Mason Duggar
Almost 2 years old
Josh and Anna are continuing their trend of welcoming a baby ever odd year. Mackynzie (October 2009) and Michael (June 2011) are just 20 months apart, while Michael and Marcus (June 2013) are two weeks short of two years apart. Meredith (July 2015) arrived 25 months after Marcus, and Mason (September 2017) made his grand entry 26 months later. If Baby #6 comes as expected in November, she will be 26 months younger than Mason.
Photo courtesy duggarfamily.com
I feel sorry for Anna, because such regular pregnancies must be hard on her body.
ReplyDeleteEh, don't feel too sorry for her. I had five and I loved being pregnant and having all those babies. Maybe she feels the same.
Delete2 years apart isnt bad its when they are 9 months apart that is. 2 years is a good gap
DeleteI feel sorry for the kids, because having a mom who's always having to take care of a baby must be hard on them. How do you get quality time with your mother when she's busy looking after babies and toddlers? I'll bet Kynzie has to be put on nanny duty.
DeleteYep. But at least her spacing is over 2 years. For instance, Kelly and Gil’s kids are all spaced 16 months or less (except Ellie and Callie). She was basically pregnant every single year for almost 20 years
DeleteI know but that's what she signed up for. Probably will have 4 or 5 more kids at this rate.
DeleteWhy would it be hard on her body,every two years is normal,Michelle and Kelly Bates had theirs one to one and a half years and their bodies are in good health,in the olden days it was normal for women to have large families and to start young,just because things have changed doesn't mean we all have to follow the flock.
DeleteShe will have more pregnancies before she stops having babies. I feel sorry for her too.
DeleteThat is no way of life for her.
I also hope Josh has given up his cheating on her.
Anna is a good woman and deserves a loving faithful husband.
Why feel sorry for her, I'm sure she participated in getting pregnant. She could have waited longer between pregnancies. Besides, two-ish years isn't like getting pregnant right away.
DeleteAll of my babies are closer together than that. Thankfully we have access to nutrients in our country, and we don’t have to perform intense manual labor in terrible conditions, and we aren’t normally at risk to fall ill with some terrible disease, so it’s really no big deal for us to be pregnant so frequently. Don’t you worry about her. :)
DeleteI don't feel sorry for her as she has a choice to not to keep having one child after another. I doubt it's happening against her will.
DeleteMichelle Duggar and Kelly Bates both had LESS spacing between their pregnancies, sometimes only 13 months between babies. But two years is still hard on the body... Pregnancy depletes your iron, your calcium along with many other nutrients, as well as being hard on your posture and your feet. Time in between to recharge your body is pretty important. I know I couldn't have done it. But it's their decision... they can handle it. They're built tough, that's for sure.
DeleteI am happy for Anna.
DeleteSome women handle pregnancy and childbirth better than others.
DeleteShe looks great!
DeleteI have six children closer in age than she does and my youngest is 6 months. All of my children are under two years apart. Some of us like having children close in age. And we are fine.
Deleteanna appears to be in really good shape physically. she seems to 'bounce back' quickly. some women are lucky and can have no problems
DeleteHow do we know that Michelle and Kelly Jo aren't wearing diapers after having all those kids because they have no bladder or bowel control? Of course, they wouldn't admit it if they were having trouble like that.
Delete2:13- In the "olden days", women often died in childbirth and yes, wore their bodies out from having so many kids. I would hazard to guess that many of them, given the choice, would gladly have used birth control if it had been available to them. Times being what they were, there wasn't much of a choice other than to have hubby sleep in the barn, which is what my great-grandfather ended up having to do. My own mother nearly died, along with the baby, at the birth of her sixth child. If you want to have lots of kids, do what works for you. But don't make it sound like it's something that's normal and or no problem.
DeleteI feel sorry for Anna, but it's not because of babies. I hope she's not having them to try to prove something to herself.
Delete6:28. Get back to us when you’re a senior citizen and suffering from uterine prolapse or leaky bladder.
Delete12:35- I do think some women keep having kids to make up for something lacking in their lives. It can become an addiction like anything else.
DeleteI have thirteen children, and I can assure you that I have time for every single one of the, and that I do not have to wear diapers under my clothes. Some of these comments are so ridiculous that it's hard not to roll my eyes! Obviously some people think that pregnancy and babies/children are a burden and hardship rather than a blessing. Very sad...
Delete@8:18,
Delete6:28 here. Uterine prolapse and weakened bladder are equally as common in women who have 0 babies as women who have multiple children. It is not caused by or definitively worsened by childbirth but by age. The muscles weaken more significantly with age, not childbirth. Do not bother refuting. I already consulted research performed by Pamela Levin, MD, urogynecologist and Assistant Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology with Penn Medicine.
Anna didn't ask for anyone to pity her. She is a grown woman who wanted a large family. Why pity her when she got what she wanted?
DeleteAnna is a sweet girl and a loving mama. I think kids are better off being fairly close in age like hers are, aprox. 2 years apart. Kids raised by themselves or far apart are at a disadvantage. They may get more attention, but often don't learn how to share or think of others like kids who grow up with siblings. I'm the oldest of 7. My kids are 12, 14, 26, 35, 36, 37. The older ones who grew up together only a year apart are more well-rounded than their younger siblings. Our middle child was basically an only child. Anna seems to be doing a good job and she has an experienced mother-in-law and sisters-in-law to help and advise her.
DeleteSunnysideup I didn’t see anyone say children were a burden. I don’t think it’s the wish of many women to have many many children, more children than they can provide for financially, emotionally or spiritually. Only the couple having children can decide what is good for them. As far as the physical effects of having a large number of pregnancies, I scheduled surgeries for a large urology practice 9 out of 10 women having bladder lifts were women who had more than three children. Good for you that you are not incontinent many women are.
DeleteKnew what she signed up to? She has the ability to choice her own life!
Deleteevery two years for how long? next one 2021, 23, 25, 27, 29, 31, 33, 35, 36.....trying to keep up with the parents.
ReplyDeleteAnna is 31 now and in 2036 she'll be 48.
DeleteCan’t wait for the Baby Duggar’s and Bates. What I think will happen is Anna will start a new trend and have 6 more babies by having a baby in Jan of 2022 and so then every 2 years (Mar 2024, May 2026, Jul 2028, Sep 2030, and Nov 2032 (age 44).
ReplyDeleteDid you miss Josiah Duggar birthday?
ReplyDeleteSo it appears. Maybe there'll be an update on him and Lauren soon.
DeleteJosh and Anna's children are all so beautiful
ReplyDeleteSuch beautiful healthy children. God has blessed them.
ReplyDeleteMason is an adorable little boy..
ReplyDeleteI feel sorry for Anna as well
ReplyDeleteWhy? It is her choice. Nobody is forcing her to.
Delete2 years is a good age difference and large families are a beautiful thing.
ReplyDeleteI don't call this 'leaving it up to God". She's obviously timing conception. This is human manipulation of things they claim to 'do nothing to prevent' yet they time for the opposite. No need for any woman to put herself or her own body through this over and over again. Just my opinion.
ReplyDeleteYou can time your conceptions -- or attempt to do so -- but, ultimately, it all IS up to God, because only God decides whether a conception will occur and a child will be born of it. When we "leave it up to God," we just leave ourselves open to His plan of whether we will receive a child in our efforts to have one. The decision is actually His.
DeleteOften a birth pattern develops in a family....she may nurse her children all to about the same age and use non chemical methods such as a calendar to help avoid pregnancy during the nursing period. Done nursing stop watching the calendar...pregnant again. Anna came from a large family and wants a large family, I don’t think she sees it as putting herself through something.
DeleteDebbie- Following your logic about conception ultimately being up to God, then it follows that it's also his decision when unmarried women or teens become pregnant. Doesn't make any sense to me, however.
DeleteDebbie- So, it's God's plan that people who are unfit to be parents will have children? It then stands to such reasoning that an all-powerful Creator who decides when someone will conceive would also have it within his power to prevent conception in cases where it's so obviously needed. The number of abused and neglected children in this world proves that isn't happening.
DeleteDebbie- if God is all powerful, and conception is up to him, why can’t he work around birth control? If a child is meant to be born at a certain time, why not make the woman ovulate despite the birth control? And yet, that rarely actually happens.
DeleteAnon 9:12. Amen to that. If God was in charge of who gets pregnant and when there would be no unwanted pregnancies, no miscarriages, etc.
DeleteDebbie God gives us free will.
DeleteI know people who have gotten pregnant after using preventative lol. That was God!
DeleteI love Josh and Anna's story. It is sad, but so full of hope. Anna is such an amazing role model.
ReplyDelete6 is enough! Especially with Josh.
ReplyDeleteI wonder exactly what sort of job Josh has that enables him to support this large family. Anna doesn't work outside the home and they're not on the TV show.
DeleteOops 1:56 you stepped out of your lane and said something out of line. The number of children someone has and who they have them with is none of your business.
DeleteTwo was enough for me!
DeleteAww, Mason looks like Marcus!💗
ReplyDeleteI love Anna! She is one of my favorite Duggars and miss her on Counting On!
ReplyDeleteWhat do you mean by 2x3? Two by three what?
ReplyDelete2 x 3 = 6. Anna is pregnant with her sixth child.
DeleteMy guess is 3 girls and 3 boys = 2x3 = 6 kids.
DeleteI was also, confused by the Title, of this post.
DeleteI think Ellie means 3 boys and 3 girls as the upcoming baby will be a girl.
DeleteThat confused me too. I think it's referring to two genders times 3 of each gender?
DeleteTwo times three = six
Deletelol, i took it to mean 2 years apart 3 times
DeletePoor Makynzie. At nearly 10 you know she’s now raising those siblings.
ReplyDeleteThat is the problem with large families. I’m glad I didn’t grow up raising my siblings. That’s a pretty sad childhood
DeleteNo we don't know and neither do you,I'm sure she will help out as will all the kids,I can picture Meredith begging to help with the bathing and fetching diapers and so on,I reckon that is actually fun for the kids seeing as they are so looking forward to the baby coming,for some kids it's fun to play video games all day but that won't teach them to be responsible and self less,so I for one agree how they and their parents have brought up their kids.
DeleteI think Anna is doing a pretty good job. She isn't like Michelle who delegated parenting to her older children as they got old enough to be "junior parents".
DeleteAnon @9 AM Anna has only 5 kids now, and Michelle was saying that she was more organized with 10 than when there was chaos with 5. Anna is very lucky, she has a husband with 18 siblings, and I'm sure all younger ones who are not married are happy to babysit. Michelle did not have it. She was able to rely only on herself and Jimbob, and when older kids were getting old enough they could help too.
DeleteAnna doesn't have any older children yet.
DeleteI have six children. My oldest is 9. She does not raise her younger siblings. She might hold the baby for a few minutes or help one of her brothers do something. She loves being a big sister. I did have my children and not her, so I do my best to take care of everyone and let her help with small tasks when needed. It's also wonderful to see the bond my older children have with their younger siblings.
DeleteI am sure Anna does just fine.
We have a large family, and our older ones do not raise the younger children. They do help out sometimes and love to do it. Sometimes argue amongst each other to see who gets to play with the youngest. I love how people assume that they know that "this is the problem with large families".
DeleteMichelle was more organized with 10 because Grandma Mary was there all the time helping, someone in their Church was helping with the laundry, and the older children were wearing and taking care of all their little "buddies" needs- per Michelle's own interviews, the Duggar books, and the TLC early shows.
Delete@7:45 PM I think Grandma Mary moved in with them only around 2009 when the Grandpa passed away. They all moved into the big house I think in 2006, and Johannah was born before that, and she is 16th child. So Grandma moved in with them when they already had way more than 10 kids.
DeleteThe 10th and 11th are the twin boys, and they were born in December 1998. At that time Josh, the oldest, was almost 11. They lived in a small 3-bed house with like 1 bathroom. Maybe the church people were helping, but I think the main thing was the buddy system, when older kids were helping with a particular younger child. Like, Jill wanted to be Joy's buddy when they learnt it will be a girl,and Jill was born in May 1991 and Joy in October 1997, so Jill was like 6.5 years old when Joy was born.
It is hard to imagine how Michelle could operate this household - when the twin boys were born, she had Joy at 14 months, then Josiah was 2 years and 4 months, Joseph was not even 4. The older girls, the youngest Jinger was 5 at that time, Jessa 6, Jill was 7.5, John&Jana were almost 9, and Josh almost 11. So 7.5 year old Jill was taking car of 14 month old Joy, and I guess Jana could look after Josiah and Joe... Jessa and Jinger at 6 and 5 could be self-sufficient already? Like, seriously, how is it possible to manage such a household??
@4:16 No, Grandma Mary was there helping them when the show first began and they were living in the small house. She may not have been sleeping there at night, but she was there during the day to help and to babysit. As far as household management, Michelle tried, but the kids still found ways to get around that when she was busy or wasn't looking. They talked about this in books, and some you know from the news that broke a few years ago.
DeleteI guess it depends on the family and how they make it work.
DeleteAnna is a grown up. Her choice to keep having babies.
ReplyDelete@Ellie you didn't post on Josiah's birthday on Aug 28th.
ReplyDeleteToo many Duggars to keep track of. lol
DeleteSuch an adorable picture. So happy for this growing family.
ReplyDeleteWhy do you feel sorry for Anna? I do believe she is willingly having babies and they are well spaced. I don’t know anyone who would want to be pregnant as many times as Michelle and that I’m sure was physically demanding. Six pregnancies aren’t the hardest part....daily care and feeding of the children would be. Anna must be very patient.
ReplyDeleteAnon 11.01. To be fair in hospital we often say to new mums before they leave “see you in 2 years”. Thats actually quite a normal spacing between births, assuming the birth has been normal & without complication & not a c.section. However Anna is now on to her 6th pregnancy & yes it will be getting stressful on her body. Her uterus will become more lax with each pregnancy & complications with low lying placenta can be more prevalent. Hopefully all goes well for Anna (she seems to have good deliveries overall). Though maybe next time (if they have a 7th child), they will space it a little longer, & give her body a chance to get back to normal for a longer period of time. I have great respect for Anna & wish this woman nothing but luck & happiness, she very much deserves it.
ReplyDeleteYou shouldn't say that. It is wrong to assume that every woman wants to have or can have more children.
DeleteMaybe so but you can most often tell the ones that will be back within that time period & over the years Iv seen many mums within the 24/30 month period between deliveries. It would also never be said to a woman that has had difficulties conceiving or has gone down the IVF route, or lost pregnancies in the past. Yes there are women that say “I’m never having another” & obviously no one would be so insensitive as to say anything to those women either. We don’t say it to people that have more than one baby either so, we do try to be sensitive. It’s not like we are on a bonus if mums come back time & again.
DeleteSuch a sweet picture
ReplyDeleteSo judgmental. Why don't you just worry about yourself and keep your opinions to yourself.
ReplyDeleteHow dull life would be if no one was allowed to express their opinion. That's what makes this blog interesting.
DeleteAnon 10.13. I totally agree, that’s what I love about this blog, so many people have differing opinions & Ellie & Lily police the blog excellently. They are completely non judgemental & allow a varied amount of comments through, so their blog doesn’t appear one sided or biased one way or the other. I don’t know where they have the time to trawl through everything & moderate the comments as well as they do, however we all greatly appreciate the fact they bring this forum to us to comment upon. Vary rarely do you see something in appropriate get through & when it does it’s quickly taken down. Keep up the good work ladies. I love reading all the different viewpoints, even the ones I don’t agree with. Life would be very boring if we all agreed on everything.
DeleteI wish the words "jealous," "ignorant," and "troll" were banned. Comments with those in them are usually the worst. If you disagree with a comment, do it in an intelligent way and don't resort to name-calling. It doesn't prove your point and it only makes you look bad!
DeleteI think birth years are interesting. I have six children. I have one daughter and five boys. My daughter and I are born in even years. My husband and all of my sons are born in odd years. Not sure it'll stay that way but my daughter really likes that.
ReplyDeleteoh wow! i didnt realize mine are the same too until you mentioned it! girls in even years, boys in odd. and going back a couple of generations too including my grandparents. thanks for pointing this out
DeleteI should look to see if ours goes back to grandparents as well. That's awesome.
DeleteKudos to Anna cause I wouldn't be able to handle that many children.
ReplyDeleteI do like Anna's spacing being a little further apart than Michelle's, however. JMO, but I think spacing them closer to 2 years than 1.5 years makes a difference. Their children are darling.
ReplyDeleteI follow this family, but IMO this tradition of having as many children as possible isn't a good one. I have a feeling that Jinger and Jeremy may break with it and have a smaller family.
ReplyDeleteI find it interesting, that if you compare the duggar daughters, and the duggar daughter-In-Laws, to how many kids Michelle had, at the age, these women, are currently at, then: Kendra (21), Lauren (20-when first child arrives,) and Joy Anna (20-When she had Gideon in Feb. 2018,) all have more children, than Michelle had at these ages. Michelle, was born, on Sept. 13th, 1966. At 20, Michelle, had zero kids. At 21, Michelle, was about 1, and a half months, in, to her pregnancy, with Josh. On the other hand: Anna (31), Jill (28), Abbie (27--With a guess of a January due date,) Jessa (26), and Jinger (25,) all have less kids, than Michelle had, at these respective ages. At 31, Michelle had 8 children, and was about six weeks away, from giving birth to Joy Anna. At 28, Michelle had six kids, and was just starting her sixth month of pregnancy, with Joseph. At 27, Michelle had five kids, and was a little over 3 months away, from giving birth, to Jinger. At 26, Michelle had four kids, and was about a month and a half away, from giving birth to Jessa. At 25, Michelle, had four children,, and was not yet pregnant, with Jessa. As tome goes on, it will be interesting to see, if the rest of the Duggar daughters, end up having kids, or not, and if they do have children, how their pregnancy rates, will compare to Michelle's pregnancy rate. Finally, as time goes on, it will be interesting to see, how the rates of pregnancy, of any new Duggar Daughter's in Law, compare to Michelle's rate of pregnancy.
Deletei seriously doubt that any of them have as many children as they do siblings but if any of them do, my guess would be joe & kendra. i wonder if anyone else will have twins other than michelle! abbie would be the obvious one i'd think.
Delete4.41. Interesting facts. However, we know Duggar daughters and daughters in law are using some form of birth control even if it’s NFP. Anna is clearly spacing children every couple years, Jinger waited almost a year to get pregnant and has yet to announce another pregnancy, Jessa spaced 2 and 3 apart, Jill’s are 2+ years and no announcement for # 3 yet etc. I hope Anna is done with #6 as I don’t get the impression Josh wanted to repeat his parents lifestyle even though Anna does. Kendra might have children numbering in the teens, but I don’t see that with Lauren.
DeleteLet's not forget that Michelle had twins (John and Jana), so that one pregnancy resulted in 2 kids at once. They were born in January 1990, so Michelle was 23 at that time. But also she got married when she was 17, almost 18, and they waited to have kids. It was 4 years after their marriage when they had their first child, Josh. And 5.5 years after she had 3 kids.
DeleteHer first son John married at 20 (in 2008), and had first child (Mackynzie) at 21 (in 2009), and 5 years after he got married he had 3 kids too. Jill just celebrated her 5-year wedding anniversary in June, and she has 2 kids. Jessa will have 5 years of marriage this November, and she has 3 kids already (Ivy was born 4.5 years after their wedding).
Jinger got married in November 2016, not even 3 years now, she has 1 child. Joy got married 2 years ago, and she already has a 1 year old and had a miscarriage at a late term. Joe got married 2 years ago too, and she has his second child arriving in a couple of month. Josiah is married for just a year, and he is having his first child soon too, and this is after a previous miscarriage.
Like, Michelle's kids have their kids right after they get married, unlike Michelle who was waiting.
If you count by years of marriage, after 10 years of marriage Anna had 5 kids. After 10 years of marriage, in July 1994, Michelle had 6 kids, and this is only because she had twins with John and Jana.
DeleteWe shall see where Jessa will be in 5 years. Most probably she will be at 6 too.
I think Kendra will stop for a little while after she has her daughter - she will have one of each, no reason to rush into a new pregnancy. I think Lauren might want to have another baby soon enough, and she will treasure every new baby because of her miscarriage. Jinger does not seem like she would want to have many kids, I can't see her even with a 2nd child. Jill seems to be happy with only 2 now, and her husband in Law School, I don't see her having another child soon.
I think Michelle is just a miracle, because not only she was able to get pregnant so often, she had twins, and also she was able physically to have so many pregnancies. Each pregnancy does some damage to woman's body, this or another way. Women get issues with kidneys, heart, teeth. After a c-section there is a muscle damage, scar tissue issues. Like, pregnancy is difficult on a body.
DeleteI think Jessa is very healthy and might want to have many kids. Anna seems to take it alright. Kendra as well. However, Jill was fine through a pregnancy but had horrible deliveries by some reason. Joy's second pregnancy ended at late turn. But like after a 3rd pregnancy woman's body will show is it's capable for more pregnancies or not. Like, it's not as easy as get pregnant-have a baby; a woman still has to go through 9 months of carrying and growing a baby inside her own body, and then she has to give birth.
That's cute they'll have their own version of Brady bunch kids with 3 boys 3 girls! 💕👩🧑 I think the girls name Maggie is adorable!💖Birth name could be Margaret Anna and call her Maggie!
ReplyDeleteHe is cute and growing fast! But I am sutprised he is pantsless!
ReplyDeleteAnon 1.57. Why are you surprised he has no trousers or shorts on ? He has a lovely little all in one romper suit on (not usually worn with anything & designed for use alone). I think he looks gorgeous. He is a very cute child, as are all Anna’s Kids. They all favour her side of the family too, especially her dad.
DeleteOh my! Doesn't matter how hot it is, he should be wearing pants. lol
DeleteWell, he's not exactly pantless, but I know what you mean. I would have preferred seeing him (his mom) follow their tradition of more modest clothing, but I guess it is one of those things where it's maybe borderline - could be ok, could be more modest. I would prefer more modest, myself. I just think it is better to "err" on the side of caution, or more modesty.
DeleteAnon 1:23. How is a two year old wearing a "onesie" immodest?
DeleteModesty?for a baby?oh what a shame to show chubby little legs,Felicity was showing her legs at the aquqrium on her birthday photo also but nobody mentioned that,and it should be worst for girls,oh well as long as they remembered to criticise now.
DeleteYou are aware children shouldn’t become too overheated I presume ! It’s the middle of summer in Arkansas & I’m sure very hot, Mason’s little romper suit is perfect for summer. When my son was little he wore shorts & romper suits all the time. There is nothing immodest about them, only in people’s skewed way of thinking could you see immodesty in what that child has on. Personally I would rather he was kept cool & didn’t suffer heat stroke by being far too overdressed, it’s extremely bad for a young child’s cardiovascular system to get too hot by being overdressed. It also causes many skin complaints with heat rash & yeast infections in the skin folds if a child is too overdressed & overly hot.
DeleteGood grief, he's a baby. Enough with the modesty nonsense!
DeleteIt's about a zillion degrees in Arkansas in the summer and you're expecting the poor kid to wear pants? Are you serious. Kids have been wearing this type outfit for years and no one thought it "immodest" or something.
DeleteModesty standards for a 2 year-old kid ? Please tell me that you're kidding !
Delete@1:23 He is a baby!! This "modesty" talk is ridiculous.
DeleteWhen did a playsuit on a toddler become "immodest"? He looks like he's wearing what any other child his age would be wearing in the summer.
DeleteWow. Guess you didn't watch "Rug Rats" because of the "immodest" Tommy who never wore anything but a diaper. lol
DeleteThis is a toddler not an adult. The "modesty" thingy has gone overboard IMO. Where I live babies wear rompers in the summer and some of them are (gasp) sleeveless.
DeleteWhen exactly do the Duggars transition from showing diapers and showing arms to making girls wear leggins and extra t-shirts under dresses? Wonder who determines that age for the change and why. Childhood should be a time of innocence, not a time of parents making you worry that you're exposing skin in some potentially seductive way when you're 3 years old. How can little kids understand that anyway?
DeleteBe glad you don't live in my depraved area (KY) where when it's really hot babies are often seen in public places wearing nothing but a diaper.
Delete4:22, I really hope you meant to say deprived, not depraved.
DeleteI had my 4 babies around the same time as Anna had hers. All our kids each came within a few months or just days of each other. But I'm 12 years older and I stopped at 4. Too hard to be 40 and thinking about just getting pregnant. I've had a lot of physical health issues, plus my kids are, and I say it in a nice way, "high maintenance" just not the easiest kids. So they take a lot of focus. Otherwise I'd be keeping going like sweet Anna is. She has beautiful littles! Love to All!
ReplyDeleteAll kids take a lot of focus - and deservedly so. The question then becomes are you producing so many so fast that you can't give that proper focus?
Delete12:33 - I think you are our of line jumping all over what 3:19 said. You have absolutely no idea of her circumstances. And she doesn’t need to defend herself. Frankly most moms would tell you that there are days when even 1 child can be exhausting.
Delete3.19. I totally admire your honesty, your an incredible mum to admit what I think every mother often feels. Some kids are very hard work, & to admit that is totally refreshing. I have more concern for people that say their kids never cause them stress, all kids are stressful at some point in time. I also empathise with your health issues. I have an auto immune condition RA, that makes my joints sore, stiff & can make me generally unwell at times. I take a cocktail of meds to help & without them I couldn’t do my job, something that I was reminded of about 6 years ago when I had a severe flair up & my consultant told me my job was too much as I was standing all the time. I decided to study for a PhD & it meant that I could do a much easier job in management. I still deliver babies every week but I don’t have to stand every day for hours on end, a lot of my time is implementing training & recruiting new staff. When my kids were small, if I had a bad day it did seem extra difficult as I couldn’t run after them as I wanted. You sound a great mum, enjoy the 4 lovely children you have, & as they say life begins at 40 (it definitely did for me).
DeleteI think it's a good space out. Her body gets to rest from a pregnancy, but also she can pay individual attention to each kid as well.
ReplyDeleteI don’t think that with 6 kids she’s able to pay individual attention to them anymore
DeleteKnowing quite a few parents with 6 or more children, when mom has to start "scheduling" individual time with the children to make sure she fits them in, she has too many children. Children's emotional issues don't happen on schedule and they have many, many emotional needs across all the stages of childhood development. They need parents who are regularly available and accessible.
Delete@ 8:00 am,I'm sure being a stay at home mum she can give them more attention than a working mum who works around eight hours,after a new born would sleep more than eight hours.
DeleteHave you had six children? If not, then you really can't say. I do have six children and they all get the attention they need. It's little things that they need as far as attention goes that makes a big difference.
DeleteSure she can give them individual attention. When you're home with them all day, you have opportunities if you take them.
Delete8:00, thinking that having a large family prevents you from getting quality time with your parents is so idiotic. That solely lies on your parents MAKING time for you. I grew up as the second of five children and I was closer with my parents than many of my friend who had only one or two siblings. I’m 19 and never once growing up was I made to feel like my parents didn’t have enough time for me.
DeleteIt's not idiocy 2:42 (and 1:09). It's a mathematical fact. Twenty-four hours divided by 6 children is different than those same 24 hours divided by 1 or 2 children. No parent can "make" time. It's a finite commodity. If time is being devoted to children, then there are 2 or 3 or 10 other things not being done with that time, and vice versa. If time is being devoted to 1 child, then the others aren't getting it.
Delete5:00, and once again, the things that are important to you are the things you make time for. A parent could have only two children and within the time of a month spend very little time with their kids and no one on one time whatsoever, whereas you could have parents with four children, who make sure within the time of a month to spend individual time with each of their kids, as well as spending time with everyone together as a family. Having less kids does NOT automatically equal more attention to each child, that is up to the parents to make happen.
Delete2:42- I am a retired schoolteacher. I can tell you that the amount of individual attention I could give each student correlated with the class size in any given year. This should not come as any surprise that the same is true for families.
DeleteIf you are going to use math to try and say that these kids in large families don't get enough attention then try factoring in the 8-9 hours a day many moms are away from their kids at work. Or the 7-8 hours most kids are in school. These home schooled families don't lose that time 5 days a week.
DeleteMany parents who work outside of the home only see their kids feom dinner on. That's just a couple of hours spending time with them before getting them ready for bed. I used to work as a nanny in New York and the parents were nice but they didn't get home until 6pm due to the commute. The child went to bed 8 to 8:30. Even on late nights with bed at 9, that's only 3 hours. He was in preschool at the time. It seems obvious to me that by homeschooling they are spending more quality time with their kids than the loving family I worked for did. I also bet that a lot of the people complaining have no problem with women working full-time. If you are fair you can't complain about a lack of quality time in big families that homeschool but encourage and rejoice in mother's working outside the home.
DeleteI am the one who posted a bit ago who worked as a nanny. I want to add that even if the mom is a stay at home mom she may not have much one on one time with her kids if they are not homeschooled. After 7 hours at school many parents put their kids in extra curricular activities. This means they aren't going home right after school to spend quality time with Mom. They are going to soccer practice, gymnastics, piano lessons, etc. Then they come home and do homework while mom makes dinner. Finally, IF the parents don't allow the TV or Internet they finally get that quality time. Duggars don't even watch TV and probably not much internet so have time to play and talk to their kids at night as well as during the day.
DeleteI love your large family. I came From a large one myself. Each & every one of your children are beautiful as i’m Sure number 6 will be also. I wish josh & Anna the best.
ReplyDeleteEven just one pregnancy can be quite hard on a woman's body, but would you every say that about a mom of 1? No, you wouldn't. "Oh, you've had a baby? I'm so sorry for what that must have done to your body!"
ReplyDelete1 vs 6 isn’t the same
DeleteThe Duggars carry having babies to excess. Just look at those shoes Michelle has to wear and it's obvious that the number of pregnancies she's had has taken its toll on her body. IMO Anna would do well to make this her last pregnancy so she has the time and energy to devote to her large and growing family.
DeleteThe next one could be born in an even year if they follow the 26 months difference, in January 2022.
ReplyDeleteMason is adorable! just like the rest.
ReplyDeleteMason is so cute.
ReplyDeleteMason is a cute little boy.
ReplyDeleteThis couple needs to work on their marriage (well, Josh needs to) and stop having babies for a while. Babies are wonderful but they can be a giant distraction from bigger issues.
ReplyDeleteHow do you know they have or haven’t worked on their marriage. Gosh some on here are so bossy.
Delete7:32- You are missing the OP's main point, which is that babies can be a distraction from bigger issues. Working on a troubled marriage is an ongoing thing and healing does not happen in a vacuum. I would add that bringing more children into such a relationship is not using good judgment.
DeleteAll of their children look so much alike. Gorgeous kids.
ReplyDeleteHe is so cute!
ReplyDeleteLove his outfit. They are blessed to be able to have a big family
ReplyDeleteLove josh and anna. I miss seeing them on the show.
ReplyDeleteI don’t. Don’t want to hear their “testimony”. Procreating is not a sign of a healed marriage or a changed Josh. It’s just biology.
DeleteFrankly I don't miss them. All the children would be much better off NOT being on national TV. I'm not a fan of Derrick but he made a good decision to get off the show and stop exploiting his children.
DeleteI wouldn't want to hear it either. It would all be too carefully scripted and rehearsed for the audience, the way the interviews were after the news first broke.
DeleteSuch a beautiful family.
ReplyDeleteAnna is such a gracious lady. More women need to model her behavior.
ReplyDeleteNo they don’t. I love Anna, but she is not someone that women should be mirroring. (And I don’t mean choosing to have a large family.)
DeleteHe is adorable. Looks like the rest of them.
ReplyDeleteMason does look a lot like his older brother Marcus and his grandfather Keller. I see the Keller in him more than the Duggar.
ReplyDeleteAhh he is so adorable!!! Josh and Anna have such beautiful children!!
ReplyDeleteAnna's new daughter will be Duggar's 16th grandchild and born around the time Duggar's first grandchild, Mackynzie (Anna's first child too), will turn 10!
ReplyDeleteI wonder if they decided on a name already. I vote Meagan or Maryanne.
ReplyDeleteLittle M girl is coming in November!
ReplyDeleteHappy 2nd Birthday Mason Garrett, Hard to believe its been 2 years. I can't wait to see what God has in store for you. I would love to see the family on Counting On. I love watching the children grow. Natasha B.
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