"I’m not going to have 19 kids" - Jessa Duggar says her mother is her inspiration, addresses negative comments about her 6th pregnancy

Jessa Duggar, former Counting On actress, is defending her life decisions and honoring her mother, Michelle Duggar, in response to the criticism she has received for expanding her family. The 32-year-old mother of five and reality personality just announced that she is expecting her sixth child, but she claims she has no interest in having as many children as her parents did, who set a record with 19.

She replied:

“I’m not going to have 19 kids, but honestly, my mom is my hero."

Jessa Duggar addressed the barrage of internet criticism that usually follows each of her pregnancy announcements in an open YouTube video posted on May 8. She claimed that most of the nastiness goes behind screens, even though she is accustomed to the remarks, which frequently focus on the number of her family. In the YouTube video, she said:

“When it comes to people saying negative opinions, I know this is not the case for everyone, but for me personally, I’ve never had anybody walk up to my face and be nasty. I have heard a lot of rude and unnecessary comments, but generally those are just online.”

Online trolls have questioned whether she is attempting to emulate her mother's prolific parenthood. She revealed that some asked:

“People will be like, ‘Oh, you’re breeding like rabbits’ or ‘You’re crazy’ or ‘Are you trying to follow in your mom’s footsteps? Are you going to have 19?'”

But Jessa Duggar clarified:

“I’m not going to have 19 kids, but honestly, my mom is my hero."

Jessa Duggar said she has a great deal of respect for her mother Michelle Duggar, referring to her as "the golden example of a mother," even if she has no plans no plans to have 19 children. She said:

"I love her, I adore her [and] she is my role model in so many ways. Her patience, her love, her gentleness [and] her kind speech. She is the golden example of a mother, in my opinion. So, when people say, ‘Do you want to be like your mother?’ I’m like, ‘Yes, please, Lord, help me.’”

Jessa Duggar made it apparent that Michelle's reputation as a loving dedicated mother continues to serve as a source of inspiration for her, even when she made lighthearted comments.

Jessa Duggar shared some advice she received as well:

“Some advice that I recently heard on this topic that was super helpful to me was somebody was saying that oftentimes, we can set the tone for how people receive our news. When we say something like, ‘Oh, we’re expecting,’ or ‘We’re so thankful for this baby. We’re so grateful,’ that definitely sets a different tone for how it’s received versus [saying], ‘We’re definitely done after this one.’”

She continued:

“I don’t think it’s wrong to say certain things, but I know that sometimes we can cater to how we think other people might receive the news in the way that we present it. So, if we think people might judge me for having another baby, we might be quicker to present the information in a way that’s, like, backpedaling or apologizing for where we are in life.”

She made it clear that although she and her husband Ben Seewald are amenable to having a bigger family, they also take motherhood seriously and carefully. She said:

“We always take it one at a time…Ben’s concern is always my health, and also, our capacity to care for each one and love them well and help raise them up until adulthood. Our ultimate goal is to see each one come to know and love the Lord.

According to Jessa Duggar, she and Ben are content with the decisions they have made together and don't feel pressured to meet the expectations of others, for example, by having additional children or stopping the expansion of their family. She said:

"So I don’t necessarily think that’s it a quantity thing like, ‘Oh you can’t do that well if you have a bunch’ or ‘You can only do it well if you have a few.’"

Even while Jessa and Ben had originally joked about playing football with their sons and discussed the thought of having up to 15 kids, her thoughts have changed with time, she added:

“I do think God’s grace is sufficient, but we do need to know our frame. Whether you have one or 19, it’s just relying on the Lord and trusting in Him.”

Jessa Duggar's growing family:

Jessa Duggar and Ben Seewald were married in 2014 and have boys named Spurgeon (9), Henry (8), and George (16 months). The girls are Ivy (5) and Fern (3). Jessa announced her sixth pregnancy on Instagram in March with the following post:

With seven children, Josh Duggar is currently the busiest Duggar sibling, with Jessa coming in second. Jessa maintains a more moderate but religiously motivated position than some of her sisters, such as Jill Dillard and Jinger Vuolo, who have voiced their opposition to their parents' rigid family planning beliefs.

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