Stretching it thin.

Yeahduff · Post by **Yeahduff** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 8:40 am

prettysenshi wrote:I see nothing wrong with it. They're a happy couple, and family. If she wants children that often, so be it. I think its beautiful.

Change the word "beautiful" to "creepy and weird" and I think we're on the same page.

Prettysenshi · Post by **Prettysenshi** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:06 am

yeahduff wrote:
prettysenshi wrote:I see nothing wrong with it. They're a happy couple, and family. If she wants children that often, so be it. I think its beautiful.
Change the word "beautiful" to "creepy and weird" and I think we're on the same page.

I don't think it's weird at all. My dad had like....13 sibs. My mom about 7. My aunt has ten kids alone. I think she's still having babies. Her oldest is...30+ and her youngest is maybe under 10. Having a lot of kids in a village community isn't bad because you have more hands to help out with farming and taking care of younger children or elderly.

But in the states, I think it's ridiculous because things don't work out that way.

Yeahduff · Post by **Yeahduff** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:39 am

We are talking about the states, right? And the twenty-first century.

Mr.Bob · Post by **Mr.Bob** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:42 am

HAVE FUN PAYING SCHOOOLFEEES

TheSuburbanLetdown · Post by **TheSuburbanLetdown** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 9:54 am

What're you talking about? College is dirt cheap these days.

Orinocou · Post by **Orinocou** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 10:57 am

I think I saw a special about this same family on some TV show a while back. The show followed the family as they built and decorated a new (gigantic) house. The wife was all excited because the new laundry room had like 6 washers in it. Wow.

You know, not too long ago, this sort of thing was not uncommon. My mother came from a family of 12 children, and my father has 5 other siblings (well.... 4 living now... my aunt recently passed). But they were both in small town/ rural settings, and this was a long time ago. I think that the time for huge families has passed.

And I'd thank you to not start pointing fingers at the Catholics. Making religion the brunt of jokes is not cool.

NakedElf · Post by **NakedElf** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:01 am

jesusabdullah wrote:Edit: This also touches on the discussion about America's poor in that other thread. Can they seriously support that many kids?

From what I've heard, yes. The father apparently has a real estate business and is pretty successful.

I saw a program about them on TV the other night. While I'm sure I disagree strongly with them about, well, most everything, given that I'm a liberal atheist with a decent background in science, they seemed like very happy people. They're not my family, and not the family I'd chose, nor the names and clothes I'd like, but they seem happy with their lives and their choices, which means they're doing better than a hell of people out there.

Are the kids getting a lot of attention from their parents? Well, they're homeschooled, they live with tons of caring relatives, and their parents don't spend all day watching TV. I'd venture to say that these kids actually get more time with their parents than I got with my parents when I was a kid. (Of course, when you have a single working mom and split most of your time between school and nanny/daycare, that ain't saying much.)

Just because there's a bunch of you gathered around your mom as she reads to you doesn't mean she isn't reading to you...

Mr.Bob wrote:HAVE FUN PAYING SCHOOOLFEEES

Their kids are homeschooled, so I can't imagine what sort of fees they'd be required to pay. As for college, make the kids get loans and pay their own way. It's what I did, and I'm an only child.

As for over-population, frankly, another 15 people on the planet here or there isn't going to make any difference. And I don't see why people who want 15 kids should be morally obligated to adopt any more than people who want 1 kid. I'd prefer it if everyone were willing to adopt, but wanting lots of kids does not make one better suited to being an adoptive parent...

Skyman8081 · Post by **Skyman8081** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:13 am

snail wrote: I think I'd be scared to have sex after having that many kids. everything'd be all... eww.

Like a hot dog in a hallway.

NakedElf wrote:
Actually, yes. The father apparently has a real estate business and is pretty successful.

I saw a program about them on TV the other night. While I'm sure I disagree strongly with them about, well, most everything, given that I'm a liberal atheist with a decent background in science, they seemed like very happy people. They're not my family, and not the family I'd chose, nor the names and clothes I'd like, but they seem happy with their lives and their choices, which means they're doing better than a hell of people out there.

Their kids are homeschooled, so I can't imagine what sort of fees they'd be required to pay. As for college, make the kids get loans and pay their own way. It's what I did, and I'm an only child.

Home-schooled, home-churched, pretty much home-everything. Those kids are going to end up as either:

a) High-powered rifle on top of a clock tower.
b) Atheist
c) Clones of their parents.

With the breakdown between B and C being about 50/50

NakedElf · Post by **NakedElf** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:21 am

I was homeschooled... admittedly, only for the last few years of highschool.

I predict 'clone' for most of the kids, simply because for the most part they seem happy. Unhappy people seem more likely to rebel. These folks seem like basically happy people. Complete weirdos in my book, and probably nutcases as well, not to mention completely immoral by my compass, but happy, so they'll likely continue with whatever it is that's making them happy.

Eventually they will get out into the world beyond their regular lives and discover that not everyone lives like they do, and that'll probably be a big shock to them... but that doesn't mean it'll be a violent shock or that they'll want to become one of those people out there...

Soul_Thief · Post by **Soul_Thief** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:25 am

it's funny how Catholicism is almost always the brunt of fertility jokes, as opposed to, oh, maybe high fertility rates or unprotected/FREQUENT sex. because sex has nothing to do with babies, of course. nothing.

EDIT:
how odd will the family size look on the kids' FAFSA forms?

TheSuburbanLetdown · Post by **TheSuburbanLetdown** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:28 am

It probably has something to do with the Catholic rejection of contraceptives.

Is that the monkey from Mega Man Legends?

Soul_Thief · Post by **Soul_Thief** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:30 am

but that's such an OLD doctrine! very few churches (in the States, anyway) even follow that crap! i'm not into sex personally, but if you're going to do it take precautions. that should be the priority of the church, not the salvation of some non-sentient sperm.

EDIT: didn't notice the question. why, yes it is!!

TheSuburbanLetdown · Post by **TheSuburbanLetdown** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:32 am

Yeah, but some people still cling to it. By and large, there's a lot of Catholic Doctrine that we don't follow anymore. Most other Catholics I know don't even pay attention in church anymore, if they even go at all.

I think condoms are pretty awesome, actually.

NakedElf · Post by **NakedElf** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:36 am

theSuburbanLetdown wrote:It probably has something to do with the Catholic rejection of contraceptives.

Is that the monkey from Mega Man Legends?

However, the RCC does support family planning in the form of 'the rhythm method'. Rhythm won't prevent you from ever getting pregnant, but it will not get you 15 kids unless you really fuck up. The RCC does not promote the idea that people should have as many children as humanly possible until their internal organs give out--unlike, say, official Mormon doctrine, which does, because heaven is apparently full of baby-souls waiting to be born and it is your job to help as many of them into the world as possible.

Soul_Thief · Post by **Soul_Thief** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:40 am

aw, that's sweet. it's so nice to hear about caring and sensitive religions.

it's funny to think about how much people complain about Scientology when there are still backwater churches like THAT still in existence.

PS-- if he's Mormon, isn't he supposed to have another wife or two? i was under the impression that multiple wifery was the privilege of the menfolk.

Skyman8081 · Post by **Skyman8081** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:43 am

I'm sure the kids are very happy with their parents used of "blanket parenting." After all, what kid wouldn't want to be forced to sit on a blanket and be slapped everytime they moved off of it!*

Also, as somebody who was home-schooled for several years, this does nothing but affim my belief that home-school tends to attract the less than sane parents.

*One of the TLC documentaries about them showed them talking about and doing this.

Kilre · Post by **Kilre** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 11:58 am

Soul_Thief wrote:aw, that's sweet. it's so nice to hear about caring and sensitive religions.

it's funny to think about how much people complain about Scientology when there are still backwater churches like THAT still in existence.

PS-- if he's Mormon, isn't he supposed to have another wife or two? i was under the impression that multiple wifery was the privilege of the menfolk.

Depends upon the sect of Mormonism. Mainstream Mormons don't practice polygamy; some minor fundamentalist Mormon groups may still do.

Either way, polygamy is illegal, as far as I know, under US law.

Soul_Thief · Post by **Soul_Thief** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 12:00 pm

bah! illegal never stopped me!

Kilre · Post by **Kilre** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 12:04 pm

Forsooth, illegal-ness never stopped anyone.

Just adds flavor to certain acts.

Yeahduff · Post by **Yeahduff** » Fri Aug 03, 2007 12:11 pm

Soul_Thief wrote:but that's such an OLD doctrine! very few churches (in the States, anyway) even follow that crap!

Uhhh, no, that's, like, totally still going on. Pope talks about it frequently, in fact.

And how does one make fun of Mormonism two posts after saying religion is off limits as far as mockery goes?

Edit/ oh, that wasn't you.