'Octomom' Nadya Suleman shows off grown-up kids in back-to-school snap: 'Be proud of yourselves'
FILE - Nadya 'Octomom' Suleman attends the Celebrity Pillow Fight press conference and weigh in at Fox And Hound on June 22, 2012 in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Gilbert Carrasquillo/WireImage)
Nadya Suleman, who became known as "Octomom," showed off a rare photo of her kids in a back-to-school picture posted on Instagram.
The famous mom of 14 – who notably gave birth to octuplets in January 2009 – gushed about her now 13-year-olds in a post published on Tuesday.
"First day of 8th grade. Be proud of yourselves kids for being kind, respectful, and helpful to all your fellow peers, teachers and staff," Suleman gushed on Instagram.
"You are exceptional role models to the 6th and 7th graders, I love you," she added with a heart emoji.
But the controversial mother preemptively shot back at critics.
"Side note to critics: their older siblings did not want me to post a picture on their first day. I respect their choice, so should you," the 47-year-old mother warned.
The octuplets - Nariyah, Isaiah, Maliyah, Jeremiah, Noah, Josiah, Jonah, and Makai – were conceived via in vitro fertilization in 2008. Their birth was an international media sensation.
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Suleman was already a single mother to six older children when she gave birth to the octuplets – leading many critics to claim that she could not care for her family properly.
FILE - Dozens of people crowd around the La Habra residence of Nadya Suleman after she returned home on Mar. 17, 2009, with two of her octuplets. (Photo by Luis Sinco/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
Suleman led a tumultuous life after the birth of her octuplets – including filing bankruptcy, pleading no contest to misdemeanor welfare claims and checking into rehab for a Xanax addiction related to anxiety and exhaustion. She also had a brief adult film career and worked as a stripper.
"I hit rock bottom," Suleman said of her brief stint in sex work. "I sold my soul to the devil — temporarily."
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Since then, Suleman has changed her first name to Natalie and posts pictures of her happy family on social media regularly. "God and Family are my life," her Instagram profile reads.