Nadya Suleman, who made news across the world in 2009 after announcing she was having octuplets, has posted a rare photo of her eight youngest children as adults.
The mother of 14, also known as “Octomom,” shared a photo of her children leaving for eighth grade on Instagram.
The caption that accompanied the picture read: “First day of 8th grade. Be proud of yourselves kids for being kind, respectful, and helpful to all your fellow peers, teachers and staff. You are exceptional role models to the 6th and 7th graders. I love you.”
The image of the 47-year-old, who is described in her bio as an “ethical vegan,” garnered close to 9,000 likes.
Several of Suleman’s 221,000 fans left supportive comments on the picture, with one user writing: “Great job mom on raising such great kids! Wishing you all a successful year at school! [sic].”
“Amazing job mama. You should be so proud of your beautiful family. Hope they have a fabulous school year!” another added.
Suleman, who had previously given birth to six other children before discovering she was expecting the octuplets, has not always received praise for her decisions.
Because the mother was a single parent with six other children who were also born through IVF, the media was quick to blame her after she became pregnant with eight children following IVF treatment, according to NBC News at the time. This year, her eldest child will turn 21.
Suleman took on a number of professions, including a brief spell as a porn star, as a result of her escalating financial problems and the severe criticism she received for being single and jobless.
Suleman later referred to this in a 2017 interview with the Daily Mail as “foolish, immature, and selfish.”
“Every day I would wake up with the most ugly, dead, visceral feeling inside of me […] I didn’t want to live. I felt less than human as that character I was pretending to be, to survive and provide for my family,” she admitted.
In January 2020, the devoted mother mentioned this in an Instagram post.
Suleman posted a picture of a proverb with the words “do not judge my narrative by the chapter you walked in on,” along with a long caption outlining the suffering Octomom went through.
She wrote: “First, I would like to focus on you kind supporters who have followed my family from day one, nearly 11 years ago. Thank you, I am grateful for your support. May bountiful blessings be bestowed onto you in this new year.”
“The powerful media indoctrinated fragmented pieces of false narrative into the public’s minds, consequently creating a false identity from 2009-2013. Refrain from judging me solely based on the (struggling to survive) season you happened to walk in on,” she added.
“Despite the pain of my past, I’ve chosen to use my struggles as stepping stones, promoting my pursuit of achieving the goals I’ve set for my family,” the caption concluded.
Her large following responded to this article with kindness and encouragement, complimenting the mother on how she nurtured her fourteen kids.
