Ann Curry's Octuplet Interview Takes Me Through The (Four) Stages Of Grief

“Wow, Ann Curry really hates this woman.” That was the text sent by a friend at 10:59pm yesterday, following the conclusion of Dateline NBC‘s special on Nadya Suleman, mom to 14 and enemy to millions.

Based on the tone of the text messages that followed that one, I suspected there was some hate towards Ms. Suleman on the part of my friend as well. But I didn’t share it. Instead, at the end of the alternately fascinating and enraging hour-long program, I was left thinking of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’ famous 5 stages of grief; after disbelief and anger, I felt depressed. (For whatever reason, “Bargaining” didn’t make an appearance.)

I’m still trying to figure out why, almost 12 hours later, I’m still so down about it. Maybe it was the way the underside of Ms. Suleman’s nose glistened with (snot? water?) at the beginning of the interview, suggesting she had been crying before the cameras were turned on. Maybe it was the disclosure of the specifics surrounding her special needs kids – one has autism, one has ADHD, and another has other developmental issues. Maybe it was the way she talked so glowingly and animatedly – she giggled! – about the two constants in her life – her doctors and her kids – yet rarely mentioned specifics about friends or extended family:

Maybe it was the fuller picture of just how financially unprepared for all this Ms. Suleman is :

Or maybe it was these, the photos of Suleman at a time before fame, before lip fillers, before the fourteen kids:

She looked like any young mother we might know.

Earlier: A Girl’s Gallery Of Ann Curry’s WTF Faces
Race, Religion & Responsibility: About The Backlash Against Octuplets’ Mom
Octuplets’ Grandmother Adds To Criticism Of Her Daughter
Nadya Suleman Defends Her Decision To Have Octuplets
Doctors, Pundits, Busybodies Feel 8 Ways From Sunday About Octuplets
Octuplets Mother “Obsessed With Children”