Natalie “Nadya” Suleman‘s teenage octuplets are about to share their story in an upcoming Lifetime docuseries, PEOPLE exclusively revealed. Her daughter Nariyah Suleman, 15, is ready to speak her mind now.
Days before she and her seven siblings turn 16 on Jan. 26, Nariyah is opening up for the first time about their unique journey and why they’re all ready to step into the spotlight in Confessions of Octomom, premiering March 10 on Lifetime. A scripted movie of their life, I Was Octomom, will premiere on March 8, also on Lifetime.
“My mom had to sacrifice, sacrifice her life, her friends, herself and her dignity, just so that she can take care of us,” Nariyah says while her mother, famously known as “Octomom,” is seated next to her. “If any opportunity came that she’d finally be able to tell the truth, of course, I’d want to help my mom as much as I can because she helped us so many years.”
courtesy Lifetime
When it comes to how her mother’s controversial IVF story has been told previously and how that has impacted her and her siblings, including Natalie’s six older children, “I just feel so, so resentful,” she says, “because [people are] just so easy to hate a mother and just believe any story.”
Natalie, who stopped using her nickname Nadya in an effort to escape the “trauma” of her past, became tabloid fodder in 2009 after news spread that she was a single mom who repeatedly sought out IVF treatments to expand her already large and struggling family. She was implanted with 12 embryos that resulted in the first-ever successful birth of octuplets.
“In the beginning it was complete pandemonium,” Natalie says of being at the center of public ire. “There was of course all of the details of the death threats and fearing for my family’s life.”
To provide for her family, Natalie says she “continued to sacrifice my integrity repeatedly.” Those sacrifices included participating in an adult film and at times collaborating with tabloid media on stories about her life.
Nicolette Lambright/courtesy Lifetime
“It wasn’t until they were maybe about 4 years old, I finally was able to escape all of that, the attack it felt from the world… and all that global scorn and condemnation, being the target of misplaced hate,” says Natalie. “I could escape and finally go back to the life I had once known before.”
Says Nariyah, “It’s very unfair how she was just terrorized and hated for just being a mother.”
The teen reveals that once they grew up, she and her siblings were also shamed by some of their peers. “There [are] some kids who would judge and ask inappropriate questions about our mom and show us pictures and stuff,” she says.
Nicolette Lambright / courtesy Lifetime
None of that changed Nariyah’s mind about her mom. “I just have a strong relationship with her, and I obviously defend her because they don’t know anything about her.”
On the other hand, she adds, “obviously there are people who are supportive, people who are very kind. And I had many friends who were supportive of our mother. But other people, whenever they hate or say bad things, then we just ignore.”
As for what type of mom Natalie is, “She’s very strict and disciplined, and that’s something I respect about her a lot,” says Nariyah. “She’s one of the most disciplined people I’ve ever encountered and she educates us a lot.”
Natalie chimes in, “Implementing structure discipline is something that I failed to do as a parent with my oldest six,” she says candidly. “I failed to implement all of what I’ve learned in college and graduate school and was nurturing only. I learned the hard way. Now with my younger kids, I was able to implement both a combination of unconditional love, positive regard, and structured discipline and consequences. That’s imperative.”
The octuplets are currently homeschooled via a virtual instructor and Nariyah says, as viewers will soon see, she and her siblings are thriving and closer than ever.
Nicolette Lambright/courtesy Lifetime
“I always have someone to talk to, and I’m just never alone, which is a good and bad thing,” she says. “But it’s very fun and it’s very lively, and I’m just happy. I have a a big variety of people and different perspectives.”
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Natalie says she keeps them busy with “age-appropriate responsibilities.”
“I believe all kids, teenagers, they need responsibilities on their shoulder to give them a sense of purpose, to make them feel confident and increase their self-esteem and know that they’re contributing to something more than themselves,” she explains. “So I teach them the value of helping and serving and helping. First your home, your family, and then eventually the community.”
I Was Octomom premieres March 8, while Confessions of Octomom premieres March 10, both on Lifetime.
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