Happy Monday! Let’s kick the week off with some links…
Pick up your copy on newsstands
Click here for instant access to the Digital Magazine
Advertisement
PEOPLE.com reserves the right to remove comments at their discretion.
Showing 14 comments
Jacqui on
Oh thank G*d, I thought the OLDER Duggars were having ANOTHER child. Whew.
Tee on
Nope, it’s Josh and Anna having their second child! While I know this isn’t a popular opinion, I think it would be wonderful if Michelle and Jim Bob were to have another baby.
Jacqui on
Why do you think so, Tee? Just curious.
Jeannette M. on
I wish Josh and Anna the best with their little boy. They already sound like great parents.
However, I agree with Jacqui. I actually like the Duggars, but I think that they should stop and appreciate the children that they have, especially after everything that happened with Josie. Poor Michelle should be looking forward to bringing grandkids into the world, not more kids. Next time, they might not be as lucky as they were with Josie, and the last thing I would want is her to lose a baby or for the 19 children she has to lose a mother and for her two grandchildren to lose their grandma. That would be incredibly sad and terrible for everyone involved.
Olivia on
What is up with the names on the twins article?! If you have to have pronunciations after each name (and the names aren’t from a foreign culture) you are asking for a lifetime of people mispronouncing or spelling the name wrong. What a pain in the butt for the person bearing the name.
Rachel on
Tee — while I don’t dislike the Duggars, I have to respectfully disagree with your opinion (but definitely understand that it’s your opinion, not mine and that’s fine! 
). In my own opinion, Michelle Duggars age alone is reason enough for me to think she needs to give it a rest on having children. Second to that was her pregnancy and the premature birth of baby Josie. At some point I feel it becomes irresponsible to continue having children knowing the risks of pregnancy past the age of 35. Especially when you already have 18 healthy children and 1 who hopefully will end up being completely healthy (though it’s still too early to say with Josie).
Tee on
The truth is that I was kind of expecting to get jumped on for what I said, so I really appreciate ya’ll being respectful! I am an old order Mennonite and we also carry the quiverful mindset. The Lord knows our abilities far better than we do and He will properly provide for our families! Quite frankly, the Duggar children are being raised to be far more productive members of society than a lot of children I meet. I know that somewhat of a broad generalization but I think everyone probably knows what I mean. They are polite, respectful, caring, hardworking… everything that has been lost in our world.
Michelle Duggar is older and yes, Josie’s birth was scary. She is certainly a blessing to their family! I know a lot of people like to point out the problems that Michelle had carrying Josie but she had those exact same problems with her second pregnancy. Should she have stopped there?
I also want to say that this is what I believe and I know it’s not right for everyone! There are many quiverful families that never have 19 children simply because it’s rare to carry that many babies. Biologically, Michelle is built differently than most women! But so long as they can support and care for their family, I see no reason they shouldn’t continue to add to it.
Angela on
I generally like the Duggars because what they do seems to work for their family, and their children seem like very respectful, upstanding people. I don’t like that their older children never get to be kids since they’re always taking care of their younger brothers/sisters. Michelle said on their show a month or so ago that she usually sleeps in until 9 and I thought, wow. It must be nice to have all of that live-in help! I have three kids ages 3 1/2 and younger and I can’t sleep past 7 because I’m up with them. But their kids don’t go off to college (not sure if that’s based on their religious beliefs). I wonder if they would have stopped having kids a long time ago if they had to pay all of that college tuition. Anywho, I think it’s honorable that they make a lot of their own clothes, buy secondhand, don’t have credit card debt, and aren’t on public assistance. There are families with far fewer children who can’t say the same.
B.J. on
I will never understand the Duggars. I think it’s insane to have endless children (I felt bed for my dog who had 17 puppies in her lifetime….), but I don’t have to raise their kids or interact with them, so live and let live!
Mandy on
Yeah, Michelle could have developed pre-eclampsia with any of her pregnancies, even her first. She actually did develop it with one set of twins. (I believe the first). Had she stopped after just one because of that they wouldn’t have their wonderful family. If her doctor ok’s it and Michelle and Jim Bob want to, why not have another baby? Or two?
Michelle said she was having kids when her own mother was also still pregnant and her sister too. So this is nothing new to her or strange.
I don’t get why everyone is all over her when the Octomom is relying on the state to pay for her 16 children!
The Duggars have no debt. They don’t have loans to pay off or anything. They make enough to support their family through their rentals and yes, the television show does pay them but still. They were doing this all way before they had the show too.
Alice on
That’s the thing Mandy, I’m not sure her doctor will ok it next time. Will they listen? I don’t know. I don’t think it’s wrong, I think it’s sad that they won’t stop until a tragedy happens to their family (hopefully it never will). I don’t share their opinion on God, but I know religion says He gave us free will, so maybe He expects them to actually make choices and decisions about their family rather than leaving it “all up to Him”.
Jacqui on
People ARE all over Octomom. She has been scrutinized to the extreme and generally speaking, people do not respect her.
You guys raise some interesting points here though. The way the Duggars think isn’t necessarily right or wrong, it’s just a different philosophy on parenting than most of us have. I value close relationships and I know it is impossible to have really close and personal relationships with ALL of your kids in such a large family, but as it has been pointed out, the Duggar kids seem happy, respectful, productive members of society. So who am I to judge?
I admit I still find it weird, but that’s life! Weird is alright.
Tee on
Jacqui and Rachel, I am so sorry! I just now realized that when I answered both of you, it came up saying “anonymous” and not Tee. I typed my response on our main computer and not my laptop, not realizing that it didn’t have my name. I’m sorry about that!
Jacqui on
I could tell it was you by your response, Tee. 
Advertisement
Free Weekly Newsletter
"I had to make a decision that I could sleep with every night. I did feel responsible for the young girls who I probably confused and let down. I apologize for that. But I wasn't trying to glamorize teen pregnancy."
