19 Kids and Counting - Background

Background

The Duggars live in Tontitown, Arkansas, and originally appeared in several TLC and Discovery Health one-hour specials, most of which focused on four of Michelle's last five deliveries. Jim Bob Duggar has one older sister, Deanna, who (along with her daughter Amy) occasionally appears on the show. Michelle Duggar has six siblings. The couple met in the early 1980s when Jim Bob Duggar, along with a fellow church member, were sent for a follow-up visit after Michelle Duggar had experienced a religious conversion. Jim Bob and Michelle were married on July 21, 1984.

The Duggars elected to delay having children and practiced birth control. It was four years before Josh, their eldest, was born in 1988. They then resumed using birth control; despite precautions, they conceived again but Michelle Duggar miscarried. Michelle revealed that they had named the miscarried child Caleb, even though they did not know whether the baby was a boy or a girl. Believing the miscarriage was due to the contraceptive, the Duggars quit using birth control. As they explained, they "decided to allow God to determine the number of children" they would have. Shortly thereafter, Michelle became pregnant again, this time with her first set of twins, Jana and John-David. Thereafter, Michelle has given birth approximately once every year and a half.

The Duggars are devout fundamentalist Christians. In accordance with their beliefs, they only watch wholesome family television on DVD, and various historical events. They have filtered Internet service. They wear modest clothing; girls wear long hair and skirts below the knees, boys are clean-shaven and short-haired, and they also wear modest-wear swimsuits. Instead of dating, they practice chaperoned courtship, which encompasses the couple abstaining from physical contact. In the event of engagement, the suitor seeks permission from the young woman's father before asking her to be his wife. The children are homeschooled using a mix of materials, including those of Switched On Schoolhouse, Institute in Basic Life Principles (IBLP), and Accelerated Christian Education (ACE). For college studies, several of the older kids use the CollegePlus! program.

The Duggars raise their children using a buddy system, wherein an older sibling is assigned to a younger sibling and assists in the latter's primary care. According to Michelle, "They help them with their little phonics lessons and games during the day and help them practice their music lessons. They will play with them or help them pick out the color of their outfit that day and just all of those types of things." In 2004, Michelle Duggar won the "Young Mother of the Year Award" in Arkansas, which is sponsored by American Mothers Incorporated.

Jim Bob Duggar served in the Arkansas House of Representatives from 1999 to 2002. He later became a real estate agent and investor. The Duggars' income is derived from the rental proceeds of the commercial properties they own. They live debt-free, which Jim Duggar has said is "the fruit of Jim Sammons' Financial Freedom Seminar" he attended years ago. (Sammons' Seminar is endorsed by IBLP.). The construction of their 7,000-square-foot (650-square- meter) house was begun by the family in 2000 when they bought the lot and ordered the frame. Discovery Networks completed it, by finding local Arkansas construction workers to donate their skills and time. The home was completed on January 20, 2006. The painting, decorating, furnishings, appliances, and other finishing touches—such as a stocked pantry—were provided by Discovery Networks and corporate sponsors as part of the one-hour television special entitled 16 Children and Moving In.