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TechnoratiHave you ever heard this old African proverb regarding kids?
“It takes a whole village to raise a child.”
The idea here is that much more than just parental involvement is needed for children to grow up properly. You need, well, the whole village.
Unless, of course, your family is a village…like the ones that are featured on The Learning Channel that cause an instantaneous ‘say wha???’
Like Jon and Kate Plus Eight, and I’ve heard a proposed reality show idea starring none other than Octomom…yeah, for sure let me know when that one comes out.
But the one that takes the whole enchilada has got to be 18 Kids and Counting. Yes, you have done your math correctly; there is a family/village in Arkansas consisting of mom, dad, and eighteen natural born siblings. To be specific:
It's official: The Duggars are a true pop culture phenomenon. With their regular appearances on national talk shows, their countless press clippings and their enormous online following, this 20-member family from Arkansas has all of America talking.
The patriarch and matriarch of this large-and still growing-group are former high school sweethearts, Jim Bob and Michelle. With values rooted in their strong personal faith, Jim Bob and Michelle firmly believe that every child is a gift to be cherished. After more than 20 years of marriage, the couple has received 18 gifts-ten boys and eight girls. With only two sets of twins among the 18 children, Michelle has been pregnant for 12 years of her life. Another vital piece of Duggar trivia is that each child’s name begins with a “J”-Joshua, Jana, John-David, Jill, Jessa, Jinger, Joseph, Josiah, Joy-Anna, Jeremiah, Jedidiah, Jason, James, Justin, Jackson, Johannah, Jennifer, and baby Jordyn-Grace. (Source: www.tlc.discovery.com)
You really need a visual on this one:
Oh - and she’s pregnant - so that’s where the ‘and counting’ plays in - get it?
What is interesting is that the Duggar’s had a miscarriage early on in their marriage which they decided was due to using birth control, so they decided to just let God give them as many children as He decided.
I’m guessing that you’ve picked up on the results of God’s decision.
Can you imagine growing up in this household? I can picture the parents trying to round everyone up for dinner:
“Has anyone seen Jessa through Jackson anywhere?”
“No - but have you checked the lower four counties of Arkansas?”
And where do you keep all food, clothes, and household items? I’m sure their digs would make a super Wal-Mart pretty much look like a corner gas station.
But there would be some very cool benefits to being a Duggar as well - one of the biggest being the fact that you are constantly surrounded by family, and even after everyone is out of the house, you’ll have siblings as long as you live.
I think you would always carry around this amazing feeling of belonging to something bigger than yourself, and you would know that no matter what, you have brothers and sisters to call on if you ever had a need.
Come to think of it, I do know that feeling. No, I didn’t grow up with a boatload of siblings - just one actually. But in another (and just as real) sense, I have more brothers and sisters than I could ever count - some estimate more than 2 billion! I’m not talking about the brother/sisterhood of humanity - as cool as that is, it doesn’t compare to this family:
As Jesus was speaking to the crowd, his mother and brothers stood outside, asking to speak to him. Someone told Jesus, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, and they want to speak to you.” Continue »
