On last night's Bringing up Bates Mother's Day Special...
- Gil and Kelly describe each of their 19 kids:
- Zach: Teacher, researcher, studier
- Michaella: Heart of gold
- Erin: Organized, perfectionist
- Lawson: Police force of the family
- Nathan: Everyone’s best friend
- Alyssa: Keeps the family running smoothly
- Tori: Ball of energy
- Trace: Mr. Competitive
- Carlin: Expressive, Dynamic
- Josie: Quiet but caring
- Katie: Spunky
- Jackson: Always thinking
- Warden: Hyper, energetic
- Isaiah: Mr. Tender Heart
- Addallee: Thinks of everybody else before herself
- Ellie: Miss Smiley
- Callie: Little Miss Sassy, thinks she’s the boss of the family and doesn’t minds saying so
- Judson: Cuddly, loving
- Jeb: Full-blast!
- “One of our main priorities is to become best friends with our children,” says Kelly. The mom of 19 recaps her favorite one-on-one interactions with each kid, including working out with Carlin and shopping for clothes with Trace.
- Lawson says that relationships are very important to the Bates family.
- According to Michaella, Gil and Kelly gave up their hobbies when they started having children. Now, their kids are their hobbies.
- Did you know that Kelly majored in human services and minored in special education? She says her college education helped prepare her to be a homeschool mom.
- Kelly looks back on the moments when she and Gil found out they were expecting each of their grandchildren.
- Kelly says she worries about her kids and that she hates to see them in pain. Her greatest fear is heights. When Isaiah was little, he fell several stories when the railings on a balcony at the beach gave way. Miraculously, he survived, but Kelly is still very concerned about heights.
- Gil and Kelly agree that the transition from parents to grandparents has been wonderful, but they are also sad that their days of having little babies of their own are over.