I'm going to head over to the Today show facebook wall and see what they are saying....as far as I'm concerned nothing they have done is worthy of any attention. Our feral cat has done that and more.

They must be INSANE!!!! UGH!

At some point, your body starts talking to you. I don't think Jichelle is listening.

I really thought the last pregnancy would be it for her, being that she could have lost her life and possibly her unborn child. What amazes me is that she has such long labors each time, you'd think by now they'd just pop out.

Or just fall out!

Elisabeth

Despite them going forth and multiplying more than I think is good for Michelle or another baby, I think they are a great family.

Their kids seem to be happy and raised with good values and I believe Michelle and her husband are a loving couple.
The show has afforded them a better life and I am happy to be able to witness this documentary. What you see is what you get with this group.

On the labors, I think I've heard that the first five or six labors usually follow the norm. After that they tend to be more difficult and unpredictable.

I think I did see on a preview of something, the whole family is going on a world tour?????Between them and Kate and her bunch, being on TV is very profitable.....

But, I don't watch, so it doesn't matter to me what they do......

Normally it doesn't bother me how many kids people have as long as they can care for them, and the Duggars do care for their kids. However, as the world hits 7 billion people, I can't help but think how families like this are contributing. Assuming all 20 kids have their own kids, and probably a lot of them, the exponential increases can be staggering over a couple of generations. And without the diseases and malnutrition and other "population checks" that infants in developing nations have to deal with that help level things out a bit...I'm all for personal rights but I think we have a responsibility to the earth. No matter how much you recycle or conserve, each person leaves a footprint. If everyone populated the earth so freely we would have a massive problem.

Additionally, I think it's sad that they are choosing religious beliefs over their own health. I mean, it's one thing for Michelle to willingly risk her own life to keep having babies, and she is...but it's entirely different to nearly kill an innocent baby because she doesn't believe in birth control. This last one nearly died and still they keep going, insisting it's God's will. It baffles me. Don't get me wrong - I'm not knocking religious beliefs or saying there's anything wrong with not believing in birth control but I DO think it's wrong to use that reasoning to justify potentially harming a baby. I would have way more respect for them if they chose to abstain from sex in order to keep their family healthy while not compromising on their morals.

Her last baby nearly died and nearly killed the mother. This cannot be healthy. It may sound mean, but I hope she has early menopause.

They make me sick. They put that last baby thru hell till she recovered and Michelle was in difficulty. If Michelle would die during childbirth, Billy Bob or what ever his name is, would have to find another "cow' to maybe start over. Sickening beyond belief.

I pay as much attention to them as I do the Kardashian clan

On the plus side, Like ellie45, I also feel the Duggar kids seem to be happy and raised with good values and I believe Michelle and her husband are a loving couple. I enjoy watching the show, just to see the dynamics of such a huge family.

That said, what I hate seeing is how rarely the children (even those between 2 and 5) seem to be tended to by their own parents. It seems that once the baby of the family is able to crawl or walk, the parents are already focusing on the next baby Michelle is surely carrying, or the one that was just newly born. I worry that the little toddlers seem much more bonded to their teen siblings than to their own parents, probably because the siblings are their main care givers.

I know that some mothers of huge families don't breastfeed their babies, or only do so for a very limited time, in order to boost their chances of resuming ovulation, so they can get pregnant again. I don't know if that is the case with Michelle Duggar or not. Also, their religious faith must consider it a sin to refrain from sexual relations for even 3 days each month as a way of avoiding conception. When I mentioned that during a watercooler discussion, a male in my office joked "Maybe, but I bet if having sex was the only way you could PREVENT conception, John Duggar wouldn't be so intent on having such a large family."

Even with such a huge family, the Duggar home does run quite effectively. It kind of reminds me of a beehive, which also runs very efficiently. The Queen bee mates constantly to keep the numbers up, but the main reason the hive runs so efficiently is because the drones are the ones who bare the responsibility of most of the work.

Well, if Mrs. Duggar dies as a result of another high-risk pregnancy, I bet Billy Bob will find himself a 20 year old so he can start all over again and father another 20 kids. Maybe he could pick one with a family history of twins or triplets, so he can double or triple his contribution to the world.
But seriously, I feel sorry for the older children. I think it's unfair that they are burdened with taking care of their younger siblings. It's almost like they are teen parents. But maybe (hopefully) that will put them off having large families themselves.

Disgusting. They make me sick. Someone needs to give Jimbob or what ever his hillbilly name is, a lower, frontal lobotomy. obviously these people don't use the brains God gave them. Yes, He gave humans the power to reproduce, but he also gave us the power to think and reason. I guess the bad time Michelle had with the last baby wasn't enough warning. Dumb and stupid!!!

Their belief in no birth control is shared by millions. It isn't out of the ordinary even. They care for their children. They are contributing to society good strong families that will strengthen our society. Family is the building block of a healthy society. It is the abortion clad, never married moms who are destroying us. Even as we reach 7 billion we need millions more like the Duggards. Rejoyce with them!! They are saving the world as we know it!!

arcy, what does abortion clad mean? Does it mean women who have abortions each time they become pregnant? And if so, how can they be moms?

I'm wondering how contributing to the over population of the world with so many kids...."is saving the world !!"

I have two things that I wonder about this family.

Can the middle kids really feel connected with their parents? It has been said several times on the show that they were raised by the older ones. I remember my parents taking me out of school for two days a year (one for each parent), getting dressed up and going to a fancy restaurant, a museum, or something that made me feel grown up and special. They did the same for my sister, she was younger, but we still agree it was the best day of the year next to Christmas. Quality time alone with each parent. The Duggars have no way of doing that.

Second question: do you think Michelle enjoys sex AT ALL? I think she is more like a machine, and I believe sex is not just for procreating, it is for pleasure and intimacy, at least for me, I plan on having no children ever. I don't think there is any of that in their bedroom.

The children are well cared for, seem outwardly happy but have been programmed not to get upset or throw tantrums which is a child's way of telling someone they aren't happy about something. Something tells me at least one of them will end up on America's Most Wanted. Just sayin'.

I am with Chi83 on this. It is irresponsible to have this many children in this day and age. My husband and I agreed that we should only reproduce ourselves on this earth (this was back in the 70's)and that is what we did. We are not an agriculture based country anymore that requires plentful children to survive.I agree with how the young children are being raised by the older and not the parents. Sad.

and if it wern't for tv, just who would be paying the bill for the oversized family? salvation for whom? the tax payer who would be footing the bill?

i admit my gggfather had 10 kids...but 2 died in infancy, and more from disease (measles, ect) as children...if you were lucky, you had 2-3 kids survive to carry on the family farm..

I think it's unfair for the older children to be "parenting" the younger kids.
What a lousy childhood. I have 2 younger brothers but was not there as a built-in babysitter. I think
I would have resented that. You want the kids, you take care of them. If she, personally, had to tend
to 20 children, well, she probably would have figured the Lord didn't want
her to have that many years ago..

They're nothing short of child abusers and people who watch the show are accessories AFAIC. Just because they get their tater tot hotdish every night does not mean they're well cared for.

Good strong families? I haven't seen them. Family being building block, OK, I'll buy into that, but they're not a family. They hardly know their kids, they're teaching them to live off others and not contribute. Society, not God, will provide is their apparent motto.

Why do people watch this gar, er, that's right, someone will flip their wig if I say the g-word so why do people watch this silliness? Beyond me.

Saving the world? Thanks for the laugh! ROFL

They have supported themselves quite well for years with smart real estate investments and a car dealership. I'm sure the money from the show helps, but they were very self-sufficient prior to the show. Actually, I'm going to agree with arcy on this. I've met some of the family and was very impressed. I spoke at length with one of the older girls - what a well-adjusted, normal (well above average), lovely young woman.

I had no real opinion of them before I met them, as the most I knew of them was clicking through channels and perhaps 5 minutes of watching. I did think it was weird that they had so many kids and had some uninformed judgemental thoughts. But after meeting them (by chance, not by design) I became more knowledgeable and impressed. No, I didn't spend big amounts of time with them but I can say that the children (young adults, actually, whom I met and spoke with at length) are incredibly impressive, mature, sweet, and a far sight better than many of that same age group whom I've met.

I don't know that it's wise for Michelle to have more children - for herself or the child-to-be. That's not what I'm commenting on. And I'm also not supporting having 20 kids. However, they are self-supporting (yes, now with more money because people are watching their show - but why begrudge them the things that are the result of people watching their show, especially when they were Ok before), raise incredible children (granted, I didn't meet them all), and have admirable values.

The more families that raise the type of children as those Duggars I that I met, the better. And the parents - absolutely sweet, loving, nurturing parents. Those kids know who their parents are - and it's not their older siblings. Yes, they all help - but so what.

I don't say "hurrah" for #20 coming along. But I also will not call them disgusting.

Well said, Suzie. Yes, they were self-supporting before the show. More power to the dad who worked very hard to support so many and not seek public assistance. They run a tight ship and there is a special closeness within the family. No time for spoiled brats like you see in so many families today. While I might think they're a little crazy, I applaud their values in raising their family.

I think there is something wrong with a man who impregnates his wife, when she and the baby almost died during the last pregnancy. Yes, she was a willing participant, but I wonder how much she has to say about their sex lives. This makes me think about the family in (I think) Texas. The mother had several kids and suffered with terrible post natal depression, but the jerk of a husband just kept getting her preggers, with the same depression happening, then she snapped and drowned all of her children. Is a minute or two of humping and feeling good justifies the peril these men put on their wives lives? Do they really think God approves of risking the mothers lives, taking the chance of leaving all of these children, motherless? Jimbob needs to get some self control....or condoms.

My parents both came from huge families of 14 kids. They and their siblings will tell you there is both good and bad in the situation. They are both close knit families, but it would have easier not to have have as many kids and not have had to work so hard. My grandmother on my dad's side had to go to work in the 60's to help support the family. A few of the younger kids got into trouble with drugs and a couple of teenage pregnancies that probably wouldn't have happened if my grandmother had been able to stay home. On my mom's side of the family, the kids were raised on the farm so they had to be very hard workers. That is a good quality and a life skill, but sometimes they had it a bit too hard.

The Duggars have been lucky in a lot of ways. IMO, they are pushing it. I don't see the kids being taught any real skills besides organizion. Northwest Arkansas can only handle so many used car lots. They aren't all going to be able to get a tv show. Hard times may be coming for these kids when they grow up and have to get a job and get out into the real world.

I saw on a message board where another person described the Duggars as hoarding kids. Sometimes that appears to be the case. It gets them attention.

They were getting along just fine before the show and don't need the money from the show to make ends meet. For that reason, I don't think its anyone's business but theirs how many kids they have. They do a great job organizing a family that larger, however its a route I would never take. It would break my heart not being able to pay much attention to my own kids daily. You have to wonder-do the older kids feel the burden when another baby is announced? They must! At this point I agree with others-the last baby was a sign-enough is enough!

They may be financially well off, but think of what good they could have done with with some of that money if it didn't all go towards supporting umpteen kids. Money, nice fsmily or not, they are white trash. Strong words I know.

I think I"d be more inclined to say "good luck" to them. They don't seem evil or mean spirited or even dumb. They seem to be nice people and they are following their religious beliefs in which they firmly believe. If I, or anyone else, doesn't believe the same, that's fine. What's good for one is not always good for another.
I have watched the show and I admire the way they all relate to each other. There is a genuine love and discipline in that order in the household. More people could benefit from watching their parenting skills and applying them to their own lives. There is tremendous respect within that household, something I don't see enough of in daily interaction with other families.

I wouldn't call them white trash. They have morals and a strong ethic. I just don't agree with all of their decisions.

What I see on a daily basis in my own school system, how the kids behave or how they look, I have nothing but admiration for the Duggars. In our school a large percentage of the kids are on free lunches. Many come to class with dirty clothes, hair and body. Their back packs are gross. From talking to the kids, many of them are taught nothing at home. Not math, not reading, not music, nothing. So when I see all the Duggars playing intruments together, singing together, eating together, laughing together, working together and occasionally praying together, I think they have a whole lot more going for them than most kids in my own home town. I may not understand how they feel about caring for their siblings or taking care of their part of the house but it sure beats having nothing to do, nothing to be proud of and no one to care for them. Even with all the deadbeat parents I refer to right here in my area, Americans have it fairly good dispite the terrible situation at this time.
Why do I say that...

I was talking to a Marine last night who is going to be deployed again next March. He told us where he goes there are tribes where the men may have up to 20 wives. He knew a man that had almost 100 children with his wives. They lived in poverty acording to our ways. You can bet those kids were taking care of their siblings, with alot LESS fathering, music, food, bedding, schooling, everything. So to worry that the Duggars were having one more child seems to be a pretty minor concern when I think about the kids in Iraq or even in my city.
The Duggar kids are in good hands and as long as they stay that way, I say let them be. If Michele gets Eclampcia again, she may say this is the last one. It might be the deal breaker, her body is saying she is done. As my friend said, it's time to hang up the uterus.

I agree that as a family they seem nice enough. I've seen the show a couple of times and the kids all come off as sweet and well-behaved. I don't think they are trashy but perhaps more absorbed in their morals than in reality.

My main problem is that they are risking the health of their future babies in order to maintain their religious beliefs. That bothers me. I feel like even if the next one dies they will still chalk it up to "God's will" and keep trying. I'm not knocking religion but it just doesn't seem fair to assert your beliefs on the health of an innocent baby. I don't even really care that Michelle is risking her own life because she's an adult woman who can make her own decisions but these kids have no choice.

They keep saying they're going to allow God to choose how long they will have babies but I would think that having the baby born 3 months early, at one pound, living in an incubator in the hospital for months, with a perforated bowel...Well, to me, that screams STOP HAVING KIDS. Just because she survived doesn't mean the next one will, sad to say. Now that she's had pre-eclampsia that resulted in the emergency c-section, there's a 40% chance she'll have it again but they claim you can't live in fear so it's not going to stop them. I don't get it.

White trash?!?!? Wow. I guess the trash in your area is far better than the trash in mine, if you're comparing the Duggars to them.

Let's see ... loving parents, polite, educated kids, earning their own keep, high morals, loving, attentive parents, being taught life and work skills, happy, loved and loving, close knit, well adjusted, and the list goes on.

Nope, can't say that of any of the "white trash" (not my words) I've run into.

Again, I'm not defending their decision to have all of these kids. But wow - disgusting? Make you sick? White trash?

I wonder if those with the strongest words and comdemnation have even watched 10 minutes of the show. Not saying that would change your mind, because it sounds like your minds are pretty made up.

I love the Duggars. I have been watching the show since day one and I have fallen in love with all of them. Well brought up kids, all with a since of worth and value, living in a house that most of them help build, a house that the family paid for with their own money.
I don't see how people can say so many bad things about them. They all love each other and they all help with the kids and the house, why shouldn't they.
They aren't asking anybody for anything. Especially not a bunch of haters. They said in a recent interview that the reason they do the show is to be an encouragement to other families out there, families with one child or 10.
I have watched every show that they have had, so I guess that is around 100 shows for these last 7 years and I have heard more nagative, hateful things on this board in 2 days than I have from them in 7 years.
Maybe someone should program a few of you to know, that if you can't say something nice, then don't say anything at all.
It's their business how many kids they have. The last baby had so much trouble because Michelle had a bad gall bladder and had to have emergncy surgery, I have a friend who had the same problem--she was only 29, her baby was born at 27 weeks and did not survive. So the health issues that their baby had, had nothing to do with her age or how many kids she had.
I agree, Suzieque, if that is white trash, I wish I had more white trash in my neighborhood. Just saying......

"Child abusers, white trash, disgusting, they hardly know their kids." Wow. These are pretty harsh words about this family.

Michelle home schools all of the children and I saw an episode where the father was teaching the girls car mechanics and the guys were taking on cooking and traditional female roles. In other words they are learning, by example, all the daily living skills they will need to be independent. They all play one or more musical instruments, wear braces as needed and get regular medical care. As far as I know, the parent's whole day and whole life revolves around their kids. I don't know of many parents who can say that.

I don't understand where we have seen them as white trash, child abusers, disgusting, hoarders who don't have time for their kids.

It's none of my business (or anyone's) how many children they have. I don't have cable or satellite TV so I have never watched their show, but if they choose to make one, so what? I do see them on the Today Show occasionally, and find them articulate and intelligent. I would never want that life, but then, I'm not religious and I don't like children all that much.

This is a completely self-supporting family. They aren't and never have been on welfare. They built their wealth through hard work and careful investing.

So the older kids help with the younger? When has that NOT happened in a family? I'm the second of eight, so of course I helped! I changed diapers, I babysat, I cooked, I did laundry, I cleaned. So did every child in my family. It's not some devious form of child abuse - it's a recipe for learning how to live in the world.

Someone in another thread probably said it best - the KT has a number of "judgmental old biddies".

I have seen the show and yes they are well mannered, self sufficient but since they have a nationally televised tv show..the country and world ..they've opened themselves up to criticsm like other celebrities.
Not sure how many will have jobs in the company business ..apparently used cars? will be interesting to see as more of the older ones begin their own lives. Do they move out only as they get married?

I do agree 20 kids is overdoing it a bit , no matter how well they manage. I'd like to see them make better use of other talents God gave them ...their brain , logic..free will ..etc.

The whole purpose of this forum is exchanging, expressing opinions. I've tried to mine nice but I'm no fan of the Duggars.

A doctor's opinion:

While being a grand multipara (5 or more deliveries) increases the risks of some specific obstetrical complications, Michelle Duggar is also assuming a special kind of risk. A woman who delivers prematurely due to severe preeclampsia at 25 weeks (as she did in her last pregnancy) has a 60% chance of developing severe preeclampisa before 28 weeks in her next pregnancy. That means Michelle Duggar has a 60% chance of having another extremely premature baby (because the treatment for severe preeclampsia is delivery). Babies born before 28 weeks have a 30% risk of a moderate or severe disability.

There is also a 60% chance that her baby will have a NICU bill of over $500,000, a good portion of which will be covered by Medicaid (never mind all the post-NICU care). And here I thought not lying was one of those Commandments (see #9, "Do not bear false witness"). Michelle and Jim Bob love to say they don�t take government money, but they clearly have (why does no one call them out in this?). Every baby who weighs less than 1,200 g at birth gets Medicaid. So, any portion of the estimated $500,000 NICU bill incurred by Josie that was not covered by her private insurance was paid by great the State of Arkansas.

But Michelle is not only playing Russian roulette with her new baby. Preeclampsia is the third most common cause of maternal death in this country. For every 100,000 babies born alive in the United States, 790 women die from preeclampsia. And Michelle Duggar has a 60% chance of developing this condition before 28 weeks.

...To me, the Duggar�s decision to have another baby can only be a desperate attempt to improve ratings and by extension income, because who in their right mind would have a 20th child knowing there is a 60% risk of a terrible outcome?

http://drjengunter.wordpress.com/2011/11/0...th-prematurity/

Thank you, Kacee2002. Very good and intelligent info. That is the point I was saying in my post. Why in the he!! does Jimbob or what ever his name is, not use protection or abstain, considering what another pregnancy could do to Michelle. Ratings??? Hummm, never thought of that. Possible....but still ignorant and stupid.

Michelle is a breeding sow.

I watched last night's Duggar show where they answered questions from the public. Clearly they are very kind, loving parents who are raising very respectful and hardworking children who seem to really love each other.

But I couldn't help but cringe when one viewer posed a question about whether or not they felt that having 20 children wasn't just contributing to the over population of the world. Michelle answered, saying that over population is just a myth, because everyone in the world could apparently fit inside Arkansas. I was shocked because her and her husband don't seem to realize that when scientists speak of the world becoming over populated, they do not mean in a geographical sense.

Obviously we have vast areas of land that are not even slightly populated yet. But scientists are referring to over population in regard to the dwindling supply of our natural resources that are not being replaced. As the population rises, the forests become more depleted to build homes, the over fishing of our oceans occurs, natural habitats of animals are destroyed to be cultivated for human beings, and of course, the results of our ever growing industries and pollution are causing the warming of the planet.

Somehow I doubt the Duggars are teaching their children THAT during their homeschooling lessons. Thus their kids might grow up believing that as long as you can find land to accomdodate your numbers, the footprint you leave behind bears no consideration.

She says God is giving them this 20th child, they use no birth control since God is the one who decides. Thank goodness not everyone thinks that way.

If only more families had the same family ethic as the Duggars do we would be a much better society.
They don't sit around waiting for the government to come help them out as so many here do.
God Bless them, wish them nothing but the best.

There are several distinct issues here and you have to look at them separately. Most of the critics here aren't saying they are bad people. You can have good ethics and still be irresponsible in terms of populating the earth. You can have a nice, well-mannered family and still be putting future births at risk. You can have good values and still make questionable decisions.

Being a good person with a nice family doesn't excuse the population boom or the health risks. If each of her kids has 5 kids on average, and each of those kids has 5 kids on average, you're talking 500 people stemming from 2 people in only 3 generations, and easily into the tens of thousands within a few more. And those might even be conservative estimates. With the dwindling resources, current economic problems, growing pollution, growing corruption, struggling world...it's just irresponsible to me because I can guarantee at least some of those offspring will struggle in the world. Sure, they can pay for their family now but what happens when there's hundreds of them? And yes, people have reproductive rights but every single person also has a responsibility to the world. Everyone will leave some kind of footprint just by existing. Stating that it's your "right" to have as many kids as you want is unfair to the rest of the world. If everyone had as many kids as they were physically able to, society would fail. There wouldn't be enough food or enough jobs or enough money to support everyone. It's the reality of the world right now.

And I've already ranted about the health risks so I will just say I really hope this baby arrives safely.

And Michelle's home schooling? They should be the most ignorant of any home schooled if she's the teacher. But she probably delegated that to one of her serfs..her teenage girls. If I were one of them, I'd run like he l l from that house when I turned 18 but they are probably brainwashed by then. It's a mindless cult. The 22 year old son is gone but already has 2 or 3 kids.