This article was originally published on our site: storieswithpictures.com
Little People, Big World is one of TLC’s most successful TV shows that’s been gaining popularity since the year 2006. This reality TV show captured the attention of millions of viewers with its captivating story about the Roloff family that lives in Portland, Oregon.
They could have been just another big happy family leading a peaceful life in the suburbs, but there’s something special about all members of the Roloffs – each of them has a condition called dwarfism, which influenced their lives greatly.
While the show has gained thousands of fans all over the globe, the family itself has experienced a number of good and bad times in their careers, relationships, and everyday lives. Unsurprisingly, there’s been some very dramatic events as well. Read on to find out about the recent struggle of the famous family that has captivated the whole world.
A Truly Versatile Bunch of People
The story of the reality TV show focuses mainly on Amy and Matthew, the heads of the famous family. They both have dwarfism, so one would expect their kids to inherit this condition, but that actually isn’t the case!
Even if both parents have dwarfism, it doesn’t mean that the same gene will act the same in their kids. You’d be surprised to find out that out of their three kids only one, Zach, shares the same condition as his parents.
It is even more striking that Zach and Jeremy are twins, but only one of them has dwarfism! Their daughter, Molly, is average in size as well. You can imagine just how complicated living in this versatile family can get! Naturally, all kinds of situations happened to the parents and their kids…
Doing Their Best
If not for their condition, this famous family would have been just like everyone else – tending to their land and taking care of various crops. As you know, working on a farm is no walk in the park, so the short-statured family did experience some complications along the way.
Having dwarfism doesn’t necessarily mean that a person will develop health problems as well, but alas, for Matt and his son this was the case. Both of them suffered a lot due to their condition and had to undergo frequent medical interventions to make their lives easier.
Naturally, working on a farm was much harder for this small-statured family than it was for everyone else, but they never gave up. Although being small in an average-sized world wasn’t an easy destiny, but they fully embraced it and lived their lives the best they could!
A Show That’s Never Been Done Before
Whether you’ve noticed this or not, but there isn’t a show quite like this one on any other channel. It’s because reality TV shows have never embraced the topic of little people before!
No one has ever had an idea to create a reality TV show about the lives of people with dwarfism, so when the channel’s executives approached the famous family, Amy, the mother, got beyond excited. This meant the whole world would see the hardships and happy moments people like her experienced every day.
She immediately took this opportunity to reveal what it was like living with dwarfism and what kind of issues they all faced every day living in the average-sized world. This was definitely a show like no other! All other family members were also on board with the idea to create a show about their everyday lives.
The Most Exciting Show Ever
Finally, billions of people all across the globe got a chanсe to find out what life was like for people with dwarfism. Of course, it was very exciting, filled with romance, relationships, and various exciting events.
The show has been running for 12 years and hasn’t seen a drop in popularity even once! All this thanks to the unique personalities of the people taking part in the show, both little and average-sized, and their highs and lows that were carefully documented by each episode of the show.
While the show canters around the everyday activities of the family members, what makes it truly special is the challenges little people face due to dwarfism. This is something that doesn’t get enough attention both on TV and social media.
But, Where is Jacob?
We’ve talked about the family’s three kids, but there has been one more, Jacob, who was shortly revealed in the very beginning of the show, but we haven’t seen him ever since the first few episodes…
The story of the family started with a dramatic turn of events when Jacob and one of his friends were severely injured during an accident just a few days before Halloween right when the show began airing back in 2006. It turned out the family used to do some promotion for the festivities and used their own pumpkins, launching them with a trebuchet for the ultimate Halloween mood.
The trebuchet malfunctioned as Jacob was nearby and he had to go to the hospital to treat his severe injuries. Afterwards, as soon as Jacob turned 18, he had to leave his home and get away from the celebrity family due to some contract issues. What a start of the show!
An Unexpected Turn of Events
The viewers might have lost Jacob, but there soon was a newcomer who has turned everyone’s lives upside down. Victoria came to work to the farm as a helper in the beginning of 2010, never realizing that the decision to show up there would change her whole life.
Tori was a beautiful young woman with a gentle soul, so she quickly won the hearts of all family members, including that of Zach. He liked Victoria from the first second he saw, but he couldn’t just approach her like that, after all, Tori was an average-sized girl, so he was feeling a little bit insecure.
It took Zach almost four months to ask Victoria out on a date – and she agreed to go out with him! The couple has quickly become one of the TV show’s favourites as thousands of people watched their relationship evolve from strangers to an amorous duo right in front of their eyes.
Experiencing First Hardships
While the couple’s beautiful romantic relationship was blooming, not everything was as seamless as they thought it would be. Tori had a humble day job helping at the family’s farm, but as the show was growing more and more popular both she and Zach became extremely famous.
They were like celebs in their own hometown! All that national fame and recognizability took a toll on Victoria as she confessed during one of her candid interviews later in the show.
What was it like building a new relationship from scratch in front of millions of viewers? It was no walk in the park, that’s for sure, but the couple maintained focus on their family goals no matter what.
A New Unexpected Venture
The show has been a tremendous success all across the country, bringing more viewers to the screens than ever. Naturally, the channel started thinking about a spin-off show to keep even more people glued to the screens watching the adventures of this unique family.
That’s when Amy and Matt had a brilliant idea of their own – they wanted to start a wedding planning business right there inside their estate! Naturally, the show’s producers were ecstatic about the whole thing and that’s how another popular show was born, evolving solely around their new venture.
The series lasted for only one season with camera crew following each and every step of the spouses as they established their new business, but the main show continues airing until today and shows no signs of getting dull or boring to the viewers!
Finally, What All The Viewers Have Been Waiting For
Thousands of viewers have been following the evolution of Tori’s and Zach’s relationship, waiting for the big day to come. They were the cutest couple in the world, so everyone wanted to see them make the next step.
Finally, in 2014, Zach proposed and the two lovebirds started planning their wedding ceremony. Both of them confessed that the reality TV show they both were in played a huge part in their final decision to tie the knot.
The soon-to-be-wife admitted that the whole show has shed some light as to what she might expect her life with Zach to be in the future. Many people simply didn’t accept their beautiful romance and she learned how to deal with it early on and grew stronger from it. Zach also felt that the show has changed his life for good as it allowed him to be more open about his condition and more confident in himself.
There’s No Such Thing as Too Many Weddings
In 2015, not one, but two couples got married! Of course, we all got to see the most anticipated event for thousands of viewers – the wedding ceremony of Zach and Tori. They didn’t want a huge wedding, so their ceremony consisted of the closest friends and relatives and, of course, the camera crew that recorded their each step.
It was impossible to look away from the couple as each of them beamed with happiness. They were the cutest newlyweds in the world!
But that was not the only couple who decided to take their relationship one step further – Jeremy also had a wedding ceremony a little bit earlies that year! He tied the knot with his beloved woman, Audrey, and the whole thing was beautifully filmed and viewed in a separate TV special.
The Parents Were up to Something
While two of their kids got happily married and each of them has started a family of their own, Amy and Matt had some hard time keeping their relationship afloat. In 2016, after long talks and careful consideration, the two parents of the famous family have finally decided to file for divorce.
It was the year 2016 and the two of them have been together for long 30 years, making it hard for everyone to believe that they would actually part ways. Everyone around them, including the viewers were trying to wrap their heads around this big news.
Of course, they didn’t part ways completely as they were still business partners and shared so many kids and relatives. Yet, for their relationship that was definitely the end. But that wasn’t the only thing that happened in 2016!
Newlyweds Were in for a Surprise
Zach and his wife were going strong as a couple and were planning to build a family of their own. That’s why it didn’t really come as a surprise when Tori posted a photo of herself with a pregnant belly.
While being on cloud nine, Victoria was feeling very anxious about her baby – what if he would suffer from the same condition as her husband? Not they would love the baby any less, but she simply couldn’t stop worrying about all the health issues that would come with it.
That’s when Zach calmed her down saying that they would love him no matter what and their baby wouldn’t have to worry about anything! After all, they knew about dwarfism more than anyone else.
The Best Seven Years of Their Lives
Victoria was still pregnant with their future baby when the couple celebrated their seven-year anniversary. The time went by so quickly! It seemed that only yesterday the two of them met and went on their first date with the whole nation rooting for them, and now were the happiest people on Earth waiting for their first baby to arrive.
The couple posted a bunch of sweet photos of them together on social media, revealing just how much they still cared for each other. Everyone could feel that their love and affection was genuine!
Their relationship is an inspiration for everyone and seeing them build a family together is one of the best things that have ever happened on reality TV.
An Issue They All Feared
Of course, the baby’s father was born with dwarfism, but his siblings were different and sported normal average heights, so there was a good chanсe that his baby wouldn’t inherit the same condition. Still, despite all their hopes, the doctors soon confirmed that the baby shared the same gene with his father.
The soon-to-be parents were shaken at first, but they managed to get over the news quickly with the help of their friends and family. After all, they were mentally prepared that this could happen, that’s why they simply couldn’t let that information bring them down.
The two of them would love their baby no matter what and their family had vast experience in dealing with dwarfism, that’s why they felt confident everything would turn out well. Still, not everything went as smooth as they expected.
Tori Loved Children Most of All
Talking about kids… Tori was very accustomed to being with kids and taking care of them as her main job was a teacher in the kindergarten. She has been preparing to become a stellar mom long before she even met her husband!
Of course, the soon-to-be-mom was sad to say good-bye to all her beloved kids as she was preparing for maternity leave, after all, she loved her job so much. Still, she planned on making a comeback soon because she couldn’t imagine staying away from her beloved work for too long.
Although Victoria was feeling happy about becoming a mother, she didn’t know what hardships were waiting for her ahead. Before she could get back to her beloved job, she and her baby would go through quite a lot of ordeals.
The Blessing of Motherhood
In 2017, after nine months of happy pregnancy, Tori and Zach welcomed cute little Jackson into their family, filling the Roloff estate with even more laughter and happiness. Everyone knew the baby inherited Zach’s condition, but that didn’t make his parents any less joyful about him being born!
Zach swore he would raise him the best way he could, giving him all the guidance and advice the little boy will need to live a long and happy life.
While being born with dwarfism is a challenging destiny, it was a true blessing that Jackson was born into the Roloff family as they had a lot of experience of living their lives to the fullest despite their condition. The viewers couldn’t believe just how cute the baby was!
The Happiest Parents on Earth
Zach and Tori have definitely been one of the most favourite reality TV couples of the last decade, but when they had their first baby, their fame sky-rocketed even higher! Viewers couldn’t get enough of the happy couple and their love for Jackson.
Tori often made posts on social media to share how the baby was growing, fueling everyone’s affection for her and the baby even more. The new family looked like the happiest people in the world!
Victoria was quite hesitant to post his photos at first, she later realized that fans loved him no matter what. Despite his condition, fans from all over the world were writing him and his parents affectionate comments each time they posted something online. Tori really didn’t have to worry about anything! Nevertheless, her motherhood hasn’t been all sunshine and rainbows…
Being a Mom Has Its Complications
Dealing with kids most of her free time, Tori knew a thing or two about motherhood, still, she wasn’t prepared for the issues that started coming up as she had her first baby. No one is ever fully prepared for motherhood, no matter how many books you read!
When Tori confessed to her social media followers that she had difficulties with breastfeeding, people couldn’t wrap their heads around that. Was it really such a big issue?
But it turns out that feeding babies is surrounded by stigma and various issues that most people have no idea about (apart from women who have just given birth like Tori). Before that the show Tori took part I helped raise awareness about the lives of people with dwarfism and the hardships they face in their everyday lives, and now it was time for Tori to reveal some hard truths about breastfeeding she experienced herself and wanted more people to know about.
She Wasn’t Going to Remain Silent
Openly talking about breastfeeding and how it is viewed by society hit all new mothers close to home. Breastfeeding seems like the most natural thing in the world to do, but only until you have a baby – then, suddenly, the whole world is interested in the way you’re nourishing your baby.
Being a bit of a celebrity herself, Tori’s involvement in the breastfeeding issue started making huge changes in the way people viewed the whole thing. There were so many things mothers had to keep silent about! But Tori wasn’t going be like that.
As soon as her baby was born, Tori decided to talk about what was bothering her the most - breastfeeding. Her own negative experience only fueled her passion to become more vocal about what breastfeeding was really like.
What Most People Don’t Realize
Breastfeeding is not something to be ashamed of and it is legal to do it out in the open without a cover in most U.S. states. But while breastfeeding in public is allowed by law, it is still vastly frowned upon by society.
As ironical as it may seem, everyone is sure that breastfeeding is the only way to go, expecting all the mothers to do it (formula is a big no-no!) but when they do it in a public place, there will always be that person or a restaurant owner that will come up to the mother and tell her to breastfeed in a restroom or any other place at all.
Tori has experienced this so many times herself that she simply couldn’t stay silent about the whole thing any longer! What right did strangers have to tell her what and where to do with her baby and her own body?
Women Can Decide for Themselves
While breastfeeding is definitely the most natural way to nourish a child, there are instances when mothers choose to switch to baby formula whether because of health issues or some other reasons.
So, the other side of the breastfeeding question is not all mothers want and can do it continuously for many months – and that’s their right to do so! Many breastfeeding advocates cross the line stating that it is the only proper way to nourish a child, harassing millions of mothers who can’t or don’t want to do this.
Being a public person, Victoria took it upon herself to raise more awareness about the whole breastfeeding issue because she was experiencing all that herself. Women from all over the world were touched by what she had to say!
The Pressure of Public Breastfeeding
What most people don’t realize is that many new mothers don’t even start breastfeeding in public because of the fear they’ll receive a backlash from other people. Many women stop breastfeeding earlier so they could avoid breastfeeding in public!
Other mothers just tend to hide whenever they need to breastfeed their babies or use various covers that make them feel all the more embarrassed about the whole process.
While most women remained silent about the whole thing, Tori wasn’t going to hide the truth – she used all her social platforms to shed some light on the issue of breastfeeding.
What About Jackson?
While his mother was busy being a public figure, Jackson was growing up from a newborn baby into a cute little toddler whose only concern was to be as close to his mother as possible.
Tori’s followers were happy to hear that as time went by, breastfeeding has become less stressful for her and the baby. Talking about it in public definitely helped her feel much more at ease about the whole thing!
Tori couldn’t stop posting photos of her and the baby – her love for him was palpable and her followers loved each and every photo she revealed on her social media platforms. Naturally, she has gained quite a huge following due to her son and the important topics she raised.
Tori’s Actual Opinion on Breastfeeding
Tori’s Instagram following has been growing with each post dedicated to breastfeeding and the stigma around it, making more and more women aware of the issue long before they would become mothers themselves.
Tori has reached so many mothers with her posts! Nevertheless, Victoria had an opinion of her own about whether to breastfeed the baby or not – it all depended on personal preference and the case of each mother. Tori believed there should be no general rule for all mothers on that matter.
What was most important for mothers all across the globe was the right to choose what to do with their babies and their bodies. Whether they decided to breastfeed or not to breastfeed at all – no one should be telling them what to do.
One Nurse Stepped Forward
As Tori was discussing more pressing issues concerning the hardships of motherhood, people started sharing their own views on the matters along with their experiences. A whole community was forming around Tori’s Instagram!
One nurse stepped forward in a candid comment about breastfeeding, admitting that the medical culture has been too involved in the ways mothers nourished their babies, while ignoring some other even more serious matters.
The nurse confessed that postpartum depression was a huge issue that didn’t get nearly enough attention in the mass media and she hoped that someone would shed more light on that matter as well. The mother’s health should always come first!
Someone Else Was Expecting as Well
The famous family was definitely growing bigger! If you remember Audrey, the beautiful girl who married Zach’s brother, then you can imagine just how happy everyone was when she declared she was expecting a baby, too. Naturally, she had a bunch of her very own concerns as to what motherhood would be like for her.
Previously Tori was the one who started frankly talking about what was bothering her, and Audrey felt so empowered that she decided to do the same – she went to her Instagram account and started talking about her motherhood and whether she would be able to continue running her business like before.
Being a business lady is no walk in the park, we can all agree to that, but working full time while bringing up a daughter? That task seemed nearly impossible for Audrey, so she started asking her followers what they thought about it.
Working Moms Unite
While motherhood was certainly one of the most important things in Audrey’s life, she didn’t want to sacrifice one thing for the other and was bent on working while raising her baby girl. But was that even possible?
Audrey was involved not in one, but in two businesses. She was running her very own fashion line with trendy clothing and, at the same time, she was her husband’s partner in their marriage counseling business.
Their site, Beating 50 Percent, wasn’t just any marriage counselling agency as it primarily focused on traditional values and Christian religion, aiming to help Christian couples build steady relationship based on trust, faith, and religion.
Motherhood or Business?
While Audrey was hesitant to talk about her concerns in public at first, but following Tori’s example, she never regretted it even once. She received so many tips and great advice on how to be both – a businesswoman and an amazing mother that she simply couldn’t believe her eyes.
Most commenters were advising her to simply feel what was best for her and the baby, what came naturally ,and see where it would take her. Each family is unique and what works for one relationship not necessarily would be good for another.
Many people also pointed out that babies grow very quickly and she should cherish each moment spent with her baby girl. Otherwise, she might later regret not being with her long enough!
When Celebrities Step Forward
Being in the center of public attention means you can raise awareness about various issues and change the people’s opinions. Both young mothers were brave enough to start talking about their motherhood problems in front of thousands of people and, thus, helped millions of mothers with their struggles.
Of course, they weren’t the only celebrities who stepped forward to support mothers and shed some light on the challenges they face every day. Famous model Chrissy Teigen also tried to release some pressure from the whole breastfeeding process, taking photos of herself and her baby while breasfeeding to show other women that it’s totally normal.
Needless to say, actions like this are very empowering and inspire mothers all across the globe to be braver and more at ease about natural things like breastfeeding.
Life Goes On
As we watched the famous couple have their firstborn, things were only beginning for their young family. More adventures await them in the future! Despite all her issues and ordeals she faced as her baby was born, Victoria was on cloud nine bringing up her and Zach’s baby together.
As to the rest of the famous family, they continue living their amazing adventurous lives, revealing their own struggles, romances, and entertaining twists and turns of their fates.
We can’t wait to see what comes next on this splendid show!
