FUN? FUN???

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.

(Thanks to Siouxie, who states: "Time to send this couple a TV!")

(Adds judi: "shoot me now")

Comments

[Bethie]

Some people do not know what the definition of "fun" is.

[Bethie]

The true definition of fun is being FIRST to post on the blog! Yeah!

[DeskDiva]

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

*looks down at self*

Ramparts? Check.
Booty? Check.
2 legs, 2 arms and a head? Check.
Ruffles and lace? Apparently mine was not factory installed.

[DeskDiva]

*flips "were" for "was"*

[Scott]

I love this story because as the parent of five kids, I'm constantly hearing "Are you nuts?" and "You DO know what causes that, don't you?" Now I can point to a couple who have a good 240% more children than I do!

[fivver]

Wait a minute - 126/17 is less than 7.5 months per pergnancy. Does that sound right?

[CJrun]

Aw come on folks; one more and they can field two baseball teams. That would be fun....

[Siouxie]

I totally agree with judi. Shoot me now PLEASE!

fivver, by now she probably doesn't need to go full term. Just spits 'em out when they're almost done.

[Edgar Greenberg]

>Wait a minute - 126/17 is less than 7.5 months per >pergnancy. Does that sound right?

Fivver, it turns out she had twins twice.

[Edgar Greenberg]

*As should have been blindingly obvious from the listed ages. Honestly doesn't anybody read anymore.*

Uh what?

[judi]

they coulda just gotten teaching certificates, for (*^&()&* sake.

[judi]

btw, which gender is "Jinger"?

[bluehairchick]

fivver, I believe that the Discovery Health's web page was referring to the Duggars when they just (just!) had 16 kids, and hasn't been updated with the 17th .... They've had two sets of twins, so that's 14 pregnancies x 9 months = 126 months pregnant. Whee!

BTW, my family back in AR lives near the Duggars and know them casually, since both families home-school. They're reportedly a lovely family, although how they manage to stay organized is totally beyond me.

[Edgar Greenberg]

judi, judging by her picture, Jinger is most likely a girl. Though I suppose she could be a transvestite.

[insomniac]

gudi - i would juess female, since it mijht be a form of 'ginger' (but why not jo totally phonetic and make it 'jinjer'?)

[funniegrrl]

Personally, I think both parents need to be checked for OCD ...

[mudstuffin]

wow. "jinger duggar" = a lot of things, none of which are particularly funny.

[Jessica R.]

I have four kids. Would have gladly had many more, but we got off to a slow start - None of your beeswax why. We wanted to field at least one baseball team.

Scott, I get those questions too. Also, why would you want so many children? As if four were many! One lady actually asked if we had that many on purpose!!! DUH! How would anyone accidentally have 4 kids?!

[Edgar Greenberg]

Easy Jessica. You have two kids, and then have a pair of twins. You plan for three, but end up with four. Accidents happen.

[Afkat]

When I was a rookie police officer, I was posted to a small town in Alberta...a couple living there had 17 chidren. One night I spotted a car parked in a dark field. I went up to check it...there was the couple, working towards their 18th. I left them alone, figuring they had enough problems...

[Jazzzz]

I would have sent this in earlier last week, but I thought it was normal.

l
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[Siouxie]

NORMAL???

[Edgar Greenberg]

Sio, the record of children for a woman is upwards of 60. She's not quite there yet.

[Dr. Doug]

She's got to keep her legs crossed more often.
How do the find the time to leaf through the Bible looking for names?

[judi]

jessica: my dentist actually said she had all four of her kids by accident. REALLY inspired confidence in that medical professional, i can tell you!

[Siouxie]

Yes, Edgar...but...WHY????????

Dr. D, I'm crossing mine just thinking about it. GOOD LORD!

[Annie Where-but-here]

"Duggar? Darn near killed 'er."

[Siouxie]

It was lovely simuling with you, ms. judi!! ;-)

[Siouxie]

You too, Ms. Annie.

[Moon]

For most people I wouldn't recommend this, but this couple needs to seriously get into hard drugs or something, sky diving, bull fighting, ANYTHING to keep their minds off of sex.

[Moon]

And when I say hard drugs, I mean HEROIN or CRACK.

Marijuana will just encourage them.

[Siouxie]

Moon, great idea. Even mix the crack with hard liquor (and no, pervs...I did not mean hard licker). Knock 'em cold before then even THINK about doing the nasty!

*sends the Dubbars a case of JB*

[ubetcha]

One question: How do you support 17 children?

[Siouxie]

ubetcha, I betcha they rent 'em out as child slaves or something. Or sell the body parts that the kids don't really need. Just a guess.

[Just Ducky]

Yay, Siouxie! And ditto, judi!

[Siouxie]

oopsie... Duggars not Dubbars.

[Richard the Weasel-Hearted]

Knew a family with 7 kids, named Bill, Becky, Bruce, Betsy, Bob, Belinda, Alice. Yes, Alice. When the mother's Germanic grandfather heard about the birth of the 7th, he banged his cane and said "Das ist Alles!"

[Ms. Nomer]

At least they didn't give all the kids their father's middle name. Just imagine cute little Jennifer Bob.

[pogo]

*Raises right hand, swears to tell truth*

While working for social security in a very rural area, I came across a family with 5 boys all named William, after their father.

[Planned Parenthood]

Can you say "brood msre"? The planet has too many people already.

[Siouxie]

*raises left hand...oops...right hand, swears to tell the truff too*

I know a family who had 5 boys too. They were all named Juan, after their dad. Different middle names and they all studied different professions:

Juan Antonio, MD -Cardiologist - MY doc.
Juan Enrigue - Engineer
Juan Carlos - CPA
Juan Jose - Attorney
Juan Felipe?(I forget) - Architect

I think they did OK ;-)

[Gangus Neo Kahn]

Hey, these are decent folks that love thier children. The real problem is that nobody wants to have children anymore as the babyboomers are far too self centered. If a couple has more than 2 children society wants to neuter the father. Most folks are afraid to have children, so there has been over 40 million babies killed since roe v. wade. Sex has become only about physical pleasure which is why we now have so-called "gay marriages" and stories about men having sex with cows up in Vermont.

[edq]

Arkansas has one of the lowest population densities in the nation, so maybe this will help alter that status.

[TNjen]

The real problem is that there are plenty of people who have no business rearing children who are popping out babies. You can't blame that one on gay marriage.

[MareBear]

I sincerely hope at least a few of those diapers were the good old fashioned cloth kind that you reuse. I hate the thought of 90000 balls of plastic covered poop from one family sitting in a landfill destined to never degrade.

[mather]

I couldn't find any religious affiliation of the family... any guesses?

as far as affording 17 kids... they've got a 7000 square foot home... sounds like they're well-to-do enough.

[Gullyborg]

It really disturbs me that so many people are quick to say these people are crazy, that they should use birth control, that they shouldn't have sex, that they need hobbies, etc...

These people WANT their children. They LOVE their children. They PROVIDE for their children. I'll wager these kids will all grow up healthy and well adjusted and will contribute positively to society.

Who the hell are you people to condemn them?

Save your wrath for the crack ho welfare moms who have extra kids just to get more government aid, give the kids no love and no care, then end up having all their kids put into foster care when they get busted selling crack for the third time.

This family isn't the crack ho family. This family is a bunch of real life heroes.

[Siouxie]

Gully, may I offer you a gumball? or 17?

chill, man...we're just joking around here.

[Siouxie]

*checks to make sure this IS a humor blog*

yep, sure is.

[Jessica R.]

judi,
Ahhhh, I suppose your dentist always went straight to sleep; no hanky, panky. She should have had her OB 'splain it to her, or she should have bought higher quality condoms.

[Annie Where-but-here]

7000 square foot home - so what? The real question is - how many bathrooms?

[queensbee]

they have 7 or 8 bathrooms. saw it on discovery. they may be NICE, but they are religious nuts who home school the tribe of em, and mom is the teacher. is she qualified??? dont know, although she could probably teach sex ed. the girls all do the cooking and cleaning chores. it struck me as all very sexist.
i betcha they are a strict household and that's how they stay organized. we'll probably read about how the kids were either abused, or something in 20 years. they say their children are a gift from G-d. well, maybe they just havent figured out how it all happens and G-d comes to visit them every so often to plant a new baby.... i say, jimbob - keep yer pants on. michelle = get your own room and close the door. my guess is that he is a major sexist piggie. all the kids named with J - that isnt for him. its for the Lord....how cute.
and i dont think boomers are so selfcentered. i think lots of us made some hard decisions about whether to have kids or not. whether we could support them, feed and educate them. i think these duggars are selfcentered, whether or not all their kids become successful somethin or others... it is simply irresponsible to produce that many kids. what is their grocery bill... they dont live off the land, they buy stuff. and how much water is used to wash all those clothes [many of them dress alike, although that may be a function of their sheer number... but a lot of the girls were wearing these plaid pinafores and they all have hair a mile long...]this isnt a family, its a cult. they participate in some home school assn, i saw it on discovery. do any of them actually get time with the parents??? i saw that what mom does is care for the littlest one until it is weaned, and then one of the daughters takes over feeding, bathing, etc. yeah, great training. must be part of their schooling.... of course they love their kids. they just want everybody to know how religious and wonderful they are. being religious doesnt make anybody a better parent, and being religious doesnt necessarily produce better people. maybe more repressed people! not everybody is a good parent. just because it LOOKs this way == we dont know what goes on in those 7000 square feet of house!
i suppose its a good thing that twittney didnt want 17 children.

[Wavey]

10 years from now: "I'd like you to meet Jacaranda, Jeopardy, Jew-Harp, Jello, Joker, Jurassic, and our newest little bundle of love, Jaundice."

[Siouxie]

*snork*

[Suzy Q]

Anybody named "Jim Bob" really ought to be keeping all of his sperm to himself. Just sayin'. (Unless someone else already said this, in which case, I second!)

[bloggirl85]

Wow. For the bunch open minded folks I know you guys to be, there sure is a lot of mean spirited humor going on here. I'd shudder if someone said such stuff about me, even in fun...

[bloggirl85]

oops...posting skills are rusty...Please toss the missing "of" up there...

[Scott]

For what it's worth, I know a few large, home-schooled families, and I can only say good things about the kids and the parents. They're good people who are working to instill positive values in their kids, and who happen to believe the best way to do that is to educate them at home. Would I do it? No, my kids go to public schools. But I don't begrudge them the choice, nor do I think this makes them "religious nuts" or a "cult." And since I don't know the Duggars -- and neither does anyone on this blog, I would guess -- I'm in no position to judge their motivations or intentions. Just my three cents, which honestly probably isn't even worth that much... ;)

[queensbee]

IMHO - and i have nothing really against home schooling. I dont begrudge them the right to do it, either. but i question the capacity of the teacher and i question the exposure of these kids to the wider world. i think home schooling insulates and protects, but also it prevents truly expanded knowledge. no way my mom or dad could have taught me french. i know, they belong to these home school assns. and they pool info, yes, yes. its all from their church, which is alluded to, but not mentioned in the documentary on discovery, and i recognize right wing fundamentalists when i sees em. there's a cult like atmosphere that permeated their living, and, frankly, and this goes for ANY fundies -- christian, jewish, or muslim - their use of family size as a way of spreading their gospels is what bothers me. many, many of these people have retreated from our main society, and teach their children only circumscribed information, based on their belief system, which is reallly narrow. these are the folks who go to the creationist museum, or pray for the conversion of all jews.... they have a cult-like feel. and highly dangerous. as i said. just because someone is a religious person doesnt make them any better than anyone who isnt. and i get a sense of the duggars, what i saw in their discovery program [it was like a train wreck, i kept watching because i couldnt believe it] that they are a world unto themselves. no disrespect intended, yet i fear that in producing all these kids, they will be spreading a gospel that may be exclusive, and possibly misleading. the potential of impressing these 17 young minds with misinformation, and lawd knows what else, is frightening. everyone has the right to do as they choose in this country. for now.

[Monica]

I have ten kids and if you think their is something wrong with the Duggar family's childrens names then should hear mine some of them aren't very unique but there are a couple that are truely unique. My kids names are Monlor 10, Whyatt 8, Wynta 8, Lieka 6, Layla 6, Rosanne 4, Kathleen 3, Cindy 3 Tara 1 and John R (J.R) 1. I also think that the Duggar Family should be allowed to have as many kids as she wants and that you shouldn't make fun of her.

[Sojurnr]

Queensbee, you are a BIGOT. And I recognize BIGOTS when I sees em.

I fail to see the danger in parents lovingly instilling their own morals and values in their children, nor in protecting them from the raunchy trash our culture produces. Yeah, those sound like REALLY DANGEROUS CULT TYPES to you, huh?

Conservative Christians haven't withdrawn from our society; it has left them. Anyway, I wonder what aspects of the "wider world" we are talking about these parents insulating their children from here. Would it be the chance of becoming victims of school violence? Or how about the chance to learn about and receive the latest propaganda on global warming? Wait! I know, you want these kids to be exposed to the latest in safe sex techniques. Then, they could have the broadening opportunity to have a state paid employee drive them to a government paid abortion without the parents' knowledge or consent. Pretty neat package, huh?
The education industry in our country is a joke! As to the aspect of a parent's capacity to teach: Reputable studies show that there is absolutely no correlation between formal preparation to teach and the actual ability to impart knowledge to young children.

[Sojurnr]

Queensbee, you are a BIGOT. And I recognize BIGOTS when I sees em.

I fail to see the danger in parents lovingly instilling their own morals and values in their children, nor in protecting them from the raunchy trash our culture produces. Yeah, those sound like REALLY DANGEROUS CULT TYPES to you, huh?

Conservative Christians haven't withdrawn from our society; it has left them. Anyway, I wonder what aspects of the "wider world" we are talking about these parents insulating their children from here. Would it be the chance of becoming victims of school violence? Or how about the chance to learn about and receive the latest propaganda on global warming? Wait! I know, you want these kids to be exposed to the latest in safe sex techniques. Then, they could have the broadening opportunity to have a state paid employee drive them to a government paid abortion without the parents' knowledge or consent. Pretty neat package, huh?
The education industry in our country is a joke! As to the aspect of a parent's capacity to teach: Reputable studies show that there is absolutely no correlation between formal preparation to teach and the actual ability to impart knowledge to young children.