Lessons from the Duggars

I don’t exactly live under a rock, but I don’t exactly stay up with everything going on in the world wither. One way that’s particularly true is what’s on TV these days. Years ago, my husband and I decided that it wasn’t worth $40 or $60 or $100 for us to have a multitude of channels to flip through, with not many more real options of good shows to watch than what we have with the basic channels. So, we have the most limited cable plan available – we get the major networks, a few superstations, PBS, shopping channels and a few others (one of our favorites being Food Network.) Needless to say, we miss out on a lot of pop culture. Generally, we’re good with that. We would like to have channels such as the History channel, Discovery Health, and the Travel channel, but so far the cable company doesn’t offer adding limited additional channels.
In all the channels and shows that we miss, the one I’d like to see most is The Duggars: 18 and Counting. I, not being completely under a rock, of course have heard of them. I’ve caught them on a major morning news show once or twice and have heard other people talk about their show. Everything I’ve ever heard has been good.
I decided to check my library to see if they had any of the show in their catalog. While there were series such as 6 Feet Under and Prison Break, there were no seasons of The Duggar’s show. However, they did have their book. I requested it right away.
I do not, and am not, planning on having anywhere near 19 children. Having four healthy children (after 3 of them were born blue), one extremely difficult pregnancy, and a diagnosis of Type 1 diabetes, my husband and I felt called to take permanent measures to ensure we wouldn’t have any more children. With four children under 7, including a very needy infant, I have struggled with the responsibilities that come with the blessings. When I came across the Duggar’s book, I thought that surely they’d have some great advice, tips, and tools that would be helpful to me, a mom of only four. When I saw that they had a chapter or organization, I was sold. I picked up the book two days later – and I wasn’t disappointed. Tune in tomorrow to find out why I was so impressed.