People.com is saying another Duggar Grandbaby is on the way. Lets see if Mom Michele decides to compete and have #20? They are a lovely family though!
You would think that after having a premature baby she wouldn't attempt #20, but I have heard them say they are leaving it up to God. At some point though, the worn out uterus begins to become a risk to the baby and the mom. I don't really watch the show. Does anyone know what happened to cause the last baby to be born so prematurely?
I beleive it was pre-eclampsia, which can happen in any pregnancy. Anyway, while I personally think they are out of their gourds, her uterus, her choice as long as they can provide for them all. 8) If they were on public assistance, my opinion is a little different. :mrgreen::mrgreen:
Agreed. She can do what she wants. If it were me, I would be scared to have another. Then again, I and my uterus would probably have never made it to the double digits to start with. Do you think the older kids should have to take care of the younger ones? I watched a special on another family like the Duggars, and the teens didn't have a life outside of their family because they were always taking care of the younger kids. They could barely get homework done, weren't allowed to play sports or be involved in extra-curriculars, etc. To me, it seems like a lot of responsibility for a teen who didn't make the choice to have a child.
See, the whole large family thing is just NOT that big a deal to me, nor newsworthy. My grandfather was one of 18, and yeah, they all helped with the younger ones, worked the farm, etc. This was the norm in times past. It's just a bit unusual now. They all survived it, these kids will too. I watched my younger siblings as well and it's really no biggie. I think kids now need more responsiblity, not less. And I'm speaking of my own kid too, I only have one and he is spoiled rotten. :cheers:
Point taken. I guess nowadays the responsibilities kids take on are more interest-oriented than befitting the needs of the family. In times past, families often had lots of children partly out of need for help in the family business, whether it was farming or some other business. Heck, some teenagers still have to be wage-earners for their families. I do believe that kids need more responsibility, but I think some of their responsibility should lie in exploring their own interests. My philosophy is that kids should have responsibilities around the house (chores), responsibilities to academics, and responsibilities to some sort of group (sports, club, job, etc.). BTW, I'm new to the 4042 forum, so thanks for not being too hard on me right away!:cheers:
Welcome aboard!! :cheers: I get what you are saying too, and I agree that it can be taken to far if they are not allowed outside interests. I've seen several episodes with the Duggars and while I don't necessarily "get" them. (I watch in the train wreck kind of way), it seems, at least on TV, that the kids so have outside interactions and interests. And lets face it, 75 years ago, people had big families because birth control was a crap shoot. :lol:
I guess he/she/it can do about anything they want, so wouldn't it be great if God belatedly gave the Duggar's a brain for Christmas.
I've only watched while clicking through. Figured it was a religion thing. If you can't convert'em, breed'em.
I don't know at what point a family is considered a "big" family. Some folks say we are. I doubt it. We just have 7. 10 kids soon. To me, 10 used to seem big but now it just seems like a number. Sometimes my older ones do help out w/ the younger ones but definitely by choice, not by obligation or chore. Our kids have chores and responsibilities. They are not given an allowance. But, we pay for outings that they may want to go on. Two of the teens are gone all weekend this weekend. though I couldn't do what the Duggars do, if they can raise them right, not receive government assistance, then their choice. I think as long as the family knows what they can handle, so be it. Families used to be much larger than they are today. Somehow, some way, they made it work. Of course, it was a little less complicated back then I think. No cell phones, internets, ipods, etc. I think they learned to work together out of necessity. Togetherness seemed to just happen. The Duggars seem to have that togetherness that I think many modern day families are lacking. I've never seen the show. We don't have cable. Seen the blog and also personally know quite a few big families. Nothing wrong w/ it, just not for me. To each their own though. Have a great weekend. Stephanie--mom to 7
