Drama on a reality show like The Kardashians is nothing new. But on this week’s episode, things got heated as Kim Kardashian feuded with her sister Khloe, who accused her of “reverse mom shaming” after an argument over parenting choices.
Viewers saw the two sit down to try to work out their disagreement, where Kim started by explaining what had made her upset in the first place.
“The other day, when you called me and asked me if you can do Chi’s hair, I don’t know if condescending is the word, but you’re very shaming,” she said. “Like ‘Can I do Chi’s hair? Do you mind? Because her hair has, like, so much product in it.’ And I’m just like, ‘I know.’”
In a confessional, Kim explained that she was having a hard week and asked her mom to watch her two younger kids, Chicago and Psalm, as they got ready for school—and that’s when Chicago put the gel in her hair. When Khloe noticed it, she FaceTimed Kim to ask about it.
Chip Somodevilla/ Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty
“You were calling to, not really ask me if you could do her hair, but to let me know that it wasn’t washed,” Kim told her sister.
Khloe responded, “No, I actually wanted to know. If you don’t care, next time I will not ask you and I’ll just do the hair, but if also then if I do it you’re going to say ‘Why’d you touch that?’”
Kim shot back, “That was an extremely hard week and you were like ‘Would you mind if I do her hair because it’s nasty?’”
“All I said was, ‘Do you mind if I do Chicago’s hair because I didn’t know if you are very particular,’” Khloe said.
As the discussion got more heated, Kim answered, “Thank you for reminding me that I didn’t have the time to do her hair one night before bed and washing it.”
They continued to argue back and forth, with Kim accusing Khloe of never leaving her house. In a confessional, Khloe said Kim was being hypocritical.
“Like talk about Mom shaming? What the f— are you doing to me? It’s just reverse mom shaming,” she said. “You’re shaming me for being a helicopter mom or whatever you want to call me and you’re claiming I’m shaming you for not being more of a strict parent or whatever you’re claiming at this point that you’re not brushing Chi’s hair. Which obviously you brush Chicago’s hair. There’s just a lot of gel.”
During the argument, Kim also accused Khloe of being rigid about her family’s schedule, which she also pushed back on in her confessional.
“My sisters always say like I’m so rigid or I have such a strict schedule with my kids. I don’t think I have such a strict schedule. I just have a schedule,” she said. “Like, we have a time to wake up so we can get ready for school, do hair, breakfast. Then after school we normally have like an extracurricular activity.”
She continued, “We do have dinner around 6, 6:30. It’s not like if you’re not at dinner at 6:01 you’re disciplined. Like I don’t know what she thinks. Why are we constantly nitpicking what I do in my personal house? If I’m not asking you guys to live the same life. Can’t we all just be the moms we want to be?”
The bottom line is, none of us is unfamiliar with mom shaming. Ultimately, though, it serves no constructive purpose and only breeds negativity, insecurity, and division among parents. Every family’s circumstances are unique, and there is rarely a single “right” way to raise 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren. Rather than passing judgment, we would all benefit from offering support, empathy and encouragement to fellow parents navigating the challenges of raising 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren.
By fostering a culture of acceptance and mutual respect, we can create a more positive environment for parents and 𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘥ren alike. The energy spent on criticizing others’ parenting choices is better directed towards reflecting on our own growth as parents and focusing on what works best for our individual families.
