05-28-2008, 12:48 AM
Filed under: Newborns, Pregnancy & birth, In the news
When Michelle Duggar, the Arkansas mother of 17, made a surprise Mother's Day announcement on the Today Show that she was pregnant with baby number 18, I was glued to the television screen in amazement. On that day, my own two youngest children were in Arizona with my parents as I awaited the birth of our fifth child. As I rested and prepared for the new baby while they were gone, I would occasionally get anxious thinking about their return. Would I really be able to handle five kids, all under the age of eight, with the demands of a newborn nursing schedule and the sleep deprivation I knew all too well awaited me?Seeing the 17 clean-cut and well-behaved Duggar children on television and hearing how these home-schooled kids also play the violin and the piano and participate in an elaborate routine that ensures household order, I wondered how these parents manage to stay sane, let alone organized and connected to their large brood. Was there something a soon-to-be mother of five could learn from their extreme parenting experience?In search of answers, I Googled them. As it turns out, there were plenty of stories dating back to when their family was the relatively small size of 14. They were also the subjects of a TLC reality show so there was no shortage of information about them.In doing my research, I was shocked by the amount of vitriolic articles and comments directed at them by people who think it is irresponsible and just plain wacky to want to have that many kids. The most hateful and vile comments came from environmental/green bloggers who deem this family's carbon footprint to be downright criminal. Granted, 18 kids is not for everyone, but by all accounts, the Duggars are good parents who educate and take care of their own kids (arguable better than many smaller families). I'm all for being environmentally conscious, but when environmental activism places more value on a tree or a whale than on a human baby, I draw the line. Babies are a blessing and so long as the Duggars take care of theirs, who are we to scold or judge them?As for how they do it, it seems that they run their family like a small country. They're committed to organization and there is a large degree of family loyalty. Like any good enterprise, leadership counts and these parents appear to be 100% dedicated to the sustainability of their clan. A reunion episode 20 years from now will make for a very interesting case study. Till then, I wish them all the best. Permalink | Email this | Comments
Posted on Tue, 27 May 2008 10:00:00 EST at http://www.parentdish.com/2008/05/27/18-...-too-many/
Comments: http://www.parentdish.com/2008/05/27/18-.../#comments
When Michelle Duggar, the Arkansas mother of 17, made a surprise Mother's Day announcement on the Today Show that she was pregnant with baby number 18, I was glued to the television screen in amazement. On that day, my own two youngest children were in Arizona with my parents as I awaited the birth of our fifth child. As I rested and prepared for the new baby while they were gone, I would occasionally get anxious thinking about their return. Would I really be able to handle five kids, all under the age of eight, with the demands of a newborn nursing schedule and the sleep deprivation I knew all too well awaited me?Seeing the 17 clean-cut and well-behaved Duggar children on television and hearing how these home-schooled kids also play the violin and the piano and participate in an elaborate routine that ensures household order, I wondered how these parents manage to stay sane, let alone organized and connected to their large brood. Was there something a soon-to-be mother of five could learn from their extreme parenting experience?In search of answers, I Googled them. As it turns out, there were plenty of stories dating back to when their family was the relatively small size of 14. They were also the subjects of a TLC reality show so there was no shortage of information about them.In doing my research, I was shocked by the amount of vitriolic articles and comments directed at them by people who think it is irresponsible and just plain wacky to want to have that many kids. The most hateful and vile comments came from environmental/green bloggers who deem this family's carbon footprint to be downright criminal. Granted, 18 kids is not for everyone, but by all accounts, the Duggars are good parents who educate and take care of their own kids (arguable better than many smaller families). I'm all for being environmentally conscious, but when environmental activism places more value on a tree or a whale than on a human baby, I draw the line. Babies are a blessing and so long as the Duggars take care of theirs, who are we to scold or judge them?As for how they do it, it seems that they run their family like a small country. They're committed to organization and there is a large degree of family loyalty. Like any good enterprise, leadership counts and these parents appear to be 100% dedicated to the sustainability of their clan. A reunion episode 20 years from now will make for a very interesting case study. Till then, I wish them all the best. Permalink | Email this | Comments
Posted on Tue, 27 May 2008 10:00:00 EST at http://www.parentdish.com/2008/05/27/18-...-too-many/
Comments: http://www.parentdish.com/2008/05/27/18-.../#comments