19 Kids and Counting

[Lost_Wanderer]

Are you basing this off the three married duggar kids so far? Is your sample size 3/19?

If you ask me, that 3/19 ratio can be used for other forms of critique against Duggar lifestyle and ‘theology.’ Just sayin.’

 

[MSGirl]

I’ve been watching lately and have a few comments,

Does Michele own anything but that ugly jean skirt? Her dress for Jill’s wedding was horrible.

The girls are supposed to be modest, but why are they always curling their hair and putting make up on.

How on earth to do you marry someone that you’ve never had a private conversation with? Even on their wedding day they had to have a chaperone!

And those side hugs are the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen! From what I can see, they can’t even hug their brothers and sisters? Can they hug JimBob or Michelle?

It appears to me that Jessa doesn’t love Ben, and sometimes she acts like that really dislikes him.

And I feel sorry for poor Jana. She’s left behind to do all the hard labor.

I will keep this family in my prayers.

 

[MSGirl]

I’ve been watching lately and have a few comments,

Does Michele own anything but that ugly jean skirt? Her dress for Jill’s wedding was horrible.

The girls are supposed to be modest, but why are they always curling their hair and putting make up on.

How on earth to do you marry someone that you’ve never had a private conversation with? Even on their wedding day they had to have a chaperone!

And those side hugs are the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen! From what I can see, they can’t even hug their brothers and sisters? Can they hug JimBob or Michelle?

It appears to me that Jessa doesn’t love Ben, and sometimes she acts like that really dislikes him.

And I feel sorry for poor Jana. She’s left behind to do all the hard labor.

I will keep this family in my prayers.

 

[gracepoole]

I’ve been watching lately and have a few comments,

Does Michele own anything but that ugly jean skirt? Her dress for Jill’s wedding was horrible.

Heh. To be fair, her style has changed over the years, though admittedly not by much. Check out their first TV special to see what I mean: youtube.com/watch?v=I5nGQE-pqnI

The girls are supposed to be modest, but why are they always curling their hair and putting make up on.

The Duggars believe in placing import on one’s countenance (one’s face). Make-up and pretty hair help to accomplish this goal. (Of course, those who grew up in the Gothard tribe also explain that he’s a fan of long curly hair for women, which helps explain the perm craze that the Duggar girls went through for years.)

How on earth to do you marry someone that you’ve never had a private conversation with? Even on their wedding day they had to have a chaperone!

And those side hugs are the most ridiculous thing I have ever seen! From what I can see, they can’t even hug their brothers and sisters? Can they hug JimBob or Michelle?

I don’t know that I’ve ever seen them hug their parents. Can’t say they never do but it’s not often displayed publicly if they do. There was something of a mini-scandal when Jill full-on hugged Derick at the airport when he returned from Nepal because they weren’t yet engaged. The horror.

It appears to me that Jessa doesn’t love Ben, and sometimes she acts like that really dislikes him.

I agree. But Jessa has explained that she’s not the overly affectionate type.

And I feel sorry for poor Jana. She’s left behind to do all the hard labor.

That does seem to be the generous consensus on the web.

 

[ToeInTheWater]

It’s interesting that some people think “Jessa doesn’t love Ben” because she’s not that affectionate towards him. Since I’ve also noticed some people questioning the sincerity of Jill’s feelings for Derek, stating that she’s so bubbly about him that she comes across as faking it. Or that she’s more in love with the idea of love than the man himself.

I personally think Jessa and Ben’s interactions struck me as more fitting for a middle-school couple than a 22 year old and 19 year old, but certainly I’ve come across couples who tease and mock-insult each other a lot and yet have been together many years.

I suppose if you think it’s impossible for young teenagers to really love each other, you could expand that to cover people who are older, but seem to have the emotional maturity of teenagers. This doesn’t, however, necessarily mean what they have won’t grown into a more mature love. For their sake, and those of their likely many children, I hope this does come to pass.

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

Okay I’m going to try and steer the topic a bit from how they raise their family and towards exactly how they make money.

From what I gather, it doesn’t look like a lot is being said and I really wish there was. Jim Bob and his wife both work in real estate but I can’t seem to bring up any results on their blog about the way they work. How do they meet with prospects or get any leads? Given the research I do on the blogs of other business professionals, you’d think they’d so much as give a link to something about salesmanship.

But no, it’s more often about family, religion, and rigid romantic relationships. I’m sure that’s probably their main selling point on reality TV but at least Buddy from Cake Boss has done another show besides, well, baking cakes.

Heck, even now, all I’m getting is this: duggarfamily.com/content/article/30725/How%20We%27re%20Cultivating%20an%20Entrepreneurial%20Spirit%20in%20Our%20Kids

Compared to the stuff I read on Entrepreneur, HBR, and even Mashable, this doesn’t say much, not by a long shot.

 

[jenna1983]

Has anyone read the book “Growing up Duggar, All about relationships” written by the oldest 4 girls? Just wanted to hear your thoughts on it.

 

[masondoggy]

Okay I’m going to try and steer the topic a bit from how they raise their family and towards exactly how they make money.

From what I gather, it doesn’t look like a lot is being said and I really wish there was. Jim Bob and his wife both work in real estate but I can’t seem to bring up any results on their blog about the way they work. How do they meet with prospects or get any leads? Given the research I do on the blogs of other business professionals, you’d think they’d so much as give a link to something about salesmanship.

But no, it’s more often about family, religion, and rigid romantic relationships. I’m sure that’s probably their main selling point on reality TV but at least Buddy from Cake Boss has done another show besides, well, baking cakes.

Heck, even now, all I’m getting is this: duggarfamily.com/content/article/30725/How%20We%27re%20Cultivating%20an%20Entrepreneurial%20Spirit%20in%20Our%20Kids

Compared to the stuff I read on Entrepreneur, HBR, and even Mashable, this doesn’t say much, not by a long shot.

I think their involvement in real estate was in the past, particularly before they started having kids. They have said on the show that they currently manage commercial rental properties that they own for income. They made their financial investments years ago and are benefiting from the profits now.

Like I said before, they had the luxury of making these investments before they even started having kids because they put kids off when they were first married. Their hard work in those years has made it possible to support so many kids comfortably. Their kids won’t have that luxury because they have to live by different rules starting out than Jim Bob and Michelle did.

Btw, I was watching the episode last night when Josh and Anna got married. That was actually part of their vowels, that they would leave up to God when to give them children.

 

[gracepoole]

One of the properties owned by Jim Bob houses a cell phone tower that he leases to various mobile phone companies, which brings in a nice chunk of change, as well.

 

[recklev]

I absolutely love that show. I think I’m their number one fan. I am always uplifted after watching an episode.

I put them on my prayer list and so I pray for them daily. Including their taping crew.

Some responders to this thread must have the notion that they are being taped 24/7. There are lots of “always” and “nevers” posted here.

There is such a paucity of good television now that I really, really appreciate this show.

 

[jenna1983]

I absolutely love that show. I think I’m their number one fan. I am always uplifted after watching an episode.

I put them on my prayer list and so I pray for them daily. Including their taping crew.

Some responders to this thread must have the notion that they are being taped 24/7. There are lots of “always” and “nevers” posted here.

There is such a paucity of good television now that I really, really appreciate this show.

I agree whole heartedly with you. Their morals are fantastic. I look forward to this show each week.

 

[lauram1029]

I do not watch reality tv because I feel they are not reality. I have watched some clips of them and I am very familar with Bill Gothard and his teaching which I have some big issues with. I think it is total hypocracy not have have a tv in your home yet you have put yourself and your children out there on tv. I do not think this is healthy and what they follow in Bill Gothard’s teaching is totally unhealthy. The homeschool program which they have now switched from has some serious issues. to micro manage their kids lives in what careers they have as well as their courtship is really setting them up for huge problems later. Their buddy system burdens the older children with raising the younger ones. That should be the parents responsibilities. I have some serious concerns about the children and raising them in front of a camera.

I have watched and learned a lot from the Duggars, especially the mother, Michelle Duggar. They see their TV show as a ministry and do allow their children to watch some TV. They do not have TVs every where in their house and do not watch it daily, and they do watch Christian films. As far as the buddy system, an older one will help a younger one get ready for the day and bedtime, and when they are out in public just keep an eye on their buddy so they do not get lost. I think it helps the children to be selfless and I think it’s good to have them think about someone else. And as far as them helping with courting and their relationships, I watched the Michelle and Jim Bob counsel Jill and Derrick before they were married about finances. They do pretty well for themselves (even before the show) and have zero debt, I wish they had a talk with me when I was young! I really do think the world would be a better place if more people were like them…

 

[Lost_Wanderer]

I think their involvement in real estate was in the past, particularly before they started having kids. They have said on the show that they currently manage commercial rental properties that they own for income. They made their financial investments years ago and are benefiting from the profits now.

Yeah but according to their blog, they still seem to be pretty active and I’ve seen so many other sales personalities blog about what they do every day to drum up more page views and phone calls. You’d think with all his money-managing know-how, Mr. Duggar would share some professional insights of his own.

One of the properties owned by Jim Bob houses a cell phone tower that he leases to various mobile phone companies, which brings in a nice chunk of change, as well.

How do they look for new clients? How do they retain old clients? Do they gotta past some Christian litmus test too or is it more of don’t ask/don’t tell?

I really do think the world would be a better place if more people were like them…

We’d need a bigger planet.

 

[kmkarbo]

I appreciate this show. It is healthy, loving, respectful, and Christian oriented. The Duggars are an awesome example of family. Their show is the most realistic of the so-called reality shows, and keep in mind, it is on The Learning Channel. If we all attempted to follow their example what possibly could go wrong? Nothing, they put the Lord first

 

[AnnArbor]

I appreciate this show. It is healthy, loving, respectful, and Christian oriented. The Duggars are an awesome example of family. Their show is the most realistic of the so-called reality shows, and keep in mind, it is on The Learning Channel. If we all attempted to follow their example what possibly could go wrong? Nothing, they put the Lord first

I think the “healthy” adjective is questionable – especially if you are a woman. They seem to have some rather bizarre ideas about male authority.

 

[kmkarbo]

Those that are posting distorted opinions of the Duggars haven’t watched the show enough. Jim and Michelle were always open to children and it wasn’t long into their marriage that they were gifted with children. They had four early on and were not financially viable at the time. They still are frugal, frequenting second hand shops, living within their means, and not caving in to the current materialistic culture. They are able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They live in the here and now.
Thanks be to God for the Duggars and their fine example of a healthy, loving life.

 

[kmkarbo]

AnnArbor, bizarre in what way exactly?
Jim Bob and Michelle work together as adults, understand what is important and what the priorities are. They are obviously very successful.
Do you have an issue with authority, or your definition of authority?

 

[kmkarbo]

Yeah but according to their blog, they still seem to be pretty active and I’ve seen so many other sales personalities blog about what they do every day to drum up more page views and phone calls. You’d think with all his money-managing know-how, Mr. Duggar would share some professional insights of his own.

How do they look for new clients? How do they retain old clients? Do they gotta past some Christian litmus test too or is it more of don’t ask/don’t tell?

We’d need a bigger planet.

No, we would not need a bigger planet. Most families aren’t this large, but even if families began expanding, God has a perfect design. There is plenty of room on our beautiful planet. Currently, the entire population of this world can fit comfortably into the teeny tiny state of Rhode Island.

 

[AnnArbor]

AnnArbor, bizarre in what way exactly?
Jim Bob and Michelle work together as adults, understand what is important and what the priorities are. They are obviously very successful.
Do you have an issue with authority, or your definition of authority?

Perhaps I’ve misunderstood – it seems as if they believe a father has authority over his ADULT daughters, until they marry – to the point where he seems to have a say in their choice of husband. He also appears to “give them over to the authority of their husbands.” I understand they are not Catholic – but these are not in the Catholic understanding of marriage or authority.

Also, if accurate, this approach would certainly infantilize an adult woman who never married. Again, that is contrary to Catholic teaching.

 

[masondoggy]

Those that are posting distorted opinions of the Duggars haven’t watched the show enough. Jim and Michelle were always open to children and it wasn’t long into their marriage that they were gifted with children. They had four early on and were not financially viable at the time. They still are frugal, frequenting second hand shops, living within their means, and not caving in to the current materialistic culture. They are able to enjoy the fruits of their labor. They live in the here and now.
Thanks be to God for the Duggars and their fine example of a healthy, loving life.

They used contraception early on in their marriage. It was not until Michelle had a miscarriage (I think her second or third pregnancy) that they began to adopt their current practice of letting babies come “when God chooses”.