Ali Weiss

OK, so this is a new low for me. I’m about to blog about Octomom.

Why? Because after watching Nadya Suleman on Oprah Tuesday night (yes, they show Oprah twice a day here in Chicago) I awoke in the middle of the night with nightmares. For real. Just imagining her home made me think of a bizarre, twisted prison for all involved.

“Octomom” may be none of my busines, but the welfare of children is everyone’s business! How is this gonna end? Who are we to sit and watch? 

The absolute chaos of that household is frightening on a good day (I assume having Oprah’s crew there qualifies as a good day) and Suleman herself admits there’s no way anyone can provide what 8 babies and 6 toddlers need. To her credit, she’s doing her best — a damn good job under the circumstances. But this can’t possibly be sustainable on 2 hours of sleep per night. This situation is just not meant to occur in nature.  In a “natural” family of 14, for arguement’s sake, at least by now there’d be teenagers to help out. 

What bugs me is how Suleman delivers the party lines she knows we want to hear. She claims a level of self-awareness.  She says she realizes her choices were “delusional” and “selfish.” If she really had learned that lesson, she would be doing something about it.  She would selflessly,  proactively seek out loving, financially stable, two-parent homes for these babies. She needs to humbly admit her limitations and do what’s right for the kids, now, before the gov’t agencies have to step in and botch up the job. Then she could establish a good relationship with the families and stay in her children’s lives. But when Oprah asked about that option, Suleman snapped: “No.”

Of course giving up the babies would be heartbreaking  for her. But we’re not dealing with a normal situation! Ultimately she’s going to wind up failing at what she’s attempting now. Another red flag that she’s unrealistic  is the way she brags about not accepting food stamps. Again, she obviously says that because that’s what she thinks the public wants to hear. Um, accept the food stamps, you silly woman! You paid into the system when you had a job, they’re your right, and your kids need the money. And don’t even get me started on the plastic surgery.

Even if she’s financially saved by the book, or the inevitable reality show she swears she’ll never do, or more photoshopped images of her body, she’ll have failed at providing an emotionally stable home.  She’ll have compromised her children’s dignity and privacy. Clearly, pride and selfishness — and an obessive concern with public image — are trumping the practical aspects of love and care. Oprah’s right: This is addiction.

So how’s this gonna end?