The Dilley Six-Pack Meets Its Match

B E R N E, Ind., Dec. 26 -- It is Christmastime at the Dilleys, home of America's first surviving sextuplets. As one could imagine, the holidays at the Dilleys are more like the "Nutcracker" on fast forward than "Silent Night."

The "Dilley six-pack," Adrian, Brenna, Claire, Julian, Quinn and Ian, turned 9 on May 25, and ABC visited the family a few days before Christmas to see how they're all doing.

The success that parents Keith and Becki Dilley are having with their six 9-year-olds has a lot to do with teamwork. The theme of the Dilley family could be all for one and one for all — sisters and brothers to share with and play with and cheer for you when it really counts.

As with all 9-year-olds, the Dilley kids are developing their own unique personalities. Of course, along with their developing interests and ambitions, comes some sibling rivalry. And the Dilley kids have more than their share of it. Ian seems to be particularly adept at aggravating his three brothers and two sisters. "He taunts everybody in our family," Brenna said. "He just bugs me most of the time" said Quinn. "He makes fun of people," Adrian said, adding, "Sometimes I hit him on the shoulder and say, 'Stop.'"

Ian is sensitive, artistic and loves to dance. And he may have sharpened his teasing skills by being teased himself, and coming through a very frightening illness. A few summers back, Ian was suffering from what at first was a mysterious ailment. He began losing weight. At first, the Dilleys thought their sensitive little boy was simply unhappy. Ultimately, he was hospitalized and doctors learned that Ian had contracted a viral infection.

But that frail, sensitive boy has definitely bounced back. And he's got a defense when his siblings say he's the big teaser in the family. Ian says that sometimes, when he's having a bad day, "They mess with me."

Child psychologists say sibling rivalry, including taunting, happens in all families with more than one child. But when you have six children all the same age, there are 30 potential rivalries for the kids — and parents — to plow through.