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I was surprised when I found out a woman in California gave birth to Octuplets or eight babies. Imagine my shock when I found out she has SIX more children in her care, all under the age of  eight.

This news has sparked a lot of angry comments from CNN readers. You can find the whole article here. I’m posting a sample of some of the comments I’ve read at CNN:

I can understand why some would feel shocked by this and call the mother irresponsible,they probably had a difficult time raising their own children. But for someone who likes a large family,who are we to say if this is wrong or right.

We as parents have a duty to raise our children to be productive citizens. For our generation, they taught us family planning, and programmed us to have just one, two, or three kids: the better to feed them and provide their needs. However I noticed that with small families, those who only have one or two kids in the family, most grow apart. They move away once they are old enough to fend for their own, raise families of their own, and only see each other on holidays, or not at all.

But with families who have three or more children, there are bonds formed, most especially if the children realize the hardship their parents took to raise all of them. The eldest brother or sister acts as surrogate parents and watch over their siblings, and this bond continues even after they are old enough and have families of their own.

Now that I am old, I wish there was more than just my sister and me. We fought a lot because of the 4 year age gap, and though we have a better relationship now because we both have kids, we are still different as night and day. It would have been nice if there was a big brother or sister to talk to, a younger sibling to pamper or hang out with, or play music just like the Jonas Brothers, or Hanson.

Is it really that bad to want a big family?

What an exciting day it is for America. I feel like singing U2’s BEAUTIFUL DAY. I’ve been glued to the telly since 6AM EST (6PM-Philippine time) and it’s still hours away before the inauguration.

The Barack-apalooza

On CNN, I see millions gathering in the mall to see Barack Obama sworn in as America’s 44th president – its first African-American leader. People have traveled from different points of the US, walking and taking different routes to get to the National Mall. They don’t seem to mind the biting cold. They are jumping up and down, walking around, or huddling together to keep warm. It’s one big security challenge, and I sure hope nothing wrong will happen today. It’s really an amazing scene, this is the first time I saw Americans have gathered this huge crowd for a president.

News anchors say that this is the culmination of Dr. Martin Luther King’s vision of America: “I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character”. I’ve read about Obama’s background and listened to his speeches, and all I have is respect for this man. He really is the right man for the job.

Katharine Seelye of the New York Times said:

“The inaugural itself will be at the Capitol, which was built by slaves who baked the bricks, sawed the timber and laid the stone for its foundation. When Mr. Obama delivers his inaugural address, he will be looking out across the National Mall, which was once a slave market, beyond the White House, also built by slaves, to the Lincoln Memorial, honoring the president who freed the slaves.”

BEFORE INAUGURATION

DURING OBAMA'S INAUGURATION

What a great day it is for the US! The world is watching them right now! And I’m watching right along with them.