Inspired by the polygamist thread - How many kids are acceptable

[LindsayDunn228]

Amen to that! I'm also nauseated by the making of women who take fertility pills to pop out litters of children as being heros too. People who adopt children with serious disabilties, have AIDS or who are otherwise "unadoptable" for a variety of reasons, now those people are heros to me.

I absolutely agree!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[chobie]

You have no right to say WHY they allowed TLC and other networks to come and record their family. No one other than them can tell what their true motivations are. I have no idea how much they are paid for their time but I would venture to guess it is not nearly enough to support a family of almost 20 people. My guess is they are trying to show people like you that they are really normal HUMAN BEINGS who have chosen not to put a limit on how many children God gives them because they had a misscarriage while on birth control.

And those kids have had many experiences that most children have not... Meeting the governor, being on TV, seeing a ultrasound, and many others I'm sure. On their website Michelle talks about the children's freinds so obviously they have friends.

Oh, is there something in the constitution about people not being able to make critical comments about tv shows?

They're prostituting their family for money.

 

[Laura]

Isn't the "exploding US population" something of a myth though? I thought our fastest-growing segment of the population was actually the elderly (75+).

So if the population is growing, it's more a factor of increased life-expectancy.

The most recent data I could find via Google showed a growth rate of .92% - less than one percent - with 14.14 average births per 1000 people, 8.25 deaths per 1000 people. I think that growth rate figure might include immigration as well.

So I don't think my three children place an undue burden on our nation's resources.

I'm not just talking about the USA's population rate, which is increasing--no matter how you crunch the numbers. But think about it. I'm talking about the entire planet. If every couple has just two children, they are replacing themselves. If every couple has more than two, they are populating the planet with more people. The USA's population isn't an obvious problem, and our birth rate isn't as high as it used to be. That said, our country has the highest per-capita consumption rate in the world. We are gobbling up the Earth's natural resources.

We're all on this planet together, and we all must be responsible to each other for our actions.

http://www.populationaction.org/resources/factsheets/factsheet_13.htm

 

[Holly]

I have five children.
I am a stay at home mother, we have hefty college accounts for each of our children, the oldest three have their own rooms and don't raise the younger two (twin girls, who do share a room). We can afford extracurricular activites, summer camp, recreation, and even a few vacations per year.

I often get comments from acquaintances and strangers like:

"You MUST be Catholic." Nope
"You MUST be crazy!" Don't think so.

Also, one of my kids is adopted and I have, on more than one occasion, been asked:
"Which ones are your real children?"

I always answer that I can't recall, and place those comments in the same category with the people who tell me I must be crazy to have five children.

 

[va32h]

I'm not just talking about the USA's population rate, which is increasing--no matter how you crunch the numbers. But think about it. I'm talking about the entire planet. If every couple has just two children, they are replacing themselves. If every couple has more than two, they are populating the planet with more people. The USA's population isn't an obvious problem, and our birth rate isn't as high as it used to be. That said, our country has the highest per-capita consumption rate in the world. We are gobbling up the Earth's natural resources.

Every couple does not have two children; some have none, and some have more. But the global average is "less than three" according to the fact sheet that you linked.

And if the average is "less than three" then we are doing barely more than replacing ourselves.

I would still maintain that our longer lives contribute more toward the population than the birthrate. But I don't see any threads asking what is "old enough" and calling people selfish for refusing to die already.

 

[Joann]

I only seen part of the show last night but,I do have tom say this.... my step Dad who I refer to as my dad as he brought me up from the age of 3 his mom had 16 kids! Not sure if it was because of the cold winter in nova scotia or because his dad worked in the mines,and well when he came home you know what they did and what happened ! LOL but back then they had their chores all of them but his mom did mostly everything ,she was a super woman and up till last year before her stroke still was a super woman. Specially because she also took care of some of her kids that had Huntingtons. She always cleaned and made sure they had meat and potatos on the table everyday and always had baked goods. I know its abit different from back then, and I agree this family on t.v seemed alittle cult creepy to me!

 

[goofygirl]

Every couple does not have two children; some have none, and some have more. But the global average is "less than three" according to the fact sheet that you linked.

And if the average is "less than three" then we are doing barely more than replacing ourselves.

I would still maintain that our longer lives contribute more toward the population than the birthrate. But I don't see any threads asking what is "old enough" and calling people selfish for refusing to die already.

Aging and dying is not a choice. Having children is. You can't compare the two.

I find it interesting that people who have or want a lot of children don't believe in overpopulation, that they think its "made up."
And if they do acknowlewdge that the problem exists- in their mind, its always "everybody else" that's causing the problem. It's never THEM.

 

[TDC Nala]

I am fascinated by the dichotomies on this board, where opinions are expressed about the Duggar girls possibly thinking that their lives are limited to begin wives and mothers and those who worry that they won't be able to find partners who share their lifestyle choices and will end up unmarried.

What's the difference here? Either you're a wife and mother or are not. I'm unmarried and childless and have been told on these very boards that 1) that is a sad lifestyle and 2) I must have terribly disappointed my parents by remaining single.

Would anyone who has children be happy for their daughter if she grew up and decided she did not want to be a wife or mother? Or would you accept their choice, but be disappointed, if not dismayed? Would it be okay if she was a wife and not a mother, because at least then she has fulfilled at least part of society's expectations? Either it's preferable to be a wife and mother (and the vast majority of girls grow up to be both, so why shouldn't it be expected) or it isn't.

 

[goofygirl]

Either you're a wife and mother or are not. I'm unmarried and childless and have been told on these very boards that 1) that is a sad lifestyle and 2) I must have terribly disappointed my parents by remaining single.

or 3) you'll wind up as a crazy cat lady, lol.


When I hear dumb comments about the way I live, or about how my life is supposedly gonna be I just think, "Forgive them, for they do not know of what they speak."

I've gotta go get some tissues, I can't stop cryin' from this sad lifestyle.

 

[TDC Nala]

hey, I don't even have cats. I'm not home enough to care for them. I'm certainly not home enough to support other people.

 

[Laura]

Every couple does not have two children; some have none, and some have more. But the global average is "less than three" according to the fact sheet that you linked.

And if the average is "less than three" then we are doing barely more than replacing ourselves.

I would still maintain that our longer lives contribute more toward the population than the birthrate. But I don't see any threads asking what is "old enough" and calling people selfish for refusing to die already.

I never called anyone selfish for wanting lots of children. But people will eventually have to understand that overpopulation and overconsumption are things that threaten our planet. Thank goodness, couples all over the world have better access to birth control now than back in 1960.

 

[Robindianne]

I never called anyone selfish for wanting lots of children. But people will eventually have to understand that overpopulation and overconsumption are things that threaten our planet. Thank goodness, couples all over the world have better access to birth control now than back in 1960.

OMG yes! Remember when there was no question of whether to be childless? My sibs and I are well loved but 3 of us were the result of failed 1950 and 60s "family planning" gone awry. lol