The Duggars Are Pregnant With Their 18th Child

moonrise · **Joined:** Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:52 am **Posts:** 2609

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080509/ap_on_re_us/18_kids

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It's a happy Mother's Day for an Arkansas woman — she's pregnant with her 18th child. Michelle Duggar, 41, is due on New Year's Day, and the latest addition will join seven sisters and 10 brothers. There are two sets of twins.

"We've had three in January, three in December. Those two months are a busy time for us," she said, laughing.

The Duggars' oldest child, Josh, is 20, and the youngest, Jennifer, is nine months old.

The fast-growing family lives in Tontitown in northwest Arkansas in a 7,000-square-foot home. All the children — whose names start with the letter J — are home-schooled.

Duggar has been been pregnant for more than 11 years of her life, and the family is in the process of filming another series for Discovery Health.

... snip ...

Duggar said she's six weeks along and the pregnancy is going well. She and her husband, Jim Bob Duggar, said they'll keep having children as long as God wills it.

I'm torn on this.

25% of me says that if they can afford the kids, which they're apparently doing without any outside assistance (food stamps, etc.), more power to them.

But the other 75% of me says ... yikes!!! How many will be "enough"?

I can't help but feel bad for the older kids, who are having to help take care of the younger kids. I mean, SOME responsibilities are to be expected, but good grief.

And with 18 kids, how can there be enough one-on-one parental attention to go around?

And what if they all want to go to college? :ignore:

Talk about MEGA-expensive!

And how is having 18 kids affecting the mom's health?

(Just thought I'd start a topic here, seeing as how it's been a year, and we haven't had any "lively conversations"! The forum was looking kind of nekkid! :rofl:

)

cherokee96 · **Joined:** Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:42 pm **Posts:** 1543

Every time I looked down the list of forums and saw "Lively Discussion" with 0 post I just had to :giggle:

Basically I feel sorry for the kids. They are all home schooled so their whole world revolves around the home. When do they get to be kids?

Are the parents really not getting help from anywhere? I find that very hard to believe.

moonrise · **Joined:** Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:52 am **Posts:** 2609

cherokee96 wrote:

Every time I looked down the list of forums and saw "Lively Discussion" with 0 post I just had to :giggle:

LOL! We're such a "lively" group, aren't we? :giggle:

Quote:

Basically I feel sorry for the kids. They are all home schooled so their whole world revolves around the home. When do they get to be kids?

I don't think homeschooling, it itself, is necessarily a good or bad thing, but I sure don't see how they can possibly have enough hours in the day to teach each child what he/she needs to learn.

Quote:

Are the parents really not getting help from anywhere? I find that very hard to believe.

That's what they say on the news, etc. But I'm thinking that they get benefits of some sort from a TV channel (Discovery?) for doing a series about them. I'm thinking that the TV channel helped with the cost of the home, but I'm not sure on that.

cherokee96 · **Joined:** Sun Jun 24, 2007 8:42 pm **Posts:** 1543

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LOL! We're such a "lively" group, aren't we? :giggle:

Is two a group. lol

Quote:

I don't think homeschooling, it itself, is necessarily a good or bad thing, but I sure don't see how they can possibly have enough hours in the day to teach each child what he/she needs to learn.

I agree. I wasn't suggesting homeschooling was a bad thing. What I meant was if the kids were going to a regular school they would at least have a chance of pace and other kids to hang out / play with. As it is they are growing up in a very small and sheltered world.

Quote:

That's what they say on the news, etc. But I'm thinking that they get benefits of some sort from a TV channel (Discovery?) for doing a series about them.

Getting benefits for doing a TV series isn't a handout so I'd have no problem with that. I don't think it would be very fair to have all those kids and not be able to afford them on their own income.

moonrise · **Joined:** Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:52 am **Posts:** 2609

Quote:

Is two a group. lol

LOL!

Quote:

I agree. I wasn't suggesting homeschooling was a bad thing. What I meant was if the kids were going to a regular school they would at least have a chance of pace and other kids to hang out / play with. As it is they are growing up in a very small and sheltered world.

I knew what you meant.

Flutterbees · **Joined:** Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:59 am **Posts:** 253

hey, I'm here too.....

as far as the Duggars, from what I remember, doing the specials did help pay for the house, not sure if it's cash money or they had the work done. I'm sure they are getting some compensation for the series, not to mention all the other interviews they do.

I'm waiting for the "tell aall" books to come out in a few more years as some of the kids get older,,,the real story behind the duggars type thing.

they all seem very, i don't know...cult like

and when'if those kids ever get turned loose in the "real" world it will be like the Amish kids that get out for the rites of passage (can't remember the name now), either they will not deal well, or they will go hog wild with everything.

moonrise · **Joined:** Fri Jun 22, 2007 3:52 am **Posts:** 2609

Quote:

hey, I'm here too.....

Of course! :wave:

Sorry ... didn't mean to imply that you weren't. :grouphug:

Quote:

and when'if those kids ever get turned loose in the "real" world it will be like the Amish kids that get out for the rites of passage (can't remember the name now), either they will not deal well, or they will go hog wild with everything.

They might put Britney Spears' antics to shame! :ignore:

But hopefully not.

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The Duggars Are Pregnant With Their 18th Child

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