The official Duggar family discussion thread!

[bugface711]

Reminder, this is a discussion forum/thread, not hot under the collar.

Please lets not take this down the road of debate and argument and personal attack. This thread has been up for a long time.

[meggers]

Reminder, this is a discussion forum/thread, not hot under the collar.

Please lets not take this down the road of debate and argument and personal attack. This thread has been up for a long time.

The above post was removed. The offending post above has been edited. Please heed Bugface's reminder & let's move on with the discussion.

[Psychoangel2u]

Part of what makes me so sad for the kids is that they're so overly sheltered. I mean, come on. Josh didn't even KISS his wife until their wedding day (which was awkward to watch). He even had to ask his parent's permission to HOLD HER HAND while they were engaged....

Yup, didn't you know? Holding a girl's hand can get her pregnant. It's extremely immoral. Blah.

[Smee]

Man, people sure do love their tv characters. I have never understood the strong opinions about this family on either side, the vehement validation of the family choices or the vehement attacks on them. They are no different to me than any other so-called reality show people like those Whosit And Whatsit Plus Their Eight Kids or the Holy Crap That's A Lot Of Wives or the Why In The World Are Those Toddlers Dressed Like That people in that they put their kids out there for public consumption. I will not watch any of those shows, but as far as how they choose to live, I couldn't care less if she's on her 20th kid or 20th abortion (with regard to arguments about supporting their right to make whatever family choices they want). It's the putting out of kids for public consumption that I find distasteful regardless of how much I might otherwise admire them (or not-- if there is such a thing as hell, I'm sure I'll spend my time there as the mother of 8368827 needy kids. And there will be lots of spiders and nothing to eat but pork n' beans).

[meggers]

Man, people sure do love their tv characters. I have never understood the strong opinions about this family on either side, the vehement validation of the family choices or the vehement attacks on them. They are no different to me than any other so-called reality show people like those Whosit And Whatsit Plus Their Eight Kids or the Holy Crap That's A Lot Of Wives or the Why In The World Are Those Toddlers Dressed Like That people in that they put their kids out there for public consumption. I will not watch any of those shows, but as far as how they choose to live, I couldn't care less if she's on her 20th kid or 20th abortion (with regard to arguments about supporting their right to make whatever family choices they want). It's the putting out of kids for public consumption that I find distasteful regardless of how much I might otherwise admire them (or not-- if there is such a thing as hell, I'm sure I'll spend my time there as the mother of 8368827 needy kids. And there will be lots of spiders and nothing to eat but pork n' beans).

And topless toilet tanks.

[Smee]

Hold me. I just went woozy.

[meggers]

[loaslaen]

If one of the kids decides to break away from this lifestyle, they will be in for a major culture shock. Michelle said the other night that the kids don't even know who The Beatles are.

Again with the pop culture ignorance? I doubt MY kids even know who the Beatles are. Music is a personal preference anyway, and there's plenty of people who listen to country, classical, or even NO music and don't know or care who's on the music charts.

I used to watch a game show called "Street Smarts" and I've seen Jay Leno's "Jaywalking", and "Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader" and plenty of other instances where people were ignorant to more important information than a musical group. And many of these people were college students or graduates!

Why feel sorry for kids who don't know who the Beatles are when there's lots of other kids growing up not knowing how to balance a checkbook, how to load a dishwasher, how to spell or use proper grammar, how to cook/clean or do regular household chores, how to care for their own children, etc. Or instead of questioning whether they know some outdated music group, how about kids who don't even know who their own current political leaders are?

[$Saving!]

Why feel sorry for kids who don't know who the Beatles are when there's lots of other kids growing up not knowing how to balance a checkbook, how to load a dishwasher, how to spell or use proper grammar, how to cook/clean or do regular household chores, how to care for their own children, etc. Or instead of questioning whether they know some outdated music group, how about kids who don't even know who their own current political leaders are?

Exactly. A family who teaches their children the more important aspects of social and personal responsibility will always get my utmost respect.

If one sat in a room of 16 year olds and asked some basic questions that relate to what they contribute to their household in the way of taking responsibility, or have them write a paragraph or two about a current topic, you'd be shocked. So many of them cannot write a cohesive sentence with correct spelling, let alone how lax they are at home, as if they are permanent guests and it's not "their job" to do anything daily to contribute to the running of the household they live in.

How many cashiers at fast food restaurants have you noticed, that if you give (say, as an example) $10.03 to pay a bill that totals $9.53 glaze over if they have to manually figure out the change returned? It is sad that without the register telling them exactly what to give back, they can't do simple math in their heads.

We are pushing kids through school who graduate, but are illiterate and incapable of basic math skills. How many colleges have remedial math and english courses that students have to take to bring them up to speed to even begin college level work? And that gets worse every year.

Yet we find fault with a family who takes their responsibility to raise their children with intelligence, compassion, life skills and more? And to do it on their own without government assistance.

I don't understand that. And I never will.

[loaslaen]

These girls will go from their father's home to their husband's home. I will be very surprised if any of them get 'real' jobs outside the home. I really hope they do. I know that Jana is training to be a midwife, but that's not really a normal 9-5 job.

Well, that's certainly an insult to all of the housewives on this board, not to mention the midwives.

I know quite a few homes with grown children still there that also have NO responsibilities. And quite a few grown children move back home with the parents, alot with children in tow or children AND spouse in tow. The value of a person also is not placed on the amount they receive in a paycheck. Why do you "hope" they get jobs outside of the home? If their desire is to stay at home, then it is THEIR hopes and desires that should be fulfilled, not yours.