You’ve probably heard of the popular reality series on TLC called “OutDaughtered.” It features the very busy parents Adam and Danielle Busby. And, we say very busy because they are parents of quintuplets. In fact, their quintuplets are the only all-girl quintuplets on record in the United States.
From 3 To 8 Overnight
Adam and Danielle got married in 2006 and their oldest daughter Blayke was born 5 years later. Adam and Danielle wanted to add to their family, but struggled with infertility. It took four cycles of treatments and then the couple got the big news that she was pregnant with the quintuplets. In 2015 they were delivered via cesarean section at 28 weeks gestation. Their weights ranged from 2 pounds to 2 pounds 6 ounces and they spent the first few months of their lives in the NICU at the Woman’s Hospital of Texas. Only two of the quints are identical with the rest of them being fraternal.
Naturally, everyone was curious how many people it would take to care for babies. With 40 bottles per day, 420 diapers in a week, and feedings every three hours, the “OutDaughtered” show became a hit. Watching their oldest daughter Blayke grow up with her sisters Ava, Olivia, Hazel, Riley, and Parker go from a family of three to a family of eight overnight is a journey that most people will never take.
Time For The First Day Of School
Now the girls are ready to enter pre-kindergarten and their parents remind everyone how, though their daughters look so much alike, they each have their own personalities. Which, shouldn’t come as a surprise that they might not all take the exact path. The Busby’s posted a picture of the quints with their big sister showing them all wearing matching dresses.
The caption reads:
First day of school! Blayke 3rd grade, Riley kindergarten, Ava, Olivia, Hazel, and Parker upper rotation Pre-K. Let your light shine bright girls!”
Unusual Test Results
Their mother Danielle had spoken earlier that Riley, in particular, has a bigger personality than her sisters and therefore finds herself getting into trouble more often than they do. Because of this, her parents have suspected she might be gifted. They say she is a deep thinker for being just four-years-old. They decided to have her tested and their suspicions rang true. The average score on the preschool test is 40. But Riley scored an unusually high score of 84.
Critics Came Out In Force
After discussing with the owner of the preschool an option of putting Riley in an advanced placement class, the parents opted to have her skip right into kindergarten. While some may think it not right to split up the quints, her parents feel it is more important to make sure she is challenged and not hold her back. With the family being in the spotlight, naturally, critics have come forward questioning the parent’s decision.
No Instruction Book
But their father, Adam, responded saying,
It was a learning experience for us and it’s been positive since we chose to separate them. There ain’t a manual for raising quints. We are making the best decision that we can with the information and intuition that we have as their parents.
And he is absolutely right. When children are born, there is no manual that comes with each one and all the challenges each child has. It may appear that might make the lives of parent’s easier, but truth is, each child is so different and combined with an infinite number of variances in families, situations, locations – there couldn’t be enough authors to determine what is completely right or wrong in each individual’s life anyhow.
Thankfully most responses have agreed with the parent’s decision as a YouTube commenter confirms:
I think multiples have to be seen as individuals and not as a pack.
And that’s exactly what the Busby parents are trying their best to do.
Listen below as Adam and Danielle explain their decision below.
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