4-1-Weekly Post Multiple Births? Is it really a good thing? Some say it is.

Weekly Post 4-1- Multiple Births? Is it really a good thing? Some say it is.

The world seems to watch people who have huge families on TV these days. Yes, I am talking about shows like I watched growing up called, “Eight is Enough,” “Brady Bunch,” “Partridge “Family,” and the “Walton’s.” I can still hear the words at bedtime, “Goodnight John boy, Goodnight Mary Ellen, in my memory.

Today, these shows are trumped by the new reality based shows like, “John and Kate plus Eights” or “Eighteen Kids and Counting,” and I left the controversial, “Octomom,” is out since no adoptive daddy or natural male parent, has stepped up to the challenge of assuming financial responsibility of the fourteen kids thanks to advancements in Invitro-fertilization.

In any event, I believe the big family television shows appeal to our human desires for greater security, support, love and strength that may come with bigger numbers. Who’s counting anyway! I find these shows as bewildering, since I see it a huge undertaking from multiple standpoints; to have more than four kids and provide them all with equal parenting time and resources! I grew up in a family of five with my brother, sister and two parents. Today, I am married with one daughter whom I cherish very much. I never knew anyone who had more than four kids in their family growing up except on television. However, the trend seems to be to have more kids through artificial insemination techniques these days.

The advantages to having more kids than one can pay attention to does not seem to pan out for the kids. I feel most kids have been latchkey kids for some time; which seems to be the norm these days. The fact that people are able to have eight kids in single year and not over time; seems to be right in line with the American fast food industry. You can essentially go through the Invitro-clinic drive through; order your designer babies, pay the fee, and watch the buns come out of the oven! The only difference is it still takes 9 months rather than three minutes to get the product. I wonder if we are going to allow the, “Gods of Science,” to shorter the human gestation period too! Hey we just might be able to have your baby in about an hour; one day!

If it sounds like I am less than enthused about multiple births; you are reading my words correctly. Don’t get the wrong idea. I love being a dad and raising my only daughter. I wish these kids the best. I would like to have more kids, but in the most responsible manner possible. I certainly am not an advocate of bringing in kids in the world who have no participating parents one way or another. What happens to non-TV land couples; who have too many kids at once?

Well, I gather these couples split up since they don’t spend any quality time together. They are too busy tending to the eight, fourteen, or eighteen kids! Remember TV land does not show all the tax returns and advertising sponsors that help pay for these kids. Does this sound familiar? Are John and Kate plus Eight having these problems or is it just another ploy for another drawn out divorce episode. Who wins? Do the kids win when parents split? MMMMMM………..

Wikipedia, (2009) Multiple births. Retrieved June 14, 2009,from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quintuplet