Natalie ‘Nadya’ Suleman is one strict mama.
The 49-year-old, who has been often known as “Octomom” since birthing the primary surviving octuplets in 2009, revealed why she chooses to run a decent ship on the subject of elevating her 14 children.
“I was a child and adolescent development major,” Suleman – who already had six children earlier than conceiving eight kids by way of in vitro fertilization – instructed Folks.
“With Elijah, then Amerah, and then Josh, and then Aidan, and then the twins, I kept going to school,” she recalled about being at Cal State Fullerton after welcoming six kids, additionally by way of IVF. “So I was also raising them on campus with me, and I was earning my bachelor’s degree while taking 18 units in school and taking care of all my kids. I wasn’t like the media portrayed, this unemployed welfare recipient. It was not the case at all.”
Suleman confessed about her older children: “I personally believe I failed as a parent to implement all of the knowledge I acquired in college.”
“I raised them just permissive, which is wrong. You shouldn’t do that. You should implement consistent structure, discipline and consequences, plus love, unconditional love and acceptance,” she admitted to the outlet. “I only did the latter. I shouldn’t have spoiled them. I learned the hard way. But I still raised them to be kind and humble.”
However with the octuplets, who simply turned 16, Suleman “was able to implement both a combination of unconditional love, positive regard and structured discipline consequences.”
One thing her children can attest to.
“She’s very strict,” 16-year-old Nariyah acknowledged, “and she educates us a lot.”
“We don’t have phones,” she added. “We have one phone for communication.”
One other guideline applied? “They’re not allowed to date until they’re 18,” Suleman famous.
However a very powerful family rule is “no social media,” reiterated the mother.
“It’s toxic. I don’t even like going on it. I only do it to share and I dread it. It’s like I can’t even imagine the kids these days. It’s so unhealthy. I don’t believe anyone should go on social media, or be allowed on until they’re 18 at least.”
However together with not obsessing about others on-line, Suleman doesn’t need her kids to be too into their very own lives both.
“I’m raising the kids not to be fixated on themselves so much,” she expressed. “It’s very different today. I’m a little more old school in how I’m raising my kids to focus on others, try to value serving because then the byproduct of that is internal joy and happiness, rather than, no offense to other people and other kids these days, but they tend to be a little more, let’s just say self-absorbed and self-entitled. I’m raising my kids to be aware of that and try to deviate away from that.”
Suleman and 11 of her 14 children dwell in Orange County, Calif in a three-bedroom condo. Of their free time, the household partakes in video games, time on the health club and household film nights.
For these fascinated by studying extra, viewers can tune into the Lifetime film, “I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story” which premieres Saturday, Mar. 8.
The doucseries “Confessions of Octomom” will then debut Mar. 10.
