My Two Cents

It never ceases to amaze me the controversy, judgement and hate that a single, isolated event can stir in people. By now, everyone is familiar with the Nadya Suleman and her octuplets. The media, true to form, has done their best to paint a less than flattering image of her, from plastic surgery, unemployment, fertility doctors, and their insistent reminder that she's on FOOD STAMPS. Oh, the horror!

It is apparent that Suleman has made some less than stellar decisions in life whether from naivete, foolishness, or mental instability, and it has been difficult NOT to judge her. It is far easier to assume that she has a few screws loose, she will be unable to afford to raise her 14 children, and that they can't possibly be getting all the attention and love they need. But not from lack of trying. I don't doubt that Suleman loves her children very much. So much, that if it were possible, she would continue to have children. Her joy seems to be entirely wrapped up in the having with little to no thought to the providing. This certainly isn't grounds for ripping her children away from her or sending death threats. She has more important things to be worrying about like coming up with 8 new baby names and dealing with those monster stretch marks she bared to the entire world.

What I find so hard to believe is the contempt people have for her, insisting that her children be taken from her so they can be in a more beneficial environment. The only argument they have against her is her financial incapability to feed, clothe and house these children ON HER OWN. In all other respects she is being the best mother she knows how to be and none of the children are complaining. Sure her house is dirty and messy but we're not talking about shit covering walls and roaches in the Rice Krispies. Not everyone can have a home with the potential to grace the cover of Architectural Digest and at least she's not neglecting her kids to run a vacuum or fold the endless piles of laundry that accumulate.

This is a significantly complicated scenario because anyone who is willing to help her is seen as forgiving her behavior and no one wants to risk their reputation by helping a woman whose children desperately need it. As a whole, people would rather see her be punished for her actions because that will teach her and anyone else contemplating having more than 1 child at a time a lesson. She just can't pop out 8 kids and expect the world to pay for them. Then EVERYONE would start getting multiple eggs implanted and we'd be overrun with the likes of Nadya Suleman and their litters of children and we would ALL be footing the bill. There goes life as we know it. The End.

Since when did asking for help get answered with a death threat?