Defending the Duggars: What Do You Think?

Whether you have one kid or 20, isn't it up to you? Credit: torbakhopper

My mom was just in town over the weekend to watch my brother run the NYC Marathon. On her way home, she saw about half of the Duggar family at the airport. If you don’t know who the Duggars are, then maybe you’ve heard of the woman who has had 19 kids and now has another on the way? Even seeing half of the Duggar family is still seeing a huge number of reality TV stars. Talk about an expensive flight…

The very next day, I happened to hit a celebrity news website, where I learned that Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar are expecting their 20th biological child. 20! I’ll admit to having judged the family back when they were still 17 Kids and Counting, which at that point I hadn’t watched. I’m sure I thought they were crazy lunatics. But after watching some of the reality show over the past couple of years, I realized that the kids seem perfectly well adjusted. The parents don’t seem to be out of their minds. They all work as a team and help each other out. And they all seem to love their way of life—and their enormous family.

Now, I’m not saying that I’m planning to keep my babies coming indefinitely. I don’t know how it’s possible to be able to pay enough attention to each individual child, even if you are home with them all day long. Heck, I’m worried about dividing my attention between two kiddos. You’d definitely start to need all the hands on deck to help with cleaning, cooking and laundry alone. Never mind dealing with pregnancy and all of its joys 20 times.

But judging by the reaction of the public to this latest Duggar news, you’d think it had been found out that the parents were torturing all 19 of their children. For every one congratulatory comment on an article, there are 10 mean comments, judging the family for their reproductive decisions and even accusing them of child abuse. In my opinion, it’s no one’s business but their own. They have the financial means to support the kids—they’re known for being frugal and own commercial properties, plus they obviously have the show, and really, what’s one more at this point?—so why is it my business how many kids they choose to have? It’s not! I just hope the woman is able to get some sleep.

Can’t see the poll? Click here to weigh in on the Duggar family.

More thoughts on the subject? Tell me in the comments. I’d love to hear what you think! —Erin