More than a month has passed, and the Octo-mom story has become somewhat cliché since the delivery, besides the fact that the media are gathering more juicy tell-all interviews and insight into Nadya Suleman’s “big plans” now that she is a single, unemployed mother of fourteen.
She didn’t plan to have eight children, but the wonders of in vitro fertilization gave her a miracle. She only wanted one more. Should she have toyed with nature?
She joyfully welcomed the unexpected additions to her family as any good mother would. She is planning on receiving money from her church and all the media attention she has been getting. Surely generous citizens will donate to her family--or reluctant ones will have to if she opts for well-fare. Most agree, though, that this wasn’t a smart decision. Being a single mother is the most important factor in this perpetual quandary. Had she had a spouse, society could have easily put her on TLC, along with Jon and Kate’s 8 and the Duggars with their 18 plus. But she doesn't. She’s going to need some serious help and some serious money to keep these kids alive. Period.
Of course, no one should stone her in the streets for making a poorly planned decision. Marcos Gutierrez, Suleman’s ex-husband, said in an interview with Inside Edition that she is “a great person with a great heart” and that he wants her to be happy. “Happiness for her is to have all these kids,” he said. Suleman seems to be a loving mother who will do whatever it takes to care for her children. Sure she wasn’t expecting so many, but she can’t rewind time. Certainly she wouldn’t if she could. Her spectators can hope that from this experience she will learn to plan ahead--or at least have a backup plan before doing anything drastic, especially when human lives are at steak. “It’s a gamble,” she said in her interview with Ann Curry on the Today show. “All I wanted was children. I wanted to be a mom. That's all I ever wanted in my life. I love my children,” she told Curry.
Suleman said that she will be able to afford her children when she completes her graduate degree in counseling. For now, she is living in a three-bedroom house with her mother, who is less than thrilled with her daughter’s decision. Her father even seemed ashamed when he told Oprah that his daughter was under duress during the interview and was not allowed enough time to recover. NBC denied his claims and said that they let her choose a convenient time to be interviewed. Without the support of her parents, there is speculation about how long she will be able to raise over a dozen children under the age of seven. Though they are dissatisfied with the outcome, Suleman’s parents will most likely grin and bear the responsibility that surely awaits them. Hopefully things will turn out well like Suleman plans. Onlookers can only hope for the best.
