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Too bad they're not black or Hispanic. This conversation would be way more fun.
Anyway, I have a serious problem with people who have children just to hand them off to other children to raise. Their "buddy system" is ridiculous and, in my opinion, very selfish. You don't give birth to children just to make them babysitters.
Wow - two sets of twins - you are awesome!!! Raising one infant at a time is all-consuming, much less two or more at a time. I mean that sincerely. Having 7 children ourselves, all singles, college age down to kindergarten. I know about the struggle of providing for them, and not just financially. My husband has a good career and I have a good career, although I'm finished with my career that I went to school for and am now an entrepreneur.
Yes, it is difficult, and for people to even think that raising 17 or 18 children is easy, and that the smiles on the kids are all real, and not a bit of a facade. Someone remarked on another blog board how some of the kids have dark circles under their eyes. This is to be expected when one gets up and down with an infant all night. Also, when you have complete access to your children, when they know nothing else except what you've indoctrinated them with, there is going to be complete and blind obedience to whatever Mom and Dad say. The Duggars have such control. The Duggars have declared their home as a church as they have other families that come to worship there. There is controversy over whether or not they pay property tax on their home; however, I've found that the Quiverfull people, who worship these two Quiverfull Supastars, as I've mentioned, are quick to dispell that. Others are not so sure that it isn't true.
I think that the Duggars appear to be nice people, their kids know how to play various musical instruments and they seem like lovely kids. Is it possible that it's "too lovely", "too perfect"? I don't know. I haven't seen that yet in my family of 7 kids. Have you seen it with yours? To me, something seems a bit amiss. I think it will be interesting to see how many of these kids rebel against the very restrictive and legalistic teachings of Bill Gothard as they get older.
Take care. Wishing you a happy and blessed Mother's Day!
Well one good thing about having twins is that when I had my last kid (a singleton), her infancy seemed like a piece of cake! OK, almost.
I most certainly have not seen that kind of perfectness in my own family. Several times I've been this close to applying to be on Nanny 911. It's rough and does seem a little too perfect now that you mention it.
Well one good thing about having twins is that when I had my last kid (a singleton), her infancy seemed like a piece of cake! OK, almost.
I most certainly have not seen that kind of perfectness in my own family. Several times I've been this close to applying to be on Nanny 911. It's rough and does seem a little too perfect now that you mention it.
Thanks and Happy Mother's Day to you too!
Thank you! Happy Mother's Day to all who love and nurture children - whether they're your kids, nieces, nephews, or just someone that you love!
Too bad they're not black or Hispanic. This conversation would be way more fun.
Anyway, I have a serious problem with people who have children just to hand them off to other children to raise. Their "buddy system" is ridiculous and, in my opinion, very selfish. You don't give birth to children just to make them babysitters.
I remember my dad talking about his family of 12 siblings and they did the same thing, where an older child was responsible for a younger one. They also did the same thing in the book "Cheaper by the Dozen" and in Louisa May Alcott's "Little Men". My ex-boyfriend came from family of 8 and they had the same plan. Very interesting! Thanks!
Different time, different social order, different World!
There are many, many large families in the town that I currently live in. In just the past generation alone, there were a few families with 20+ children. My Kindergartner's teacher is one of 14 children; wonderful adults now. None of these people got anything from anybody; they did it on their own.
You must live in a small town, or rural area where people are taught values & responsibility ... just my guess. There seems to be a larger percentage of big families in that kind of environment who are self sufficient ... but then there are still many who aren't. A lot of it depends on the kind of environment the children are in. I reside in a big city, and the large families I usually run across are poor (often the Latinos) who keep multiplying like rats without the financial means to raise children on their own means. All of them are on public assistance (meaning money stolen from my wallet & yours).
Again, I commend this Arkansas family if they are indeed raising their kids with their own financial resources, and not one penny of government money. More power to them if that's true. But I still maintain that this family is a minority (if not a novelty) compared to the many others who are living on some kind of government subsidy.
The Constitution is a limitation on the government- not on private individuals.
The Constitution does not prescribe the conduct of private individuals- only the conduct of the government. The Constitution is to protect the citizens from the government.
The US Constitution was constructed to balance the powers of the government with the rights of the citizens. The US Constitution limits the powers of the government to control the lives of the citizens, while at the same time defining the responsibilities of the citizens to control the government. Unfortunately, the US Supreme Court has bastardized the Constitution and skewed many of the areas of government powers and citizen responsibilities, otherwise known as "Legislating from the bench".
You must live in a small town, or rural area where people are taught values & responsibility ... just my guess. There seems to be a larger percentage of big families in that kind of environment who are self sufficient ... but then there are still many who aren't. A lot of it depends on the kind of environment the children are in. I reside in a big city, and the large families I usually run across are poor (often the Latinos) who keep multiplying like rats without the financial means to raise children on their own means. All of them are on public assistance (meaning money stolen from my wallet & yours).
Again, I commend this Arkansas family if they are indeed raising their kids with their own financial resources, and not one penny of government money. More power to them if that's true. But I still maintain that this family is a minority (if not a novelty) compared to the many others who are living on some kind of government subsidy.
From what Donna said, they are not doing it on their own. It's not true welfare, but they are given handouts just the same. Laysayfair pointed out (jokingly, but true), that all I need to do is get an agent and an angle. If I can't, like the Duggars seem to have been able to do, because I'm not a hustler, then they get commended and I get accused of stealing money from everyone's wallets?
The truth of the matter is, you need to be uber-rich to truly afford a family of that size completely on your own, with no help. The Duggars don't sound like they're Brad and Angelina though.
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Wishing you a happy and blessed Mother's Day! 
!!!
