Family of 13 Takes to the Streets to Busk for Extra Cash in ‘Big Family, Big City’ TLC Special Exclusive Sneak Peek

All of the de la Mottes have to do their part if the family of 13 is going to make it in the Big Apple! In a PopCulture.com exclusive sneak peek of TLC’s new special, Big Family, Big City, premiering Feb. 25, Amber and Mark de la Mottes reveal how their kids — ages 22 to 6 months — help make ends meet by busking on the street.

Having moved from the sleepy suburbs of San Diego to the hustle and bustle of Harlem, New York, the family admittedly is having a bit of a tough time adjusting to aspects of city life, including traveling with 11 kids and their instruments on the subway.

“Make sure we have everybody. Head count in there,” Amber reminds Mark, who tells the camera, “Getting around the city with 11 kids is extremely difficult.” Amber adds, “We cannot stop paying attention or we are in danger of losing a kid. … You know, [we’re] wanting to keep them all safe, and it’s scary.”

When their son Enoch goes missing for a moment, Mark anxiously proclaims it’s his “worst nightmare” before finding the boy just steps away, hiding in the crowd. “What are you doing? Get over here,” Mark tells his son, adding, “Hey, no more shenanigans, okay? We could lose you.”

Amber and Mark never imagined how much work it would take for them to make their family’s life in New York happen. “It was a shock how stressful this city is and how expensive everything is,” Amber says in a confessional. “Even things like heating were actually what our old mortgage was. Just for the heat.”

So when the parents of 11 asked their kids if they were willing to play their classical music on the streets to “help out with family expenses,” Mark says they all agreed. “So our understanding with the kids is that 10% of whatever comes in belongs to them and they split it amongst themselves,” he explains. Amber chimes in, “It’s a good way to learn how to deal with money.”

Arriving at their destination with instruments in tow, 15-year-old Naomi worries the family will be “kicked out” of their spot if they aren’t allowed to be playing there. “Well, we can try it today and see if it works,” Mark assures them. As the kids begin to play their classical music, they start to draw a crowd, with many admirers dropping cash in their busking bucket. “When it’s really good and a lot of people are watching you, it’s fun.” 11-year-old Anna gushes.

In Big Family, Big City, Mark and Amber “juggle their growing family, a new lifestyle, and the challenges of busking together on the streets” as they find that “fast-paced city life is both exhilarating and overwhelming,” according to the official show description.

“With worldly influences at every corner” for the conservative family “and mounting pressure to make it in the city that never sleeps, they’ll have to adapt fast—or risk losing the closeness they’ve worked so hard to build.”

Big Family, Big City premieres Feb. 25 at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.