Kim Kardashian recently got candid about the reality of being a single mother and the hardships that she’s had to overcome when it comes to parenting and raising four children without the help of a partner around.
Kardashian, who split from her ex-husband, Kanye West, in 2021 and shares four children with the rapper — North West, 11; Saint West, 8; Chicago West, 6, and Psalm West, 5 — opened up about her life as a parent during an episode of Zoe Winkler’s podcast, “What the Winkler?“
“I think you and I’ve mostly connected on parenting,” Kim said to friend Zoe Winkler on the Nov. 12 episode of the iHeartRadio podcast.
“And judgment, and feeling like sometimes you’re in this alone, even though we have great support systems and we have people around us.”
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“Sometimes in the middle of the night when they’re all sleeping in your bed kicking you and crying and waking up — it’s not something that I talk about a lot because I feel like there is always a lot of judgment.”
The reality star continued, “Or people always will jump to the, ‘Oh, but you have the resources to have nannies and to have help.’ And I just think that no matter what kind of help I have, I’m basically raising four kids by myself.”
Kim went on to detail the busy morning routine that she has with her children, including getting them ready for school. She shared that she will often carpool with other kids, and just that morning, she recalled having five children with her that she had to take to school.
“And everyone wants to leave at like different times or wants different stuff. And I feel like I’m at like a pit stop of a race car driver,” she continued.
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Yes, Kim is a billionaire with resources at her fingertips, but she’s also a mom who does the bulk of the parenting on her own.
Instead of anger or jealousy, parents should feel camaraderie with her. Even with all of her money and resources, parenting is still a challenging role.
While her struggles aren’t the same as those of the average mom, they are still parenting struggles.
There’s something oddly comforting about knowing that even big-time A-list celebrities have moments when they are parenting in survival mode, too. Her willingness to share her experiences with the world should unify parents, not divide them into the haves and have-nots.
During an interview with GQ in November 2023, Kim opened up about the difficult conversation she was forced to have with her kids about her 2021 split from Kanye West. Kim drew inspiration from her mom, Kris Jenner, and dad, Robert Kardashian Sr.’s, 1991 split after 12 years of marriage.
She recalled her parents “being open” about the change in their family dynamic, and it’s the same sentiment that Kim decided to use with her and Kanye’s four children.
“Ultimately, what matters is that kids feel loved and heard,” Kim told the publication. While there was a point when Kanye West was fighting Kim for full custody, the former couple ended up settling with an agreement to split their children’s expenses 50/50 with joint custody as well.
“You want to be sensitive because they’re just kids, and it’s hard to go through no matter what age. You have to make sure that you only go to a level that they can understand. It’s okay to show a vulnerable side. You never go to a negative side,” she continued.
However, Kim admitted that she’s never afraid to lean into her feelings. “Just because I know how to manage my stress well doesn’t mean that I don’t feel the emotions. If I’m sad, of course, I will cry and feel it.”
“I look at everything as lessons,” Kim noted. “Things happen exactly the way that they are supposed to and take you exactly where you need to be. Even if it doesn’t make sense at the time, it’s leading you to a path.”
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Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor’s degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
