My Family Was On A TLC Reality Show. Here's The Dark Secret That Never Aired.

"In 2007, when I was 14, I appeared on Kids by the Dozen, a reality show that aired on The Learning Channel and featured my family and other large families like mine. Our part of the series was shot over nine days that year, just long ― and short ― enough for us to keep up appearances as one big happy family."

"My father, Chris Jeub, controlled both my education and my occupation. A Gen X middle-class man, he first carved a place in my small world by controlling the uterus of my mother, Wendy, who gave birth to me and my 15 siblings. I am the third child born in our family ― my mother had my two older sisters as a teenager, and my dad adopted them when my parents married."

At 14, I appeared on Kids by the Dozen, a reality show that filmed my large family over nine days and portrayed us as one big happy family. My father, Chris Jeub, controlled my education, occupation, and my mother's reproductive choices, contributing to a household of 16 children. My two older sisters suffered severe consequences for questioning family beliefs: Alicia was shamed for wanting to date; Alissa converted to Islam and was treated as dead to the family until she renounced it and underwent "Christian counseling." My parents staged a public reconciliation, published a book invoking Matthew's commandment of love, and equated love with unconditional obedience and procreation.

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