They are back! TLC’s Doubling Down with the Derrico Family: They are one big happy family.

Deon and Karen Derrico certainly have their hands full these days. They are the parents of 14 children. In today’s world, large families are a thing of the past. But it wasn’t always that way. In the days of old, people had large families, and it was the norm. As time changed, so did the size of the American family. Thanks to Karen and Deon, they are keeping the tradition alive and showing people that even though there’s a lot of work that goes into maintaining this large family, there’s also a lot of love shown that we can all learn from.

Peebles: Karen, you look like you’re a size 2. Did you have all those children?

Karen: I sure did. I gave birth to 15 beautiful babies, and one of them is an angel baby, my little Carter, but 14 are still here running around, thank God. And depending on what designer I put on, it’s more like a size zero. It’s in my genes.

Peebles: I have to ask, did you guys always want a big family?

Deon: Can I be honest? When we first met, I asked her how many children she wanted, and she said as many as God blesses me with, and that was music to my ears. But I told her if we were to do this, she couldn’t gain anything beyond a hundred pounds. I would like to think I had something to do with it, but I don’t. (He laughs) 

Peebles: I see you have a set of triplets. Do twins and triplets run in your families?

Deon: Yes, it’s on both sides of the family; as a matter of fact Karen has several second cousins that have twins and triplets, and the same with me. My mother miscarried three triplets prior to having me, so if she had had those triplets, I would not have been here. She shut the factory down after having me.

Peebles: What are your days like in your life with all the children?

Deon: The latter half of the day we are sleeping, but most of the day it’s a lot of running around. A lot of times Karen and I communicate in passing; we meet up in the hallway and say something like, “Don’t forget we have an interview to do today. We really work together very well as a team.

Peebles: Karen, how do you handle the day-to-day stresses of having a large family?

Karen: We do work together in communication in any form, including text messaging. Giving each other a quick call thanks to Derrico’s OCD organization helps, and having the children go to bed at a certain time helps as well. You will never get anything completed if you have them running around at night.

Peebles: How do you feel about having your life displayed on TV, and what do the children think about it?

Deon: The children are very excited. Prior to us being on TV, because of our family size being so large, we stood out wherever we went, and people would always ask us for pictures, so they were used to getting attention on a regular basis. Karen and I take great pride in keeping our children grounded so that they stay respectful and humble in the blessing of our family, so we don’t allow them to get big-headed. We are married people who happen to have a large family on one of the best networks ever created by man, which is TLC, and we are humbled. Episode 401 airs on May 30 at 10 p.m. ET/PT.