Wow 18 kids I couldn't imagine!!!!! I know that there are times (like today) that I just want to pull my hair out or run to my room and lock the door and hide under the covers and I just have 2!!!!

They better not steal the name "Jaicee." Here I was thinking I was so original. J/k. I can't imagine 18 kids. I would DIE. At the most we will have 4. Somedays I say only 1. YIKES!

__________________

LOL, Jenna!

Personally, I think it is a bit nutty having so many children. But, this family is financially stable (they have ZERO debt), they have bought enough land for their children to eventually build on it if they choose, they home school, so they are "costing the system" anything. I'd say if this is how they feel comfortable, then good for them.
Sounds silly, but I really don't know how they have the time to.. ahem... make 18 kids! I mean, seriously, how do you not just collapse in bed every evening?!

My DH hates huge families (literally, he's gotten mad and stormed out of the room when I've watched this family before!), but seriously, this family of 19+ functions better than his household of four ever did, so who on earth is he to judge?

I say good for them, and I wish them all the best.

__________________

I love this family and think they are doing an amazing job with all those kids. I wouldnt choose that many for my family, we may have just one more, but they seem to really love what they are doing and I think they deserve all the best luck

__________________

Yeah, I have watched them on tv a couple of times and they do seem like a really loving family.
I LOVE kids, but I don't think "I" could handle that many.

But, God Bless Them

__________________

Yeah, I've only seen a handful of shows, and I was kinda skeptical, but then I watched her softly TALK a 3 year old out of a "nuclear meltdown" with a few quiet words and an arm around his shoulders. She was getting ready to take a handful of older kids to the grocery store, and this little boy thought he was going, but then realized the littler ones weren't and started to fall apart. I think his big brother (who was like 16 or 17?) tried to calm him, and then she saw it was past that point and went to him and just bent down and put her arm around him, gave him her full attention, and spoke quietly to him for a minute or two, and then he was completely okay and calm. It was pretty impressive.

There are some things about the way they do things that I find odd personally and don't care much for, and things that seem like a fine way to to things, but all that aside, I do think it would take a special combination of people to make that life work so seemingly well, for all the tough reasons we talked about above and more!

__________________

I think the Duggars are a very loving family with great morals. It is just that I know that I personally could not handle that many children lol.

Yeah, Robin. LOL! I don't know how well I'd do in a -can't-turn-around-without-tripping-over-someone- environment. But then again, after you get past a certain number, I wonder if it even matters anymore. Like after how many do you stop noticing the difference, just that you are surrounded by people? Not that each isn't unique, but you know what I mean. Interesting thought.

Not the same as kids obviously, but my parents have a lot of animals (mostly cats), and there is a joke that you can be anywhere in the house except a bathroom, and be able to see a minimum of 5 animals. You have to stop and think about how many there actually are (I can't tell you -- since the last dog died, no more dogs, just cats, but I think...6 or 7?).

I've always thought the jump from one child to two is WAY bigger than the jump from two to three, and after you get to four, they just sort of 'school'. I think under different circumstances, I would totally enjoy a whole mass of kids.

__________________

I think I have a totally differant feeling about this family because I got to be very close with a family that lived a lot like the Duggers. This family had 8 kids (they had to stop there because her uterus prolapsed) and not 1 of the kids felt like they were lacking anything. Both the Duggers and the family I know live a life of God first, family second and self third so when you are trying hard to make sure everyone else is before you, you become inherently differant than most families today.
The other thing about this family is that a lot of people fail to see all the postives, the family I know put their kids in public school and one ended up in DH's class. The minute she started to struggle she had 7 siblings and both parents coming up behind her to help and one had a similar learning style so they were able to help her in ways that you dont see everyday.

__________________

Ok, so I KNOW I'm going to piss someone off, but I just have to throw this out there:

Do these people need farm-hands? Someone to drive the tractor, someone to buck hay and a few spares in case someone loses an arm in the combine?!?!?! I'm sorry, but in 2008, the world is SOOOO overpopulated, and there are countries with rules on how many kids you can have, is this type of reproduction ethical? I know, I know, if 18 is bad, how can one be considered good-it's a slippery slope. But STILL! C'mon people, buy a tv and some condoms and save some babydust for the rest of us!!!!!

Ok, I'm done now. I feel better. Blame it on the lack of nicotine

__________________