A Real-Life "Cheaper By The Dozen" Family Has 12 Kids, Among Them Their 'Unusual' Triplets

May 29, 2022 by apost team

Have you ever heard of the movie "Cheaper by the Dozen?" It's a movie with actor Steve Martin and actress Bonnie Hunt. It's a feel-good and family film about two parents raising their 12 children. "Cheaper by the Dozen" is a movie, but what if there was a real-life family raising 12 kids too? There is! 

Alicia Dougherty is a mom of 12 children with her husband. The family, as well as the internet, calls the bunch "The Dougherty Dozen." The family lives in Pittsford, New York, where they raise all 12 of their children. The Doughtery family has six children that are adopted, and all eight have a condition called Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome is a group of conditions that occurs when alcohol passes from a mother to her baby through the umbilical cord. 

The parents, Alicia and Josh, began to foster in 2010 after the couple struggled with miscarriages and infertility. The couple has four biological children, Zoey, Dashel, Bodhi, and Harlee. The first foster experience they brought home was with their son Alexander. After fostering Alexander, the family realized they could continue to welcome kids just like him into their family to live and thrive. 

The Dougherty Dozen has a full house but also very full hearts. Alicia has said that the large family has not come without its challenges. The house can be full of kids with tantrums and stress due to personalities and just the number of bodies. The family has recently found a new outlet that has changed their life, TikTok. The family is quickly gone from a few followers to more than four million. 

One of the family's most viewed and liked video is of their "triplets." The three brothers aren't actually triplets, but Alicia said, "​​Don't tell them they're not Triplets or they will tear you apart 🤣 #Triplets." 

The Dougherty family has raised the three children as brothers since the beginning. "Our adopted twins and biological son are all born in 2014 and in second grade and have been raised as triplets most of their lives," Alicia said. 

The family also documents their daily life and their daily life activities. You can imagine with 12 children that their schedule is always busy, and their fridge is always full. 

"Some snacks including 191 packs of chips. Bread for the week, a few boxes of cereal. Dairy for the week including 14lbs of cheese, lunchables, coffee, some canned goods, meat including 12.5lb chicken. 6lb of pasta and a few random things and that's all for today!" the mom of a dozen shared. 

She didn't just open up about their large grocery bill but also their experience as new internet sensations. With millions of followers as well as views on their videos, they experience some negativity mixed in with lots of positivity. 

"People keep trolling on my videos that they hate our smiles. I guess I'm biased but I think they're all 100 percent," Alicia shared. 

"Happiness comes from knowing we are worthy of being our true, authentic selves," she said. "We see the negativity. But we brush it off. Because we know it comes from OTHER people's insecurities and triggers. It's not on us. It's on them," she added. 

apost.com

Do you see families with 12 kids anymore these days? It is so great to see this family take in kids and give them a home. If you found this story inspiring and uplifting— make sure to send this to others who will love it too!