Lose control!

That's not an ordinary orchestra. That's an extraordinary family - the Duggar family! The photo shows the two proud parents, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar with their 19 children, who live in Arkansas, U.S.A. They have a hit reality TV show to their credit as well as a book. And all the kids' names start with "J". But that's not why they are here on this blog.


When writer Charlie Richards met this family at their home, he witnessed several revelations. The unusual thing about this family is that they don't let their kids be hounded by the media and the popular culture it has created, rather imposed on our minds.

You won’t find a television in their giant living room. The Internet is greatly restricted. The girls’ room didn’t have Hanna Montana or boy band or vampire posters or anything like it. Lady Gaga did not make the cut - noticed Richards.

When you read this, you might wonder, what a sad life these kids must lead. They must be always cribbing about the number of restrictions imposed on them. But that's not what they do. There is fun and laughter in the house. The children are free to be themselves. They don't have to meet standards set by young teenage stars on television or conform to the 'popular' opinion. Their minds are not beleaguered by what everyone else is thinking. They can form their own unbridled impressions of the world as they are shielded from the unreal world created by the media. 
Although, it's almost an irony that they themselves star in a reality show on TV.

And this makes me wonder how strongly the media controls our lives, our minds.