Glad you were able to watch them, I love all the shows they have done on them. Happy Birthday Joanna hope you had a great day! Sam
I think the more kids you have the more they need to help out. We live in a very cushy world now. lol. I mean what are families for if not to help out and be there for one another? One family is like a team and should be working together for the same goal. I don't think the kids should be worked to death while mom and dad sit around...however, I don't see that in this family at all. My daughter is 9 and loves to care for her 2 year old sister. She has not real responsibility but she helps out tremendously! My 9 year old even does the dishes and puts her own laundry away! I only have three kids...someone call children's services! LOL. I think the Duggers seems like a great family. I see no wrong in them all working together.
I guess I have problems with (among other things) the fact that the 15 yo girl and the 17yo girl have to cook lunch and dinner each and every day (per the family's website and the documentaries). The 15yo has to cook lunch and the 17yo cooks dinner. Aside from the fact that the kids shouldn't have to cook for that many people every day by themselves, it's terribly sexist. The older boys don't have to do any of the cooking. While I feel strongly about my role as a housewife, teaching children gender specific chores just burns my butt. Obviously my opinion of this family is very different than most of yours. I am really not trying to start an argument . Just throwing in my 2 cents...lol.
Amie.. I agree about the cooking. I think they should all take part. I am not into the gender specific chores. My dh isn't either. He often cooks and will include my son while doing so. Amie...LOL...that was you that said something??? LOL..I am sorry. that is my brain not working again. I didn't read through all the posts...I thought the Duggers were being critizied publicly for having the kids do the chores. LOL. Sorry!!!! LOL. Guess, I should be doing my chores right now..lol. If it means anything...I agree completely with the girls and cooking. lol. I guess a large family will have to depend more on the children. However, there needs to be a balance. We do not raise children to make our lives easier. They need to learn responsibilty and basic life skills but they also need to be individuals.
I thought that was a little much having the girls cook the meals, too. I guess on the bright side, if they only have a few kids of their own, cooking should be a breeze. I think it would be interesting to see how many kids the kids have and how they choose to raise their families. A few years back there was an interesting documentary called "The Devil's Playground" about Amish kids during their "running around time." And then it followed some who decided to stay in the church and some who didn't. I guess that's another thread! Anyway, with 17 kids they are going to have a TON of grandkids even if each just had 2 or 3!
I believe that regardless how many children a family has, whether it is two or 20, the parental roll should be played by the parent because this is their title for a reason. It is perfectly fine for older children to help, but if they are actually "parenting" then I would see a problem in this. God gave children a mom and dad for a reason. There is an influence and specific type of love a child desires that only a parent can provide. Minors do not have the authority or the maturity of an adult and in the long run it will be the children who miss out on parental interaction. I have known people with two and three children. The oldest daughters are the primary caregivers. They bath the younger ones, prepare meals, wash dishes, help with school work, take them to their friends house, and get them ready for bed. I believe this is a far cry from helping around the house. I also know people with 9 children and the mom is fabulous. I have no idea how she does it but she does.:lol: She is wonder mom! She bathes them like an assembly line. She has their clothes on the beds so when they get out of the tub, they are straight in the rooms to dress. She drives a 12 seater van around town. The one area the older children help out is with chores and things that are just commonly done in large families or small families. To top it off, her husband in the military. Like I said, I have no idea how she does it but she is a great mom. Patty
I am instantly disqualified from having a ton of kids because there is no way I could drive a huge van without crashing into everything. I am planning on driving a Corolla until I die!:lol: Seriously, though, I agree, Patty. Sometimes just Mama or Daddy will do, and there is just so much of you that it seems like it would be hard to be there for everyone like you should or wanted to.
That is so funny! I usually drive my Marquis. It is a large car. Well, once we had to rent a car and we ended up renting a Corolla. It ran beautifully but I felt so anxious because I was used to a large car. When I was on the freeway, I felt so close to the road.LOL It seemed as if the trucks towered over me. Which they did. Even in the Marquis. I used to love small cars. When I was dating Handsome I had a small red car. It only fit two people even though it had two bucket seats in the back. I think they were for looks because no adult could possible sit in the back unless their legs were pulled up to their body. Then when we got the Marquis, I hated it. It was so big. I thought I would hit someone because it has a wide turning radious. Well, I love it now. Next year I am hoping to get a new one. Handsome wants to get the new Mustang but it isn't reasonable because I drive my sisters children around with me a lot. Patty
When I got my first car, it was a Geo Prizm (the Corolla's cousin) and I drove that for about 10 years, but I also used to drive my mom's Tahoe if I was taking a longer trip because she felt safer with me in that. But after we moved away I never drove it and got the Corolla and when we came back to visit I had to drive her car and I was terrified--she moved up to a Suburban by then. I was POSITIVE I was going to mow someone down and I always parked at the very end of the parking lot. My husband teases me and says I need to get a Camry next time, but I am perfectly satisfied with mine. He can get the big car if he wants it so much!!
Handsome's truck is full size and some what high up. He asks me to drive it sometimes and I I do not like to because it is too difficult for me to park in a parking lot. It is a breeze for him and he makes it look so easy. Once he even wanted me to back it up with the trailer attached and I just gave him the look! He went ahead and did it himself. Driving forward is one thing. Backing it up with the trailer attached is a whole other ball game.LOL Patty
Patty....the was a perfect way to describe the balance of having kids help out and parents being the parents! AMEN!
