Gross Gravidity

So how exactly do the Duggars really do it?

There are big families out there, but there are few with seventeen children.  In case you didn't know, the 17th Duggar, Jennifer, was born on Friday.

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When I first read the news and the newest Duggar's name, my reaction was not so much along the lines of "OMG I can't believe those weirdo Jesus freaks are at it again."  What truly caught my attention is that, well, having had sixteen other children all with a first name starting with the letter J, just now do they get to naming one Jennifer? 

Jennifer is a far more common name than, say, Jinger.  And does Jinger rhyme with "zinger" or does it rhyme with "danger"?

*sounds out weirdo name*

Ooh!

It's GINGER, but spelled "creatively".  God, I hate creative spellings ever so much.  They are just the kind of thing that tells the world, "My parents think they are so very clever, but really they are selfishly stupid and just do not know how to look things up or spell.  Somebody please help me."

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There are some big families out there, but there are fewer who are raising all their children in a wholly parent-run, self-supported, homeschooling venture.

There are big Christian families out there.  This family is a church onto itself.  Even on their FAQ they discuss their DAILY Bible study.  Michelle Duggar describes it as her" favorite part of the day." 

I don't know what to say, honestly.  I'm on the fence here a little.  One of my favorite blogging artists has an amazing, creepy rendition of the Duggar family, along with some heated commenting.  Click here to see it all.

I guess I have been on the fence with the Duggars for a while but it's because finding them objectionable or disgusting is such a holier-than-thou, knee-jerk reaction.

What makes us as a society focus so much on the Duggars and their crazy brood and try to pass judgment on them, and not focus instead on people like the Maryland woman who denied ever being pregnant, even though she had a chunk of placenta still inside her body and a badly-cut umbilical cord and police found the body of her stillborn son and three other infant cadavers in her home-- presumably infants that she killed herself and/or let die?

That woman, Christy Freeman, has four living children, you know.

So let's see: three dead in assorted places around the backyard and one dead under the bathroom sink, in the vanity, plus four live ones makes eight total.  She may still be theoretically behind Michelle Duggar but...

... and I'll just let you think about that "but."  It's a pretty sick and convoluted tale, and you can do further reading too, by clicking here.

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Maybe we should just be grateful as a society that there are people who choose to rear all the children they conceive and carry to term-- instead of killing them gruesomely when they are already big enough to survive outside the body. 

(I'm actually pro-choice, in case you were wondering.  But I gotta tell you: I'm not thrilled with the idea of abortion as habitual contraception method)

Or maybe we should really look into having a fascist régime that controls the number of children (dead or alive) that people are allowed to have, and control others' fertility as if it were their ability to drink in public, for instance.

Maybe not. 
But certainly, some people make you wish you could control such personal issues sometimes.

Or am I alone in feeling this way?

Comments

[Janna]

I feel bad for those children. I'd HATE growing up in such a huge family.

[Devilish Southern Belle]

I was just telling another blogger that my girlie bits and innards hurt just thinking about giving birth to that many babies!

However...it's really not for me to judge. At least these people are taking care of their kids. I really think it's no one else's business if they aren't asking for handouts. But it's gotta be hard on the kids themselves, being part of such a huge family. Or is it? It's all they've ever known, after all.

As for the other woman you mentioned....yes, people who like to criticize folks for having large families need to direct their ire at 'people' like her. As I said....the Duggars love and are taking care of their kids.

[anOCgirl]

in my quest to be non-judgmental today (i can't promise you that it will be lasting much longer), i'm just going to say that i would hate to be in that family. despite the fact that their parents do seem to love them all, i would hate to have so many siblings vying for the parents' attention. it was hard enough competing with my brother and sister who are considerably older than me (the term 'accident' could possibly be used to describe my conception).

and really just how close are the oldest siblings going to be to the youngest siblings in a family that large? i had a hard enough time trying to relate to my bro and sis and it was just two of them!

but hey, if they all love each other maybe they can make it work (this non-judgmental-ness is hard).

[Ghosty]

"Maybe we should just be grateful as a society that there are people who choose to rear all the children they conceive and carry to term-- instead of killing them gruesomely when they are already big enough to survive outside the body."

Yes, absolutely, we should. So long as the Duggars are able to feed, clothe, educate, instruct, nurture and love all these children equally and the way all children should be loved, more power to them. Who cares if they're Christians, Muslims or space aliens - if that family can survive, even thrive, at that size, then the Duggars probably have a thing or two to teach the rest of the world.

BTW, I had the darnedest time getting your site to load at work today ... but I did manage to get you a vote via your previous post. Just FYI. :)

[GUnfighter]

In a world with population issues, having more children, just because you want to, is irresponsible.

You can bet your ass that the Duggars are a larger tax burden on the rest of us taxpayers than any three mythical, so-called "welfare queens" that people love to complain about.

[Nosaby]

I watched the Duggar's show on TLC with my jaw dropped the whole time. Thought 1: ouch. Thought 2: wonder who will be the first of the kids to rebel? As someone who has been unable to get pregnant I am insanely jealous of that woman! At least they love their kids and they are taking care of them all. I do have to wonder if the kids are getting the individual attention they need.

[mr. me]

having one baby is permissible. 17 is obscene. I'm not crazy about creative spelling or overtly biblical names either. (btw, how you doin'?)

[Juliet]

I'm commenting late because I've been a bit out of the loop for a while and I'm catching up on your blog.

I don't really mind the Duggars, for a couple of reasons: 1. I know my fair share of weirdo Jesus freaks, and kind of am/was one, and I think they're mostly harmless, and 2. I married into a large family (although not that large, just eight kids). My in-laws are the sort of people who should be having a lot of kids if anyone's going to--they're educated, decent people who can provide their children with everything they need. And their family's really functional. I mean, they have their issues, but a lot fewer issues than most families, including my much smaller one.

I definitely agree with you about creatively spelled names. I never really realized until I started thinking about my names for my own child how passionately I hate a lot of names other people give their kids. And the J-name thing is too cute. My husband and I both have J names and have been asked if we're going to give our baby a J name too. Um, no.

[Jen]

I am so deeply disgusted because now she is pregnant with her 18th child! her poor uterus! Her poor privates! Her poor children! It takes up to 2 years for a womans body to fully recover from pregnancy/child birth and she is just dumping them out like blood clots! I get a pain shiver in my reproductive organs every time I think about it. And those poor children, do you all know that the older ones are raising the younger ones. She freely admits this. What kind of mother does this make her? she and others would have us believe she is mother superior but I have to say it seems more like a neglectful selfish act to have so many. I came from a huge family and the more I think about it as an adult, the more I realize that I hardly knew my parents. My father worked 12 hour days to support us and my mom was always busy with my younger siblings needs. SHe was always so tired at the end of the day she had little time for us "middle kids" at all. If we needed something we went to our older sibs and we only had 8 kids in my family. I say only because compaired with this nut bag 8 is small potatoes. I have 2 wonderful children and they are all I can truly say I need want or can handle without feeling like I have to compromise every piece of quality time I spend with them. WIth 18 children, every thing these kids struggle to get from her or their family life is compromise and while a small ammount of this is good for a persons integrity and learning structure to have to give in on everything every day and never truly experience getting what you want just for your self is demoralizing and frustrating for a kid. There has to be some middle ground. Over indulged kids are revolting and spoiled but ones who are just a number because there are so many of them they dont even count as individuals is just sad and empty.