Couple Welcomes 17th Child, Wants More

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MrsSpringsteen

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Is there such a thing as having too many kids for whatever reasons, and is it anyone's business except theirs? If they live in a house that huge I assume they are pretty wealthy and can well afford all those kids. I can't imagine being pregnant that many times and raising that many kids.

The Associated Press
Updated: 7:31 p.m. ET Aug 2, 2007

LITTLE ROCK - An Arkansas couple had a baby daughter Thursday — their 17th child and seventh girl — and the pair say they're still not ready to give it a rest.

Jennifer Danielle was born at 10:01 a.m. at a hospital in Rogers, Arkansas, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar said in an interview.

"We'd love to have more," Michelle said, referring to baby girls. "We love the ruffles and lace."

Jennifer joins the fast-growing Duggar brood, who live in a 7,000-square-foot (650-square-meter) home in Tontitown. All the children — whose names start with the letter J — are taught at home.

The oldest is 19 and the youngest, before Jennifer, is almost 2 years old.

"We are just so grateful to God for another gift from him," said Jim Bob Duggar, a former state representative. "We are just so thankful to him that everything went just very well."

Jennifer joins siblings: Joshua, 19; John David, 17; Janna, 17; Jill, 16; Jessa, 14; Jinger, 13; Joseph, 12; Josiah, 11; Joy-Anna, 9; Jedidiah, 8; Jeremiah, 8; Jason 7; James 6; Justin, 4; Jackson, 3; Johannah, almost 2.

Michelle Duggar said she started feeling contractions Wednesday night and went to the hospital at about 5 a.m. Thursday.

"It actually went fast," she said. "I guess once I started progressing, it went within 30 minutes."

The Duggars have been featured on several programs on cable television's Discovery Health Network. The next special, the Duggar Family Album, is scheduled to air next month, Jim Bob Duggar said.

Among the "fun facts" listed on Discovery Health's Web page devoted to the Duggars: A baby has been born in every month except June; the Duggars have gone through an estimated 90,000 diapers, and Michelle has been pregnant for 126 months — or 10.5 years — of her life.
 
:shocked:


The world record for having the most number of children officially recorded is 69 by the first of two wives of Feodor Vassilyev (1707-1782), a peasant from Shuya, 150 miles east of Moscow. In 27 confinements, she gave birth to 16 pairs of twins, seven sets of triplets and four sets of quadruplets. The children were born between 1725-1765.
 
I heard about the Duggar family. Watched a show about them on the Discovery Health Channel. They built the house themselves, they have a huge walk in closet for all of the food, and all of the kids wear the same type of clothes (dresses for the girls, and palos and nice shorts for the boys.) It's amazing that they will have that many children.
 
I can never quite figure out my position on this. It just seems excessive, but it's none of my business. So this was an absolutely useless post.:wink:
 
I do find some of their expressions of their outlook on parenthood (their family website and all those TV specials; their belief that never using contraception is some kind of praiseworthy religious endeavor; all their kids kitschily having names beginning with "J," as if they were a doll collection; their comment that they hope to have more girls because "we love the ruffles and lace") discomfiting, to say the least. However, to judge from their website at least, they do sound like extremely committed, loving, competent and responsible parents, which is what's most important. They aren't uber-wealthy, and probably use up far less resources than smaller families, or even individuals, who are. Not a lifestyle I'd have the slightest interest in, most wouldn't, but not one I'd automatically condemn anyone for seeking either.
 
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Eh, seems like a big ol' ego trip to me but I really don't care. At some point we'll have to address issues of overpopulation but I don't know that we're there yet (I also don't know that we're not there--I'm just not well-informed on the subject).
 
That's a lot of first world babies...

I saw a couple of documentaries on them. I got a sort of creepy feeling out of them, to be honest. Almost like they were all parroting the same ideas, and a herd mentality had kicked in. I guess that's understandable with so many of them.

As long as they're caring for the kids, it's probably nobody's business.
 
phillyfan26 said:
:ohmy: That's a lot of placenta to be eating.


:lmao: :lmao:

I've seen them on Discovery as well, they seem like nice people., their kids all seem happy and healthy. I understand their view on contraception but haven't they heard of the rythym method?
Good luck to them if they can afford it. I bet those babies just slide out by themselves , eeew
 
phillyfan26 said:
:ohmy: That's a lot of placenta to be eating.
:giggle:

I remember seeing "the Dugger's" on a show where they were building their own home/palace, with help from friends....and i think with no finance....they were paying as they go....and the mum was expecting no:16! Now, no:17.....has arrived.......:shocked:
 
It's totally not my place to judge or anything...I don't doubt that they are loving parents who have good intentions. I do wonder how the kids feel though, if they ever individually feel like they are just lost in a sea of siblings and don't get enough direct attention from their parents. None of my business, but that is just my curiosity about it.
 
i think its no ones business how many kids you have, and she obviously loves having them, and they obviously love sex! (good christians there! :wink: )

my only thing is, their oldest is 19, im wondering when he's going to get tired of wearing the same clothes as his younger brothers, and the oldest sisters vice versa. I'm waiting for one of them to go off the rails and what would happen!

But they seem happy so i wish on them an 18th! :D
 
They are not.

They're fundamentalist evangelicals.
 
joyfulgirl said:
Eh, seems like a big ol' ego trip to me but I really don't care. At some point we'll have to address issues of overpopulation but I don't know that we're there yet (I also don't know that we're not there--I'm just not well-informed on the subject).

Overpopulation pshaw. There are so few families like this in America, and there are thousands of women not having any children at all so in the long run there will never be enough 17 kid families to make up for all the no kid folks. Look at it this way, you don't want a lot of kids, she took up your share for you, and she enjoyed it. It takes all types in this world.

They have enough money to take care of them, so they're not burdening the taxpayers with welfare, and they're home schooled, so they're no burden on the school system. They seem like nice folks, and very happy. Good for them.
 
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financeguy said:
They live in Arkansas. They probably keep quiet about their Papist sympathies.

You familiar with the fundamentalist evangelical idea of "Quiverfull" families?
 
Reminds me of the Ma and Pa Kettle movies, Ma and Pa couldnt' remember which child was which.

They'll have to stop soon, there's only so many names that start with "J"....
 
Why did it take them this long to use "Jennifer?" You'd think that would have been the first girl :lol:
 
Golightly Grrl said:
Their ecological footprint must be huge!!!

They also don't pay property or local taxes, having designated their basement a "church."
 
anitram said:

They also don't pay property or local taxes, having designated their basement a "church."

:eyebrow: Well that's interesting. Does anyone know when their show is on? I went to the site and couldn't find anything-is it on Discovery?
 
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