When word got out that the Duggar family was set to appear on The Today Show this week, fans and Duggar-haters alike began to speculate what the reason for this could be.
Would there be an engagement announcement involving one of the older kids? Could it be that eldest son Josh and his wife Anna are expecting their second child? As it turned out, the family were making an appearance simply to promote the newest series of their show, 19 Kids and Counting - and talk about youngest daughter Josie’s progress.
Josie was born prematurely at 25 weeks last December weighing just 1lb 6oz, following mom Michelle being diagnosed with pre-eclampsia and having to undergo an emergency caesarean section. After suffering a perforated bowel she has spent much of her short life in hospital and it was only last month that she arrived home again, hopefully for good this time.
The past few months have obviously been an incredibly testing time for the family – and both fans and critics of their way of life have debated at length what it could mean for the Duggars. Many expressed a hope that 19 Kids and Counting might be cancelled to allow the family to spend more time out of the limelight. Some people have been adamant in their view that 19 children is definitely enough for any family.
But on Tuesday’s edition of The Today Show, Michelle caused controversy by admitting that she would be happy to have further children. Back in February, she and husband Jim Bob told People magazine that they had not ruled out having more kids. She admitted she would ‘welcome’ another baby, saying:
“When we look at Josie…even knowing that we went through the challenge that we did, we would do it again.”
Her comments have prompted a number of posts and discussions expressing sentiments ranging from outrage to sadness and worry.
As is always the case with the stars of controversial reality shows, the Duggars come in for a lot of criticism and even hatred – from those who feel they’re exploiting their children, or are fame-hungry, or those who disagree with their conservative Christian beliefs and strict lifestyle.
Many simply think that putting no limit on the number of children you plan to have is irresponsible and unhealthy. They talk about the fact that the older Duggar daughters have taken on much of the responsibility of caring for the younger kids and point out that were it not for the benefits their show and public appearances have brought, the family would be living on a vastly reduced income which could never support them all.
Much criticism also centres around whether or not the family officially consider themselves part of the controversial Quiverfull movement or related Christian groups, some of which have been dogged by internal and external claims of abuse and extremism. There’s concern that the Duggar daughters are growing up with severely limited choices and are never going to experience college, jobs or independence.
Sometimes I feel that a lot of this nastiness is unfair and amounts to nothing more than an attempt to police one woman’s body and criticise her choices. You don’t have to look for long to find numerous judgements on how ‘disgusting’ Michelle Duggar is, speculating about the state of her womb and fearmongering about what sort of strain these large families will end up putting on America’s resources.
By all accounts the Duggars seem to be a happy and loving family and a whole lot of people find them incredibly inspirational, citing the way they’ve weathered the storm surrounding Josie as proof of their strong ‘family values’ and support for each other.
You can’t deny that their super size family is unusual – and maybe that Michelle should be focusing on looking after her own health and wellbeing now as well as that of her baby daughter.
Is the constant criticism of Michelle and Jim Bob’s decision to shun birth control borne out of genuine concern for their family – or a willingness to hate on those who are ‘different’? The incessant discussion about their parenting choices – from birth plans to breast pumps– is a prime example of the tedious way such experiences – which are obviously different for every parent and family – are picked apart and judged with people weighing in about what’s the ‘right’ or ‘best’ thing to do when there really is no ‘right’ way.
One thing’s for certain – if we hear that number 20’s on the way any time soon the outcry is only going to get worse.
Image via Yahoo.