Eighteen Is The New Four

by Mary Anne on September 29, 2008

So the newest season of The Duggars (or is this a new show? I don’t know.) premieres tonight on Discovery. Do you care? I am all for the big family, don’t get me wrong. I’m an Irish Catholic for Pete’s sake…but this? Is a little bit over the top and I’m not sure how I feel about them putting their childrens lives on TV to pay for it. I mean seriously…she suprised her existing 17 kids with the announcement of her 18th pregnancy on national TV. I’m sure I will make some people mad with this post but honestly, a little restraint and good judgement about exposing your family can go a long way folks. Have as many as you want, just do us all a favor and do it in private.

I sort of care in a “I need to see this train wreck” sort of way. This poster I found while researching for this post (yes, really!) sort of sums it all up.

Now ordinarily, I would say it’s not nice to pick on people like this. But…they have opened themselves up with this show. Like I said, have as many as you want…just don’t make your children a public spectacle at the tender age of, well…birth to pay for it all. Jim Bob is a real estate agent. Now either he is the very best real estate agent in all of Arkansas or he and Michelle are making a tidy little sum off having all these kids and having us gawk at them on TV. I’m guessing the latter.

Here are a few fun, and somewhat horrifying, Duggar family facts:

Michelle Duggar has been pregnant for 135 months of her life.

Average time between births is 18 months.

Estimated Duggar diapers thus far? 90,000 and soon to be counting.

Every member of the Duggar family with the exception of Michelle has a name that starts with J. The kids names are (take a big deep breath now…): Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jedidiah, Jerimiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johanna and finally, Jennifer.

Discovery Channel has a Name Baby 18 poll going on. I’m becoming tired from all these J names, in the interest of brevity the top names according to the fools like me who voted are Juliette and Jacob.

They didn’t take into account the name I suggested: JustStopIt

If you care, and have not passed out from this post, you can watch a family morph into a small village tonight on the Discovery Channel. I may need a vat of wine to get through this one.

{ 1 trackback }

Hot News » Duggar Announcement
April 15, 2009 at 11:30 am

{ 48 comments }

1 HeatherPride September 29, 2008 at 9:56 am

Like you, I have been captivated by every Duggar special that has aired on the Discovery Channel. While I think they’re largely flaunting their reproductive super powers, there is another part of me that wonders why the hell I can’t manage to keep one 4-year old in line while all their children act so…..perfect? Or maybe it’s the cameras and awesome editing. Still, though….

And you just can’t make this up: seriously….Jim Bob? Arkansas? the HAIR??? it’s like a caricature

2 DCD September 29, 2008 at 11:04 am

Somehow this has all passed me by. I have never heard of these people! And I kind of wish I hadn’t now.

Seriously – 11+ year of your life pregnant? Yuck. And I’m w/Heather, two kids exhaust me and often have me pulling my hair out. What the F is up with the Stepford children?

Okay – I didn’t mean that to sound mean. I worked an overnight last night and now am stuck at my job until 11pm tonight on a 3 hour catnap. I’m a bit testy…

But STILL!

3 Tina September 29, 2008 at 11:38 am

The first time I saw this family on tv I was a little creeped out. They have a “cultish” kind of feel to them. Totally agree with you though, have as many kids as you want, just don’t pimp them out on tv to make money.

4 jenboglass (steenkybee) September 29, 2008 at 11:52 am

Stop, stop, stop. She treats her Va-jay-jay like a convenience store. Clean, open all day, every day except for Christmas. Give it a rest. (BTW: I totally stole that line fro a tv show) But it’s fitting isn’t it? I’m from Utah, the land of many, many large families (no one is a polygamist here) and I am shocked and the sheer size of that family. It’s time to shut the old cooter down.

Sorry for saying “Va-jay-jay” and “cooter” on your blog. You rock. I owe you an email.

5 Kate September 29, 2008 at 12:14 pm

Considering the fact that I call Eleanor, “Oliver” – Oliver, “Chris” (my husband) – George, “Eleanor” – and Chris, “George” on a regular basis….I don’t think I’d be able to keep track of all of those Js…

Personally – I could barely stand being pregnant twice. It’s not for me. And that’s all I could think about when I saw this show (I THINK I’ve seen it before). That woman has been pregnant for most of her married life!

6 Captain Dumbass September 29, 2008 at 1:15 pm

I think I peed a little when I saw the picture.

7 anna September 29, 2008 at 3:35 pm

Yeah, I’ve heard about these people from the Jon and Kate Plus 8 fans who come to my site. They are really kind of a trainwreck, but the weird, possibly inbred kind of trainwreck, and I’m not sure I can get into that. Like, people who wear french braids and Gunne Sax dresses kind of trainwreck.

That said, I’ll probably watch anyway.

8 Jen @ blissfully caffeinated September 29, 2008 at 3:38 pm

“It’s time to shut the old cooter down.” Jenboglass, truer words have never been spoken.

Just because you CAN have 18 children that doesn’t mean you SHOULD have 18 children. It’s like they’re growing their own religious sect. Weird.

9 CK Lunchbox September 29, 2008 at 8:30 pm

ya, I wrote a post on this a few months back, the premise being, how could you possibly give that many kids the individual love and attention they not just need but deserve as part of their development. As I understand it, there’s a sign up sheet on the fridge for kids who don’t think they are getting enough mommy or daddy time. One more kid, and they’ll have to start filling out a form. Next it will be like my taxes.

And I’m with you, why front the kids? It feels like a form of exploitation.

Of course I write all this, and then get a comment from my sister the next day. She lives in Arkansas, and has good friends who are good friends with the Duggars. She also has a blog who her good friend reads and by extension, reads mine as well. You can figure out the rest.

Then she tells me, “You know they tried to sell us a car?”

“Who did?”

“The oldest Duggar.” Guess he’s car salesman now.

10 Keely September 29, 2008 at 8:50 pm

That is one of those phenomena of which I was only vaguely, peripherally aware, and now I have more information than I wanted. Thanks a lot, now I have to gouge that part of my brain out again.
I like your name suggestion though. I would totally name my 18th kid that, because by that point I would be COMPLETELY INSANE.

11 foradifferentkindofgirl (fadkog) September 29, 2008 at 10:35 pm

Seriously, if I was married to a man with this apparent super-powered sperm, I would pretend to be asleep if he so much as tapped me on the shoulder.

While I respect the fact that they have order in the midst of an environment that could fall into chaos easily, i just don’t think I’ll ever understand this group. However, sigh, I continue to watch the specials like I was pulling up to an accident scene.

12 Jim September 30, 2008 at 7:48 am

Wow, this is the first time I’ve been exposed to this. While I’m not inspired to watch it, I am inspired to print out that picture and hang it in my office.

The PC police may not let me though. I feel a tussle coming on…

13 Ann September 30, 2008 at 9:12 am

As I started to read this post I clicked to make a new window to find a certain “poster” that would be perfect. Than I scrolled down and you already had it!
Fantastic!
It’s true Mrs. Duggar. It’s NOT a clown car.
I get a ‘mentally unstable’ vibe from these parents.

14 margie September 30, 2008 at 10:17 am

I hate to be the lone voice of opposition here- but… I don’t have a problem with them. I’m sure they are making money off of the show, but the dad also has a chain of dealerships and I heard some real estate etc and I think was a congressman at one time- so I’m not going to judge them for how they pay for things- they are doing it themselves and not on foodstamps and welfare.

Also, I don’t know how many of the commenters are pro-choice- but doesn’t choice also include the right to have as many kids as you want? Most people wouldn’t dream of chiming in to ridicule a woman for how many abortions she has had… that would be closed minded and judgemental.

We could go on all day about how much attention each child receives etc- but I have seen plenty of families with only a couple of kids that get neglected just fine.

Anyway- I’m not trying to start a debate here over choice, child labor, world overpopulation, the criminality of giant bangs and the overuse of cream of mushroom soup in cooking (yes- I’ve seen the show)- …love your blog- not a hater, I promise! Just my 2 cents-

15 Mary Anne September 30, 2008 at 10:36 am

Oh Margie, leave it to you to stir the pot. :) First of all, I welcome your 2 cents! I get a little full of myself sometimes, I need people to bring me back down to earth.

Just so you know, I don’t care how many kids they have and I would never in a million years be the person to say when to stop. I think 18 is excessive…but that is their choice. My problem is that they put these kids on tv. I’ve got a 10 year old who would die if I exposed our family to a national audience and I’m not sure I would ever be comfortable making that decision for him. Thats my biggest issue. Well, that and her bangs. :) As far as attention per child goes, I agree with you…they do better than some parents with two.

Always feel free to pop in and disagree, it’s really almost impossible to offend me!

16 margie September 30, 2008 at 12:54 pm

Thank you so much for being gracious to me and my big… erm… spoon (for stirring the pot-hee-hee)! Yes, besides the bangs- one wonders how all the kids feel about the media- I do like to watch it though. I mean, a pantry with a roll up, garage door (for ease in unloading all that cream of mushroom soup) and a fountain drink dispenser in the dining room- you gotta admit that is sweet!

17 vodkamom October 1, 2008 at 3:41 am

that is the funniest damn poster ever. And, is that mommy insane? I mean, i love kids and all, but it might have been easier ( and less painful) to become a teacher.

18 Chris October 1, 2008 at 6:59 pm

Those people wig me out. And yet I’m drawn to their trainwreckness.

19 Jett October 1, 2008 at 9:54 pm

I’d never even heard of this family until this week, and now I’m seeing references to them EVerywhere. The jury is still out, but I’m sort of leaning toward ‘horrified’ where they are concerned and each new tidbit of information I read about them sends me closer to that exact conclusion.

Your suggestion for a name? Made my husband come see what the hell was going on because I was laughing so hard.

20 3523181 June 10, 2011 at 11:49 am

3523181 beers on the wall.

21 Daisey Hadland June 10, 2011 at 2:07 pm

perfect log you’ve take in

22 barron thomas scam June 10, 2011 at 3:05 pm

Today, while I was at work, my cousin stole my iphone and tested to see if it can survive a twenty five foot drop, just so she can be a youtube sensation. My apple ipad is now destroyed and she has 83 views. I know this is entirely off topic but I had to share it with someone!

23 HTC Trophy Accessories June 10, 2011 at 5:52 pm

I merely wanted to inform you how much we am grateful for almost everything you’ve shared to help increase the value of the lives of people in this subject material. Through your current blog, I’ve gone via merely a beginner to a professional in the matter. It is a gratitude to your work. Much thanks

24 270u June 10, 2011 at 9:53 pm

It is difficult to find well-informed folks on this kind of niche, but you sound like you know very well what you’re writing about! Thanks a lot

25 help me lose weight June 10, 2011 at 10:28 pm

Hey! Do you know if they make any plugins to assist with Search Engine Optimization? I’m trying to get my blog to rank for some targeted keywords but I’m not seeing very good gains. If you know of any please share. Appreciate it!

26 SteelSeries Gaming Peripherals June 10, 2011 at 10:28 pm

May I simply say what a relief to get somebody who actually knows what exactly theyre talking about online. You definitely understand how to bring an issue to light to make it important. More people really need to read this and understand this side of the story. I cannot consider youre not more popular because you definitely possess the gift.

27 SF-2281 June 10, 2011 at 10:50 pm

Appreciate your sharing this article, I have been looking for this information for a long time now. It is exactly the information I was in need of

28 GA-990FXA-UD5 June 10, 2011 at 11:19 pm

Just right with this write-up, I truly think this great site must have much more consideration. I’ll most likely be back again to learn very much more, many thanks for this knowledge.

29 gtx 580 ultra charged June 10, 2011 at 11:44 pm

Nice one for this article, I’ve been in search of this information forever now. It really is precisely the information I have been in need of

30 Scythe Kozuti June 11, 2011 at 12:22 am

You ought to be a part of a competition for one of the greatest websites online. I most certainly will recommend this web site!

31 ROG Crosshair V Formula June 11, 2011 at 1:03 am

There is obviously a lot to realize about this. I consider you made certain nice points in features also.

32 Repossessed Homes Winter Park FL June 11, 2011 at 1:48 am

Great blog post, I’ve bookmarked this page and have a feeling I’ll be returning to it regularly.

33 stock picks June 11, 2011 at 2:49 am

Sweet blog! I found it while surfing around on Yahoo News. Do you have any suggestions on how to get listed in Yahoo News? I’ve been trying for a while but I never seem to get there! Appreciate it

34 super pringles drinking game June 11, 2011 at 3:40 am

Good post. I be taught something more challenging on completely different blogs everyday. It can all the time be stimulating to learn content from other writers and practice somewhat one thing from their store. I’d choose to make use of some with the content material on my blog whether or not you don’t mind. Natually I’ll give you a hyperlink in your internet blog. Thanks for sharing.

35 pc whipped June 11, 2011 at 3:52 am

Thank you for this write-up, I’ve been interested in this information for a long time now. It’s exactly the information I have been after

36 6850 SCS3 June 11, 2011 at 4:59 am

excellent write-up, i absolutely love this website, keep on it

37 GT 545 June 11, 2011 at 5:18 am

Nice one for this information, I’ve been looking for this information forever now. It truly is exactly the information I was after

38 Freeipad June 12, 2011 at 5:43 pm

The subsequent time I learn a weblog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I imply, I know it was my choice to learn, however I actually thought youd have one thing interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about one thing that you can fix for those who werent too busy on the lookout for attention.

39 Lenny Pilkenton June 12, 2011 at 6:33 pm

Hey there! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I came to give it a look. I’m definitely enjoying the information. I’m book-marking and will be tweeting this to my followers! Fantastic blog and superb design.

40 tips to stop blushing June 12, 2011 at 8:21 pm

Do you know you’re able to block uncomfortable blushing? Figure out how to break the habit of blushing with no need of medical procedures.

41 Tattoo Fonts June 12, 2011 at 10:04 pm

Choose from thousands of fonts and design your tattoo online

42 Low mortgage rates June 12, 2011 at 10:53 pm

Great site. Thanks for the great post.A lot of useful information here. I’m sending it to some friends!

43 Vehicle Wraps San Diego June 12, 2011 at 11:28 pm

A bit of cycling, maintenance, beer, and hot sun. Check, check. It’s a great day to be in NYC.|brooklynbybike|

44 gay sex live June 13, 2011 at 12:03 am

Hello, you used to write wonderful, but the last several posts have been kinda boring… I miss your super writings. Past few posts are just a little bit out of track! come on!

45 Houses In Sanford FL 32771 June 13, 2011 at 1:26 am

Pretty nice post, thanks for the awesome article. I’m having troubles subscribing to your blogs feed. Thought I’d let you know

46 Philips LED light bulbs June 13, 2011 at 2:31 am

The things i have often told folks is that while searching for a good internet electronics retail store, there are a few components that you have to take into consideration. First and foremost, you should make sure to look for a reputable plus reliable retail store that has gotten great assessments and rankings from other consumers and business world experts. This will make certain you are getting through with a well-known store that gives good support and help to the patrons. Many thanks sharing your thinking on this blog.

47 Decrypt email Outlook Boost June 13, 2011 at 3:10 am

Pretty nice post, thanks for the awesome article. I’m having troubles subscribing to your blogs feed. Thought I’d let you know

48 free real estate thwmes wordpress June 13, 2011 at 4:12 am

User-friendly and additionally brief. Thanks much for the write-up.

Comments on this entry are closed.

Previous post:

Next post: