Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Michelle Bashing: #19 at Home and Already a Controversy

People Magazine seems to have bastardized an interview with poor Michelle Duggar about the home-coming of her newest daughter, Josie Brooklyn. I think we can all agree it's a sheer miracle this little girl is even alive and we should be saying praises that she's getting to come home. Baruch Hashem and Mazel Tov!

Now here's the problem, a quote from Michelle in People reads: "I will be her main caregiver," Michelle says, "and we'll have a lot of helpers around to take turns feeding her and getting her to sleep." So what does this mean? Well it can mean a lot of things, depending on how the interview actually went. Was the interviewer asking about having hired help or was the interviewer referring to the Duggar practice of "buddies," or was it just Michelle making an off-handed comment because she's just jumping out of her skin excited that her child is ALIVE AND COMING HOME!!!!!

Can we please for a moment remember that for the first 4 months of this child's life her own mother hasn't been able to do ANYTHING but pump breast milk as a way of caretaking? So by saying that statement out loud she was acknowledging that she was finally going to be the one feeding her and changing her, not the nurses in the hospital? She did also acknowledge earlier in the interview that they were "running on adrenaline" so how coherant an interview would that really make?

I think we need to cut her some slack and let her have some time to hold, love, and nurture her child. She's been through a lot, something no mother should ever have to go through, and for those who think she deserves it, she's been punished enough.

6 comments:

  1. I agree! Michelle is so totally thrilled. She has been longing to take care of her. She will have plenty of help. Now the "help" part is what's bugging a lot of people. When she gets pregnant, will she so easily pass Josie down? It's true the girls said they don't mind helping with the younger children. But is it fair?? But then again I would be spoiling all the babies myself so I need to just hush up! I also think Josie will do well being among the chaos. She needs noise and laughter! I think it would be very stimulating. This is the reality. She has a big happy family and this is something she will have to get use to. Most folks will not agree...but I think that's what will help her thrive the most. Welcome Home Josie!

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  2. We just brought our 6 month home from surgery (cleft lip) 2 weeks ago - He is happy and healthy, but due to restrictions while healing, pretty high maintenance -- we have an 8 year old at home as well. I asked for help from family, friends, and our church family - why? Not because I don't want to care for my son 24/7, but because I need to spend some time with the other child, and continue to manage parts of the household, (and occasionally eat/shower/sleep) Yes, Dad is helping as well as able, but also working, etc. Should I be bashed because I had someone come hold/care for my baby for an hour so I could bake cookies with the older one and balance the checkbook? My guess is a lot of the people bashing they way they care for their children are sending their kids to daycare/babysitter.
    Also, the older girls -- if helping with Josie - are going to get some great real-life experience that may definitely be helpful in the future - whether for themselves, or support for others with a preemie.

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  3. Nicely said Julie, of course Michelle will need some help and don't all those brothers and sisters want to see, get to know and do anything they can for the baby sister they didn't know whether would live and have only seen once.

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  4. Sorry Julie and Chris but TLC sure makes it "appear" that the babies are with their buddies most of the time. I think those girls ALREADY have plenty of real-life experience when it comes to homemaking and there is nothing wrong with that.
    Julie I wish your son a speedy recovery. Glad you have help and have no problem asking for it. Bashing is something that won't be going away anytime soon. True you might get bashed by someone who doesn't approve of any type of "help". I see no problem with your help. Others will bash women who send their kids off to school or daycare. I have no problem with this because...some parents just aren't fit to educate their kids and we all know which types I'm talking about. Michelle gets help from her older children and that's great! It's just that she has had babies so close together the last 4 years and I just feel the toddlers(Joanna, Jennifer, and "baby" Jordan) SHOULD still be HER buddies. I've seen her on youtube with the youngest few...but for some reason we rarely SEE it on TLC. The children appear to be well cared for and I'm not saying she is neglecting them.

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  5. It is such relief to know this precious baby made her way home after a long struggle. None of this was her fault and she deserves the best care. I believe critics get concerned about the other kids getting equal attention from their parents. Josie's arrival required Michelle to be away for the other children during the four months. No I dont agree with their beliefs but it seems michelle cant win sometimes just like another certain reality tv mom of 8. They criticize her for hiring Nannies and being absentee and michelle for recruitng the oldest girls. IF mIchelle hired Nannies the criticism still wouldnt stop. As long as Josie is cared for it shouldnt matter.

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  6. I don't, of course, have cameras in my home, but thinking over our day today, a camera could have shown:

    My 12 yr old feeding my 11 month old breakfast, changing his diaper, carrying him through the store, playing with him on the floor, etc. She could have been shown helping her 2 yr old brother with washing his hands about 4000 times, making cookies for everyone by herself (from SCRATCH, I might add), folding some laundry, making her bed and her brother's bed, helping her 6 yr old sister wash her hair, etc etc.

    Does that mean she is 'raising' her brothers and sisters?(there are 6 of them total, by the way :) ) Well that camera could have caught all that. But it could have caught, yet now shown:

    Me cooking breakfast, washing 7 loads of laundry, scrubbing bathrooms, giving 3 children a bath, helping 4 children get dressed, nursing the baby 4000 times today ;) LOL, changing the baby's diaper about 10 times, and the 2 yr old's diaper about 5 or 6, taking care of my sick 9 yr old daughter, making lunch, going to our church to clean it, making a grocery run, helping our neighbor with some things in her home, babysitting our neighbor's 2 daughters while she and her husband ran to the store, making supper, making sure the older two girls got showers and helping one with her super long hair, doing clean up from dinner, changing the cat's litter out, feeding the cat, making sure everyone's clothing was ready for church tomorrow, ....

    ok, I'm tired LOL!

    Seriously, the cameras catch what they want to show.

    The girls help out! Of COURSE they do. They live in the house. It's simply part of being a family. My parents had only 2 kids, and I did a lot of the same things that those girls do! I did laundry, helped care for my brother, cooked meals, dusted, swept, mopped, scrubbed bathrooms, etc. I helped my parents. That's just what you do!

    My point is, really, that the cameras may catch the girls doing a lot for the little ones, and helping out with chores etc. But just b/c they don't SHOW Michelle doing things (which I think they do, personally!) doesn't mean she isn't doing them! It's just not shown on tv!

    When she said she had lots of helpers, I assumed she meant Grandma Duggar, the girls, cousin Amy, the boys, Aunt Deanna, numerous friends, etc. For goodness sake, maybe she just wants a NAP! LOL

    Mrs P

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