Famecrawler
The Duggars Defend Their Decision To Have Baby No. 20
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar are expecting their 20th baby.
19 Kids and Counting stars Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar recently announced the news that they are expecting baby no. 20. And with that announcement, comes a firestorm of controversy over the couple’s decision to have so many children.
“Every child deserves to be excited they are a part of life,” Michelle tells People. “Even when we were having our 5th and 6th [kid] … we would celebrate each pregnancy.”
The reason for such scrutiny comes after Michelle experienced a premature birth of Josie back in December 2009. But Josie’s frightening premature birth and Michelle’s life-threatening preeclampsia aren’t enough to stop the couple from reproducing any further.
“If we felt that way, we would have stopped back with our second birth,” insists Michelle, 45. ”There are many women who have experienced preeclampsia and have gone on to have more children.”
“That whole mind set that you stop after a problem pregnancy isn’t realistic,” she continues. “You may encounter struggles along the way. You may not have a perfect pregnancy, but each child is a precious gift.”
And what about those comments that the Duggars must not have enough time to divide among their 19 kids? ”We homeschool, so we are around our children day in and day out,” says Jim Bob, 46. “Because I am in real estate, I am home and can be with the children a lot. When we go to the store or run errands, we take the kids one on one and we get to spend more time individually than a lot of parents do.”
“There are a lot of good things we can learn from our critics,” Michelle says. “We really believe we are following our faith and there are sometimes going to be people who don’t agree and we aren’t going to worry about the negative things stated.”
“We are thankful for those out there who are happy,” says Michelle, “and we are grateful for each and every gift of a child.”
How do you feel about the Duggars having a 20th baby?
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3 Comments
Brittany commented on Nov 08 11 at 5:02 pmYes They are a gift from God Go for it
keith commented on Nov 08 11 at 7:32 pmjesus
Barbara commented on Nov 11 11 at 9:37 pmAt her age and her last pregnancy, it seems to be a selfish decision. She will probably be very high risk pregnancy after a few months. What happens to the 19 kids she has if God forbid she dies or has a disabling illness. Her older kids will have to step in and take over the parenting. What happens if due to her age, she has a child with special needs that become a high cost medical issue. Do the other kids have to suffer for that too.
Yes the Duggar kids are a prime example of well behaved children and their parents really should be commended for that. But they are missing their childhood having to be nonstop babysitters to younger siblings, no child should be robbed of their chance to enjoy their childhood as it is meant to be enjoyed.
How about college educations so these kids can support themselves in this economy. What happens is any of the kids revolt if they grab an opportunity to break free. Lord knows more kids should have parents who want and love them. But how different are the Duggars than Octomom, too many kids has to mean some cost to the kids at a deep level that will show up at somepoint in their life.
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