Lancaster Newspapers
Amy Roloff, a ‘little’ woman, delivers big message here
Lancaster Newspapers Amy Roloff said she continues to be amazed when people tell her they watch
her and her family on the TLC reality series, “Little People, Big World.” “Growing up, as a little person, having dwarfism, a lot of people ignored
you. … They didn’t give you the time of day,” Roloff said, in a phone
interview last week. “People would ask each other, ‘Who is this person? Why
is she here?’ ” No one was asking that Saturday when Roloff spoke in Lancaster at the annual
convention of the Pennsylvania Organization of Mothers of Multiples Clubs. More than 360 mothers of multiples – twins, triplets and quadruplets
-gathered at the Best Western Eden Resort & Suites for the event, which was
hosted by Lancaster County Mothers of Multiples. Organizer Kim Frank said that this year’s convention attracted more mothers
than usual. “Amy Roloff is a big draw,” Frank said. Roloff spoke at length before a conference room crowded with moms, who were
enjoying a break from the demands of mothering. “Wow, little woman, big
audience, I love it!” she said, drawing laughter and applause. Walking from one side of the room to the other as she spoke, preferring the
floor to the dais, Roloff joked that if the audience couldn’t see her, “now
you know my world. … Most of the world I see is belt buckles.” When, at one point, her audience whooped, as if she’d just announced she was
giving them all cars, Roloff laughingly declared, “I’m not Oprah! I’ll burst
that bubble right now.” She spoke movingly of how her parents coped when they learned she had
dwarfism caused by a genetic disorder called achondroplasia. She said her
parents didn’t cater to her, knowing that she’d have to live in a world of
normal-sized people. And she spoke about the challenges of raising fraternal twins, who have
different issues and personalities. Her 19-year-old son Zach has the same
kind of dwarfism as she does. His twin, Jeremy, is average-sized, as are
Roloff’s two younger kids, Molly and Jacob. Roloff said that when her average-sized children were in elementary school,
they were taller than she, meaning she couldn’t lift them, as another mother
might. And she couldn’t hug her son Jeremy in public when he grew up, she
said, noting with a laugh, “His mom’s arms are around his butt. I can’t
really do that.” Drawing a collective sigh of emotion from her audience, she related how
Jeremy lifted her up and hugged her, after his senior soccer game. Roloff faltered a bit, and her eyes filled with tears, when she shared her
worry over whether she is giving her 16-year-old daughter, Molly, “enough as
a mom.” She said she wonders if Molly feels she is getting as much from her
as her friends get from their average-sized moms. Roloff composed herself and carried on. And she drew thunderous applause
when she said she always felt it was more important to spend time with her
kids than to keep a perfectly clean house. “They’re not going to remember
that Mom kept a mopped floor if I missed half of their games,” she said. Cathy Redington, a West Cocalico Township mother of twin boys with
disabilities, said she was touched when Roloff spoke of the pain parents may
feel when their children are born with challenges they did not expect.
Redington said she also appreciated Roloff’s candor about her twins, about
“how their personalities are different and required different parenting
styles.” Stacy Wagner, a Manheim Township mother of three, including twins, and
Candice Duong, a Manheim mother of twins, said they thought Roloff was an
inspiration. In a lengthy phone interview last week, Roloff said she never sought, and
certainly never expected, the fame that has come her way. She said that she
was sure that after six episodes of “Little People, Big World,” “people
would get bored silly.” But the show, which first aired in March 2006, now is in its fifth season. The cameras are on the Roloff family five days a week, 10 months out of the
year, capturing their routine activities at home, on their pumpkin farm in
Oregon, and their interactions with each other and with other people. The show has followed the family to Hawaii and to Europe, and to Little
People of America conferences and Dwarf Athletic Association of America
sporting events. Son Zach’s medical issues, and his angst as he tackled
milestones with less confidence than his average-sized twin, have been
chronicled on the show. Amy Roloff is depicted on “Little People, Big World” as a no-nonsense mom,
the counterweight to her dreamer of a husband, Matt, who is constantly
conceiving complicated projects. Matt Roloff, who has a form of dwarfism
called diastrophic dysplasia, uses crutches. The show has followed him
through his many projects, and through his trial for driving under the
influence. Tension between the couple on the show has led to speculation in the
blogosphere about the state of their marriage. “We’re like any other couple
- we have our ups and down,” Roloff said last week, adding, “We may be in a
little dip, but we always come out on top.” Her husband was more interested in participating in a reality show than she
was, Roloff said. “Home is my haven. You bring cameras into it, where do you go now?” she
explained, adding, “I did not want to have to change, I did not want to be
something that I wasn’t.” She said she also worried about how a reality series might affect her kids,
and wondered if they’d “suddenly think they’re bigger than life.” Nevertheless, both she and her husband “understood what an incredible
opportunity we had to give people an insight into a family with
disabilities,” she said. Roloff said that when she was growing up, “I always tried my darnedest to
fit in. I’d put on the best clothes – as best as they could fit on me.” With the TV show, she said, she is trying to show people that “it’s OK to be
different – each of us has our own challenges.” Roloff said she thinks the reality series has shown viewers “that little
people have ordinary lives. … We have the same goals, ideals for our kids,
as anyone else. We can do things as best we can, same as everyone else.” She said she’s had women call her “and say, ‘I’m so glad your show came out
because I’m pregnant, and I know I’m having a little person, and I can see
this is going to be OK.’ ” Roloff said that when she and her husband started their family, “People
would ask, ‘Why did you want to have kids, knowing you had a chance of
having a little person?’ I’d be like, well, ‘I think I turned out pretty
good.’ … You have to go with hope.” Roloff said she knows discrimination persists. People still make cruel
jokes, for instance, about “midgets,” which is considered a derogatory term
by people with dwarfism. “We’re human,” Roloff said. “We’ll always have people who think they are
better than other people.” She said it’s like the layers of an onion. “I don’t think we’re on the
outside any more. I think we’re getting closer and closer to the middle.”
And she said she believes that “Little People, Big World” has “kind of
normalized dwarfism.” Roloff said she’s sure that in the show’s early days, the show’s production
company “didn’t think of me too kindly,” because she insisted that her
children’s lives not be disrupted by television. She said she told her kids, “TV follows you, you do not follow TV.” She
flatly refused to allow her kids to miss school to promote the show, telling
her producers, “Don’t ask me to take them out of school, because school is
their job.” She said she is certain that starring in a reality series has changed her
children – “you live and learn in your environment because of your
experiences,” she said. But she said she doesn’t believe that they have
changed to the point where they feel “they deserve TV in their lives, or
they deserve certain experiences. … They’re still ordinary kids.” “Little People, Big World” is “very real,” Roloff said. “There’s not much
scripted. We don’t act. … Sometimes I look at the camera, and think, what
did I just do and say?” Said Roloff: “This was never a show about saying the right things, and being
perfect. … This is a regular family, and we’re just doing the best we
can.” _____
Suzanne Cassidy is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is
scassidy@lnpnews.com .
her and her family on the TLC reality series, “Little People, Big World.” “Growing up, as a little person, having dwarfism, a lot of people ignored
you. … They didn’t give you the time of day,” Roloff said, in a phone
interview last week. “People would ask each other, ‘Who is this person? Why
is she here?’ ” No one was asking that Saturday when Roloff spoke in Lancaster at the annual
convention of the Pennsylvania Organization of Mothers of Multiples Clubs. More than 360 mothers of multiples – twins, triplets and quadruplets
-gathered at the Best Western Eden Resort & Suites for the event, which was
hosted by Lancaster County Mothers of Multiples. Organizer Kim Frank said that this year’s convention attracted more mothers
than usual. “Amy Roloff is a big draw,” Frank said. Roloff spoke at length before a conference room crowded with moms, who were
enjoying a break from the demands of mothering. “Wow, little woman, big
audience, I love it!” she said, drawing laughter and applause. Walking from one side of the room to the other as she spoke, preferring the
floor to the dais, Roloff joked that if the audience couldn’t see her, “now
you know my world. … Most of the world I see is belt buckles.” When, at one point, her audience whooped, as if she’d just announced she was
giving them all cars, Roloff laughingly declared, “I’m not Oprah! I’ll burst
that bubble right now.” She spoke movingly of how her parents coped when they learned she had
dwarfism caused by a genetic disorder called achondroplasia. She said her
parents didn’t cater to her, knowing that she’d have to live in a world of
normal-sized people. And she spoke about the challenges of raising fraternal twins, who have
different issues and personalities. Her 19-year-old son Zach has the same
kind of dwarfism as she does. His twin, Jeremy, is average-sized, as are
Roloff’s two younger kids, Molly and Jacob. Roloff said that when her average-sized children were in elementary school,
they were taller than she, meaning she couldn’t lift them, as another mother
might. And she couldn’t hug her son Jeremy in public when he grew up, she
said, noting with a laugh, “His mom’s arms are around his butt. I can’t
really do that.” Drawing a collective sigh of emotion from her audience, she related how
Jeremy lifted her up and hugged her, after his senior soccer game. Roloff faltered a bit, and her eyes filled with tears, when she shared her
worry over whether she is giving her 16-year-old daughter, Molly, “enough as
a mom.” She said she wonders if Molly feels she is getting as much from her
as her friends get from their average-sized moms. Roloff composed herself and carried on. And she drew thunderous applause
when she said she always felt it was more important to spend time with her
kids than to keep a perfectly clean house. “They’re not going to remember
that Mom kept a mopped floor if I missed half of their games,” she said. Cathy Redington, a West Cocalico Township mother of twin boys with
disabilities, said she was touched when Roloff spoke of the pain parents may
feel when their children are born with challenges they did not expect.
Redington said she also appreciated Roloff’s candor about her twins, about
“how their personalities are different and required different parenting
styles.” Stacy Wagner, a Manheim Township mother of three, including twins, and
Candice Duong, a Manheim mother of twins, said they thought Roloff was an
inspiration. In a lengthy phone interview last week, Roloff said she never sought, and
certainly never expected, the fame that has come her way. She said that she
was sure that after six episodes of “Little People, Big World,” “people
would get bored silly.” But the show, which first aired in March 2006, now is in its fifth season. The cameras are on the Roloff family five days a week, 10 months out of the
year, capturing their routine activities at home, on their pumpkin farm in
Oregon, and their interactions with each other and with other people. The show has followed the family to Hawaii and to Europe, and to Little
People of America conferences and Dwarf Athletic Association of America
sporting events. Son Zach’s medical issues, and his angst as he tackled
milestones with less confidence than his average-sized twin, have been
chronicled on the show. Amy Roloff is depicted on “Little People, Big World” as a no-nonsense mom,
the counterweight to her dreamer of a husband, Matt, who is constantly
conceiving complicated projects. Matt Roloff, who has a form of dwarfism
called diastrophic dysplasia, uses crutches. The show has followed him
through his many projects, and through his trial for driving under the
influence. Tension between the couple on the show has led to speculation in the
blogosphere about the state of their marriage. “We’re like any other couple
- we have our ups and down,” Roloff said last week, adding, “We may be in a
little dip, but we always come out on top.” Her husband was more interested in participating in a reality show than she
was, Roloff said. “Home is my haven. You bring cameras into it, where do you go now?” she
explained, adding, “I did not want to have to change, I did not want to be
something that I wasn’t.” She said she also worried about how a reality series might affect her kids,
and wondered if they’d “suddenly think they’re bigger than life.” Nevertheless, both she and her husband “understood what an incredible
opportunity we had to give people an insight into a family with
disabilities,” she said. Roloff said that when she was growing up, “I always tried my darnedest to
fit in. I’d put on the best clothes – as best as they could fit on me.” With the TV show, she said, she is trying to show people that “it’s OK to be
different – each of us has our own challenges.” Roloff said she thinks the reality series has shown viewers “that little
people have ordinary lives. … We have the same goals, ideals for our kids,
as anyone else. We can do things as best we can, same as everyone else.” She said she’s had women call her “and say, ‘I’m so glad your show came out
because I’m pregnant, and I know I’m having a little person, and I can see
this is going to be OK.’ ” Roloff said that when she and her husband started their family, “People
would ask, ‘Why did you want to have kids, knowing you had a chance of
having a little person?’ I’d be like, well, ‘I think I turned out pretty
good.’ … You have to go with hope.” Roloff said she knows discrimination persists. People still make cruel
jokes, for instance, about “midgets,” which is considered a derogatory term
by people with dwarfism. “We’re human,” Roloff said. “We’ll always have people who think they are
better than other people.” She said it’s like the layers of an onion. “I don’t think we’re on the
outside any more. I think we’re getting closer and closer to the middle.”
And she said she believes that “Little People, Big World” has “kind of
normalized dwarfism.” Roloff said she’s sure that in the show’s early days, the show’s production
company “didn’t think of me too kindly,” because she insisted that her
children’s lives not be disrupted by television. She said she told her kids, “TV follows you, you do not follow TV.” She
flatly refused to allow her kids to miss school to promote the show, telling
her producers, “Don’t ask me to take them out of school, because school is
their job.” She said she is certain that starring in a reality series has changed her
children – “you live and learn in your environment because of your
experiences,” she said. But she said she doesn’t believe that they have
changed to the point where they feel “they deserve TV in their lives, or
they deserve certain experiences. … They’re still ordinary kids.” “Little People, Big World” is “very real,” Roloff said. “There’s not much
scripted. We don’t act. … Sometimes I look at the camera, and think, what
did I just do and say?” Said Roloff: “This was never a show about saying the right things, and being
perfect. … This is a regular family, and we’re just doing the best we
can.” _____
Suzanne Cassidy is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is
scassidy@lnpnews.com .
Amy Roloff, a ‘little’ woman, delivers big message here
Lancaster Newspapers Amy Roloff said she continues to be amazed when people tell her they watch
her and her family on the TLC reality series, “Little People, Big World.” “Growing up, as a little person, having dwarfism, a lot of people ignored
you. … They didn’t give you the time of day,” Roloff said, in a phone
interview last week. “People would ask each other, ‘Who is this person? Why
is she here?’ ” No one was asking that Saturday when Roloff spoke in Lancaster at the annual
convention of the Pennsylvania Organization of Mothers of Multiples Clubs. More than 360 mothers of multiples – twins, triplets and quadruplets
-gathered at the Best Western Eden Resort & Suites for the event, which was
hosted by Lancaster County Mothers of Multiples. Organizer Kim Frank said that this year’s convention attracted more mothers
than usual. “Amy Roloff is a big draw,” Frank said. Roloff spoke at length before a conference room crowded with moms, who were
enjoying a break from the demands of mothering. “Wow, little woman, big
audience, I love it!” she said, drawing laughter and applause. Walking from one side of the room to the other as she spoke, preferring the
floor to the dais, Roloff joked that if the audience couldn’t see her, “now
you know my world. … Most of the world I see is belt buckles.” When, at one point, her audience whooped, as if she’d just announced she was
giving them all cars, Roloff laughingly declared, “I’m not Oprah! I’ll burst
that bubble right now.” She spoke movingly of how her parents coped when they learned she had
dwarfism caused by a genetic disorder called achondroplasia. She said her
parents didn’t cater to her, knowing that she’d have to live in a world of
normal-sized people. And she spoke about the challenges of raising fraternal twins, who have
different issues and personalities. Her 19-year-old son Zach has the same
kind of dwarfism as she does. His twin, Jeremy, is average-sized, as are
Roloff’s two younger kids, Molly and Jacob. Roloff said that when her average-sized children were in elementary school,
they were taller than she, meaning she couldn’t lift them, as another mother
might. And she couldn’t hug her son Jeremy in public when he grew up, she
said, noting with a laugh, “His mom’s arms are around his butt. I can’t
really do that.” Drawing a collective sigh of emotion from her audience, she related how
Jeremy lifted her up and hugged her, after his senior soccer game. Roloff faltered a bit, and her eyes filled with tears, when she shared her
worry over whether she is giving her 16-year-old daughter, Molly, “enough as
a mom.” She said she wonders if Molly feels she is getting as much from her
as her friends get from their average-sized moms. Roloff composed herself and carried on. And she drew thunderous applause
when she said she always felt it was more important to spend time with her
kids than to keep a perfectly clean house. “They’re not going to remember
that Mom kept a mopped floor if I missed half of their games,” she said. Cathy Redington, a West Cocalico Township mother of twin boys with
disabilities, said she was touched when Roloff spoke of the pain parents may
feel when their children are born with challenges they did not expect.
Redington said she also appreciated Roloff’s candor about her twins, about
“how their personalities are different and required different parenting
styles.” Stacy Wagner, a Manheim Township mother of three, including twins, and
Candice Duong, a Manheim mother of twins, said they thought Roloff was an
inspiration. In a lengthy phone interview last week, Roloff said she never sought, and
certainly never expected, the fame that has come her way. She said that she
was sure that after six episodes of “Little People, Big World,” “people
would get bored silly.” But the show, which first aired in March 2006, now is in its fifth season. The cameras are on the Roloff family five days a week, 10 months out of the
year, capturing their routine activities at home, on their pumpkin farm in
Oregon, and their interactions with each other and with other people. The show has followed the family to Hawaii and to Europe, and to Little
People of America conferences and Dwarf Athletic Association of America
sporting events. Son Zach’s medical issues, and his angst as he tackled
milestones with less confidence than his average-sized twin, have been
chronicled on the show. Amy Roloff is depicted on “Little People, Big World” as a no-nonsense mom,
the counterweight to her dreamer of a husband, Matt, who is constantly
conceiving complicated projects. Matt Roloff, who has a form of dwarfism
called diastrophic dysplasia, uses crutches. The show has followed him
through his many projects, and through his trial for driving under the
influence. Tension between the couple on the show has led to speculation in the
blogosphere about the state of their marriage. “We’re like any other couple
- we have our ups and down,” Roloff said last week, adding, “We may be in a
little dip, but we always come out on top.” Her husband was more interested in participating in a reality show than she
was, Roloff said. “Home is my haven. You bring cameras into it, where do you go now?” she
explained, adding, “I did not want to have to change, I did not want to be
something that I wasn’t.” She said she also worried about how a reality series might affect her kids,
and wondered if they’d “suddenly think they’re bigger than life.” Nevertheless, both she and her husband “understood what an incredible
opportunity we had to give people an insight into a family with
disabilities,” she said. Roloff said that when she was growing up, “I always tried my darnedest to
fit in. I’d put on the best clothes – as best as they could fit on me.” With the TV show, she said, she is trying to show people that “it’s OK to be
different – each of us has our own challenges.” Roloff said she thinks the reality series has shown viewers “that little
people have ordinary lives. … We have the same goals, ideals for our kids,
as anyone else. We can do things as best we can, same as everyone else.” She said she’s had women call her “and say, ‘I’m so glad your show came out
because I’m pregnant, and I know I’m having a little person, and I can see
this is going to be OK.’ ” Roloff said that when she and her husband started their family, “People
would ask, ‘Why did you want to have kids, knowing you had a chance of
having a little person?’ I’d be like, well, ‘I think I turned out pretty
good.’ … You have to go with hope.” Roloff said she knows discrimination persists. People still make cruel
jokes, for instance, about “midgets,” which is considered a derogatory term
by people with dwarfism. “We’re human,” Roloff said. “We’ll always have people who think they are
better than other people.” She said it’s like the layers of an onion. “I don’t think we’re on the
outside any more. I think we’re getting closer and closer to the middle.”
And she said she believes that “Little People, Big World” has “kind of
normalized dwarfism.” Roloff said she’s sure that in the show’s early days, the show’s production
company “didn’t think of me too kindly,” because she insisted that her
children’s lives not be disrupted by television. She said she told her kids, “TV follows you, you do not follow TV.” She
flatly refused to allow her kids to miss school to promote the show, telling
her producers, “Don’t ask me to take them out of school, because school is
their job.” She said she is certain that starring in a reality series has changed her
children – “you live and learn in your environment because of your
experiences,” she said. But she said she doesn’t believe that they have
changed to the point where they feel “they deserve TV in their lives, or
they deserve certain experiences. … They’re still ordinary kids.” “Little People, Big World” is “very real,” Roloff said. “There’s not much
scripted. We don’t act. … Sometimes I look at the camera, and think, what
did I just do and say?” Said Roloff: “This was never a show about saying the right things, and being
perfect. … This is a regular family, and we’re just doing the best we
can.” _____
Suzanne Cassidy is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is
scassidy@lnpnews.com .
Lancaster Newspapers
Amy Roloff, a ‘little’ woman, delivers big message here
Lancaster Newspapers
her and her family on the TLC reality series, “Little People, Big World.” “Growing up, as a little person, having dwarfism, a lot of people ignored
you. … They didn’t give you the time of day,” Roloff said, in a phone
interview last week. “People would ask each other, ‘Who is this person? Why
is she here?’ ” No one was asking that Saturday when Roloff spoke in Lancaster at the annual
convention of the Pennsylvania Organization of Mothers of Multiples Clubs. More than 360 mothers of multiples – twins, triplets and quadruplets
-gathered at the Best Western Eden Resort & Suites for the event, which was
hosted by Lancaster County Mothers of Multiples. Organizer Kim Frank said that this year’s convention attracted more mothers
than usual. “Amy Roloff is a big draw,” Frank said. Roloff spoke at length before a conference room crowded with moms, who were
enjoying a break from the demands of mothering. “Wow, little woman, big
audience, I love it!” she said, drawing laughter and applause. Walking from one side of the room to the other as she spoke, preferring the
floor to the dais, Roloff joked that if the audience couldn’t see her, “now
you know my world. … Most of the world I see is belt buckles.” When, at one point, her audience whooped, as if she’d just announced she was
giving them all cars, Roloff laughingly declared, “I’m not Oprah! I’ll burst
that bubble right now.” She spoke movingly of how her parents coped when they learned she had
dwarfism caused by a genetic disorder called achondroplasia. She said her
parents didn’t cater to her, knowing that she’d have to live in a world of
normal-sized people. And she spoke about the challenges of raising fraternal twins, who have
different issues and personalities. Her 19-year-old son Zach has the same
kind of dwarfism as she does. His twin, Jeremy, is average-sized, as are
Roloff’s two younger kids, Molly and Jacob. Roloff said that when her average-sized children were in elementary school,
they were taller than she, meaning she couldn’t lift them, as another mother
might. And she couldn’t hug her son Jeremy in public when he grew up, she
said, noting with a laugh, “His mom’s arms are around his butt. I can’t
really do that.” Drawing a collective sigh of emotion from her audience, she related how
Jeremy lifted her up and hugged her, after his senior soccer game. Roloff faltered a bit, and her eyes filled with tears, when she shared her
worry over whether she is giving her 16-year-old daughter, Molly, “enough as
a mom.” She said she wonders if Molly feels she is getting as much from her
as her friends get from their average-sized moms. Roloff composed herself and carried on. And she drew thunderous applause
when she said she always felt it was more important to spend time with her
kids than to keep a perfectly clean house. “They’re not going to remember
that Mom kept a mopped floor if I missed half of their games,” she said. Cathy Redington, a West Cocalico Township mother of twin boys with
disabilities, said she was touched when Roloff spoke of the pain parents may
feel when their children are born with challenges they did not expect.
Redington said she also appreciated Roloff’s candor about her twins, about
“how their personalities are different and required different parenting
styles.” Stacy Wagner, a Manheim Township mother of three, including twins, and
Candice Duong, a Manheim mother of twins, said they thought Roloff was an
inspiration. In a lengthy phone interview last week, Roloff said she never sought, and
certainly never expected, the fame that has come her way. She said that she
was sure that after six episodes of “Little People, Big World,” “people
would get bored silly.” But the show, which first aired in March 2006, now is in its fifth season. The cameras are on the Roloff family five days a week, 10 months out of the
year, capturing their routine activities at home, on their pumpkin farm in
Oregon, and their interactions with each other and with other people. The show has followed the family to Hawaii and to Europe, and to Little
People of America conferences and Dwarf Athletic Association of America
sporting events. Son Zach’s medical issues, and his angst as he tackled
milestones with less confidence than his average-sized twin, have been
chronicled on the show. Amy Roloff is depicted on “Little People, Big World” as a no-nonsense mom,
the counterweight to her dreamer of a husband, Matt, who is constantly
conceiving complicated projects. Matt Roloff, who has a form of dwarfism
called diastrophic dysplasia, uses crutches. The show has followed him
through his many projects, and through his trial for driving under the
influence. Tension between the couple on the show has led to speculation in the
blogosphere about the state of their marriage. “We’re like any other couple
- we have our ups and down,” Roloff said last week, adding, “We may be in a
little dip, but we always come out on top.” Her husband was more interested in participating in a reality show than she
was, Roloff said. “Home is my haven. You bring cameras into it, where do you go now?” she
explained, adding, “I did not want to have to change, I did not want to be
something that I wasn’t.” She said she also worried about how a reality series might affect her kids,
and wondered if they’d “suddenly think they’re bigger than life.” Nevertheless, both she and her husband “understood what an incredible
opportunity we had to give people an insight into a family with
disabilities,” she said. Roloff said that when she was growing up, “I always tried my darnedest to
fit in. I’d put on the best clothes – as best as they could fit on me.” With the TV show, she said, she is trying to show people that “it’s OK to be
different – each of us has our own challenges.” Roloff said she thinks the reality series has shown viewers “that little
people have ordinary lives. … We have the same goals, ideals for our kids,
as anyone else. We can do things as best we can, same as everyone else.” She said she’s had women call her “and say, ‘I’m so glad your show came out
because I’m pregnant, and I know I’m having a little person, and I can see
this is going to be OK.’ ” Roloff said that when she and her husband started their family, “People
would ask, ‘Why did you want to have kids, knowing you had a chance of
having a little person?’ I’d be like, well, ‘I think I turned out pretty
good.’ … You have to go with hope.” Roloff said she knows discrimination persists. People still make cruel
jokes, for instance, about “midgets,” which is considered a derogatory term
by people with dwarfism. “We’re human,” Roloff said. “We’ll always have people who think they are
better than other people.” She said it’s like the layers of an onion. “I don’t think we’re on the
outside any more. I think we’re getting closer and closer to the middle.”
And she said she believes that “Little People, Big World” has “kind of
normalized dwarfism.” Roloff said she’s sure that in the show’s early days, the show’s production
company “didn’t think of me too kindly,” because she insisted that her
children’s lives not be disrupted by television. She said she told her kids, “TV follows you, you do not follow TV.” She
flatly refused to allow her kids to miss school to promote the show, telling
her producers, “Don’t ask me to take them out of school, because school is
their job.” She said she is certain that starring in a reality series has changed her
children – “you live and learn in your environment because of your
experiences,” she said. But she said she doesn’t believe that they have
changed to the point where they feel “they deserve TV in their lives, or
they deserve certain experiences. … They’re still ordinary kids.” “Little People, Big World” is “very real,” Roloff said. “There’s not much
scripted. We don’t act. … Sometimes I look at the camera, and think, what
did I just do and say?” Said Roloff: “This was never a show about saying the right things, and being
perfect. … This is a regular family, and we’re just doing the best we
can.” _____
Suzanne Cassidy is a staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is
scassidy@lnpnews.com .
