Tori Roloff, a star of Little People, Big World, opened up about a challenging day on her Instagram story. She shared that although her day started off well with a visit to the gym and some quiet time alone with coffee, it quickly became overwhelming. Tori described feeling overstimulated due to the combination of work tasks she needed to complete, cleaning the house, and her desire to spend quality time with her kids and husband, Zach. As the day went on, she felt like she wasn’t able to balance everything and, particularly, felt she didn’t spend as much time as she wanted with her family.
Her day ended on a frustrating note when Jackson made a rare poor decision, and she missed out on fun moments with her husband. To top it off, their dishwasher seemed to break down, adding to the list of small but irritating problems. Despite feeling stressed, Tori reassured her followers that she knew other moms likely faced similar overwhelming moments, emphasizing that they were not alone in feeling overstimulated and “touched out” (feeling overwhelmed by physical touch and demands from others).
The Roloff family has been adjusting to life as a family of five since the arrival of their third child, Josiah, in April. Josiah was diagnosed with achondroplasia, the same form of dwarfism that Zach, their older son Jackson, and daughter Lila have. Tori expressed that the diagnosis didn’t define Josiah, similar to how she wouldn’t define herself by her physical traits. The couple made it clear that they felt well-equipped to handle Josiah’s diagnosis because of their own experience living with achondroplasia, with both Zach’s parents, Amy and Matt Roloff, also having the condition.
Tori noted that having access to resources and support made them feel confident in their ability to raise Josiah, and she acknowledged that many other parents of children with achondroplasia may not have the same resources or confidence. Zach also shared that Josiah was not defined solely by his diagnosis, just as they didn’t define their children or themselves by their physical characteristics.
However, the Roloffs’ parenting decisions have come under scrutiny from fans, with some incidents drawing criticism. One of the more notable moments was when fans noticed a scene on the show where Zach was watching over his kids during a visit to their Washington house, which was still under construction. In the scene, Jackson was standing on a wooden plank with a sharp nail sticking out of it, posing a significant safety hazard.
Fans were alarmed and expressed their concerns that Zach wasn’t being careful enough with his children, especially in a construction zone. They expected Zach, as a parent, to ensure that his kids were safe from potential accidents, but many felt he failed to address the danger in that situation.
Another incident that upset fans happened when Zach shared a video on Instagram of Jackson and Lila playing soccer. In the video, Lila was acting as a goalkeeper in front of a painted goalpost on a wall, while Jackson was trying to kick the ball at full force. Although Zach warned Lila to move out of the way, he didn’t take further action when she didn’t listen. Instead, Zach laughed at the situation.
Fans were outraged, arguing that Zach should have intervened more seriously, especially since there was a risk of Jackson kicking the ball too hard and potentially hitting Lila. Many felt that Zach wasn’t being responsible enough as a parent by not stepping in to ensure his children’s safety. The criticism was directed at Zach for not taking the potential consequences seriously and for laughing instead of acting.
These incidents have contributed to ongoing tensions among fans, who admire the Roloffs’ family dynamic but sometimes question their parenting choices. While Tori and Zach are often praised for their loving and supportive approach to parenting, moments like these have led to calls for them to be more cautious and mindful of their children’s safety in certain situations.
