[BzyBee]

I think what has bothered me most about the Duggars is not the number of children but the 'buddy' system as well as hearing some of the older children talk about their futures, they do not have any sense of what is going on outside the family. The girls want to grow up and have many children just like Mama Duggar and the boys going into business with dad. They all look alike, wear their hair the same and dress the same....while this is great for organization and the budget I see no evidence that the kids are encouraged to explore/live beyond the box they live in now.

Now, DH and I have some pretty strong opinions about a great many topics and the kids have grown up knowing what those opinions are. They also know that those opinions are OURS, not necessarily theirs and we want them to think and come to their own conclusions based on more than our input. We hope that our years of input and parenting is reflected in their lives, but are preparing to accept that the kids might have some different ideas when they are older. I just don't see any evidence of that in the Duggar household. What if one of the girls wants to wear pants or cut their hair? It seems those things are being regulated by the parents convictions (which are too personal to be applied to others).

Now, we are not 'anything goes' type of parents, but there is a balance that I am sure the Duggars have not found....otherwise I would expect to see a little more variation in clothing/hair/goals/personality of so many children.