Kody Brown.Photo:TLC
TLC
Kody Brownis reflecting on how his relationship with his older children has changed.
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE, the 54-year-oldSister Wivesstar opens up about feeling “powerless” when it comes to seeing eye-to-eye with his older children and admitted their relationships have become strained.
“Your relationship with your 10-year-old or your five-year-old or your babies is very different than the relationship you have with a 15-year-old, a 20-year-old, and a 25 and a 30-year-old. It’s very different,” he says. “I didn’t have any power in my household to say, ‘These are the rules.’”
The ‘Sister Wives’ family.Joe Pugliese/TLC/Everett
Feeling “powerless” as a father figure, Kody admitted his family began to “unravel” and were unable to negotiate through their differences. And when “one person” has a different “perspective,” the reality star says it could end up offending the other party.
“There were a lot of things … very difficult issues that we had to deal with. There were no good answers at the time,” he explains.
Kody shared how the COVID-19 pandemic negatively impacted their relationships, noting that he was “not in a good place” withChristine Brownand “recovering from a lot of anger” withMeri BrownandJanelle Brown.
The ‘Sister Wives’ cast.Puddle Monkey Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
Puddle Monkey Prods/Kobal/Shutterstock
“But in the end, it’s almost like it was a blur,” he says. “I don’t know what happened. All that’s left now is moving forward. Moving forward and hopefully healing these relationships. It is really a story now, moving forward. This is a story about forgiveness. Forgiveness and finding hope and joy after relationships have been severed from the way that’s the norm.”
The television personality says that he’s learning to “find a new normal” with his former wives and “all of my children.”
Gwendlyn Brown, whom Kody shares with Christine, has been vocal about hercomplicated relationshipwith the Brown family patriarch.
Gwendlyn Brown and Kody brown.Gwendlyn Brown/Instagram; TLC
“I know that I should be happy for them, but seeing him be an active father with these kids really hurts,” Gwendlyn said with tears building. “It sucks to not be able to see them.”
“It’s terrible that I’m making this about myself, but it hurts so much to see him be a good father to others when I didn’t really get that much. I know I should be happy for them and I am,” she said. “I’m so happy they have a good father, or what looks like to be a good father and an active father. But I just didn’t get that and I don’t remember that. I don’t remember coming home from kindergarten and seeing my dad and him being happy that I ate all my lunch or that I made a friend at school.”
Gwendlyn also praised mom Christine for “always” being there for them, saying, “I’m so happy I had her, but it was never my dad.”
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Sister Wivesairs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
source: people.com
