All Episodes Talk: Small World, Big Lives

[EastCoast4Life]

1 hour ago, Irate Panda said:

Why are they always so mean when talking about Lilah? Who calls a little 3-4 year old learning to dance clueless and clunky? If that were Jackson they call him MAGNIFICENT and say he OWNED the dance studio.

The favoritism is glaring. Jackson can do no wrong, and Lilah is treated like a sack of flour with a bow on her head. 

[b4pjoe]

On 3/24/2024 at 6:08 AM, Absolom said:

That huge house was Chris’ dream not Amy’s. She was appalled at the size.

The house was estimated to be worth $1,476,495 and was sold June 30, 2023 for $1,378,000.

https://www.redfin.com/OR/Cornelius/38000-SW-Nursery-Rd-97113/home/25843943

[Jst2Wld]

On 3/20/2024 at 2:19 PM, PuddleJumper said:

now he's trying to find an estate of his own where he can sit and act like a big shot, he has lots of plans for Amy's money, he's damned and determined to wear that gold crown outside the bedroom!  

I think Chris has a plan in place and has had it since he met Amy. I wouldn't be surprised if he keeps a separate bank account in which to deposit his real estate sales money. 

And, as mentioned by a previous poster, Chris is getting lots of free travel perks through TLC. He's  "myman" with a plan for his future. 

[Irate Panda]

3 hours ago, EastCoast4Life said:

The favoritism is glaring. Jackson can do no wrong, and Lilah is treated like a sack of flour with a bow on her head. 

Yes, it is very sad they play such favorites.  I wonder if they realize how glaring their favoritism seems on the show.  At least the kids won’t be on as they get older where all their classmates can see the nonsense.  
 

Although I guess they could see all the old episodes, I missed most of the years Jeremy and Audrey were on the show.  Does anyone know if  they acted like their children OWNED everything/ play favorites or did they not have any children when they were on the show.

In the beginning, I felt like Jeremy was Matt’s favorite, Zach was Amy’s favorite, Molly was “the girl”, and Jacob was forgotten.

[Endora]

I felt so bad for poor little Lilah with all that stuff attached to her, it looked so uncomfortable especially for a young child.  Glad she came through it okay.  Of course while Zach and Lilah were gone Jackson had to have movie night with his mom.   Amy didn’t want that house Chris did, he wants to be Matt!  Amy was so obsessed with Caryn’s ring that she dreamed her own ring fell apart.  

[DonnaMae]

39 minutes ago, Endora said:

 Amy was so obsessed with Caryn’s ring that she dreamed her own ring fell apart.

She had a dream that she lost all those diamonds in her ring.  How many diamonds are in that tiny ring?

[BAForever]

7 hours ago, Irate Panda said:

Why are they always so mean when talking about Lilah? Who calls a little 3-4 year old learning to dance clueless and clunky? If that were Jackson they call him MAGNIFICENT and say he OWNED the dance studio.  They seem so mean when they talk abou Lilah sometimes, it’s very sad to hear.  I just read the summaries so I hope it didn’t sound as bad as it read.

It's worse @Irate Panda

They laugh when she falls, refuse to comfort her, constantly degrade her, cite the amazing things Jackson does, and refuse to acknowledge she has a severe language acquisition delay. 

Awful people.

[Hedgehog2022]

First of all...Lilah should NEVER have been placed in a dance class with older girls. She's a toddler! When my daughter was 4 we enrolled her in a beginners introduction to dance for 4-5 year olds. It was a preschool oriented class with the county rec center and it was great. No way that poor little girl should have been in a program like that. She was set up for failure. 

Zach and Tori treat Lilah like a second class citizen...she's to be laughed at, ridiculed for her phyical shortcomings and stumbles and falls. Jackson is still the King and Golden Boy...he pushes Lilah down and doesn't get disciplined...he's a part of the critiquing Lilah and he always has to be praised for everything he does. It's sad and pathetic. 

[Absolom]

Lilah should be in a just beginning class. I wonder what the studio owner was thinking. Perhaps she picked other girls who would accept Lilah's differences or whose parents allowed filming. Lilah isn't a toddler any more although she does still look and act like one. She's adorable when she's excited about something.

[Irate Panda]

On 3/28/2024 at 4:45 PM, BAForever said:

It's worse @Irate Panda

They laugh when she falls, refuse to comfort her, constantly degrade her, cite the amazing things Jackson does, and refuse to acknowledge she has a severe language acquisition delay. 

Awful people.

That’s so horrible.  As much as Amy and Matt might get on my nerves, I rarely have had to fast forward through their scenes, no matter how cringey.  For the most part, I like Caryn and MYMAN when they’re onscreen, but when I was watching towards the end I would fast forward ZIT.  

First, I don’t care about ZIT’s junkyard and when Lilah  toppled over in her little camping chair and they just laughed at her it broke my heart 😔. They didn’t even see if she was ok first. They are two nasty people 😡

Edited March 30 by Irate Panda
Added lilah’s name,the sentence made it sound like she was a junkyard :( sorry

[EastCoast4Life]

16 hours ago, Irate Panda said:

First, I don’t care about ZIT’s junkyard, but when she toppled over in her little camping chair and they just laughed at her it broke my heart 😔. They didn’t even see if she was ok first. They are two nasty people 😡

Yeah, actually it's not funny when your daughter is toppling over due to no fault of her own, but due her dwarfism. One would think that Zach would understand and  comfort her, but no, we just laugh. It's (borderline?) child abuse, mentally at least. 

Edited March 29 by EastCoast4Life
spelling

[Dibs]

On 3/28/2024 at 9:19 AM, Jst2Wld said:

Tori probably resents Lilah because Lilah isn't that regular size baby girl she was hoping for.

 

Exactly.  The "mini-me" she mentioned she was hoping for.  Instead, another dwarf!  And with crossed eyes, besides (Tori was also cruel about Lilah's first glasses).

The meltdown she had in the car when Lilah's LP status was revealed wasn't about Lilah; it was about Tori and her dashed dreams.

Anyone catch her saying she was going to GLUE those ballet slippers to Lilah's feet so she could get her perfect picture?  How about realizing they were bunching up in the toes and causing her discomfort and helping her, mom???

Like another TLC mother I could name, I worry her daughter will be paying for disappointing her for a lifetime.

Edited April 1 by Dibs

[Dibs]

On 3/24/2024 at 8:06 AM, stoppro said:

They going to need a lot of money for when all those children need medical or when child services come to visit.They are the worst.

I suspect the kids are considered disabled due to their dwarfism and thus on Medicaid, and I don't believe that's dependent on the parents' income.  I remember Jen Arnold complaining bitterly that it didn't cross state lines - I remember she even lobbied for that law to change - as she wanted her kids treated by the same dwarf specialists in Baltimore MD who treated her.  And "The Little Couple" - a pediatrician and an entrepreneur - were certainly not poor.

On 3/28/2024 at 3:15 PM, DonnaMae said:

She had a dream that she lost all those diamonds in her ring.  How many diamonds are in that tiny ring?

Did she have it reset and more added?  It certainly looked a lot bigger when shown than I remember the original being!  It was, indeed, like a teenager's "sweetheart" ring.  Not that there's anything wrong with that...

[Absolom]

Disability isn't a given for having dwarfism. There are standards that must be met. The Little Couple children had multiple additional difficulties and Medicaid does involve income standards, but there are some exceptions or options. 

[Dibs]

So do Jackson and Lilah (his leg deformity and mobility issues and her speech delay and vision problem), but of course the parents would have to admit to these disabilities for them to qualify for aid.

[Absolom]

Being technical about it, speech is a school problem now that Lilah is past her third birthday. Jackson's legs would have to be evaluated should Zach and Tori acknowledge the problem.

[Irate Panda]

Wasn’t Zach jabbering about paying for health insurance on one of the episodes…maybe 1200-1500 dollars/month??  Wouldn’t it be cheaper if he and tge kids were on disability and like many said Zach and Tori would have to acknowledge the kids had some sort of disability.  
 

It seems like Amy has been the only one without some medical issues not related to dwarfism or that I can remember on the show anyway.  I wonder if that is rare for LP. 
 

I saw a little clip of Amy demanding to see Caryn’s ring.  It came across as rude/gruff even for Amy.  Is that how it seemed on the show or did the show a lead up before Amy bossily demanded to see the ring?

[Dibs]

Amy is the only dwarf I've seen (on TLC, obviously) who hasn't had some related health issue.  I believe all the others on all the shows have had leg straightening, spinal fusion, cervical decompression, shunts, etc.  Diastrophic have the most disability and medical interventions, of course.  Amy is very physically capable, even athletic (just ask Chris!), and always liked to flaunt it around Matt.

For all I know, ZiT may well pay for their own insurance.  Given that he's been paid to appear on TV his entire adult life (and presumably also Tori for most of hers), they should well be able to afford that.

[65mickey]

I agree about the insurance. I do not think there is any category of Medicaid that does not consider income and or resources in some fashion.  Even though some income and resources are disregarded in certain categories it is still a means tested program.  It is a tax payer funded program and eligibility is subject to meeting certain income requirements.  At least that is the way it was when I worked for Medicaid but regulations may have changed. 

[Dibs]

If not Medicaid, the kids may still receive SSI disability payments.  I don't know.  It really doesn't matter.  ZiT makes enough money to more than pay for health insurance thanks to MATT getting them a TV show!

[BAForever]

So much to unpack. Never cared much for Matt over the years, not sure what good thing he did to deserve Caryn. Amy, could you be any more ugly about Matt's medical scare? No.

And Tori, the first thing I tell a PreK parent about their child's speech errors is to simply say the word or words one time CORRECTLY back to the child, so no Tori,  you never say "wah wah" for water. You tell Lilah "water".

Put that info in your back pocket, you dummy.

Edited April 3 by BAForever

[chediavolo]

Tori said to Lilah 3 times, “ you’re not going to cry, are you going to cry?” Something along those lines. Any fool knows that you don’t put that thought  into the head of a little child that is facing something scary. Instead of comforting her and heading her in the right direction, she puts the crying into her little head. It really ticked  me off for some reason.

[jnymph]

Ugh. I was so irritated when Amy tried to force feed Caryn the croissant.  🙄😡  Poor Caryn, she should have flung it at her. LOL

I feel Amy has an unhealthy relationship with food.

Edited April 3 by jnymph

[65mickey]

 Caryn bends over backwards to not offend Amy and to try to keep her happy.. She takes all of Amy's nasty digs and never comes back at her. I couldn't believe that she forced Caryn to eat the second pastry. I wish that Caryn had said NO I am not eating the pastry, one was enough. It's one thing to bring treats to a meeting. It's another thing to demand that someone eat them. Amy is a bully.

[BAForever]

1 hour ago, 65mickey said:

 Caryn bends over backwards to not offend Amy and to try to keep her happy.. She takes all of Amy's nasty digs and never comes back at her. I couldn't believe that she forced Caryn to eat the second pastry. I wish that Caryn had said NO I am not eating the pastry, one was enough. It's one thing to bring treats to a meeting. It's another thing to demand that someone eat them. Amy is a bully.

At least Caryn didn't have to eat something Amy cooked herself.

[ginger90]

2 hours ago, chediavolo said:

Tori said to Lilah 3 times, “ you’re not going to cry, are you going to cry?” Something along those lines. Any fool knows that you don’t put that thought  into the head of a little child that is facing something scary. Instead of comforting her and heading her in the right direction, she puts the crying into her little head. It really ticked  me off for some reason.

And Zach was no better. It’s frustrating to watch. 

[Dibs]

2 hours ago, jnymph said:

Ugh. I was so irritated when Amy tried to force feed Caryn the croissant.  🙄😡  Poor Caryn, she should have flung it at her. LOL

I feel Amy has an unhealthy relationship with food.

Caryn probably tries to watch her weight since she's gained so much as she's gotten older.  Amy was trying to sabotage her!  Don't forget that she also slips mushrooms, which Matt hates, into his food when they visit (they had them over so Amy could beg for his Peloton) and once surreptitiously fed them some nasty vegetarian meatballs as an appetizer, laughingly wondering if they'd notice.  Just Amy being hostile, as usual!

I thought it was funny that because Matt had a medical issue, she (whom we were just saying on here is perfectly healthy) suddenly decided she's developing dwarfism-related cervical compression!

So Zach let it slip that they're going to the dwarf games, and Jackson had to ask what a dwarf was, saying, "I'm not a dwarf!"  So he has NEVER been told, and ZiT was annoyed that he had to tell him even then, at six years of age right before they go to a dwarf convention.

Yet he still maintains that "it will be moments like that; not a conversation."  Okay.

Edited April 3 by Dibs

[Dibs]

3 hours ago, BAForever said:

And Tori, the first thing I tell a PreK parent about their child's speech errors is to simply say the word or words one time CORRECTLY back to the child, so no Tori,  you never say "wah wah" for water. You tell Lilah "water".

Put that info in your back pocket, you dummy.

I notice Tori said they put her in the ballet class with older girls "so she'd be forced to communicate with them"; in other words, to help with her speech.  How about SPEECH THERAPY, ding-dong?

I also thought Lilah, the "clueless klutz," did the ballet moves just as well as the others!

Edited April 3 by Dibs

[EastCoast4Life]

2 hours ago, Dibs said:

So Zach let it slip that they're going to the dwarf games, and Jackson had to ask what a dwarf was, saying, "I'm not a dwarf!"  So he has NEVER been told, and ZiT was annoyed that he had to tell him even then, at six years of age right before they go to a dwarf convention.

Yet he still maintains that "it will be moments like that; not a conversation."  Okay.

My jaw was on the floor. Tell him. He needs a conversation, it's not okay you knuckle heads.

[Dibs]

18 minutes ago, EastCoast4Life said:

My jaw was on the floor. Tell him. He needs a conversation, it's not okay you knuckle heads.

I can't believe Amy, who has experience being an LP herself as well as the parent of one AND presumably has access to Jackson is okay with allowing the poor kid to live in ignorance and suffer the comments of peers that he doesn't understand, but I guess she's so terrified of being cut off like Matt and Cha-Cha (and that's one advantage she has over them), she keeps her mouth shut.  I remember Caryn asking how they handled it themselves and at what age with Zach, but I can't recall her answer.

[AZChristian]

Regarding his choice of wives.  Matt went from the ridiculous to the sublime.  Caryn is kind and supportive; Amy . . . not so much.

[EastCoast4Life]

1 hour ago, Dibs said:

I can't believe Amy, who has experience being an LP herself as well as the parent of one AND presumably has access to Jackson is okay with allowing the poor kid to live in ignorance and suffer the comments of peers that he doesn't understand

I wonder what ZIT tell their children about what TELEVISION show they're on. I mean do they even know that the show is called, "Little People Big World"??? They probably tell Jackson it's called "Jackson Owns the World"!

[pdlinda]

7 hours ago, 65mickey said:

I wish that Caryn had said NO I am not eating the pastry, one was enough.

I couldn't BELIEVE that Caryn refused to assert herself in declining the 2nd pastry!  What's with her?  She's usually very outspoken!

If ANYONE tried to "pressure" me into eating ANYTHING that I declined, he/she would know it was was a BIG MISTAKE!  Maybe that's because I lost 100 lbs 17 years ago and never gained it back! 

I've learned through the years what it takes to resist food choices offered by others (including those who are overweight themselves). 

I won't get into the nutritional value (or lack of) of those pastries but when women hit a certain age the old adage I learned from Weight Watchers a LONG time ago comes to mind:  "A MINUTE ON YOUR LIPS, 10 YEARS ON YOUR HIPS"😆

[Dibs]

Caryn is extremely agreeable and does her best to get along with everyone and promote peace.  That's why ZiT's implied accusation that she did or said something horrific in that meeting is laughable.

 

 

 

[OLynn33]

As much as he isn't my favourite person at times, I thought it was a nice gesture when Zach bought Lilah those items to try and make the camping night more tolerable for her. I think between the two of them Zach gets Lilah far more than Tori. He understands all Lilah's idiosyncrasies and seems far more accepting of them than Tori. When Lilah was going for her sleep study he didn't just say she was going to cry. He said why. He does seem more patient with her than Tori. Could be the father/daughter thing and what people have said up thread that Lilah wasn't what Tori wanted. All this being said however, Lilah has and will have lots of needs and one them is her grandparents. 

[pdlinda]

2 hours ago, OLynn33 said:

I thought it was a nice gesture when Zach bought Lilah those items to try and make the camping night more tolerable for her.

Tori is on Instagram and I watch her "reels" almost every day.

I keep in mind that the show we're viewing was filmed about a year ago.

In the recent videos Tori posted the kids have grown a lot. Josiah is walking and doing a lot of things and Lilah and Jackson have matured. 

Neither Lilah nor Jackson speak intelligibly but Tori never responds with saying the word or phrase correctly.  

I did hear Lilah say the word: DaDa and Josiah repeated it.  There are no TLC subtitles so most of the time I don't know what Jackson is saying.  Jackson, however, is playing baseball and doing very well getting on 1st base by actually hitting the ball.  Lilah is still dancing but Tori seems much more affectionate and caring toward her.  

As we know, Tori shills for a # of children's clothing companies so Lilah, in particular, is always beautifully dressed.  That was especially true when Lilah went to her first daddy/daughter dance at her school.  The dress she wore was especially beautiful!  

I would have to say that the family seems to be thriving away from the show and I can't see even a remote possibility they would ever return to filming.

 

[65mickey]

49 minutes ago, pdlinda said:

I would have to say that the family seems to be thriving away from the show and I can't see even a remote possibility they would ever return to filming.

 I hope the keep thriving and stay away from the show. I will be happy to never see or hear them again.

[Dibs]

Tori has full editorial control over her own videos.  Of course she's not going to show herself being mean to Lilah.  I believe they're "leaving the show" because the show is ending.

[pdlinda]

10 minutes ago, Dibs said:

Tori has full editorial control over her own videos.  Of course she's not going to show herself being mean to Lilah.  I believe they're "leaving the show" because the show is ending.

I wholeheartedly agree with your comment. 

I will give Tori credit, however, for building a viable monetized social media presence that took several years to achieve.  Now they also have a monetized podcast. 

Presumably, both of them, especially Zach, have built a financial portfolio adequate to support the family for now and in the future.  That income stream plus that social media and podcast $$$ probably allowed them to leave the show as, in my estimation, when I see them on camera, it kind of reminds me of a "hostage video." 😆  They don't seem happy to be there.

[Dibs]

I'm sure they're reading a boatload of criticism about their parenting online -- just look at us! -- and we know ZiT doesn't take kindly to criticism, constructive or otherwise...  So being able to control what the public sees will solve that problem for them.  I credit Matt with their ability to monetize themselves.  Without his farm and show, who would even know they exist...or care?

[Cementhead]

Tori overdoes it on the nickname usage too much.  Zach almost always calls them by their proper name, but Tori is all "Sis" this and "J" and "Si-si" that, about 25x an episode.  It's not as cute or cool as she thinks she it is.  It's annoying. 

Someone mentioned the dog, either here or on one of the other topic threads.  He is definitely a background player this year.  Most notable scene I saw him in this year was when Zach was trying to convince us all how much Jackson loves their backyard and they showed the scene where Jackson suddenly goes tearing away in his jeep and the poor dog was laying in front of it and quickly jumped up and got the hell out of his way.  The second time I noticed him was when he was laying in front of the front door and one of them came storming in and again, he quickly flew out of there before he got nailed with it. 

[Dibs]

I wonder where Murphy (it took me a while to even remember his name) was during the backyard campout?  Locked in the house alone, no doubt!  That's yet another case of Tori being disappointed because she expected another BMD to be a clone of Sully, but the personalities were different (Murphy was a puppy, for one thing), and Murphy is paying for it.  Zach just didn't want another dog, but Tori rules the roost!

 

Edited April 4 by Dibs

[TipseyGirl]

21 hours ago, pdlinda said:

I couldn't BELIEVE that Caryn refused to assert herself in declining the 2nd pastry!  What's with her?  She's usually very outspoken!

If ANYONE tried to "pressure" me into eating ANYTHING that I declined, he/she would know it was was a BIG MISTAKE!  Maybe that's because I lost 100 lbs 17 years ago and never gained it back! 

I've learned through the years what it takes to resist food choices offered by others (including those who are overweight themselves). 

I won't get into the nutritional value (or lack of) of those pastries but when women hit a certain age the old adage I learned from Weight Watchers a LONG time ago comes to mind:  "A MINUTE ON YOUR LIPS, 10 YEARS ON YOUR HIPS"😆

Amy was being incredibly obnoxious and rude about those stupid croissants. Just because she brought them as a treat doesn't obligate Caryn to eat them. Besides that, they were huge. Amy needed to STFU and let Caryn eat her fruit in peace.

[65mickey]

Caryn is letting Amy walk all over her because she is afraid of Amy's ill temper.  What going to happen is Caryn will eventually get so fed up with Amy that she will blow her top. I don't know how Caryn kept her composure when Amy was making fun of Matt's health problems. I truly believe that Amy is a cruel person.

Waiting to see if her fundraiser goes well. If it flops it will be Matt and Caryn's fault of course. 

[Irate Panda]

On 4/3/2024 at 9:08 AM, Dibs said:

… Amy was trying to sabotage her!  Don't forget that she also slips mushrooms, which Matt hates, into his food when they visit …
So Zach let it slip that they're going to the dwarf games, and Jackson had to ask what a dwarf was, saying, "I'm not a dwarf!"  So he has NEVER been told, and ZiT was annoyed that he had to tell him even then,

Amy also “sneaks” onions in Chris’ food even though he doesn’t like them 🙄

I don’t understand why this dwarf status is so top secret.  I get they don’t want to harp on it but it’s odd they would have never mentioned to him before.  Too bad Matt is “evil” they could use his children’s book about Little Lucy to start explaining  about  differences in sizes.

[Fostersmom]

17 hours ago, pdlinda said:

I wholeheartedly agree with your comment. 

I will give Tori credit, however, for building a viable monetized social media presence that took several years to achieve.  Now they also have a monetized podcast. 

Presumably, both of them, especially Zach, have built a financial portfolio adequate to support the family for now and in the future.  That income stream plus that social media and podcast $$$ probably allowed them to leave the show as, in my estimation, when I see them on camera, it kind of reminds me of a "hostage video." 😆  They don't seem happy to be there.

They can say the left on their own all they want, but you know TLC isn’t going to put up with their we refuse to see Matt or Caryn or let the kids see them and keep them as part of the show forever. TLC probably said okay, then we don’t need you anymore. Bye!

Tori has a strong on line thing going now, but how good will it be when they aren’t in any episodes? 

[Jst2Wld]

47 minutes ago, Fostersmom said:

Tori has a strong on line thing going now, but how good will it be when they aren’t in any episodes? 

Yes. And although I've never looked into it, I'm sure there are hundreds of little people on various SM platforms who have just as many followers. They are probably much more inspirational, educated and  worth following than Tori and ZakHole.

[Fostersmom]

23 minutes ago, Jst2Wld said:

Yes. And although I've never looked into it, I'm sure there are hundreds of little people on various SM platforms who have just as many followers. They are probably much more inspirational, educated and  worth following than Tori and ZakHole.

And there’s got to be an unlimited amount of moms out there who don’t have such suspect child rearing skills. 

[Dibs]

4 hours ago, Irate Panda said:

I don’t understand why this dwarf status is so top secret.  I get they don’t want to harp on it but it’s odd they would have never mentioned to him before.

Zach is so proud of his position on this that he's explained it at length TWICE.  If parents "make a big deal of it," the children will, too.  I guess telling Jackson would be "making a big deal of it."  He then goes on to insult every other dwarf parent, including I guess his own, by declaring that they've all done it wrong by having The Talk!  I saw this coming when they started "making a big deal" of preserving his innocence (I think Zach might actually have said ignorance, lol) and building up his ego for as long as possible.  I suppose that's what's up with constantly telling him he owns the world and wins races he doesn't and is better than his father at everything until he becomes an obnoxious brat.  Geniuses, those two!  

 

 

Edited April 4 by Dibs

[Irate Panda]

2 hours ago, Dibs said:

Zach is so proud of his position on this that he's explained it at length TWICE.  If parents "make a big deal of it," the children will, too.  I guess telling Jackson would be "making a big deal of it."  He then goes on to insult every other dwarf parent, including I guess his own, by declaring that they've all done it wrong by having The Talk!  I saw this coming when they started "making a big deal" of preserving his innocence (I think Zach might actually have said ignorance, lol) and building up his ego for as long as possible.  I suppose that's what's up with constantly telling him he owns the world and wins races he doesn't and is better than his father at everything until he becomes an obnoxious brat.  Geniuses, those two!  

 

 

Yet they seem to have no time to build up Lilah’s confidence 🙄. Thanks for the explanation Zach gave.  I always fast forwarded through his and Tori’s scenes.I’m not  watching  this year except clips.