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Interview
Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar
The Duggar familyTLC/Discovery HealthEven if you don’t recognize their name, you’ve probably heard of Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar: They’re those parents with 18 biological children whose fertile saga has been documented on multiple reality-TV shows, including TLC’s 18 Kids and Counting, currently in its second season. Now the cheery and seemingly unflappable couple have yet another baby to nurture. No, we’re not talking about Jordyn-Grace Makiya, who was born last month. We mean their new book: The Duggars: 20 and Counting!, filled with personal stories, photos, recipes and, of course, parenting tips. When the Duggars stopped in the city to promote their latest project, Time Out Kids met with the productive pair to chat about their brood, their critics and whether their baby-making days are finally over.
So let’s start with the obvious question: Are you planning to have more kids?
Michelle: I’m 42, so I don’t know if I can have any more. But my heart is open to more if the Lord will give us more.How do you answer people who ask why you didn’t opt to adopt when so many kids need homes?
Michelle: It’s something we’ve been praying about for a while now. And dear friends of ours have adopted children with special needs. If the Lord leads us in that direction…Have you ever lost any of your kids?
Jim Bob: Just for a few minutes. We were at the airport and our little boy Jackson--he was about three-years old at the time--made a right turn instead of a left. Now we do a head count wherever we go. I usually just do a head count, but Michelle goes down the list.
Michelle: If I just count, I’m not going to know which one’s not here!How many toys do you own?
Michelle: No idea. We rotate toys, so we have the blocks for a while, then we put them away and bring down the train tracks.Has anyone ever asked you a question that really upset you?
Michelle: You know, one thing that really hurt me was, “If you nursed your babies, you wouldn’t have them so close together.” That really got me because I do nurse. I’ve struggled. I had a lot of issues nursing in the beginning and I still have a lot of pain. So for someone to say that, they have no idea how painful it is for me to nurse, yet I nurse because I know it's best for my babies. It doesn't seem to work as birth control for me.Do you ever read the negative stuff about your family online?
Jim Bob: We’ve glanced at some of that, but not much. People go on and on. They make up things; they’ve said they know us. It goes back to when I was in politics. [Jim Bob is a former state legislator who served in the Arkansas House of Representatives.] We just don’t worry about what other people think. We don’t have a perfect family. We have challenges just like everyone else, every day. It’s a constant training process. We love our children, and we’re trying to raise them to love God and serve Him and serve others.Read more celebrity interviews
•Alex McCord and Simon Van Kempen >>
•Maggie Gyllenhaal >>
•Elisabeth Hasselbeck >>
•Soledad O'Brien >>
•Tina Fey >>
•More celeb Q&As >>
Time Out New York Kids / Issue 39 : Jan 1–31, 2009
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I had but one child and she is a gift at 33 years old. How can the younger Duggars have any time with their mother? Always make room for the next baby. I hope that she is nearing the end of her baby-making for all their sakes. But then what will happen to their t.v. show? Might their viewers get bored eventually?
I think this family is disgusting. You notice the part about adopting kids. IF the Lord leads them is what Michelle said. I seriously doubt that the "Lord" told them to have 18 kids and it isn't the Lord who is keeping Michelle pregnant. Their irresponsibility and selfishness is astounding. Those older kids did not sign up to be surrogate parents, but they are forced to basically raise their younger siblings. The Duggar's bring new meaning to the word "excess".
I am sorry to hear that he has pain when she breastfeeds. Can someone point her in the directions of www.ilca.org to get someone to come over and help her out. No one should nurse with pain, it can mean the baby may not be getting enough milk! And then certainly it wouldnt work as birth control, even in the first 6 months. After 6 months, all bets are of anyway!
It is disgusting that you would feature this family just for the freakshow 6-o'clock news drama. They are part of a lunatic fringe that does not deserve even an Internet column, much less a reality TV show. God forbid these irresponsible people are representative of this country's families.
The article could be edited a bit more. I think these two parents are a wonder. They must have alot of family/community support. God bless 'em. I've watched their show a couple of times and it made me tired. I wish I had patience for more kids.
Well we start with one cart rather than seven! Just kidding...