The Duggars....perfect parents??

Question

I often hear Michelle and Jim-Bob (?) Duggar described as "perfect parents" and to be honest I just find them a little odd. Sure the children are good-mannered, healthy, educated and generally well looked after and the Duggars have no financial issues, but surely raising your children in this sort of bubble is going to have disastrous consequences when the children are finally released into the real world? It seems in a way quite selfish to have so many children. I find it interesting aswell that they chose to homeschool all their children, knowing deep down that every one of them would have rebelled agaisnt the careful system they have created at some point had they been mainstreamed and allowed to mix with other children. In my opinion the Duggar children haven't been given the freedom to discover who they are, what interests them, what they believe in and explore the world around them, as they have to keep to a strict timetable created by their parents. Its almost like a cult.

But then I don't suppose the children will know any different right?

Answer 1

Do you know the first thought that ran through my mind when I saw their interview on the Today Show? It was how terribly greedy they seemed. Greedy in a weird, non-material sense; almost gluttonous on piety.

The kids are basically going to implode with sensory overload when they leave that family. Unfortunately their parents will be unable to help them cope.

Answer 2

Maybe, maybe not.. but if given the choice, ANY parent who has a "normal" amount of children would like to be in the same boat as the Duggars. Healthy, happy, well mannered and respectful children that live in a world where their parents don't fight, and they don't have to worry about where their clothes and food are going to come from. Who cares about what's going to happen to them when the time comes for them to leave home? They'll know about the world, they'll know right from wrong, they'll know that people are to be respected.. and I'm sure that they're not ill equipt to be around people. The world can be bad sometimes, and I'm sure they all know that... Just because someone is a good person, doesn't mean that they're niave.

Answer 3

Michelle and jimbob duggars are very bad parents because the oldest girls looking after the young children michelle duggars don't do nothing in the house the only she does lies on her back the children are not mannered when they went away on holiday the duggars are very rude when visit other countries

Answer 4

I have to wonder how wrapped up in the Duggars would we be if they only had 5 kids?
I think the great attraction with them is that they have 17 kids and are quite unlike the 'western families' of today.

I personally think Mrs Duggar is playing God with her health and that is of concern to me.
I don't think they're a cult -- they're just different to you and I, that's all. If their kids rebel, their kids rebel - they wouldn't be the first and won't be the last. If they don't rebel..then good for them and how fortunate for us that we don't have to carry the burden of irresponsible adults.

Answer 5

it isn't fair to assume the kids would rebel if they were at public school. from what i know of the duggars, they base their conception and teaching on their religious beliefs. i was raised baptist and i didn't rebel against my religious beliefs just because i was in public school. also, the duggar parents have been in the "real" world and have maintained their values. i believe jim-bob was even a senator or something, which means he is active and knowledgeable of the political system and got the support of numerous others in the "real" world. politics are tough, it doesn't get realer than that. i think this is really about you not respecting their religious values and beliefs. plenty of people homeschool for various reasons. often these children are ahead of their public & private school counterparts and even attend college early. perhaps subpar education or non-religious education in their area was their motivation for homeschooling, not brainwashing as you seem to suggest. i don't homeschool, but you should check out the stats about student's english, math, and writing skills that go to public & private schools. it's frightening.

Answer 6

It takes a village to raise a child. If the people down the street are bad parents, there's a reason for it. They need help. When I had my kids, I read every single book on parenting I could, and still, my best resource were my family, friends and neighbors. I don't give a damn about their sexual orientation.

Answer 7

I don't see anything wrong with the Duggars. They have a beautiful family. I have two children of my own and sometimes I think my family is more chaotic than theirs.

Answer 8

when i first heard about this family i thought the same thing...they must be crazy religious freaks who's kids are going to end up disastrous. BUT after watching a couple of the shows on them...i have to say they really do seem like a very happy and healthy family. while i couldn't imagine having nearly that many kids, i think it's kinda cool that they're willing to take care of and raise as many kids as they're given. for the way they live, i think they're as normal as anyone could hope for. that being said, regardless of how many kids a family has, i think it's really unhealthy to homeschool and keep your kids basically away from the outside world. kids need to be socialized and school is the best method. you have to assume that eventually kids are going to have to be in the outside world and interact with all kinds of people. i think it would have to be shocking to go from such a closed off world into reality.
kinda random but this just got me thinking about the movie jesus camp...have you seen it? just thought i'd mention it because it seems like something you might like. it's about these evangelical christians and they focus on a camp they send their kids to. it's beyond creepy. most of the kids are home schooled too and they're clearly brainwashed. definitely check it out!!

Answer 9

I have to say parents like this is a big deal today because most families today dont have this large of families, but both of my parents are from very large families themselves. My father had 17 brothers and sisters, and my mom had 9 brother and sisters. All bio not step ect.

WE want to tear this family apart because we dont understand their lifestyle because it si so different from the way we live, but really who are we to judge their lives? I mean many parents today do homeschool their children to keep them away from the peers of other children, as well as to just have a better education then a public school can give.
Their are many families that have religious beliefs that take their children out of the mainstream, like amish families they all live together, go to one school, ect.

We have to find something wrong with this family because it so out of the ordinary for us to believe that they could all e happy with their life and will go on and be very productive adults and so forth becasue it isnt what we think is right. But if these children were monsters and screaming in stores and being rude we would say the family doesnt know how to do parent their children at all. So as fars as this family or any other family there are things that we all try and put a bubble around our lives, and yes sometimes that bubble pops and their are a surprises.
A television show only shows life in one direction the direction that they are trying to protray, it isnt a full version of the way these people live.
I would say yes they are different but you and I are proably different in many ways as well .

Answer 10

No they aren't the perfect parents. Having 17 kids is insane. My brother in law has 13 children and I personally think he needs to quit breeding but his children are well behaved. Except for his pushy child. I have 19 nieces and nephews and they are all well behaved. They don't do stupid stuff as they all come home right after school. I mostly have nephews.

Answer 11

The test will come when one of their children comes home and announces he's gay, or maybe she's become an investment banker and doesn't plan to have any kids of her own.

With 18 kids, inevitably one of them will throw their parents a curve ball ... and while they've managed to sidestep most of those challenges during the teen years, with their kids entering adulthood, odds are that one or more will rebel eventually.

Who knows? The Duggars might turn out to be the decent people they appear to be on television ... or they might turn out to be the inflexible people they also appear to be on tv.