The official Duggar family discussion thread!

[darmomof2]

I would need my own house and my husband as well i go crazy with 2 kids sometimes!!!

[txqgirl]

she, unlike kate gosselin, will probably NEVER show her stomach on tv in hopes of getting free plastic surgery.
i do think its crazy that they have so many, but they are all healthy, happy and they dont rely on the government to support their family. thats great. i wish them the best.

[Liz]

Originally Posted by collectorofbells how do you find time to er....make an 18th baby?

Their buddy. After those kids are weaned early (i.e. no more than 6 months of age), they're handed off to a buddy.

As to income, there is some dispute about that. Their family can make about $176,000 and still qualify for WIC; same for ARKids (state health aid for , which for a family of 20 the income requirement is roughly $230,000. Under $105,000, they qualify for Medicaid. There is great dispute as to what qualifies to that family as "aid".

[MrsPinecone]

I have also read that they applied for tax exempt status for their family as a church, and they pay well under $1000 a year in property tax for their 20 acre property.

So "not getting aid" is all relative.

[imnotsupermom]

I am curious as to them being tax-exempt for their home church. I know that churches can receive tax-exempt status for store purchases also. I wonder if they do that?

I had no idea that she weaned her babies so early. As that is their only "birth control", you would think that she would nurse longer. My husband and I are part of the "quiverfull" movement, but I nurse my little ones until they choose to wean. We've had five children in seven years now.

As for her belly.......I'm sure it doesn't look so great. I tend to gain 50+ pounds with my babies and mine will never look like it did before kids. I will be honest and say that I am self-conscious of it to a degree, but I'm in pretty decent shape for having five kids. I hope I can say the same after ten!

[judymd]

Originally Posted by MrsPinecone Ugh. As if Jon & Kate + 8 isn't enough.

Well, you won't see Mrs. Duggar hitting Mr. Duggar, plus, you can't miss all those "Kate hater" blog sites.

[judymd]

Really have to wonder about the thought process of the Gossling's RE (infertility doc).

I know mine has threatened to cancel a cycle for making 4 good eggs (4 great follies).

[beth119]

I don't like the fact that the Gosselins have made their childrens' lives into a must see tv reality show.

As 'cute' and 'adorable' as these kids are, doesn't anyone think it is weird that for the majority of these kids lives, there have been camera's in their house?
As a parent, I would never ever want that much exposure of my kids. And certainly, not for that long. What are the long term effects going to be?

I hope the Duggars dont end up the same way. I always respected that they were relatively private....

[Jillibean]

I love the Gosselins! Even though I only have 3 (2 are 54 weeks apart), I see my husband and myself in that couple all the time. My Mom was the one who first told me about the show and still calls me to tell me what things remind her of me when she watches each episode. It is too funny.

My 4 year old's preschool teacher came from a big family (7, I think) and she says her son is the only one she is going to have because she felt like she didn't get as much attention as a kid as she would have liked. I feel like I can't give my kiddos enough individual attention as I would like sometimes, so I can understand. Although, I'm sure that I would feel like I was more evenly distributing my time with each of them if one of my girls didn't have special needs. I wonder how the Duggar's system would change if they ever have a child who is not typically developing? :shrug7:

[imnotsupermom]

So many people make a big fuss over whether children get individual time with their parents. I've heard that the Duggar family schedules time alone with each of their children, which I think is a great idea with a family their size. How much individual time do people think that children need? I often find time with one of my children after everyone has gone to bed or before everyone gets up. My husband takes them one at a time to run errands. They've never complained at not getting hours alone with us. The 20-30 minutes at a time seems fine.