Review
Sister Wives season 19 has been a game-changer for the entire Brown family, and after watching recent episodes, I think Kody Brown needs to repair his relationship with his children as quickly as possible. While Kody, who spent the last thirty plus years married to his original trio of wives, has been adamant that he doesn’t want to extend an olive branch the estranged kids in his family, it’s time to mend fences. Throughout Sister Wives season 19, viewers have seen Kody moving through some of the toughest times of his life, but his children haven’t been there supporting him.
With Kody, who was married to Christine Brown, Janelle Brown, and Meri Brown for years before meeting his only remaining wife Robyn Brown, choosing to remain stoic about how he feels when it comes to his kids disinterest, the family patriarch has made a baffling decision. Kody’s 18 children, who come from all four of his former and current wives, range in ages, lifestyles, and levels of interest in engaging with him. While some are still maintaining a relationship, others have stopped engaging with him completely over the years, and with Kody hurt by everything, it’s time for a change.
Kody’s Relationships With His Kids Remain Difficult
He's Not Moving The Needle Enough
Throughout the run of Sister Wives, Kody’s relationships with his kids have been all over the map. While some earlier seasons saw Kody and his children able to come together peacefully, the kids were much younger and didn’t realize the extent of Kody’s behavior. Throughout their young lives, Kody’s kids with Christine, Janelle, and Meri have all come to understand more about their parents, realizing that they’ve made mistakes and had tough times over the years. While some of those mistakes have been forgiven, others remain an issue in the Brown family overall, and Kody’s behind the majority of them.
In recent years, Kody’s issues with his older kids have become far more difficult as he’s poured his love and attention into his children with Robyn, and withheld it from others. The majority of the issues behind Kody’s strained family relationships comes from the fact that he’s chosen to put his kids from his original trio of wives on the back burner while spending time with his kids with Robyn. Consistently not showing up or choosing them, Kody’s had problems justifying his behavior over the years, and has ultimately tried to make the kids look like they’re the real issue.
Sister Wives Hasn't Held Back On Kody's Poor Behavior
They're Showing His Low Moments
While I expected Sister Wives to give Kody a different edit throughout its currently airing season, things have been fairly honest about his behavior and the way his children are reacting towards it. Though Kody himself was given a bit more of a victim edit than expected earlier in the season, things have slowly been changing on the show. As Kody has learned more about the problems his children are facing, especially when it comes to feeling like he doesn’t care for them or pay them attention, he’s seemed to realize that he has more opportunity to fix the problem.
Though he hasn’t taken steps forward to do so, Kody’s portrayal on Sister Wives has been interesting to watch as he’s learned more about what’s going wrong in his life. Instead of finding himself struggling to understand what’s happening or place blame, Kody’s been shown to want to be more attentive with his family, bringing his children back into the fold as he rebuilds after his difficult divorces. While Kody may be struggling overall, it’s been clear that his relationships with his kids are some of the toughest losses for him to swallow, and seeing that on screen has helped.
The Brown Family's Tragic Loss Could Push Kody To Change
He Needs To Consider The Future
Watching Kody begin to realize that things need to change was a good start, and now that Sister Wives has reached the point where Garrison Brown’s passing has come to light, it’s possible that he could be motivated to make an even bigger change to move forward. Throughout Sister Wives season 19, viewers have been waiting in a dark sense of anticipation as it grew closer to the point where Garrison’s tragic passing occurred in the family’s lives. Though details haven’t been widely shared on Sister Wives, the most recent episode recognized the tragedy and didn’t hold back with emotion.
Kody and Robyn, who spent the majority of the episode together, were open about how difficult it felt being estranged from Garrison at the time of his death. While Kody was a bit more reserved than some viewers expected, it was clear that he was overwhelmed with grief and emotion about losing his son. The family patriarch spent time in the episode sharing his feelings, which could create a major shift in the way he’s thinking about his relationship with his kids overall. Garrison’s passing could push Kody to consider exploring rebuilding his relationships with his family as a whole.
Kody Needs To Repair His Relationships Quickly
He Doesn't Have Forever
Although I think Kody has a lot to change before he can successfully become the father he’s always felt he was, I also think starting is the most difficult part. After seeing the tragic loss of Garrison on Sister Wives, it’s become clear that the Brown family needs to find solace in each other more than ever. While I do believe the family will come back together for a time, it’s on Kody to try and keep his family moving back to a place where they can support one another through good times, bad times, and everything else in between.
Now, I think Kody needs to re-evaluate his life in a way that makes it clear he’s not going to put some family members over others, even if that’s difficult for him. While Robyn’s the kind of person who needs validation and attention consistently, Kody needs to ensure that his family feels secure in him as things continue to change in their lives. Despite the tragedy that could bring them back together, the Brown family needs each other more than ever in this tough moment. Sister Wives’ Kody needs to step up for his kids like the father he is.
Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EDT on TLC.
Source: TLC/Instagram
