This week, the Duggar family made news by giving birth to their 17th child. The children range from 19 years old to a week old. For Michelle and Jim Bob Duggar, each child is a gift from God. They are evangelical Christians, and have decided to let God dictate the size of their family.

This family is not your typical American family, and they have been splashed across the media over the past couple of years. They are the focus for a show on the Discovery Health Channel and over the years have appeared on MSNBC, CBS News, the Today Show and other top news programs. While the Duggars continue to be a presence in the media, they have received much scrutiny for the way that they are raising their family.

Before any of the media attention began, the Duggars lived in a very small house with only two bathrooms. Since their Discovery Health Channel show began, they have moved into a 7,000-square-foot that they built themselves and received many donations of furniture, food and necessities for the children. All of the children are home-schooled and are living what many people believe to be “cult” life.

After watching this family a couple of times, I can’t help but believe that this family is just trying to live a life that they love. These parents seem to love each and every one of their children whole-heartedly, but the media wants to intervene and claim that not all of these children are getting the attention they deserve. Some outlets have even condemned Michelle and Jim Bob of exploitation of their own children, claiming that they continue to have more children in exchange for more media attention. To me, the Duggars seem like a healthy and happy (albeit large) family, but the media wants to turn it around into a negative. In this day in age, 17 children seem like an excessive number, but how can the media portray a loving and happy family as wrong? What do you think—are the Duggars in it for the media attention, or love of their children?