<p>*
I suspect that he’s just making a virtue of necessity.
*
True.
It’s an advantage to his marketing career to spin it that this is an intrinsic part of their parenting style rather than they just can’t afford to support their children financially with education after high school</p>
<p>I wonder why he advertises that he has " certificates" from Harvard?
. </p>
<p>What reason do we have kids at all? Is there a perfectly good reason? I sure can’t think of it. It’s a leap of faith and love as far as I’m concerned. And hormonal madness.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Now THERE’S a great thread topic.</p>
<p>I think it’s hubris.
Our DNA demands to be replicated.
Or else we think that our children will love us even if no one else does.
Or both.</p>
<p>This guy seems to be the type who has a lot of kids in order to have a bigger audience and feel more important as the pater familias. And now he seems to be using them as part of the schtick he sells.</p>
<p>The real reason he wrote the book is probably because he realized he didn’t save for college and now needs money to pay for his kids’ college. And it is kind of funny how he is doing it.</p>
<p>I admit that I like the Duggars a lot more than this guy.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>What gives you the right to even ask?</p>
<p>Life would be boring without kids.</p>
<p>I have 7 kids (10-26). Not Mormon. (Catholic, in case you were wondering. . .) We had/have no college savings (for very specific reasons–not intentional), but we are paying for college (some of our kids have big merit aid.) We sacrifice a lot to pay for our kids’ educations. (Nothing I’d rather pay for. We have all necessities.) My sis has 6 kids and she and her husband are in a better financial position than we are. But they make their kids pay for most of their own college expenses. I think it is a little hard on some of the kids, but none of my business. All of us grew up in big families. They want to make their kids “suffer” like they did. We want to want to give our kids an easier start. </p>
<p>I know a lot of people (especially some with big families) who think like this guy. Not everyone needs to go to college to get a job, earn a living. Some kids aren’t academically inclined. But I do still want MY kids to be educated–for the value of education itself. Even if it doesn’t directly lead to a job. I do agree that this “kids don’t NEED college” philosophy is used by a lot of people to justify the fact that they can’t afford to/don’t want to pay.</p>
<p>Growing up in a big family/having a big family is a particular culture, way of life. It is hard to imagine if you aren’t part of it. If it is your culture, it is hard to imagine NOT having a big family. Like anything that is “different”, people make a lot of assumptions, some bad (must be member of religious cult, must be ignorant of birth control, uneducated, irresponsible, husband is an “animal”/wife is oppressed, forced to bear children, etc.) and some good (oh, you must be a saint, so organized, so hardworking, self-sacrificing, patient, calm, loving, etc.) none of which is necessarily true, but any of which might be true for a particular person/family at times. Heard all of it. I’m just trying to keep the plates spinning like anyone else.</p>
<p>He seems to be quite busy writing books, giving seminars and the like, but I wonder if his wife knew what she was signing up for. ( although the terminology they use is identical to what I’ve heard from other LDS families, so I suspect they are LDS)
His biography says they had nine kids and he has delivered at least three of them at home. ( their 6th child died at birth)
Jill has been pregnant for half the time theyve been married. Eek.</p>
<p>( Fagan also moved his family in with his wife’s parents just 7 years ago for economic reasons. Not everyone has that to fall back on, especially with a large family. I also notice that he seems to discount that one of his early employers paid for him to attend college, not a lot of employers still do that)</p>
<p>^^^
Wait, so he has financial issues and is writing a book on how to raise an entrepreneur? And in the meantime bragging that he isn’t paying for his children’s college education? So I guess they just follow in his footsteps and wing it? Honestly, unless I have missed something here, what qualifies this person to be giving advice? Really, people astound me. And those that purchase his book would astound me even more.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Possibly my status as a free man in a free society.</p>
<p>
Well, a cat can look at a king, and on a discussion board like this, people ask all sorts of questions. You don’t have to answer any of them if you don’t like.</p>
<p>Personally, I question the idea of having eight children from an environmental point of view–if everybody did it, it would be a disaster.</p>
<p>I think he’s just trying to sell books. In addition, he hasn’t saved any money at all is what I understand from the end of the article. I think he’s doing his kids a disservice. </p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Exactly. I would not, however, say this to someone I met. On a message board, it seems to me that one can broach the topic. Not to criticize the choices made by any specific poster, of course. If you choose to take offense, well, I can choose to take offense when people firmly state that humanities majors are unemployable, New Englanders are unfriendly, or that fraternity members are drunken rapists who “buy” friends. All happen here quite frequently.</p>
<p>Considering that 8 children is such an anomaly that several posters in a thread with only 54 replies asked for justification for having that many children combined with fact that the US’s birth rate is in decline:
</p>
<p>I would say that the posts wanting justification for women choosing to have 8 kids says far more about the views toward personal freedom than large families threatening the environment. </p>
<p>Was it the woman who chose to have 8 kids?
I suppose she was the one who wanted to move back in with her parents too.</p>
<p>Just to clarify, that is not what “replacement rate” means. Demographers know this, apparently reporters don’t (shocker). Replacement rate assumes no immigration or emigration as well as a list of other factors. The US’ population is not in danger of falling anytime soon. </p>
<p>Carry on. </p>
<p>I must disagree with atomom, in that it is a culture one would continue. Growing up in a family of 6 kids, 3 of my siblings have NO kids, and the rest of us have 2 or 3 only.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>My posts have been in response to the question of having 8 kids since I have chosen to give birth to 9. (Unfortunately one of our children is deceased.) I am a very HAPPY mother of 8. As to the woman in the article, from my POV, I would make the assumption that yes, she did. </p>
<p>@romanigypsyeyes
As to the population statistics…the simple point is that the number of large families in this country is statistically very small. Discussing family size as an existing threat to the environment is simply not a valid argument.</p>