The official Duggar family discussion thread!

[SummerAnne]

Originally Posted by mommyof6kids DH and I have discussed college.. IMO I dont think parent should pay for a childs college.. I have read studies that show kids that pay their own way via scholarships, loans and working their way thru school do better.. not in all cases but in the majority..

I totally agree with you here... The kids that get a free ride are usually the ones who don't thing twice about partying their education away, because theres no sacrifice there.

As for 17 kids... to each there own, I couldn't do it. I have my hands more than full enough with one!

[Daisy]

I do not think very highly of the Duggars.

[puakinikini]

The thing that amwazes me about this family is that they have multiple sets of naturally occurring twins - I can't remember now if there are 2 sets or 3 sets - but wow, the combination of two infants would be challenging enough without any other kids!

I am the mother to twins (b/g) and it was difficult when they were under 6 months - they are almost 2 and I am just now feeling like my life is getting back to normal. But now we are trying for another one - hopefully not another set - we are hoping for just one baby this time! LOL

[Macaela25]

Hmmm...I don't think this is the same family. If I'm not mistaken, these were all single births.

[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.

[orlivin1225]

Originally Posted by wabashriver1 I I wonder which "J" name they are going to give this baby...

I read something this week that this baby will be Jennifer

[Macaela25]

I agree with Bzybee on what appears to be a "groupthink" mentality among this family. We are close to a family with 12 children (9 adopted from DCF) and the children are all encouraged to dress and think and act according to their own tastes (within family boundaries). There isn't one duplicated outfit in the bunch, even with a set of twins. I think children from large families should be encouraged to attempt to step out of the mold as opposed to blending in, which is the easy road. However, I will say that this family seems to be genuinely happy, even in what people perceive as ignorance about the outside world or stolen childhoods. Happy families aren't as easy to find these days as they once were.
Thankfully we live in a free country where people can have as many kids as they want, dress them how they want, pursue whatever religion they choose, and people can choose to disagree with how other people raise their children.

[queenofthehivemomof5]

To each thier own. I think there are worse things in the world than having to be paired up with a sibling. Parents could be smokin' crack and selling thier kids to drug dealers. If they want 40 kids and can support them who am I to judge? Each of us comes from different religious backgrounds and upbringings. It takes all kinds to make this country great. From the hippy laid back parents to the strick religious parents to the parents that are in-between.

I personaly have a hard enough time spending 1 on 1 time with my 5 I don't know how they do it with 17...holy smokes!

And I wish my 16 year old would do the laundry LOL

[SummerAnne]

Originally Posted by queenofthehivemomof5 I personaly have a hard enough time spending 1 on 1 time with my 5 I don't know how they do it with 17...holy smokes!

That's the thing that bothers me about them... I don't think the parents DO make 1 on 1 time with the kids... it seems like the older children are surrogate parents.

[Tas]

I wonder how often the kids get called by each others name? Every single name starts with J. That is what seems crazy to me.