OutDaughtered's Adam Busby Has A Simple Response To Parenting Shamers

Adam and Michelle Busby of "OutDaughtered" have been sharing their joys and headaches under the microscope of reality TV for almost as long as they've been parents. Millions of viewers have watched their older daughter, Blayke, grow from a toddler to a poised middle-schooler, and her five sisters — the U.S.'s first set of all-girl quintuplets — blossom from tiny infants to personality-filled 8-year-olds. The Busbys did opt to halt filming for a time during COVID — travel restrictions and lockdowns limited what they could do — but once the world opened up again, they decided as a family to come back for a new season. Still, the Busbys had some stipulations before filming Season 9 of "OutDaughtered." This included giving the girls a say in how often they want to be on camera. 

The latest season shows Danielle devoting more time to her boutique, Graeson Bee, while Adam takes on the bulk of daily parenting. The new season found him going solo with the quints on a camping trip, and then escorting them at a father-daughter dance. Being the only man in a household of girls isn't easy, but he's happy to rise to the challenge. What baffles him, though, is the backseat parenting he encounters online. As he told People in 2019, "It's just crazy that somebody out there is criticizing us about something they have no idea about." Adam did admit that while he tries to rise above it all, he sometimes can't resist the urge to clap back against the parent shamers.

As much fun as it is to show millions of fans how their daughters are growing up, Adam and Danielle Busby have also discovered the downside of fame in the digital era. The couple get plenty of praise and "awws" online from fans who can't get enough of the girls' antics and bright smiles, but they also get their share of criticism and raised eyebrows from strangers who think they know better. For instance, the Busbys got slammed when they decided to put Riley in private kindergarten while the other quints went to pre-K, according to TV Shows Ace, then again when Riley repeated kindergarten the following year with her sisters in their school.

Ducking a stranger's stares in a supermarket for 15 seconds is one thing. Being bombarded by tons of snarks and cries of "What were they thinking?!" every day is another, and by now, Adam is used to the hate — not that he wants to be. But he's learned how to distinguish between the gripers and the finger-pointers. In a recent interview with the Daily Mail, he said, "You have to figure out if somebody that's just unhappy and being a hater. If so, then just block and delete. We want to separate ourselves from anyone that's trying to rob us of joy in life." On the other hand, if someone actually casts doubts on the Busbys' parenting abilities, then "I'll step up and respond and defend ourselves," Adam added.

It takes a thick skin not to let online negativity and attacks get to you, and one can only hope Adam and Danielle Busby are part elephant. In the wake of Season 9 of "OutDaughtered," viewers are now aiming their criticism at their relationship. One episode of Season 9 found the couple at odds over a number of issues, including physical activity. Via People, Adam tried to push his wife to exercise more often, while Danielle argued that the combination of a post-quintuplet body and her struggles with an autoimmune disorder made it tough to keep to a fitness regime. On a Reddit channel devoted to the show, one viewer noted, "[W]hat's up with all of Adam's comments about Danielle's weight and exercising? I mean he isn't harsh about it, but it does sound mean." 

Others shared low opinions of Danielle after an episode in which she and Adam argued over his wanting to go on a family camping trip. One Redditor remarked, "The look of disgust that is on her face all the time, ESPECIALLY when looking at Adam is awful this season. ...She comes across as mean and hateful, miserable and self absorbed." And still another opined, "I don't understand why Danielle & Adam make a competition over everything with the girls. Like [they're] competing to be the favored parent." We'll be waiting to see whether Adam tells his side of the story here, or whether he simply hits "block."