TLC’s Duggars May Have Competition from Tennessee Family

Many are already familiar with the Duggars from TLC’s reality show “19 Kids and Counting”. The show is about a family of 21 from Arkansas and the kid’s names all start with J. However they may have competition from the Bates family. The 20memebr Bates family are friends of the Duggars who live in Lake City, Tennessee. They make frequent appearance on the show.

Gil and Kelly Bates are parents of 18 kids ranging in age from 22 to almost one year. They are expecting their 19th child which is due in February 2012.They live in a 4000 sq ft three story house equipped with commercial washers. The house was originally intended to be an additional room but the Duggars turned it into a massive project. The renovation as featured in an episode of “19 Kids and Counting”. Though the house has five bedrooms, the 10 girls and eight boys choose to sleep dorm-style. Grocery shopping takes place every other day costing $250 a trip. Gil runs a tree cutting service and Kelly is a stay-at-home mom.

Kelly Bates and Michelle Duggar have been pregnant most of their adult lives except Kelly has no twins or C-sections. All the kids names don’t start with J. A history of miscarriage prompted progesterone treatments to sustain pregnancy. The embryo wasn’t attaching to the uterine wall and progesterone helps them attach. In spite of being 44 and previous complications, Kelly and Gil wanted more children. Early in their marriage, they were on board with having two maybe three kids but fait changed their convictions. Kelly says “It is normal for me to pregnant than not.” The kids were afraid they wouldn’t have anymore siblings Some of them asked ‘Could we fast and pray if God would give us more children”. said Gil. They fasted and prayed”.

Like the Duggars, the Bateses are conservative Baptist who shun all forms of birth control. The Bates children are also home schooled and the oldest four are in college. The kids spend most of the time playing and perfecting their music because they have no internet or TV. Of interest, the family doesn’t practice traditional dating but instead, they practice Christian courtship. If a man is interested in a woman, he prays about it and seeks guidance from her father. This is usually done without the woman’s knowledge. The woman can either accept or decline. Gil and Kelly prefer their kids save dating until marriage. They believe courtship is more serious since it means the couple is to marry. The couple is considered engaged once the courtship starts and may marry within a few months.

The number of kids the Bates have creates debate and controversy especially since Kelly is in her mid 40;s with previous complications. The Duggars set off a fire storm of controversy when their youngest child, Josie, was born three months premature in December 2009. Most fans are hoping for a Duggar Bates courtship but so far, no union has happened between the mega families. Zach Bates is courting a young lady ,Sarah Reith, but over a dozen Duggars remain. Other fans would like to see the Bateses with their own show but the family has turned down offers. The new season of “19 Kids and Counting” begin on September 27th so we will see what happens.


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