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Post by mirium on Feb 4, 2009 8:40:32 GMT -5
Have you guys been following the story about the woman who had octuplets? I haven't been paying much attention to it, but it's kind of hard to avoid. (The spell checker doesn't recognize "octuplets", by the way.  It's pretty weird to want eight kids all at once in the first place, but when you already have six? And almost no income to support them? There are plenty of loonies out there, so the mom's obsession doesn't surprise me much, but what was the doctor thinking??!?! |
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Post by jaglady on Feb 4, 2009 8:50:22 GMT -5
I promise not to get political on this thread, but I'd sure like to know why the media thinks she has too many. I figure the family is helping, and if they're not getting any handouts, WHOSE BUSINESS IS IT?? I say if they're happy and cared for, God bless 'em. Kudos to Grandpa for telling the media EXACTLY what he thinks of them!   |
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Post by suzmicsoc on Feb 4, 2009 9:01:40 GMT -5
I agree with both Mirium and JL...who would want that many at once? And, IF she isn't getting assistance such as welfare or food stamps, then I say "the more the merrier". I was under the impression that she was getting assistance since she filed bankruptcy last year (don't know how true this is since you can't believe most of what you hear now days).  I love kids and have four of my own...would have had more had it been in the cards, but, mine are spaced pretty well apart with no multiples. I can't imagine having 14 all under the age of 8  I work at a preschool in the nursery. We have 8 babies in there ranging from 3 months to 11 months...and we have three of us to take care of them. It gets tough even on us. They all seem to want to eat and cry at the same times...lol |
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Post by jaglady on Feb 4, 2009 13:01:12 GMT -5
God's way of preparing you for when they become teenagers. ;D
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ladytaz29
Rookie Officer
Caution..Must wear flame retardent materials..
Posts: 377
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Post by ladytaz29 on Feb 4, 2009 13:08:10 GMT -5
I have a keychain that says "Mothers of teenagers know why some animals eat their young". I've had it for years.
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Post by suzmicsoc on Feb 4, 2009 13:13:02 GMT -5
I have a keychain that says "Mothers of teenagers know why some animals eat their young". I've had it for years. |
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Post by gregrox on Feb 6, 2009 15:38:14 GMT -5
My mom has that one too Tazzy. She bought it when I turned 13 xD I can't wait to see what she buys when my sister turns 13. And this is sort of off topic but on tuesday a SIXTY year old woman in Calgary, Alberta gave birth to twins. If you want to read more about it the story is here: news.xinhuanet.com/english/2009-02/06/content_10770879.htm |
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luf100
Moderator
The First Member
Posts: 547
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Post by luf100 on Feb 6, 2009 17:15:29 GMT -5
It's not like she could exactly choose how many she was going to end up pregnant with, or not. Wanting them all at once or not, she was gonna get them. I'm sure if she was already a mother she wouldn't give up any of them.
Even I, who doesn't want even one little bugger ever, wouldn't give up any of them. (Considering I am an adult and all that.) Even if I couldn't care for them all I'd find help somehow. To me, yea, it's a lot of work, but it's octuplets! Why would you give anything that special up?
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Post by jaglady on Feb 6, 2009 17:50:35 GMT -5
Seeings we have no children, I feel a little hypocritical saying whether or not someone would want to give up any of their kids. But having cared for nephews and nieces, some of which came from an abusive home, I could see how easy it is to love them (while they can make you crazy!) I had no idea twelve-year-old girls could argue over such trivial things! But I guess God designed kids that way. About the second you think you're gonna choke them, they hug you, say something profound, or say "I love you!" |
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Post by mirium on Feb 8, 2009 1:54:11 GMT -5
I'd sure like to know why the media thinks she has too many. I figure the family is helping, and if they're not getting any handouts, WHOSE BUSINESS IS IT?? I say if they're happy and cared for, God bless 'em. I think you've answered a lot of your own question -- IF the family is helping, IF they're not getting any handouts, IF the kids are happy and cared for.... The other element is probably related to the idea of Zero Population Growth; there's a limit to how many people this planet can support, so if you're going to procreate beyond a replacement for yourself (that's one baby per person, two babies for a couple with a lifetime commitment to each other), either justify why the excess improves the planet or be prepared to be dissed. "I want to" doesn't make the grade. :screwloose: Personally, I figure the kids are likely to be similar to the parent(s) who take care of them; I'm quite pleased that one of my friends has five kids, even though she was a "single parent" for the fifth one; she's one of the most responsible, caring, gentle people I've ever known, four of her kids are old enough to show some personality and they're all following in her footsteps, and we could use more like her. But my friend pays for the upkeep of her kids. who are all healthy, and she's struggling to do it. Octuplets are likely to have physical problems that require expensive medical treatment. The octuplet mom has no income other than what she gets from the publicity -- how's she going to pay for diapers and food, much less medical treatment? (The medical bills so far have been reported to be around a million dollars.) She already had six kids in a three-bedroom house that she doesn't own -- where will the eight new ones sleep? There's some indication that her family isn't enthusiastic about providing support for the additional kids (grandmom commented something like "I wish she had taught kindergarten instead"), so there's a real possibility that the family is being coerced into helping, which isn't fair to them. (They might be willing, but it's reasonable for the press to raise the question of whether they are or are not, and report the answer.) Even two parents couldn't take care of eight babies, but two parents would have two families to provide assistance; news reports indicate that octuplet mom just has herself and her parents. I've seen clips of an interview with octuplet mom, and she says "I'm going to hold them and care for them" -- there is NO indication that she's made realistic plans and recruited help, either before or after the pregnancy. Quite the contrary, she seems to be expecting to be the sole caretaker for all fourteen kids. (I haven't seen the whole interview, and maybe the clips are taken out of context, but the blissed-out unconcerned expression on her face strongly suggests that they aren't.) Luf said: Well, actually she could choose. She couldn't control whether the implanted eggs "twinned", but she could have chosen to be implanted with the usual two or three, instead of six; she could have chosen to have the usual procedure when more than one egg "takes", where the weaker ones are removed so that one or two of the strongest will thrive instead of barely surviving. Instead, the Darwinian weeding out will happen when the offspring are old enough to feel pain and suffering, and need massive resources to try to help them survive -- resources that mom probably can't pay for. "I have always depended on the kindness of strangers" just doesn't cut it, as far as I'm concerned. Don't get me wrong, I understand that babies are precious, and I'll get in the face of anyone who suggests that only the healthy and strong are worth while. (I'm flawed enough to have a personal stake in that dogfight.  ) But from all the information I've seen, this woman spewed out a whole litter of human beings without any realistic plans for the quality of their lives; she just felt an impulse to have babies to fill some inner void of her own, a void that wasn't filled by six babies, but certain that eight more would do the trick. That's what the media are fussing about. Sorry to be so serious, but I'm seriously appalled at the situation those 14 children will live in, especially the six who have had it demonstrated to them that they weren't good enough to be what their mother craves. (Prepares for the bazooka blasts headed her way. :couchhiding: ) |
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) But from all the information I've seen, this woman spewed out a whole litter of human beings without any realistic plans for the quality of their lives; she just felt an impulse to have babies to fill some inner void of her own, a void that wasn't filled by six babies, but certain that eight more would do the trick. That's what the media are fussing about. Sorry to be so serious, but I'm seriously appalled at the situation those 14 children will live in, especially the six who have had it demonstrated to them that they weren't good enough to be what their mother craves.