to think that having 18 children is just wrong?

[Rhinestone]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1328007/The-family-prays--gets-bigger-bigger-Meet-devoutly-Christian-Mr-Mrs-Bates-EIGHTEEN-children.html

Wrong on so many levels surely?

I will not judge... provided there is enough money and attention to go around.

However often there is neither and I feel sorry for the older girls bringing up their little brothers and sisters.

The Chinese policy is a bit draconian but I wonder whether a policy say that capped all benefits at 3 or 4 children would be a good idea.

Yep, not even a mortgage! They bought the land then built the house themselves. It was decorated for free by TLC though . Im pretty sure the Batses live debt-free too.

I think it is because they believe that the banking industry is run/owed by jews. These people are white supremacists, although of course this is carefully hidden on the TV programmes. I can't believe so many people fall for this propoganda and think what lovely people they are.
One of the 1st things I noticed about the Duggars [I haven't seen the Bates] was that they didn't seem to have any black friends, or even accquaintances. It stood out that these people live in such a racially mixed society [surely the USA is one of the most racially mixed societies on earth] yet still have social contact with people only with people exactly the same as themselves.
I wonder how 'loving 'the family would be if one of their children turned out to be gay [statistically probable], or fall in love with a transexual ,or person from a different race.

I love watching the Duggars on tv!!

I do feel sorry for the girls though. I am waiting for Jinger (WTF kind of name is that) to mutiny and escape.

I did see that Erin Bates was allowed to go to a Christian College to play the piano though. There were daily prayers and nice boys and no freshers week with kegs

The Duggars don't pay taxes. That's how they are able to better afford a lot of things.

They declared their home a church. Churches are charities there, and tax exempt.

So they keep everything they earn.

I think we should all do that so we can be just like the Duggars, who are legal tax dodgers.

Expat - Really? I did not know that. I wonder how much they earn from the show though.

Some of the comments about each of the children on the Bates' webpage make me want to weep. No wonder they eat such crap when:

Alyssa (age 15) 'is our family photographer and can usually be found with a camera in hand. She is also our primary cook.'

and

Tori (age 14) 'is one of our hardest workers, tackling the huge task of laundry master! She will be the newest baby?s partner when it arrives and is currently the only person that knows the gender of baby #18!'

Trace (male, age 13), however, 'spunky and full of laughter, is our little athlete that enjoys beating his brothers in activities like basketball, football, and roller blading! He?s also our neatest boy, so his brothers love having him in their room!'

So it appears that while the girls do all the housework, on top of their schoolwork etc, the boys just play.

The 14 year old is in charge of the next baby?!

WTF are these people on.

""Alyssa (age 15) 'is our family photographer and can usually be found with a camera in hand. She is also our primary cook.'

and

Tori (age 14) 'is one of our hardest workers, tackling the huge task of laundry master! She will be the newest baby?s partner when it arrives and is currently the only person that knows the gender of baby #18!'

Trace (male, age 13), however, 'spunky and full of laughter, is our little athlete that enjoys beating his brothers in activities like basketball, football, and roller blading! He?s also our neatest boy, so his brothers love having him in their room!'

So it appears that while the girls do all the housework, on top of their schoolwork etc, the boys just play.""

So, they have got 18 children you selected 3 cooments about 3 of them and can positively get to the conclusion that the girls are doig every chore while the boys play all the time?

UnlikelyAmazonian -technically you can have more than one child in CHina (as well as any spice you want) you just need to be able to pay the fine. Incresing numbers of more affulent CHinese are chossing to do this. (not saying I think one child policy is right but its not impossible to have two or more).

Yes, really, Serenity. It's a well-known fact, too.

They keep all they earn.

I don't know about you, but we wouldn't have any debt either if we got to keep all we earned.

DD's the bin person in this house, and she's an only!

I do cringe when I read about older siblings raising younger ones but perhaps it's because it's so far away from what I know?

I still think the recipes are gross though and that won't change
Surely eating all that processed crap can't be good for you?
I'm surprised too, I thought it would be all home grown lentils and chickpea casserole.

Riven - no dramas with kids doing chores at all, but laundry and cooking for 20 (or maybe 19 if the baby is being breastfed) and also going to school? Don't know about you but that doesn't sound right to me.

Gorionine - none of the boy's 'bios' mention anything about working in the home.

Aren't the Duggars all home educated too?
I feel sorry for the children, they don't get to mix with other people (other races, cultures etc)

Wow! Respect, 18 children!

I will say that we don't really mix with other races or cultures for no other reason than there aren't any.
I live in a very white town, it's just the way it is.

I think it is fine if they are able to finacially and support each of those children as individuals.

I don't think it is fair to expect older children to bring up the younger ones. The older ones will have their own years of child raising ahead of them IF they chose to do so, Their childhood should not be spent raising siblings.

Actually DD's best friend is Slovakian, I didn't think of that.
I don't think of her friend as being from another culture, I just think of her as DD's friend.

I imagine this makes me sound quite dim

The Bates used fertility drugs to conceive baby no17. It seems odd that they believe contraception is against god's will yet fertility drugs aren't.

I don't necessarily have an issue with big families.

I do however have an issue with the conscious spawning of God's Christian Army, trained from a young age to advance the evangelical movement's political goals in the USA.

I read Razing Ruth, No Longer Quivering, TV Without Pity etc. I am fascinated by the quiverfull movement and the fanatics who partake in it - especially given their disproportionate clout in US politics.

If you haven't watched it already I recommend the film Jesus Camp - clips are available on YouTube. Sobering stuff.

Those of you who think we are making a generalisation when we say that the girls in these families do the housework should take a look at Raising Homemakers. They're raising their daughters to be baby-making machines, so I suppose buddying them up with younger siblings is great preparation.