Mothers Day exclusive: The record breaking mum with 18 kids who really needs pampering today

If any mum deserves some extra special pampering today, it's Michelle Duggar.


She's the supermum who has delivered herself into the record books by having 18 children - making the Duggars the biggest family in America.

And as it's Mother's Day, Michelle expects to be the centre of attention, with her children each creating hand-made cards.

Her younger boys like to bring her breakfast in bed, although Michelle jokes that they have a tendency to burn the toast.

She says: "The children do try to make it very special for me.

"They will buy a gift card so that my husband Jim Bob and I can go out for a meal and have a date night. They also insist that I do not have to cook. Luckily my girls like to cook so they will make all the meals, while I can have a day off.

"It is nice to feel special but to be honest every day with my children is special."

As America's biggest - and most famous - family they have their own TV show called Eighteen Kids and Counting.

Michelle, who has been pregnant for 12 years - more than a quarter of her life - estimates she has changed about 100,000 nappies. Her older children help her cope with the younger ones and the family home is run with military precision.

And she hasn't ruled out having more - even though it's just three months since she gave birth to her latest baby, Jordyn-Grace.

"I guess I just really enjoy being pregnant," says Michelle. "I would love to have more. I am only 42 years old so there is still plenty of time left.

"Every child we have has been a gift. If I am blessed with another child then I will be so happy."

Her bumper brood - their regular duties include learning to play the musical instruments in our picture, for their own orchestra - range in age from baby Jordyn-Grace to Josh, who is 20 and married to Anna.

All their names begin with the letter J, but Michelle and Jim Bob, 43, never have any trouble remembering who is who. "Each one is very special to us," says Jim Bob. "There are still plenty of names with J that we have not used so there are room for a few more in the family."

The other Duggar children are twins Jana and John-David, 18, Jill, 17, Jessa, 16, Jinger, 14, Joseph, 13, Josiah, 12, Joy-Anna, 11, twins Jeremiah and Jedidiah, nine, Jason, eight, James, seven, Justin, six, Jackson, four, Johannah, three, and Jennifer, one.

Michelle says she and Jim Bob, both devout Christians, did not plan to have a such a big family.

But after she had a miscarriage while on the Pill, the couple vowed never to use contraception again and have had a baby about every 18 months. The children sleep in dormitory-sized bedrooms in their large home, which has nine bathrooms. The laundry room has four washing machines and four driers - which do 200 loads of washing a month.

Michelle admits the only way the family can function is if the children help out. She uses a "buddy system", with one of the older children teaming up with a younger one to do chores.

The older girls do most of the cooking while each child is responsible for keeping one part of the house clean.

The Duggar household rises at 7am and, after washing and dressing, they all meet downstairs for breakfast.

With so many hands reaching across the table for packets of cereal or toast, it's one of the most hectic times of the day.

"Yes, there are times when it is like Grand Central Station," says Michelle. "But one of my biggest joys is seeing the children together and getting on so well.

"Yes, they have the occasional argument, but we've always taught our children to be nice to each other, and it works."

With breakfast out of the way, Michelle home-schools the youngest children with the eldest helping out. Between schoolwork, the kids do their chores while the older girls, Jana and Jill, prepare the evening meal.

As a deeply religious Baptist family, time is set aside to read from the Bible. The house has 10 computers but only one has access to the internet. "The computers are for educational purposes," says Jim Bob. "We let the children use the internet for research but there is no YouTube or things like that."

After an evening meal, they play board games, talk about their day or read from the Bible.

Shopping trips are taken in the family's 21-seater coach.

Michelle bulk-buys all her food and her monthly food bill is about $1,500 (£1,050) - but estate agent Jim Bob has a steady income to support the family.

Now eldest Josh is married, they hope he and his wife Anna will soon add to the family. "Jim Bob and I would love to be grandparents. I can't think of anything better," adds Michelle.

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