I Heart the Duggars
I must confess… I dig the Duggar family. When they’re on Discovery, I have to watch.
What? You don’t know who they are?
Omigod! The Duggars are a family from Arkansas with 16 kids and they have been featured on their own shows on the Discovery Channel. I think they’ve done 3 or 4 now. Apparently I’m not the only one who can’t get enough of the freakishly ultra-wholesome Duggar family.
Despite the odd clothing choices for the girls (very dorky dresses ONLY) and the fact that Mom Duggar’s hair is just plain bizarre and I want to jump through the TV and unpouf it, I can’t help but find the Duggars completely endearing. When I first watched them about a year ago, they only had 14 children but by the end of the first or second show, they’d given birth to baby #15 and within months were pregnant again with baby #16, who has since been born. I just couldn’t imagine being pregnant that many times but they seem inexplicably happy about each new addition.
Their family functions like a well-oiled machine and I find their ability to feed, clothe, house (they built, with their own hands, a 7000 sf house) and enjoy so many children endlessly fascinating. Their most recent adventure involved reconfiguring an RV to fit everyone and their stuff and driving it to California to go to Disneyland (wouldn’t Disney World in Orlando have been closer???)
Sadly, I fell asleep halfway through the Disneyland show (because earlier I had been out having drinks with Sarah, Wendy, Bridgette and Becky. FUN!!!!) but I plan to catch it when they air it again because seriously, I have to see how they manage sixteen kids at a theme park when most people can barely handle two.
And yes, the Duggars are religious but they don’t delve into that too much on the show, which is fine with me. I prefer not to concern myself with any of that. They seem happy and well-adjusted and and really, for me, it’s entertainment.
I have to admit that I had no idea who the Duggars were until I read this - but it sounds like an interesting show. Especially cramming all of those kids into an RV and going to Disneyland.
Ok, I think I have seen one of these apecials on Discovery…. but I have just one question…
How in GOD”S CREATION can they afford to bring 16 kids to Disney??????? That’s like $900 a day just in park entrance fees!!!!!!
In spite of the fact that she is a human brood mare, I am impressed with the fact they are DEBT FREE. Ye gads!
And a good time was had by all. The bloggers you mentioned. I have no idea who the Duggars are but I’ll check them out.
Cheers!
I’m with you-I think the Duggars are awesome and I think I’ve been watching from the beginning too - saw the whole Disneyland show and WOW!!! they did more than we did with only 2 kids! I have enough trouble getting 3 ready in the morning … I don’t know how she does it with that smile on her face!
I did a post on them awhile back too. Then they only had like 14 or 15. I think the woman wears such dowdy clothes to disguise the fact that her uterus now hangs somewhere around her ankles.
I went on their site at the time… I haven’t seen their show. But after reading their site? I don’t really like the parents… They said on their site, that years ago Michelle was on birth control. It was then they realized that by being on birth control they were aborting babies and that they were no better than those people who get abortions. (That isn’t a direct quote but the gist of what they said.)
I don’t think most SANE people equate a birth control pill with abortion.
I think the DIscovery Channel should do a show on what happens when a stomach virus sweeps through the house…
Oh Jeez…now I’m going to have to watch this. CRAP. I don’t get a lot of tv time in during the week but some shows (usually reality shows) I cannot miss.
Now you have me dying to see the Duggars. I can barely manage one. Sixteen … there’s gotta be some good info in there somewhere.
Yeah, they’re locals, for me! I’m not thrilled at their involvement in the slightly-nutty-to downright-scary (depending on your point of view) “Quiverfull” movement, but they are hard not to like. I have to say, it’s probably good for local politics that Jim Bob’s most recent political aspiriations have come to nothing, but my gut is that these are what we call “Good People.”
What baffles me is how they have room to live. That house is a marvel of efficiency. They only have twice as much living space square-footage as we have, but they have 18 people crammed in there, and there are only THREE of us. And at my house, it really does seem like the laundry never stops–can you IMAGINE the laundry? I know they have multiple machines, but STILL!
Oh yeah, I watch those! “16 Kids and Moving In” or “16 Kids and Hitting the Road!” How about “16 kids and having your tubes tied!” no, I kid, I kid … they can do what they want, but they must get a lot of free stuff and money from organizations just because of the number of kids they have, you know? Like, if someone has quintuplets you know how a town will come together and donate cribs and food and what not.
Well, I’m intrigued. If Izzy likes it… sign me up.
They creep me out. And I can’t help but feel that they’re whoring out their family a bit to the Discovery Channel. I’m sure they didn’t build that massive house on one salary. Some of it had to be comped. But then, I’m very cynical and suspicous. Even if they aren’t, though, I still find them very creepy.
If they weren’t so “religious” I would attribute the smile to the intake of lots of spirits (i.e., the distilled kind, not the heavenly kind).
They really creep you out? Awww…but they’re so cute!
That’s what I’m sayin!
They’re local to you? No way! Have you seen when they go grocery shopping? It’s absolutely dumbfounding. I don’t even know how they afford to feed all those people.
lololololol
Personally, I think JimBob needs to start keeping it in his pants. Being pregnant for like 200 months of your life is too damn much for any woman, no matter how much she likes children.
I am SO with you on the Duggars!!! I LOVE the update shows!!!!!
and they are all so happy……. I wonder if the mom is capable of screaming at her offspring.. I doubt it. I want to see one of the kids not wanting to play along as well.
and can you imagine— traveling cross country with all of those kids???
honestly and seriously, it makes me think I am doing something wrong (SERIOUSLY wrong) that they all get along and are so nice to each other, and my kids pick at each other and pester each other, and I can’t seem to get things under control… Maybe there are magical properties in the mom-mullet.
They probably edit out the parts where she goes ballistic on the kids.
I find them oddly fascinating, yet completely creepy. I think it’s the religiosity that creeps me out. Do you think maybe Mom Duggar is on some serious meds to be as serene as she is? Or maybe she’s just full of the Jesus’ love. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
We have a family at church that has 7 kids, and the last time the mom was pregnant, none of us knew until she was about 5 months along and showing (which is amazing because she’s thin as a rail, and you would have thought that she would be obviously pregnant early in the 1st trimester). Anyway, the last pregnancy came as a bit of a shock to those of us in the choir, and when she approached the front of the church to receive communion, the choir collectively thought, “Good God, man! Keep your hands off of her!”
I can’t believe this Duggars woman hasn’t had a complete collapse of her uterus. Ugh. I can’t imagine her husband would be thrilled if his testicles hung down to his knees.
i am also obsessed with the Duggars. i watch them in awe. i can’t believe how a family like that can function so well!
Never heard of them but I have now.
Seriously I find it hard to keep mine bathed and fed.
I can’t watch someone with MORE of them do it better than me.
I’d just drink more.
Holy procreation, batman. I don’t know if I should be impressed or absolutely terrified.
I can’t help thinking of that Monty Python sketch where the mother just keeps washing up or something while she ‘births’ another baby.. it just drops out and gets caught by one of the other children…
Or that rhyme.. ‘There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, she had so many children.. her uterus fell out’
Blissfully I had never heard of them, but found their website, and the religious fundamentalism plastered all over the home page of that freaked me right out.
You’ll have to excuse me while I shake my head and say “Only in America…”
Oh me too! It’s like…ummm…Twizzlers.
And the kids are all J names.
I love to read your blog but that flickering is killing my eyes. I suffer for your art, though. ;)
man…i love those cats too. they really seem to be on to something. i mean, how they ever even find time for more procreation is amazing in itself….
I love the Duggar specials, too! I have no idea how they manage to do it. And they have no debt!!! Imagine, 16 kids! I can’t even get through a normal day of pregnancy without worrying that my unborn children will exit the womb with uncanny knowledge of Italian swearwords. I can’t believe I missed the special where the Duggars go on the road!
I havent seen the show but you’ve been tagged. :)
Izzy this is a bit long but bare with me…
I met this great neighbourdown the street… Real quirky and funny, just they way I like ‘em..
Anyway he wa asking me to to this favour… and before I agreed as it was a promo shot and since I amnot an actress or a model or want to be either, I had to want to work on his project…
Anyway,his stor did not enticeme untilhe startd to talk with me about his mother…
She had ten kids, and then her husband died. Shehad ten kids in Manhattan and thought that she could not raise her family there… So, she tried to figure the best place for ten children to growup and she chose Vancouver Island in Canada..
It does not end there, she moved her ten kids there, the youngest being two…(When he toldme this my mouth was wide open…Nooooo…!!!)
Whilein Vancouver, she meets a man and falls in love…. He had…areyou sitting down… 12 kids… She raised 22 kids…
And this neighbour said she never raised her voice…
When she was dying the hospital had to give her a private room as there were sooooo many people always filling the room with laughter, love and tears…
When he told me of her life, I was mesmorized…
And the infinite love he has for her is beautiful… He was the second youngest of her biological children…
Quite the story…
She had 59 grandchildren when she died…
I personally find the Duggars frightening. They have taken the literal interpretation of the bible way too far and to have the older children raising the younger children while the mom who doesn’t even have a college education home schools the entire lot? That is irresponsible parenting.
But that said, it’s their choice, they are only hurting their children. But I guess that doesn’t matter since the best they can hope for is to grow up to have their own brood of children to continue to help populate the earth with odd religious fanatics.
Wow! What an amazing story. Makes me want to have a few more…lol
I stand in awe of people who have THREE kids. I cannot even begin to imagine having 16.
How would you even be able to pick 16 different names that you and your husband could agree on?
I love the Duggars too.
AND the Roloff family, who are a family of five. The mOm & Dad are dwarfs as well as one of their children.
The Duggars kind of scare me, and the links on their site are weird too…the wholesome swimwear especially.
Have you noticed that Mrs. Duggar has gotten progressively…frumpier with each kid?
What I don’t understand is with ALL of these extreme religious movements (e.g., FLDS. the Quiverfull, etc.), the men get to look semi-normal (at least, normal in their dress), but the women have to look like something from Little House on the Prairie.
Ick.
What? You don’t want a bathing suit down to your knees?
We’re all evil temptresses at heart, Desert Songbird.
Hahahahaha…I had you going for a second there, didn’t I
I would need a margarita IV. Oh, screw it. I’d need straight tequila.
Speaking of which … we should drink together again sometime.
I saw the show when she had her 16th kid. I didn’t find them endearing. But, I will agree with you…they are a well oiled machine. I was best friends with a girl named Ellen who came from a family of 12…12! Wow….the thing was someone was always feeling left out of something. I dunno. I can barely manage to give the love and guidance to three kids. Sixteen? She’s a stronger woman than me…I’d be in the loony bin.
I’d need Mojitos. Several. Daily.
Yeah, let’s do it. I’m always up for some fun :)
I saw a special on them a while back and I’m not sure I find them as charming as you do. Frankly, I really oppose how the older kids have so many more responsibilities for the younger ones (yes I’m an oldest child and the world revolves around me, duh!). Yes, it is good to help around the house, but to have such an active role in raising your siblings might be asking a little much. I’m also not a fan of their politics on women’s bodies.
However, I surely could glean quite a bit in the way of household organization from them. No doubt about it.
It’s going on my tivo list right now.
I love them too!!!
So wholesome, so unique, so isolated! So completely different from anyone I know! I can’t stop watching! My husband doesn’t get it.
It is the links on their site that tell the REAL story of this family. I noticed that the Duggar’s site was pretty careful with the wording of certain things, such as his role as “protector and coach” of his family, rather than just coming out and saying that he is full-on into the whole women as subservient wives and mothers thing. But a visit to his link to the Vision Forum will set you straight by golly.
I have seen the show - once. And while I marvel at the running of the house, their Fundie ways make me sad for the girls who will never go to college and are being raised to be nothing more than brood mares and handmaids to their men.
Blech.
The Duggars are cool. Yes, I am fascinated with the whole mullet look…and I am slightly perturbed by the glazed look on her face but goodness gracious if she isn’t full of the Holy Spirit. And I ain’t being facetious here! Wow. It is so intriguing to see how this family functions on a daily basis. My only complaint–let your girls dress like normal girls. Get thyself to an Old Navy or somethin’!!
I have SIX kids…I know alot of people that subscribe to the Quiverfull movement…and all I gotta say is that when you start feeling your bladder because its hanging into your uterus its time to slow down a bit. So I have. And I’m happy. But I still can’t imagine giving birth to 16. Wow. Just freakin wow.
I just can’t tear my mind away from the fact that the Duggar’s religion is what dictates the mindset that says his wife has to be a human incubator for him (as well as a “joyful servant”) and that this will be the fate of his daughters…regardless of their individual talents.
I’ve never heard of them but I am totally intrigued too! I’m with Jenny…I’m gonna have to tivo them next time they do a show.
Surfed on in here from Second Hand Karl…I posted about the Duggars the other day as well. Interesting family, creepy, but sweet in their own way.
But did you notice that the Duggar show is brought to you by NuvaRing? The once-a-month ring thingy that my wife swears by has it’s own outro as well as commercial prominently featured during the episode. I thought that was an awesome choice of advertising by them!
I thought every family in Arkansas had 16 kids…
I’m ashamed of my fascination with the Duggars, it’s my guilty secret! I haven’t seen a show since they moved in to the new house though I’ll have to keep an eye out for it. The religious part of their life does scare the pants off me, the website is freaky. I share some of the other commenters concerns about the Mom homeschooling so many children without much of an education herself and the restrictions on the children, but they seem happy and aren’t a drain on society financially - we’ll leave the population concerns aside for now!
I come from a family of 9 kids, my boyfriend is the youngest of 12 kids, we’re Irish, I love having so many siblings but yes there were certainly times I felt neglected or left out, my parents were pretty jaded by the time I hit puberty (I’m 6th) so I got away with a lot more than my older sibs and they loosened up even more down the line. But now, it’s just the best, I have sisters and brothers of all ages there for me whenever I need them, we choose to hang out together and really enjoy each others company, it’s great! Hopefully the Duggars will continue to be a family as they age and not grow apart from resentment and frustration as so many large families do.
You frighten me, Izzy….I like it!
I guess I won’t be complaining about my three kids EVER AGAIN!!
I love the Duggars, but OMG that mom’s hair is scary!
Peace, Salihah
And it says that they feed the whole house for $2000 a month. HOW is that possible?!?!?!?!?!?
Let alone to pick 16 names that ALL start with the letter J. Cause they ALLLLLL, yes all 16, start with the letter J, like their daddy.
Yes I feel sorry for those kids too. Just look at them! They are happy, articulate, well loved, well fed even joyful. Don’t even get me started on the skills they have developed. When I think about the time and effort those children must put forth in order to actually play an instrument I get so upset. Look at them - they are engaged in life rather than video games and not one of them is obese. Sorry, but this just isn’t American. It just isn’t right. Why do we put up with this? Especially that uneducated mother thinking she ought to homeschool her kids! What does she know? Did you notice she feeds her children fresh fruits and vegetables, teaches them to pray and work with others in the spirit of cooperation? I’m not an expert on religious fanatics but to me they were much too much engaged in life and they care for each other far too much. Whoa, rein in that Michelle Duggar quick! And let’s donate a television and a year’s subscription to cable, expecially MTV that’ll fix the problem. Cheers!
KE
haha..they didn’t pay for it. Disney invited them as part of their 50th anniversary celebration. Another handout..that’s how the Duggars get by…Hey, did you all know what JB Duggar has his house designated as a church so that he can get tax exempt status on it? yep..that’s right people…the Duggars don’t pay a dime in taxes.
WoW!! baby number 17 on the way, keep an eye out on the discovery channel!! i have 5 kids and am thankful for bedtime, i have no clue how she does it!
These people should be shot! The world already has problems with overpopulation, and these people have that many fucking kids!…and they want more?!?! It really shold be illegal to have that many god damn kids!!!!
If they really want that many kids then they should have began adopting a long time ago!!!! So many kids out there who need a good home and never have the chance at experiencing one because of idiots like the Duggars!!!!
There is no overpopulation in this entire world. The entire world could live in the state of Texas w/ each person having near an acre to themselves. The government has everyone hosed in believing such rubbish!
When you consider the fact that our natural resources are being used up at such an alarming rate, and the fact that there are so many orphans in the world- then yes we do have problems with overpopulation in some areas.
You sound as though you would be in support of the Duggars????…..I’m not sure how anyone could argue in their favor. After having a handful of your “own kids” people really should adopt!!
And Vicki, people like yourself really should think before they speak!!!!
about the abortion comment: doctors have told me that while on the pill I may be fetilizing eggs but they don’t inplant. To some people with really strong convictions, that is abortion…like the morning after pill. each to his own convictions. we tend to find something negative about someone that makes better choices or does things better than we do. but then we must feel real good about ourseves when we find someone who does things worse than we do. Be an individual and love others as they are. don’t be easily offended…that will rule your life.
It is NOT the Duggars fault that all the wealthy infertile couples spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on infertility treatments rather than spending all those thousands on adopting orphans. Don’t be mad at that family for being fertile! thank goodness there are some families raising respectable humans in this sex crazed, drug addicted, entertainment addicted, guttermouth country. I hope they have 20 plus babies…the hand of God is on them and I love to see purity and commiment and kindness get rewarded with so much blessing. Those kids are happy and love eachother and the dad loves and cares for his wife……
Is it absolutely shallow of me that I’d like them more if the girls weren’t all taught that the early 80s look is holy? And that they shouldn’t cut their hair, because it’s masculine or vain, or something? But perms and hairspray and mullets are HOLY. And men should have short hair, which is also HOLY, despite what all those prophets and disciples and, like, Jesus had. Individuality is bad! Rural 1980s Republicans are holy! I … don’t get that kind of thinking.
I can’t believe how many narrow minded, mean spirited people there are out there. I thought we were embracing a culture of diversity, tolerance, choice and non-judgment?
There is a debate on over-population, BTW. And for those criticizing over adoption, a person can’t just go out and grab a baby. It takes years of waiting and is NOT cheap (have been told by a few parents who’ve adopted that it costs as much as having a baby in a hospital w/out insurance). Also, how many of you are pro-choice? Well, this is Michelle’s choice.
They are not forcing their beliefs on anyone. With all of the reality shows that glorify dysfunction, it amazes me how much criticism this one, nice family is getting.
There are lots of people who get perks from TLC (Trading Spaces, What Not to Wear) and other shows (Extreme Makeover, American Idol). And I’ve heard of couples who have multiple babies from in vitro getting “handouts” from the community and companies to help out. Are we jealous?
Sounds like some of the people on here don’t even like their own kids. The Duggars do and their kids seem happy and well adjusted. Oh, but they’re not “normal.” The girls aren’t wearing pants so low you can see their butt cleavage when they bend over–or skin tight tops w/ skirts as short as any streetwalker’s.
As far as the “poor, dumb girls” attitudes, from the Discovery website, the girls future dreams: Joy-Anna, age 7, nurse; Jinger, 11, chef, Jessa, 12, beautician; Jill, 14, missionary; Jana, 15, midwife.
They aren’t “socialized” like today’s kids who are more influenced by MTV, computers and peers their same age that they spend 7-8 hours a day with for 18+ years.
These kids will be in the world when they get older and will make their own choices. I’ve seen plenty of families raising their kids in a similar fashion and the kids turn out great. I’ve seen plenty of families raise their 1.2 kids in a normal way and the kids turned out to be a mess. Not saying that this is how it will be; am just saying we never know. We all have free will.
What’s wrong w/ raising kids with virtues of caring, generosity, and self-sufficiency, patience and true tolerance (b/c you can’t pick your siblings)? Seems to me we can learn from them.