The Emergence of the Family in Hollywood

I have watched the emergence of such movies as Cheaper by the Dozen, Nanny McPhee, and the Pacifier with an element of chagrin. Each of these movies portrays a large family (12, 7, and ~5, respectively), which I was initially very excited by, thinking Hollywood was glorifying the idea of a larger family. Well, my admiration was quite mistaken. The families are portrayed as an unruly lot. Indeed, The Pacifier and Nanny McPhee assert that the only way to manage the ungodly number of children these families have is to be a super controlling person, such as a Navy SEAL. Forget the idea of an organized mother and a strong father; they’re not capable of rearing children.

These movies suggest that an extra baby only adds more chaos.

Sadly, these movies only add to the disdain many large families are faced with. A father and mother with more than one child are often viewed as a menace to society, since Americans are being fed with the idea we are overpopulating the earth.