14 Children and now what??

Yeah, everyone is entitled to do what they want and make their own choices... but we are also entitled to have an opinion on it.  I think they are crazy.  Everything I have read makes me think so even more.  They have a church in their basement... home schooled... make their own clothes... have a buddy system... its not as if their lives are not strange enough, but they decide to be broadcast on TV to boot.  Those poor kids... yes their care may be sufficient to live, but most likely is far from what they deserve and quite possibly need.  They are missing out on LIFE.  And when on earth will they do when they venture out into this big world...?  What are they gonna do then...?  Will they have the skills they need to survive? 

They cannot afford this alone, its obvious.  No they may not be in debt, but they certainly DO get a lot of donations and help.  Yes, its nice to help each other, but when you would be up the creek without the help, and yet CONTINUE to have kids... well, I see a problem with that.  Maybe they go down to the basement and pray that the help will always be around.  Ok, bad joke....[8|]

I also want to make a point regarding the dogs and kids thing.  If you heard about a lady with 17 dogs and STILL breeding them you would think she should stop.  So why not the same idea with kids... if not even more so.

ORIGINAL: loveukaykay

Yeah, everyone is entitled to do what they want and make their own choices... but we are also entitled to have an opinion on it.  I think they are crazy.  Everything I have read makes me think so even more.  They have a church in their basement... home schooled... make their own clothes... have a buddy system... its not as if their lives are not strange enough, but they decide to be broadcast on TV to boot.  Those poor kids... yes their care may be sufficient to live, but most likely is far from what they deserve and quite possibly need.  They are missing out on LIFE.  And when on earth will they do when they venture out into this big world...?  What are they gonna do then...?  Will they have the skills they need to survive? 

They cannot afford this alone, its obvious.  No they may not be in debt, but they certainly DO get a lot of donations and help.  Yes, its nice to help each other, but when you would be up the creek without the help, and yet CONTINUE to have kids... well, I see a problem with that.  Maybe they go down to the basement and pray that the help will always be around.  Ok, bad joke....[8|]

I also want to make a point regarding the dogs and kids thing.  If you heard about a lady with 17 dogs and STILL breeding them you would think she should stop.  So why not the same idea with kids... if not even more so.

 
Thank you. Very well said. Oh, I didn't think your joke was that bad....  []

Earlier a crack was made about the girls sewing, like this was some cheap and dirty way to get clothing.  I sew.  It isn't cheap.  Fabric is really expensive.  And, while I was downward spiraling in sizes, yep, I hit goodwill and freecycle.  I'm cheap.  I hate buying clothing that isn't gonna fit me in 3 or 4 weeks.  Does that make ME wrong too?  I promise I'm not getting "donatons" or anything else.  Oh, and I made almost ALL my kids clothes when they were little....until they got old enough to need pockets and zippers.  They were cute and unique.

Quote "they are missing out on life", Have you ever read any magazine articles on them? They may be homeschooled but they sure aren't locked up at home doing it.These kids have been on more field trips than I can list.They probably know more than a lot of kids about how things work. For instance, when they were working on their house, they went and learned how insulation is made,when they are homeschooling and have a question about something, they don't always just look it up in a book, they go watch in person how it is made.They go out to eat in restaraunts, go skating , get groceries, go on vacations, etc., just like normal kids.
  As for their being able to afford all this, they are not hurting for money at all, they just don't throw it around like most people. They both worked many jobs when they were younger, saved money and invested it in commercial real estate and rental properties. He [the father] put 250,000 of their own money into his run for office, so they've surely got quite a bit in the bank.He mentioned in one article that they invested so well, he doesn't need to work full time anymore, so he could spend more time with the family.

Will they have the skills to live ?  Well , they can cook their own meals, sew their own clothes,  know how to build their own house, will probably follow in their parents footsteps and pay cash for everything so they will be debt free, hey, they can even entertain themselves with a musical performance on the piano instead of paying a mint to go see a movie! They've got it made ![sm=biggrin.gif]

I just ment people skills really, and relationship skills.  I know the family is big but its different when dealing with others who are not related to you.  I know their life is their life and I know it sounded blunt to say they are missing out on life... but I just ment on a normal life, like others their age.  What is normal... I dont know, but most kids their ages are getting to do lots of other things aside from chores, taking care of their sibling, sewing their clothes, and so on.  Glenda I dont have anything at all against sewing clothes or going to a thrift store, Ive done it myslef... and I wish I could sew to make my clothes!  That would be fun I think.  But I wouldnt want to have to do it my whole life because my parents had 60 kids.  Im just rambling... I just think they should stop having them.  But again, the choice is theirs and its not my business... just cant help having an opinion on it.

I do find sewing to be fun...altering and mending?  BLECH!!!

I don't think there's anything wrong with sewing and making your own clothes. I love to do so and while buying fabric can be expensive, ugly cotton print isn't that expensive. You can find it for less than a buck a yard. I think it peeves me that the girls have to make their own clothes yet the boys don't. They get "pre made" clothes. I just feel bad for those children, especially the girls, because they don't get to be children. They are stuck raising their siblings and I'm sure they all cringe inside when their mother announces she's knocked up again.

I admit that I haven't seen the shows so don't know what they wear, nor did I know that the boys get "real" clothes.  But, these folks are gonna do what they are gonna do, regardless of what we think......I will say that I sure couldn't have raised that many kids, not and kept an ounce of sanity!

I believe it was in the first show on the Dugger family where they explained that Jim Bob (the father) used to buy cars, fix them up and sell them, he then bought one tow truck which later became a tow truck company, and then purchased a used car lot.  Who knows if he is still in that line of work, but they spent the first five years of their marriage working, saving, and planning so that when they had their children they wouldn't need to go into debt. 
 
I like that the children go on field trips, vacations, and have use of the internet.  Yes, they have an internet filter so that they can not view certain sites, but it is there for news, research, etc. 
 
While I would not want to have so many children, there is nothing wrong with the family bringing up healthy happy kids who will take an active role in their community and the work force.  I was inspired by their patience and love for each other - is it for me?  No. 

Just a little update...
 
The second (Raising 16 Children) and third (16 Children and Moving In) shows play tonight on TLC at 8 and 9 pm central.

The TV show must bring in some money, so even if the government isn't supporting these folks, they are still exploiting their kids by subjecting them to all the public scrutiny. 
I'd like to see where they all end up in 25 years.
As to the issue of kids in general, I always detect just a bit of "you're a nut" in the voices, or posts for that matter, of the people who really love kids and think the sun of all the ages rises and sets on them.  For those of us who are much less kid-centric (I like other people's, but have no desire for my own, and I hated babysitting, too), we have a right to think others are a bit daft for wanting their 17 (or even 2) kids versus our dog (or 5 dogs, in my case).  In fact, I might have been more likely to want to have children in an age where they were not the center of the universe.  I much prefer the time when children were seen and not heard, and went to bed at a reasonable hour, and did not stand up in their seats in restaurants to dab mashed potatoes in my hair.
  [sm=no%20no%20smiley.gif]

I just caught a glimpse of the "16 children and moving in". Has anyone noticed that dear Mommy only has one expression???  She constantly looks like she's on something.....
 
And for anyone that's gonna say, "What's wrong with only having one facial expression". Nothing. As in there's nothing wrong with me making an observation.

The main expression I saw on her face was a smile.
 
I personally would not want that many kids, in fact I don't want any more after one but that's my choice. We all make our choices, and so did they. Their decision is not hurting anyone.
 
 Those kids are well behaved, well adjusted and very intelligent.. wish more kids were like that. Family values are not very common these days and I found it very refreshing to see it.
 
They did a question and answer thing on one of the shows and people from across the country asked the kids questions. The oldest one said he doesn't like it when people say they never have any individuality or they are not socialized enough and went on to talk about how happy he is.
 
I do have to ask though.. why is it wrong for them to appear on television? Why does it have to be considered exploitation. If it's exploitation then how come no one has mentioned some of the other shows that TLC airs. In the show Little People Big World are the parents exploiting their children too?? That's another show about an unusual family, but I don't think anyone has a problem with that family. There's also Honey, we're killing the kids... are they exploiting their children too?

I'm more disturbed by the feeling that I got as far as the older girls being expected to basically be second and third Mothers for the younger ones. When was THEIR time to be a child or teenager? What are THEY being groomed to become? What if they DON'T want to watch the kids but have a social life? Somehow I didn't get the impression that social lives were "allowed" that bothers me...