Pittsford family with inspirational message becomes TikToK sensation

Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

For Alicia Dougherty, becoming a viral star with her family was not something she had planned. But for this mother of 10, she's learned to expect the unexpected.

For Dougherty, 40, she and her husband Josh had tried to have children for many years with no success, experiencing 11 miscarriages. In 2011, they chose to adopt Alex, before Alicia realized she was pregnant six days later with their first biological daughter, Zoey.

Eight years later, and the Doughertys now have 10 kids total, six of whom are adopted, four of whom are their biological children.

For Dougherty, the decision to join the video website Tik Tok came as a result of being in the "pandemic life like everyone else."

"Watching Tik Tok was hilarious, we spent our days laughing at other people's videos. A year ago, we did it as a hobby and realized we could share our story with others, inspire others to adopt from foster care," she said, with many of the videos showing how Alicia packs for a road trip or plans out a trip to Wegman's.

The Dougherty Dozen, as they are known on social media, is made up of adopted and biological children. According to mother Alicia Dougherty (rear center), the hope is that the viral fame will allow them to spread the message to prospective parents to consider adoption.

Now with almost 1.2 million followers on their Tik Tok and 40,000 followers on their Instagram page, the 'Dougherty Dozen" as they're known on social media has been getting national attention, with their family's story getting covered by "Good Morning America" and the Drew Barrymore Show.

But for Dougherty the goal remains the same, to advocate for more couples looking to have children to consider adopting from foster care.

"We always want couples to adopt from foster care," she said, adding that she hopes prospective parents consider adopting teens or sibling groups "that would have been split up from each other, that have a smaller chance of adoption. We're trying to get that message out there."

And one of the best parts of having so many kids? The ability to bring "happiness and joy," as she puts it, not just for the family but for "everyone we meet."

"Having a family with children that come from traumatic backgrounds increases empathy and awareness," she added, noting that it applies to both her biological and adopted children.

"They’re wise, just wise beyond their years."