So, unless you’ve been living under a rock, you’ve probably heard that the notorious Duggar family is expecting child number 20.

As always happens when the Duggars have an announcement, people seem to have very strong opinions, on both ends of the spectrum. There are those who think it’s disgusting that any family would have that many children, and the Duggars should be ashamed of themselves, and probably carted away by the zero population growth folks.

Then there are those who seem to think Michelle Duggar should be next in line for sainthood, that they’re the perfect example of a loving Christian family, and that they’re providing more for their children than most families with many fewer children do.

I don’t get either of these viewpoints. Who cares? It would be one thing if the Duggars were on the news for neglecting their children, beating them,  or living off the government to support them. But they’re not, so why the vitriol? Why do people have to mock, just because the Duggars make choices different from mainstream society? I know that there are people out there with only one child, (or even no children), that think our family is a similar type of crazy, because we’re going to have five children–different strokes for different folks, right?

On the other hand, given how unconventional they are in pretty much every way, I don’t see why they’re held up as fantastic role models. I’m pretty sure that regardless of what their TV show and specials have portrayed, they’re still sinners like you and me. And while their family size and style seems to work for them, it certainly wouldn’t for most other families–certainly not for ours! I don’t have the patience or resources for that kind of family, and I doubt that most people do.

I guess that the whole Duggar “brand” thing is working for them, anyway. It seems that everybody knows who they are, and has an opinion about them, (and wants to share it!). And many people who hate them watch the show anyway, just to complain about it. If you put yourself in the spotlight, that’s the risk you run.

I still don’t get why people take someone else’s family size so personally, though–what’s it to anyone else how many, (or few), children someone else has?