Bates Family Now Tied With Duggars For Claim To Title Of America's Largest Family

It's no wonder mom Kelly Bates, 44, told ABC that she feels "more normal" being pregnant than not -- she's just given birth to number 19. After welcoming Jeb Colton Bates on February 1, the Bateses now supposedly share the title of largest family in America with their good friends, the Duggars -- they just don't have a TV show.

Born prematurely, Jeb spent several days in the ICU. Kelly wrote on their family blog that he's doing "wonderful" and thanked family and friends for their prayers.

The family from Lake City, Tennessee announced their latest pregnancy on ABC Nightline in August. They said they were "praying for more children" though they never planned on having so many. Kelly and husband Gil are evangelical Christians who do not believe in birth control. Of her first 18 deliveries, 14 were natural home births.

While they've chosen to avoid contraception for religious reasons, after two miscarriages, Kelly used hormone therapy to strengthen her uterus wall for the next three pregnancies. She told ABC that "using medicine to help keep a pregnancy was a different matter all together" and not contradictory to their beliefs.

"We don't try to prevent or to promote. We just want to trust God. But at the same time, if there's already a life living, we don't want to deny medical help to a baby that's in trouble," Kelly said.

According to the Daily Mail, the Bates family lives in a 4,000 square-feet home with five bedrooms, five washers, three driers and a massive kitchen table that fits all 21 of them. Their 18-year-old son Lawson ventures to Walmart every other day, spending over $250 each time.

Since mom and dad hold a strict no TV and no Internet policy, the kids practice their instruments and even travel to put on concerts -- a modern family von Trapp, if you will.

While the painted picture is certainly chaotic, the Bateses wrote on their blog that "in spite of extra laundry, extra chores, extra diapers, and extra noise; we have an extra measure of laughter, an endless supply of fellowship, and an added dose of faith to get us through it all!"

And like the Duggars -- who they socialize with often -- the Bateses publicly support Rick Santorum's presidential campaign. On their blog, they encourage readers to donate, start a prayer chain, and put out signs and bumper stickers.

Clarification: Language has been added to this article to indicate that the Bates family has claimed it is the biggest in the U.S., but this has not been verified by HuffPost

Click through the gallery below to see photos of the Bates family.

Comments

[Robert Stumpf]

09:15 PM on 08/10/2012

I thought liberals didn't mind non-traditional families? Or they playing their usual game of embracing diversity, except if they don't agree with the choice (which obviously makes no sense)?

I think they are great. They are obviously loving people, their kids seem happy, and they seem happy themselves. And if anyone is critical of their choices, let those people take their opinions and stick them. That is all.

[David Kugel]

05:43 PM on 08/06/2012

http://www.startribune.com/obituaries/11603486.html?refer=y linked for facts!

[EdMargaret]

07:45 PM on 03/15/2012

I just want to let you know that I am the second oldest in a family of 10 boys and 9 girls, ranging in age from 65 to 44, soon to be 45. Our parents passed away in 2008 & 2009, but the 19 siblings are all alive and doing quite well. We are a very close knit family who are very thankful for the legacy of a large family that our parents left to us. We live in South Dakota. AM

[BethWest]

07:20 PM on 03/03/2012

I have read a lot of comments regarding this story that mention that a in a large family such as this, the older kids don't get a chance to just be kids. What does this really mean? If it means that they aren't having a chance to just play, well, they have a lot of people to play with and seem to spend a great deal of time doing so. Does it mean that they don't go out with friends? Their siblings are their friends along with the other large families with which they are friends. When the Duggar and Bates families get together, they seem to have a wonderful time. We see only a 30 minute segment of their interactions, but they usually mention that they stay a week or longer.

Does "not allowing children to be children" imply that they don't participate in a lot of extra-cirricular activites? Well, they don't. But are we to then infer that parents who don't spend time taking children to endless activities are somehow less than loving and caring parents?
What about dating which both families eschew? They belive in "courting" which is the practice that both the Bates and Duggars families follow as a lead-up to a potential marriage. No unplanned pregnancies, no STDs, no hearbreak and rejection of your "true love" moving on to another.

What about too many chores? What American kid wouldn't benefit from more responsibility instead of less?

What exactly are these kids missing?

[christinaleebreu]

12:53 AM on 02/23/2012

they say they have a no interenet policy but at the end it talks about them posting blogs lol

[modelaford]

03:14 AM on 02/22/2012

They are being selfish and not thinking of the impact to their kids. There is no way they can spend enough time with that many kids, which means the older kids have had to become surrogate parents to raise the younger kids.

She had to take hormones to strengthen her uterus. They don't consider this interfering with contraception. Right!? She is endangering her life by having this many kids. What will happen to the kids if they lose their mom early. I love kids, but this sounds like they have an addiction to having kids and are doing it just to be different. Otherwise, why would they be promoting the fact that they have the same number of kids as the duggars.

Having the most kids do not make you better parents. There are a lot of orphans who could use your help if you you really wanted to help kids.

[Ryana Linette Rogers]

11:59 AM on 08/13/2012

Thank you! I find it funny how alot of people defend their life style because they what are married? who care I rather see a family is loving andn caring with a couple of kids and not be married! its like its a freaking contest between the 2 families, if they want so many kids why don't they adopt isn't that what pro-lifers tell everyone. I get so tired of people who defend them judge everyone else but yet they find this to be normal really? u canmt see this pathetic and this is my opinion!

[Jessica Sumner]

03:17 AM on 10/01/2012

I don't think people are saying this is 'normal' and I don't think they went out and promoted themselves either. These people have been well known to the DUGGARS, the family with their OWN TV show. The News are out to grab any story and this one seems pretty juicy if the TV show large family is no longer solely the largest in the country. The press probably asked THEM to pose for this and talked about them.

You know, I know there are plenty of Orphans out there and children who have been removed from their parents because they were deemed 'unfit' but seriously, do you have children? Have you tried to love that child outside your family as much as your own flesh in blood? It's not easy. I have three step children and three children of my own but that unconditional love is different when it's your OWN. That child came into this world through love and devotion (at least mine did) and has basically a piece of your own soul inside him/her and owes their very exisitance to your love to carry them and go through giving birth to them. You give up everything for that child, but it's sooo much different for a child that is not your own flesh and blood. When compared to your own child, nothing can top your love for your own child. People try HARD but their love for their own always wins

[blackraisin]

05:45 PM on 02/21/2012

Go humans!

[land2341]

07:46 PM on 02/20/2012

OK The Duggars have a TV show, what do these famileis do to bring in enough money to support all of these people???? How often do they trot the kids out as some sort of side show?

Her entire sense of self comes from reproducing, something rats are still better at than she is.....

[Tila009]

12:19 PM on 03/15/2012

I disagree with your last statement. You certainly don't know what her entire sense of self is. You speak as if you've known her for years, yet you've simply read a one page article on her and her family. It is entirely possible that she finds fulfillment in religion, music, education, and raising her children - not just creating them. It's indicated that she teaches her values and interests to her children and obviously spends time with them to educate them (as they are all home-schooled), teach them music, and household responsibilities.

[saliza4356]

09:45 AM on 02/18/2012

It just seems like if people were meant to have so many children, women would be capable of having litters...Thats all i'm saying...

[christinaleebreu]

12:56 AM on 02/23/2012

thank goodnes women don't have litters if they did how many more children would these people have lol

[Snow Horton]

11:31 AM on 02/16/2012

And this mother also in the same creepy "I made it myself" dress as that other nutso woman. These people make me ill. There is no reason anyone needs to bring so many children in the world. They are just a drain on everything. Except of course schools, because God forbid these children be educated enough not to have 20 kids of their own.

[lilbree688]

08:36 AM on 02/17/2012

I am glad someone else feels the same as me!

[mslafran009]

10:28 AM on 07/15/2012

Luckily have so many children isn't the norm. The more kids you have the less you can give to each one of them. How can you give the individual attention? Each child deserves to have some personal quiet time with a parent to talk about school, boy/girl friends, anything, without the "great horde" trying to cut in! My kids made the most fuss when I was talking to a neighbor or on the telephone. (I had 3, and that was MORE than enough.

[Living2point0]

11:35 PM on 02/15/2012

This is heartwarming but a true good Christian would not add such a burden on the world, because the true Christian would want to be a steward for future generations not a destroyer. More than 2 per family leads to the population overload we have today. This woman will keep making babies then die young from all the damage. She should listen to her collapsing uterus. There's a reason it's falling...

[faithnj]

02:49 PM on 02/20/2012

That's not how they look at it at all. They look t it this way: The very first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve was to be fruitful and multiply...and I think after that, it says SUBDUE the Earth, not steward it. (Hence Santorum's veiled charge at the President that he's an Earth Worshiper who's theology is not from the Bible, therefore Anti-Christ. (That's a dog whistle if ever there was one. But see? The Obama is the Anti-Christ meme is still alive and kicking, LOL.) So what they think God would do about overpopulation, I don't know. But they don't see the Earth as being threatened by overpopulation, and they don't believe in global warming, etc. So if you level the charge at them that they aren't good Christians because they are not being good stewards of the Earth, they will simply tell you that what you don't know what it means to be Christian.

[Deni]

09:54 PM on 03/30/2012

Michele Duggar says overpopulation is a myth. All 7,000,000,000 people in the world could stand shoulder to shoulder in Jacksonville, FL. Uhmmm...yeah, sure. I don't know...if your kids are popping out your grandchildren, it might be time to retire your womb. But, that's just me.

[Shelley S]

08:10 PM on 02/15/2012

I bet the Duggars are pissed, they wanted to hold that title but the bates family is neck & neck now. So unless either one of them have a set of twins anyone could regain the title again LOL!! All kidding aside, I'm all for big families but I think that once your kids start having kids then it's time for you to rethink your decision to have more. Not sure if any of the Bates have any grandkids of their own but I know the Duggars have 2 grandkids.

[faithnj]

02:54 PM on 02/20/2012

Nah. Who do you think the Duggers are going to look to for future spouses for their sons and daughters? This kind of group is going to eventually be inbred, because they won't be able to find enough people in this country who believe as they do. I mean, really...their kids can't marry people who don't believe in being fruitful and multiplying. So the pool is going to be limited. It will be like those Europeans, (I think it's Icelanders,) who have to keep a gov't record of their genealogy to make sure they aren't marrying cousins, LOL.

[Shelley S]

01:50 AM on 02/22/2012

LOL Faith!!! Exactly!!!

[Ian Ichinisan]

04:41 PM on 02/15/2012

It seems the mom is addicted to having children. There is nothing natural about this. She may have an undiagnosed problem that hasn't been recognized. My mother had six. Four at once and then two more (not twins). She got her tubes tied after. Raising your children in a strictly religious household apart from the general culture doesn't do them any favors. We weren't allowed to date or do much on Sundays...lol, it was kind of a Puritanical upbringing. It makes you feel disconnected from your peers, even with lots of siblings. And although it wasn't the case with us, it's not fair to the older kids to make them surrogate parents. Kids have no choice, so they'll go along with it, but this situation says more about the parents' needs (to have kids/boast that they are strong Christians, etc.) than their children's needs. I wonder what they'll say years from now.

[faithnj]

02:58 PM on 02/20/2012

Why shouldn't they make their older kids surrogate parents for the younger ones? Especially when it comes to the girls-- it's supposed to be their destiny anyway. These girls are probably not going to have jobs, or at least they won't work outside the home. Taking care of children is practically all they were made for, past serving/servicing their husbands? So what's wrong if they get a super early start on the childcare part? (Tongue is placed firmly in cheek, LOL.)

[BethWest]

12:40 AM on 03/03/2012

Could you tell us all exactly what would be a normal number of children is so that we can all conform to what is expected of us? Is it normal to have children born out of wedlock so that they will most likely (not always) be disadvantaged economically? How about having a baby as an accessory as it seems so many women do these days? And as far as being disconnected from their peers . . . people like the Duggars and other large, evangelical Christian families are their peers, and they seem quite connected to each other.

[Beth Hefty]

08:47 AM on 08/09/2012

19 kids is too many by any definition.

[MeganNicole White]

02:47 PM on 02/15/2012

They wrote on their blog, yet they don't believe in internet?

[feildy1017]

01:42 PM on 02/17/2012

Hahaha I thought that too.

[faithnj]

02:58 PM on 02/20/2012

Nah. The KIDS can't use the internet.

[cmann63]

01:32 PM on 02/15/2012

What a stupid "race" to be in. New reailty game, which family can suck up the most resources.