Natalie ‘Nadya’ Suleman is one strict mama.
The 49-year-old, who has been known as “Octomom” since birthing the first surviving octuplets in 2009, revealed why she chooses to run a tight ship when it comes to raising her 14 kids.
“I was a child and adolescent development major,” Suleman – who already had six kids before conceiving eight children via in vitro fertilization – told People.
“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 children, also via 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 kids: “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.”
But with the octuplets, who just turned 16, Suleman “was able to implement both a combination of unconditional love, positive regard and structured discipline consequences.”
Something her kids can attest to.
“She’s very strict,” 16-year-old Nariyah stated, “and she educates us a lot.”
“We don’t have phones,” she added. “We have one phone for communication.”
Another guideline implemented? “They’re not allowed to date until they’re 18,” Suleman noted.
But the most important household rule is “no social media,” reiterated the mom.
“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.”
But along with not obsessing about others online, Suleman doesn’t want her children to be too into their own lives either.
“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 kids live in Orange County, Calif in a three-bedroom apartment. In their free time, the family partakes in games, time at the gym and family movie nights.
For those interested in learning more, viewers can tune into the Lifetime movie, “I Was Octomom: The Natalie Suleman Story” which premieres Saturday, Mar. 8.
The doucseries “Confessions of Octomom” will then debut Mar. 10.
