The Baulisch family

Season 5 Episode 2
Friday 10 October, 2008 - 8/9c on ABC

Dorothy and Kip Baulisch, of Papillion, Nebraska, are deaf parents raising four hearing children. They rely heavily on their eldest daughter, Melissa, 18, who understands sign language, as a full-time interpreter. The three youngest daughters are nightmares – Jessica, 8, and Jennifer, 7, challenge their parents to the point where they simply give up trying to control them; while Kristin, 5, totally ignores her parents because she can’t understand what they’re saying, and constantly throws temper tantrums. On a typical evening in the Baulisch household it takes Kip and Dorothy at least three hours to get the younger girls to bed, as they run amok through the house, refusing to settle in. When Melissa has the opportunity to confront her parents, she becomes so frustrated she storms out of the room. Jo brings Dorothy, Kip and Melissa back together to formulate a plan of attack – but can she close the communication gap and bring the Baulisch family back together?