our country complain about their own 1, 2, or 4 children, I can see why they can’t understand how having more than 2.1 (or in EU, 1.6) children can continue give a couple joy–even if it’s #18, and even if they are poor. And I can see how many people can’t understand that baby #5 is as exciting and welcomed as baby #1. NO DIFFERENCE.

  Our country was started by families that had 8,9,12,20 kids. It used to be common. And we prospered. I don’t think sterilizing people like in China is the answer–that’s what I meant by the Nazi Germany comment. The One Child Policy is brutally enforced (and BTW, the gov’t is thinking about relaxing it to allow more births). And the people who suffer most are the women.

  I don’t think even half of the people in this country would agree with implementing something of this sort, even if they were concerned about overpopulation. Doing evil to someone (b/c forcing a woman to have an abortion to become infertile IS evil IMO)–even in the name of good is never okay with me.

  That’s great that you adopted. But for many it’s not that simple. Just like having a child is not that simple, and not always w/in our control. See, I don’t think that just anyone who wanted to, could have 18 kids. So many couples deal w/ infertility even after having one. I believe these kids are blessings from God and that not just anyone can do it (especially the raising part!). Again, you are passing judgment on others b/c they did not make the same choice you did. That’s why I said “intolerant.”

  I don’t think the people who are impressed by the Duggars are praising them for procreating. I think we are impressed by how well they are doing with their finances and childrearing. So they disgust you. You may hate what they’re doing. Okay.

  Your disagreement does not mean I or the others are “drones” as you say, nor does it mean their choice (you ARE pro-choice?) is “stupidity” (your word).

  And that’s another reason I used the word intolerance. Base comments and name calling.

  Different strokes for different folks. Amazing how so many people supposedly celebrate diversity–as long as you believe they way they do…

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