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http://sites.google.com/site/thedeskofbrian/pop-culture-other-topics/duggarsstillunderattack-nowfornumber19The Duggars didn't quietly wander into the mainstream of America, it was a stampede as their family was profiled on a TLC reality show. Their family, as you may or may not know, stands now with 19 children.
The arrival of Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar's new daughter Josie, who was born 15 weeks premature at 2 pounds 4 ounces, brought a surprising and arrogant magazine headline from People magazine: "How Many Kids Are Too Many?"
In the article, Michelle confesses her desire to possible have another, leaving God in charge of their destiny.
"When I say we would love more children, we open ourselves up for
attack," says Michelle, 43. But, she adds, people shouldn’t be so quick
to judge. "Only one person can live the life that I live, and that is
me," she says. (People magazine
1)
After citing the health risks for women over forty, People decided to quote an "expert": "I think that’s too many kids," says
Dr. Douglas Downey, a general surgeon based in Florida, in
People. "From a family resource perspective, there is no way you can give the
emotional and financial resources you would need to support that many
children."
1Let's be fair, the same article did include a more rational expert: Dr. Jeffrey Richardson: "The average woman isn’t able to handle such a high number of
pregnancies. The risks of additional pregnancies start to
go up dramatically after four." Of course, Michelle had already had 18 and this new child is not unhealthy, just premature.
Now Dr. Richardson is an experienced obstetrician practicing over thirty-five years, now in Ventura, California. Moreover, Richardson's comments were limited to general health concerns applicable for most women.
But let's go back to Dr. Downey.
Why did People include an opinion of a Florida surgeon? His comments were more general and insulting: he doesn't know anything about this family, so how dare he judge them?
"There is no way you can give the emotional and financial resources..." - really? Have you watched the show to even witness their family structure?
Yes, there are a lot of children.
However, they must be doing something right as two of their boys were involved in the rescue of a 6-year-old girl from a car accident.
CNN reported that the victim's grandmother brought the child into Josh's car dealership (he's 21) who immediately called 911 while his brother John (age 20) performed CPR on "the unresponsive child" (a link to the entire CNN story below)
Not exactly brainwashed, robotic, icky or creepy - are they?
The Duggars are a special family. I have a huge family with five kids and I cannot fathom having more, let alone nearly four times that many. However, the one storyline that runs through their reality shows is how they deal with this massive demand.
Unfortunately, hatred, animosity and criticisms is the norm in today's society.
From Momlogic.com in a column "The Duggars Make Me Sick":
"Every time I see something about the Duggars
on TV, I get really annoyed. I'm annoyed that they have so many kids,
I'm annoyed that all their names start with "J" and I'm annoyed that
everything, EVERYTHING, they do and say in life is about
their belief in God. Look, I'm all for faith. I'm all for religion. But
I lose my patience when it comes to fanatics whose convictions are SO
over the top that their very own children (in my opinion) end up
brainwashed and robotic."
That was just the introduction as the author can't handle the concept of abstinence and directs her incredible condescending attitude on the Duggars' religious beliefs.
This blogger from Hubpages authored this gem: "The Duggar Family America's Creepiest Family?"
The author toils over how "normal" the Duggars are, not being on public assistance, loving and caring for ALL of their children and yet concludes:
"Normally, I would admire a nice, clean-cut, law-abiding family with
loving, caring, involved parents who put their children first. But
something about them is just plain scary and icky. They give me the
creeps."
It's amazing how the normalcy of people's lives is inconceivable for so many. These same individuals race to judgment and criticisms leading them to conclude that they know what's best for these folks and their children.
People Magazine should be ashamed for blatantly seeking out this perspective and trying to give it credibility under the guise of a physician's diagnosis.
God Bless the Duggars and I hope the Lord comforts and guides them beyond the scope of this television show. Lord knows they may need it.
1.
Confirmed transcript of the article in People magazine2.
CNN: Duggar boys help save little girl's lifehttp://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20339922,00.htmlhttp://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/35102784/http://www.momlogic.com/2009/01/the_duggars_make_me_sick.php?page=9http://hubpages.com/hub/The_Duggar_Family__Americas_Creepist_Family
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