I Heart the Duggar Family

It seems any time I mention the Duggar family I get a slew of comments and everyone shares their thoughts.
Because we don't use birth control and have "a lot"(I didn't know 4 kids was a lot, but whatever) of kids, we often get to hear EVERYONE talk about this precious family.
Now I'd like to share my thoughts. Take them or leave them, but it's my blog.

Do I want 18 kids? No. The Duggar's do though and what they do with their fertility is NO ONE'S business.

Do I think having 18 kids is stupid? No. They have worked their butts off to provide for them. Yes, I'm sure they get a lot of donations, but so do people with multiples and other families. The point is they don't live off of donations and contributions. I'm sure their new found TLC fame helps with this. They don't take advantage of anyone though.

Do I think they should stop? No. People always ask me if they are going to stop like I know them personally because we are like minded. Dang. I guess that means I should know Paula Dean because I also like fattening food. That'd be awesome! We did live close to them when we were living in NWA, but I've never met them before. I did see her at Hobby Lobby once though! I almost cried! HA! The point on this one is that even if I did know them I wouldn't think they needed to stop and I wouldn't know WHEN they are going to stop, because their fertility is THEIR business. Are you getting me??

Do I like it that everyone always starts to talk about the Duggar's when I(not by choice) have to talk about MY fertility? NO. I actually HATE it. I don't like being stereotyped. I don't like it that as soon as they say, "OH!! You guys are going to be like that one family! What's their names? OH yeah, the Duggar's!! You gonna have 20 kids too?!!" That they immediately start telling me how dumb they are because they have so many children.

Something else that seems to happen is this. People who have done things the "normal" way just don't understand things done any other way. Because of that they assume that the not normal way is weird and dumb and not the way to go. I would NEVER tell them that they needed to stop using birth control and start having babies. I know that the way we do things is different. George Washington Carver says that, "When you do the common things in life in an uncommon way, you will command the attention of the world." That statement is so true about having babies. Me out in public with my kids gets attention. People say things like, "poor you." "WHY?" "Are they all yours?" "Are you done yet?" These are all just the strangers. I understand that our decision makes us vulnerable for comments. I just wish that people would filter what they say. I'm OK with it, by the way. If it's the price to pay for having my children, I'm cool with that.

I think that my children are blessings from God. They've been used to show me so many of His attributes and I wouldn't take our decision to have them back. EVER.

Is it easy? HECK NO! Is it fun? SOMETIMES. Not all the time. I have three kids under 5 and one on the way. Do we agree with everything the Duggar's believe? No. There are lots of things that we differ on, but one thing stands the same. God is the leader of our homes and with Him at the head we really don't have anything to worry about. God has and will continue to provide for our family and the Duggar family. When God leads He ALWAYS provides. We KNOW that because of our dependence on Him and trust in Him, He will keep filling our home with beautiful children and keep filling our fridge with yummy food.

SO, this post has been a lot of thoughts. MY thoughts. Don't be a hater. It's not nice.=)

The bottom line is that nothing you say to us or any other family(including the Duggar's) is EVER going to change our minds about the way our family grows. You might as well keep your words to yourself and follow the advice of Thumper the Rabbit. If you can't say something nice. Don't say nothin' at all!

If you'd like more information on the Duggar family you can go here or buy their book. It's fantastic for ANYONE to read.

If you'd like more information on MY family. Keep reading.