The Learning Channel is airing a new series called “Kids by the Dozen,” which showcases families with 12 or more children. Several episode air this month, and show times and synopses of the episodes can be found on TLC’s website.

Not only can you watch the series, but if you happen to have 12 or more children, you can be chosen to appear on the show! It would be fantastic to see some large, adoptive LDS families represented. :)

Here are the specifics:

Seeking Families for TLC’s “Kids by the Dozen”

TLC's television series "Kids by the Dozen" is seeking families with 12 or more children (at least 10 still living at home) to be featured in a new batch of shows. This new casting follows the success of three episodes profiling 12+ kid-families that aired earlier this year.

“Kids by the Dozen” is a rare and inspiring glimpse into how large families live, love, grow, and thrive. Most of all, the program documents the day-to-day “operations” (parenting) that goes into surprisingly organized and stable large families.

SEEKING:
- Families with 12 or more children (twins or other multiples welcome) of any race, ethnicity, religion or creed.
- At least 10 children must still live at home.
- Families with colorful personalities and strong opinions, values, principles and traditions.
- Parents with interesting and unusual stories of their relationship and parenting techniques.

2 STEPS TO BE CONSIDERED:

STEP #1 - PLEASE EMAIL THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION:
1 - Your family name (including each parent’s name), phone number & occupation(s).
2 - Number of children, your children’s names, ages, and sex.
3 - The city or town your family currently lives in.
4 - The city or town any older children live in.
5 - A recent photo of your family together.
6 - A brief summary of your family story and why your family makes a good candidate for the program.

STEP #2 – PLEASE MAIL OR EMAIL US:
- Recent VIDEO of your family together (NO LONGER THAN 5 MINUTES). Mail as DVD or DV videotape. Email as .mov, .mpg, .wmv, .avi, or .mp4 file.

EMAIL US AT: kidsbythedozen2@yahoo.com
MAIL YOUR VIDEO TO: Kids By The Dozen Casting, Powderhouse Productions, 212 Elm St., Somerville, MA 02144. PLEASE NO PHONE CALLS.

I always swore I’d want nothing to do with reality television. I see nothing redeeming about “Survivor” or “Fear Factor” or “The Biggest Loser” or –gasp – even “American Idol.” (I do enjoy watching the occasional episode of “Nanny 911,” but mostly because it makes me feel like a fantastic parent. Consistency, people! It’s a simple concept.)

But “Kids by the Dozen” intrigues me. I know it won’t have a huge audience and our family is too small to qualify, but if we had our Ethiopian kids home and just one more tucked away somewhere, I think I’d be seriously tempted to apply. Even though I grow tired of having my family in a spotlight everywhere we go, I would love the opportunity to show the world that large families are great families. After reading this post of Erin’s over at the Transracial Adoption Blog, and pondering Ethiopia’s impending new family size rules, I’ve been thinking a lot about the public perception that larger families can’t possibly be ideal families. As Erin mentions in her post, the general public sometimes thinks of larger families being nothing but institutions, and adopton authorities in other countries and social/case workers in our own country often buy into this assumption.

Erin outlined a huge list of tangible and intangible benefits her children enjoy in her family, and THIS is what I would like the world to be able to see. I grow so tired of people asking me, “So how ARE things?” as if by giving me a sympathetic look and asking an open-ended question I will suddenly spill the “real” beans and let them know how miserable we all are. Like Erin, I’m continually asked how I “do it:” how I give the kids enough one-on-one time, how I get the housework and laundry done, how I can homeschool so many, how we can travel – heck – how I can even get a shower in the morning. I just wish I could show people (OK, not the shower part!) that we do ALL these things, and we do them well.

When I think about how all this is possible, I can’t really put my finger on it except to say that I think it’s a lot like tithing. You’re never sure how you’ll be able to take care of all your financial obligations, yet if you remember the Lord and tithe first, you somehow have enough. Where adoption is concerned, if we leave our family’s growth up to the Lord, we somehow have enough. Enough money, enough time, enough resources, and by golly, MORE than enough love. (See the article on LDS Resource Dilution below for an informative study on the subject whether large LDS families have "enough" to go around.)

So. Anyone want to loan me a couple of kids? I really want to be on this show!

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Here are a few LDS moms with big families and great blogs:

Transracial Adoption
Africa Adoption
Adoptive Parenting (Theresa)

The Jeub Family website (one of the families featured on “Kids by the Dozen)

Mormons and Resource Dilution