Yahoo Lifestyle '7 Little Johnstons' Liz Reveals 'Hardest Thing' as a Little Person Raising an Average-Height Child (Exclusive)
7 Little Johnstons star Liz Johnston welcomed her first child, a daughter named Leighton, in November 2023. Today, her baby girl is 15 months old—and recently, Liz revealed the "hardest thing" about raising an average-height child as a little person.
In late January, Liz spoke exclusively with Parade about Season 15 of the TLC series. The busy mom gave an update on Leighton and shared advice for new parents. She also opened up about the unique challenges she faces as a parent with achondroplasia dwarfism.
"My mom kind of warned me that since we're already LPs [little people] in the public eye, when you have your baby in a stroller or a carrier and they're hidden, it's definitely the curiosity that gets to people," Liz, 22, told Parade.
During the video call, the Georgia native recalled a "sketchy" encounter with a stranger who suddenly approached her and her newborn three weeks after delivering via C-section.
"We were just doing a little shopping, really just to get fresh air and get out of the house and take Leighton out of the house," she explained. "And we were just walking out of the parking lot, and somebody just wanted to run up and just come see before even saying, 'Hey,' or anything."
Liz continued, "I did have to be like, 'No. No, we don't do that.' That's just been the most kind of hard part to deal with because just people who just don't have that respect to like, hey, just come up and ask and not just bombard your personal bubble. That's been the hardest thing."
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As Leighton gets older, Liz acknowledged there would be another layer of strangers' curiosity to address with her daughter, whom she shares with her boyfriend, Brice Bolden (who is also of average height.)
"It's just her understanding, 'Why [are] people looking at my mom like that? Why are people coming up?'" she shared.
"I think that's going to be kind of a little bit of the struggle is when we have to explain to her that mommy's different from you because of this reason," Liz admitted. "But we will make sure that she grows up knowing that everybody in this world is different."
Catch new episodes of 7 Little Johnstons on Tuesdays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC and streaming the following day on Max.
Next: 7 Little Johnstons' Liz Sends a Direct Message About Sister Anna's Rift With the Family (Exclusive)
