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?

Judging by what I've seen on the show, which obviously won't be the whole picture anyway, both families only seem to mix with other large home educated families who share the same religion and views. Erin Bates turned down a music scholarship and instead took some classes at a Christian college, where she'd be able to only mix with other well-behaved kids and wouldn't have to 'sit next to someone with green hair'. ??? It was made to sound like her decision, but I think the dad made it for her.

On the Bates website if you look at their daily timetable (in FAQs) it literally looks like all they learn is Scripture and bible studies. They do no formal education. No Maths, no English, no Science. Those poor kids. That is an abuse in my mind.

I agree that it's about raising as many white Republican kids as possible. And how utterly sad that they feel that it is god that makes the decision as to how many babies they have. Those women have huge risks of ending up with terrible health problems. I also think it's fantastic for children to do chores but not to the extent of having complete responsibility for a sibling.

It only occured to me yesterday to wonder why, with all the land that the Bates' and Duggars seem to have, that they don't grow vegetables and soft fruit for themselves? It surely would be a cheap way for them to get far more fresh stuff in their diet than they appear to have, and I would have thought it was a very acceptable chore for the boys to tend a vegetable patch.

I do get the impression that the Duggar girls do a lot more than just a few chores round the house. If they are taking responsibility for the little ones at night (which seems pretty likely, given that the babies are in the girls' dorm, and the parents' room is a long way away), that is wrong, in my opinion.

I don't think I could have survived 18 pregnancies.

I agree that it is mostly about raising as many white republicans as they can.

YO Maduggar!

Riven I think children doing jobs/chores/learning from life is great. But the Duggar and Bates girls seem to do everything and the boys nothing. You really see it in the Duggar family with Joy-Anna, who's 12. Last year she was tearing around playing with the boys her age. This year the boys her age are still running wild and she's in charge of cleaning the kitchen and changing nappies for the toddlers...

Totally. Has anyone ever seen any of them eat a piece of fruit?

I don't have an issue with large families...but I do have issues with older children being used as free childcare/cleaning. I'm not talking about a few chores around the house - I mean when they are expected to do just about everything for their younger siblings.

I saw a documentary a few years ago about a very large family in the UK (can't remember how many children they had, but it was about 13 I think). One of the older girls was offered a place at uni - she turned it down because she said her Mum wouldn't be able to cope without her. That's very sad IMO.

I've not seen the programme, but really don't get the gross junky diet.

Why would anyone eat all that crap, and especially fanny about with lots of crap to make it into another crap dish.

It makes no sense for people with the manpower and land to grow their own, or at least cook from scratch.

I vaguely know of them, and had just assumed it'd be all healthy homegrown beany stuff with fruit and veg.

I am a fan(?) too. Of the duggars anyway. I like some of their ideas, their frugality in the early days was inspiring.

Who are they kidding now though? Some of their vehicles must cost an arm and a leg.

Also compare and contrast the attire of Ma Duggar and the girls in the earlier shows to that now. Those girls are definitely pushing the boundaries style-wise compared to how they 'drew attention to their countenance' in the early days.

They were almost Amish in their attire. Lot has changed.

Also the little ones behaviour is very different these days to how it used to be. I think they've lost control of their brood and leave everything to the 'Fab Four' Jana, Jill, Jessa and Jinger.

Oh and as for Joshua. I looooooooathe him.

Never miss and episode tho'

Meant to add, I once saw them in the flesh. Years ago in Bentonville AR. I saw them in a Walmart carpark. My friend who I was visiting pointed them out to me. I was only vaguely aware of them at that point and they about 14 kids.

Absolutely what BrainMash said. Why should kids end up as drudges because of the parents lifestyle choices.

to whoever said the Duggars do not have black/coloured friends - they do. They went to a church full of black people while they lived in Little Rock, and also had black friends help them move house. Also close friends of theirs have adopted ethiopian orphans.

ency - they are all also decked out with iphones & ipods! I noticed a few of teh girls with them when Josie was born.

As for chores - Josh & John-David havetheir own businesses now. The next oldest boys (Joseph, Josiah & the twins) have to do manual work in all their rental properties - they have a lot so there is a lot of "mans work" to be done. Plus they run a fleet of vehicles and buy, repair & sell those. The younger boys have to clean the boys bathroom .

Jill & Jana do all the cooking - Michelle has said this many times. Michelle does not cook. Jessa & Jinger do all the laundry, with a bit of help from Grandma Duggar when they are struggling. Joy helsp all of the above, plus she is now Josies carer (and Josie was a micro-preemie so there is a lot of work involved there!). Remember, this is cooking & laundry for 20 people! Its just a case of loading the washing machine once a day or bunging a few chips on.

Yep I noticed that too MaD.

I think John David is a really hard worker but Josh is a lazy arse.

I doubt the older girls will marry out as quickly as Josh because they're clearly required at home. I feel bad for them.

Free Jinger!

lol @ Free Jinger, are you a TWOPer?

No, it's bunging a lots of packets of crap on and mixing it with tinned soup and 'cheese' made from old shoes.

I'm obsessed with the nasty diet of this family!

They are young girls though, trying to feed 20 people at once. I think they just aim for cheap, quick & easy!

Ooops my post was meant to say "its not a case of of loading the washing machine once a day or bunging a few chips on."

But it's horrid.
How can they eat that?

Why would the parents teach them to 'cook' that, even if 'Daddy' (shudder) does like it.

That's not food and it's not healthy, not even reasonably OK, it's just shit for every meal.

I'd love to go and exchange some cookery tips with poor Jill. I could teach her how to make lovely healthy mashed potato and crispy jackets so much cheaper than tater tots. And I'd bring a selection of real cheeses so she could taste how much healthier they are than the processed crap they eat.

Me too!
Even a basic tomato sauce with some pasta has to be better than any old shite from the freezer in the supermarket mixed with processed crap.

Those of you that think older siblings should look after younger ones (Ooh, makes my bllod boil, that statement) - what about the younger children when they grow up? They will have no responsibilities and grow up to be spoilt little brats having everything done for them - believe me, i know from experience having being an oldest child in a family of 5 and watching similar big families.

Oh yeah, I'd love to have a bit of a cooking chat with the duggars' cook(s). They could be eating much better for much less if they bought real food. And it's really easy to chuck some potatoes, root veg, beans etc in a slow cooker (catering sized) or just in the oven and leave for hours. You can leave all the skin on and everything. There's definitely no need to use velveeta, ever.