Joshua Duggar Wants a Big Family

by Susan Wagner (Subscribe to Susan Wagner's posts) Jan 12th 2009 1:00PM

Categories: Bump Watch, Celeb Kids, Celeb Parenting

For most newlyweds, the change from being single to sharing a house with someone else can be a bit of a shock. After all, there's suddenly another person there all the time!

Duggar Family Album

Love Me Do
Joshua Duggar is one of 18 children. Anna Duggar, formerly Keller, is one of 8. The two married in September 2008 and they're leaving the number of children they have "up to God."

Courtesy Duggar Family

Josh Duggar, 20, the eldest sibling, married Florida native Anna Keller in September 2008. The two met at a home-schoolers' conference in 2006, said People.com. Josh Duggar said it was love at first sight and he spent the next two years courting Keller. "Dating means you're shopping around," he told the paper. "A courtship is the path toward marriage."

Courtesy Duggar Family

The Duggar family celebrating the arrival of Jennifer, born in August 2007. Also pictured are Johannah, Jackson, Justin, James, Jason, Jedidiah, Jeremiah, Joy-Anna, Josiah, Joseph, Jinger, Jessa, Jill, Jana, John-David and Joshua. The newest addition, Jordyn-Grace Makiya, was born on December 18, 2008, weighing 7 pounds, 3 ounces.

Beth Hall, AP

The Duggars in Times Square in May 2008. Ain't it a miracle how the family gets through the streets of New York City without losing anyone. The reactions from people who encountered the Duggars on the street? As shown on their TLC series, most say the same thing: "17 kids? Wow."

Courtesy Duggar Family

All the kids, 17 shown here in 2008, play piano and violin and the girls play harp. According to the Duggar's site, "At 9:00AM, the older children help their buddies with their studies in phonics, math, violin & piano (J-O-Y- Jesus first, Others second, & Yourself last!). Then the older children start their music & individual studies - math, English, spelling & typing."

Courtesy Duggar Family

The Duggars on a 2008 shoot outside their 7,000 square foot home (completed in 2006) in Tontitown, Ark. Say cheese.

Courtesy Duggar Family

For Joshua Duggar, though, the change to married life is precisely the opposite. Instead of sharing his space with 17 siblings, Joshua is making a life with his new wife, Anna (who is from a family of eight children). But as much as the couple are enjoying their time together, they are already planning for a big family. Of course.

Joshua told People magazine that "I would welcome a big family. My parents have been wonderful examples." And Anna is on board, too. "I would love to have as many children as God would bless us with. Growing up in a large family, and Joshua in a mega-family, you learn so much more. I think a large family helps you prepare for life."

Life outside the realm of normal for most of us. But in true Duggar fashion, even the littlest addition to the family, Jordyn-Grace, born on December 18, 2008, is thriving amidst a crowd of brothers and sisters. "The nursing experience is going great," Michelle told ParentDish in an exclusive interview. "She's growing all the time and looks just like a Duggar."

The only challenge seems to be keeping "big" sister Jennifer, now one-and-a-half, at bay. "She's always coming up and saying, 'kiss, kiss, baby, baby,'" said Michelle. "It's all we can do to keep her from leaving puddles on the baby's cheek, let alone sit on or poke her." Jordyn's buddy is 16-year-old Jessa, who wants to be a fashioner designer. "She'd be happy to change the baby's outfits three times a day."

And why not? Jinger, 15, is the one responsible for all the laundry.

You watch Joshua and Anna's engagement and wedding on January 25 on TLC. The series is back on Tuesdays, beginning January 27.

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Comments (22)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)

Cindy Miller 1-12-2009 @ 2:55PM

I can relate to Anna. I am from a family of 9 children and being the oldest girl (4th in line) I learned to cook and do laundry for the whole family. It takes a while to get the hang of doing for only 2 people, but once you do, you will find it easy to make your way.

ilvnazoo 1-12-2009 @ 3:51PM

I think it is great to have a legacy such as these young people do. What a firm foundation to build on. Solid faith, good parents and great values.

from a mom of 13

Catherine 1-12-2009 @ 3:51PM

There was a Dalmatian in England that had 18 pups recently and a litter of 13 before this one. Surely, they aren't planning to keep up with those numbers! If they do have a super large family, I hope they won't exploit their children by taking them New York to be on the TODAY show or any other show.

Ken 1-12-2009 @ 3:52PM

Totally irresponsible. We have to be stewards to our planet. We've already passed the point where the earth can replenish resources as fast as we are using them. You can be a good steward, and only use so much, or be greedy - Yes, that's what it is - and breed like a virus. Anybody who thinks this is 'cute' needs to examine where we're at, and where we're going.

nancy 2-07-2009 @ 6:45PM

WHAT A STUPID REMARK. THESE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN BLESSED WITH A LARGE FAMILY AND IT IS A GIFT FROM GOD. IF YOU READ THE BIBLE YOU WOULD CLEARLY SEE THIS. THEY ARE BEING GOOD STEWARDS. THE EARTH ISNT GOING ANY WHERE UNTIL JESUS RETURNS SO DONT WORRY. IT IS JUST AS CRAZY AS THE NOTION THAT THERE IS SUCH A THING AS GLOBAL WARMING..FALSE ALSO.. GET INTO SCRIPTURE AND YOU CAN LEARN ALOT...

Steph 1-12-2009 @ 3:54PM

I love this family. Even though I think 18 is a bit much, my eye dr actually has 13. But the love the have for the Lord and their family is remarkable and something to be admired. I wish Josh all the happiness in the world with his new wife...and I'm actually awaiting to see the Duggar's grandchild. Plus, I wonder if they'll have any more once their children start giving them grandchildren?

Steph 1-12-2009 @ 3:58PM

Ken, I don't understand what's so irresponsible about this. What's more irresponsible, a loving mother and father who don't depend on any means other than their own to support their 18 children, or the 14 and 15 year old girls getting pregnant cause they think babies are "cute". Or maybe it's ok to have 18 kids as long as you're not married, there's 10 different daddies and your collecting welfare cause you can't work. People are having babies everyday...this family is not depleting the earth, the 3 billion people that live on the earth are depleting the earth. Life and death are going to happen. The population is going to grow. There are more people doing wrong that this wonderful, God filled family.

Bill 1-12-2009 @ 4:55PM

I understand where Ken is coming from. This is certainly an unusual family story that some may hold up as a nostalgic and moral ideal...but how many people can honestly support a family like this? They have a 7,000 square foot home for goodness sake. My mother was one of 13 and she never had a one on one relationship with her mother (there wasn't time). She would have been the first to tell you that adults should parent not their sibling "buddies". Being "fruitful" in the old days was a safeguard against a high infant mortality rate...how does that relate to today's world?

tiredlady2008 1-12-2009 @ 6:37PM

If people want to have large quantities of children, fine with me, but only if they can afford to care for them. It is not fair to expect the taxpayers to support a whole brood of children just because someone wants to have them. People need to be responsible and stop making babies they cannot afford to care for. There is a lady in my town who was featured in the newspaper because she had 8 kids in 10 years, and was totally being cared for with taxpayer money, clothing donations and food stamps. Instead of the system helping her, maybe they should have invested time and money in giving her birth control information and let her be happy with one or two kids she could afford.

Wendell 1-12-2009 @ 5:23PM

What the world needs now is for more families to emulate the values shown by the Duggar family whether they have one child, eighteen, or none at all. I have no fear of people with strong values and skills for having and rearing successful, productive, happy children overpopulating the earth. I do however fear the dominant culture which teaches sloth, self indulgence, and the false idea that the world is "worn out" or "tired". Most of these hand wringers are just closet commies who use fear of a dying world to convince us to give up our faith, and our liberties. Don't listen to them. I say "More Duggars" and fewer Sluggerds.

Julie Jackson 1-12-2009 @ 5:55PM

I am a happily married mother of 2 and while 18 kids is not for me I LOVE this show and this family. I love the morals and things they stand for with our televisions full of immoral things for our entertainment. Their new book is amazing and gave me lots of tips on living a debt free life and organizing my home. Also, an older sibling helping a younger sibling is not wrong. My 10 year old helps with her little brother all the time. That is what siblings do, help one another. To each their own! Their ways may not be the way I want to live, but for them to get negative comments about raising a handsome young man to be a virgin until marriage, runs his own business with his brother and lives a healthy, moral life gets a high five from me! Much love and respect to the Duggars from down in Texas! Their show is a breath of fresh air after watching another large family show and the mom complaining and degrading her husband while they collect those checks from the popularity of their family and move into a bigger home every other year and take trip after trip for free!

janie 1-12-2009 @ 7:30PM

Mom keeps having the babies and then they are pawned off on the older ones. They call it a buddy system but I think it is Moms way of getting out of the responsibility of watching the babies.

patti 1-12-2009 @ 7:37PM

i am so glad thier showing the wedding i felt like i was robbed. :). when i found out the got married it is so awsome to see two young people that want to live a Godly life and be a godly example. I think the more the marryier and if the older one is helping the younger one its helping them in life to be a good example and we need more good examples of every generation

Jenn 1-13-2009 @ 8:25AM

I agree with Ken. This planet is so overpopulated as it is. God has nothing to do with it. Very few people can make the kind of money to support a gaggle of kids! It costs over $100K to raise a child to 18, then put them through 4 years of college is another $100K+. And how can you be spread so thin? Someone is bound to feel neglected at some point. Sorry, I think 3 or 4 is more than plenty. I have none, so someone is welcome to have my 2.5!

les 1-14-2009 @ 4:58PM

Then, I suppose, they won't be having sex since it is up to God to magically give them children.

What idiots.

Jason 2-06-2009 @ 4:12PM

Um, excuse me les. There is a such thing called a natural cycle... So you can have it a hundred times and intend to or not intend to miss that one time it takes. 10th grade biology. Who's the idiot now?

Joan 1-21-2009 @ 1:32PM

These people are a true blessing. They love the Lord and they love their children; and God will not give them anymore than they can handle and it seems to me they are doing great, they are debt free have a beautiful home that is paid for, children that love each other and are not out in the world trying to prove something like so many children are today. They are blessed to have parents like Michelle and Jim Bob who love them and are there for them always. They are what a family should be, on top of all that they do their chores Michelle home schools them and they all can play music. WOW!!!
It seems to me they have a lot to offer in love faith and trust...and in handling money and living the way God intended we live.

God Bless Your family I love the show and look forward to the new ones coming up.

Joanne 1-26-2009 @ 2:16PM

I think it absolutely disgusting that a mother is pregnant at her son's wedding. What's next, her and Anna getting pregnant together? This woman is in her early 40's and it is high time she put a plug in it! How long does she think she can keep reproducing healthy babies? The Duggars need to step aside and let their kids grow up and start their own families and start looking forward to grandchildren, not raising kids into their 80's.

Lynne 1-27-2009 @ 10:01AM

Dear Michelle and Jim Bob,
I'm always interested in your family show and we all enjoy it! I watch it with my two young daughters. Of course, I was less than happy with the sexual inuendos of the past few episodes. I must say that I feel very sorry for Anna. I watched with some anticipation the first kiss. It made me feel very sad about what their first few days together must have been like. Joshua was so aggressive and anxious about life after the wedding and the kiss certainly reflected that. This poor girl has no experience whatsoever and probably thinks that kiss of his was normal. Once they were engaged, they should have been able to kiss and practice some elementary level of intimacy. The whole show looked to me like my 5th grader in a play at school. They're both so lost but she is certainly the one that will pay the price for this. I appreciated Jim Bob's talk with Joshua. It should have taken place about two months earlier. Joshua needed to read the book thoroughly and listen to the tape way ahead of time. Poor Anna! Since this is a family show, and one of the few I can watch comfortably with my girls, I felt sad to have to try and explain what was wrong with him and the situation to them. On a side note...the dresses were beautiful! I couldn't believe they were all handmade. You have very talented seamstresses. Joshua is also a fabulous singer. There were parts of this show that really impressed me. Some of them however are inexcusable! Having a wholesome life without waiting...Lynne

Kitrina 2-06-2009 @ 4:36PM

There are people who can afford morally and fiancially supporting children. Then there are people who can't but keep having them. If everyone is so concerned about overpopulation, then why not get together since there are so many and for the love of God pass a bill to spay and neuter anyone who is already on welfare, foodstamps, HUD etc. with one kid and goes on to have another knowing they depend on our tax dollars to do so --- it would surely help out the economy. More importantly, it would give the planet more room for people to raise morally rich children to be productive members of society without depending on our tax dollars.

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