Ehwmatt wrote:Unless you're a multi-million/billionaire, there is no way you can provide for that many kids in good faith, whether it be financially, mentally, or physically. Not cool. I've always looked down on parents foisting off an "accident" third/fourth/fifth/X number kid that came 8-10 years later on their other kids so they can do their thing. I had a GF whose parents had 3 of them within 4-5 years of each other (very reasonable) and then accidentlaly had a fourth kid 12 years later. They would let the poor little girl be raised by her older siblings so they could have the freedom that most parents in that age range do vis-a-vis their kids. It wasn't cool for the little one or the older siblings. And this isn't a "white trash" problem by any means, these people were solidly middle class.
I don't care if they're the most well-intentioned people this earth has ever seen. There is no way you can parent that many children effectively in ANY aspect, especially financially.
They claim to get their income from investment property, but don't seem to mention how much they receive in donations from others. There is info out there that their new house was paid for by donated materials, and funded in good part by the Discovery Channel (maybe that is part of their arrangement to do the show). Also, they receive private donations as well. So no - they aren't paying for themselves entirely and I doubt they could make it without outside assistance.
I can't speak for everything in this article, but he raises good points:
http://slog.thestranger.com/2008/05/wel ... _christian
Also, here is another page that describes much of the same info and more...
http://reality-tv.lovetoknow.com/Duggar_Family
The Duggar Family House
Discovery Channel has been instrumental in helping the Duggars with financing for their new home, which was built just for them. The planning, construction, and eventual move in to the new home was documented in 16 Children and Moving In. Appliances, furnishings, and food have been donated to the Duggars through private sponsors and large corporations.
The house took three and a half years to complete, and was planned and built with hard work and input from the entire family every step of the way. With over 7,000 square feet of space, the house is more than twice the size of their former home. The house has:
Nine bathrooms
20 feet of kitchen counter space
Two of each major kitchen appliance
An industrial kitchen for entertaining and holding meetings and seminars
Two garages used for storage rather than vehicles
A school room
A playroom
Four washers and four dryers
An intercom system
There is even a climbing wall in the house.
Family Dynamics
The Duggars are devout Christians, so every aspect of their lives is based on Christian teachings. Older children are paired up with the younger ones, and act as mentors as well as child-minders. All of the kids are home-schooled, and Michelle has planned breaks throughout the day for meals, prayer, and cleaning up.
The older kids help with teaching the younger children their studies. All of the kids pitch in for cleaning and household chores, while the older ones are assigned meal preparation. The house is broken up into "jurisdictions," and all of the kids have assigned sections for tidying.
Days are tightly scheduled and charted to keep order in the house. Jim Bob and Michelle say that they make their money through investment properties, to allow them the time they need to be home with their children. They live by the motto, "buy used and save the difference," meaning they purchase whatever they can second-hand to save money.
