Jed & Katey Duggar Shockingly Reveal If They Want More Kids Or If They’re Taking A “Sabbatical”

Counting On star Jed Duggar and his wife, Katey Duggar, recently appeared as guests on Jed’s sister Jinger Duggar’s podcast, and when asked whether Jed and Katey were planning to expand their family anytime soon, they revealed where they stand on welcoming more children. Jed and his wife Katey are already parents to son Truett, 3, daughter Nora, 2, and their newborn twins, Elsie and Emma, who were born in January. For a brief time, Jed and Katey had four little ones under the age of 2 in their family, a record in the Duggar family.

As reported by TV Insider, Jed and Katey told Jinger and her husband, Jeremy Vuolo, that the speed with which their family has grown has been shocking. “We’ve known each other five years. So when we look at it like that, we’re like, ‘Wow, this has been crazy‘,” said Katey. When asked whether they’d welcome more children, Jed said it was something he and Katy were “praying about,” while Katy said that they “would love to just enjoy the kids [they] have right now for a good minute.” For now, they consider themselves on “sabbatical” from having children.

What Jed & Katey Taking A Sabbatical Means For Their Family: Jed & Katey Want To Enjoy Their Family As It Is Now

The Duggar family became famous due to their extra-large brood, and the family has been through its fair share of trials and tribulations since their original reality show, 19 Kids And Counting, went off the air in 2015 after son Josh Duggar was exposed for molesting several of his sisters during childhood. The family has failed to regain their fame and popularity in the years since the scandal. Their appeal was always rooted in family values, which is why they had so many kids to begin with.

By stating that they’re on a “sabbatical” from expanding their family, Jed and Katey are drawing a distinction between their family and the Duggar family. The Duggars claimed that more children were gifts from God, so the more they had, the more blessed they were. Jed and Katey clearly reflect their family and the values they were raised with, but they’re not in a rush to have more children. They said they are “praying” on it but won’t be moving too quickly.

Our Take On Jed & Katey Duggar Wanting More Kids Eventually: The Duggars Love A Big Family

One of the many criticisms of families like the Duggars is that the parents are stretched too thin between trying to care for all of their children’s emotional and physical needs. For Jed and Katey to say they want to relish the time they have with their children while they’re young means that they probably have learned from their past and want to do what’s best for their family as it is currently. This is a major distinction between the way Jed and Katey are raising their family and the way Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar, Jed’s parents, raised theirs.

By spacing out their children, Jed and Katey are trying their best to be available and present as parents to their four young children without adding any more to the mix just yet. The Counting On stars are not abandoning the values they were raised with, but they are making sure that it will work for their family and they’re doing it on their own time. That’s progress from the early days of the family, and it’s a sign that the Duggars aren’t immune from changing with the times.