SEVENTEEN kids?!?! WTF?

[mikester]

Originally Posted by woodman

Funniest post ever.

[scottmandue]

Whereas I would agree that as long as you have the resources to take care of them people should be free to have as many children as they like.

However as overpopulation has become such a big problem with dwindling resources and increasing pollution I question the need for such a large family. It's not like the old days where we had endless frontiers of open land and people needed large families to help with the farm or family business.

[sammyg2]

Moses nailed it, this is none of our business. They are taking care of their family, the kids are happy. Some of you that think otherwise, there are things that bring happiness other than posessions. These kids are lacking nothing. They have more love, more sense of self-worth than any single sibling.

Now if illegal aliens came to this country and had 17 kids that we would have topay to support, I would have a problem with that. He!!, even if they have 1 I have a problem with that.

[Moses]

Kids from huge families have a different perspective. They tend to accept responsibility readily and they are less selfish. I'm not saying everyone should have a big family. My point is that the richness of this tapestry we call "life" is made deeper by a diversity of circumstance. How boring if every family were the same.

[nostatic]

one could however argue that there are too many people on this planet already, and that it is selfish and irresponsible to have that many kids.

Then again, you could say the same thing about tracking a 911, so I'll shut up now

[mattdavis11]

The Duggar's have a TV show too. It's on Discovery health, I think. Imagine the tax write off with 17 kids!

[sammyg2]

If you want to discuss reproductive responsibility let's start with the people who have kids they can't support. Let's talk about the mothers with 5 kids from 5 different fathers, none of who are around to support or raise the kids. let's talk about the crack mamas who can't raise a kid, can't support a kid, can feed or house a kid, but get a welfare raise for every baby they pop out. Let's taqlk about the poor migrants who can barely afford food and clothing but they keep reproducing only to bring children into poverty. Let's look at the reproductive numbers by class, by enonomic status, by level of education. In all cases the poor and dumb have more kids on average.
They are the problem, not this family.

[azasadny]

Originally Posted by sammyg2

If you want to discuss reproductive responsibility let's start with the people who have kids they can't support. Let's talk about the mothers with 5 kids from 5 different fathers, none of who are around to support or raise the kids. let's talk about the crack mamas who can't raise a kid, can't support a kid, can feed or house a kid, but get a welfare raise for every baby they pop out. Let's taqlk about the poor migrants who can barely afford food and clothing but they keep reproducing only to bring children into poverty. Let's look at the reproductive numbers by class, by enonomic status, by level of education. In all cases the poor and dumb have more kids on average.
They are the problem, not this family.

Amen!!

[Kraftwerk]

My pal Dan is from a family of thirteen. Lots of crazy stories. He opted out of having ANY kids himself, no wonder. Cool guy tho.
The actual Guinness book record is crazy high, one mother I think in Russia: over ?65? kidlets! I think it was an even higher number which my mind refuses to acknowledge....

My babies Momma! I met a 25 yr old kid in the city hospital who has 5 kids with 5 different girls. (girls NOT women) the disturbing thing was the girl he was with at the time was trying to become # 6. He was getting stitches in his hand, I thought the Dr. should have suggested a vasectomy...

[scottmandue]

Sure having kids is, great, wonderful, beautiful... the loved shared between a parent and child is indescribable.

However more is not always better, I would think at some point you have diminishing returns on the family experience. I am the youngest of three boys and can't imagine my mother having to put up with anymore scraped knees, stubbed toes, splinters in fingers, etc. than she already had to take care of. My friends father came from a big family so he had three kids with his wife and adopted three more. They were all well loved, fed, and clothed... however on at least one occasion they did leave one child behind at a gas station accidentally (they noticed and returned in about twenty minutes).

[Aerkuld]

Originally Posted by JerDe

Here in the heart of Ohio's Amish country, we have a married couple of the Old Order Amish (very conservative - no electric, no running water, etc. etc. ) who have had 29, I repeat, 29 children in 20 years..... You ask - how is this possible ?? The woman has had 19 childbirths in those 20 years - nine single deliveries and 10 sets of TWINS - for a total of 29.... I dont know how they managed to miss one year but this one is rather dumbfounding.

That's understandable, after all you said it yourself "...no electric, no running water, etc. etc." What else are they going to do when it gets dark?

[911boost]

The difference between a closet, and a walk in closet.

[daepp]

Originally Posted by nostatic

one could however argue that there are too many people on this planet already, and that it is selfish and irresponsible to have that many kids.

Then again, you could say the same thing about tracking a 911, so I'll shut up now

I have never understood this argument. It first came to my attention in the early 70's with (now discredited) books like The Population Bomb. When you look at the family - whether it's 7 or 17 kids - you tell the family which one they shouldn't have had.

Children from large families are significantly less narcissistic, less selfish and are just as often contributing members of society. Add to the fact that these intact families seldom make claims on our social welfare state, and I say God bless the big families. Europe and Asia will look far different in just a few more generations - I hope Americans continue to be fruitful and to multiply.

[daepp]

It occurs to me also that the parents I know with large families (I'm Cathoilic with Mormon friends as well) are usually more optimistic about the future than those with one or no children. They don't buy off on all of the gloom and doom from the media and the left (oh - but I repeat myself).

BTW - 3 kids and counting!

[Mule]

Who is my baby's daddy?
http://www.sendthisnow.com/html/babydaddy.html

[Tervuren]

I'm one of four, and I wouldn't describe that as being large, perhaps maybe at six or eight.

I will say this though, that the wide variety of skills and teamwork my brothers and I developed, is pretty cool. If people where arranging teams in a game, they'd have to split us up to have any kind of fairness in gameplay. Each of us are different, I love automobiles and engineering, my oldest brother is a computer programmer, and my other brother has a good dose of the go and get a bigger hammer approach. Throw in our dad, and we have solved most anything we put our minds to. I remember as a young kid sketching out blueprints for a full sized waterspider with my dad. That was fun. It was on a paper plate, I still have it!

[legion]

Someone already said it. Our society values stuff over people.

Generations ago, the only people that could afford to have big families were the wealthy. Today, with the cost of childcare and most women working, the only people that can afford to have lots of kids are the very wealthy (who usually forego doing so in favor of more stuff) and the poor. For the poor, it's just another thing the state will take care of for them.

So our population is booming on the lower end of the economic scale, and at the upper end it is wilting.

[daepp]

Most of the large families I know are solidly middle class. Not that different in the last 50 years.

[azasadny]

Our friends have 9 kids and they are the best-behaved, well-adjusted, polite, friendly and generous kids I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Let's turn this around, for those that say "nobody should have that many kids", what if it was "nobody should own a sportscar" or nobody should own more than 1 car", etc... It's not our business how many kids a family chooses to have AS LONG AS we are not paying for them (Welfare, prison, etc...)

[Mr_Wizard]

Wow, I'm betting she does not swallow. (Thats another day in hell for me)