Emily Simpson Gives Update on Her 3 Kids Amid Major Change

The Real Housewives of Orange County‘s Emily Simpson is navigating some growing pains with her three children — daughter Annabelle, 13, and twin sons Luke and Keller, 11 — as she and husband Shane Simpson make some major changes in their home.

During RHOC Season 20, Episode 6, Emily and Shane revealed that they had decided to completely upend their kids’ sleeping arrangements. While Annabelle was relocating to a new bedroom downstairs, Luke and Keller were getting their own separate quarters with a shared bathroom. Not everyone was on board with the switch-up, however, leading to some “hard” family drama.

Read on for details on what sparked the change, in addition to all of the latest updates on Emily’s kids and family from RHOC Season 20.

Emily Simpson reveals a shifting dynamic between her kids

One key reason for the bedroom changes was a shift in the brotherly dynamic between Emily’s two sons. “The situation with Luke and Keller in the same room does not work,” she explained in a confessional. “Over the past year, Keller has been acting out.”

After detailing some of their pre-teen sibling fights, Emily added, “Nighttime at our house has been a nightmare. Luke would get severe anxiety, and it would take us forever to get him to go to bed.” That would lead Keller to get “mad,” and Emily and Shane also grew “frustrated” with each other, in the process, she said.

As you might recall, Emily has been open about Luke’s health issues and “evolving” diagnoses, which have included PANDAS syndrome, Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder (ARFID), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and dyslexia.

Emily, meanwhile, theorized that both Keller and Annabelle possibly “resent” Luke now, given the extra attention he had received. “I feel like both of those kids lost a lot of time during that period because Shane and I were completely consumed by Luke,” she elaborated.

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Emily Simpson’s daughter Annabelle reacts to recent home change

Though Emily has yet to share her sons’ feelings on the changes, she clearly stated, “When Annabelle found out that she was going to have a new room, but she was moving downstairs, she was not happy.”

Appearing with her parents in Episode 6, Annabelle aired some of her grievances, before also pushing back on their request that she clean her room. “It’s like we cloned you,” Shane joked to Emily, after the teen left the kitchen. Emily’s response? “She’s way more difficult than I am.”

Despite Annabelle’s resistance to her new first-floor living space, she was still pleased with the vanity in her new bedroom, as seen when Emily’s interior decorator stopped by to discuss more planned home updates.

Parenting conflicts had “drastic effects” on Emily and Shane Simpson’s marriage

Emily and Shane’s conflicting parenting styles, meanwhile, continued to present new challenges in their 17-year marriage. For example, a flashback to two weeks earlier showed the two clashing over how to handle Annabelle “not liking” her room.

RELATED: Emily Simpson Hints at the “End” of Marriage to Shane Simpson on RHOC Season 20

While Shane insisted that the teen would “be fine,” Emily took issue with his more hands-off approach. That led to a tense debate about whether or not Shane could actually “have a say” in how they parent their kids, or if he should simply go along with Emily’s way of doing things.

“It’s had drastic effects on our marriage,” Emily told a producer amid her and Shane’s parenting-related drama. “It’s hard to find joy in each other. There aren’t a lot of soft things going on in my heart or soul. It’s very contentious right now.”

Emily Simpson shares an update on son Luke’s health issues

Earlier in the season, Emily had also mentioned that she and Shane “still deal with a lot” when it comes to Luke’s health. While updating castmate Jennifer Pedranti on the latest in Luke’s medical journey, Emily shared that Luke had recently sees a medical expert on PANDAS, which stands for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorders Associated with Streptococcal Infections.

“He’s on medication right now,” Emily said. “But it’s hard to get him to take the medication because he has an eating disorder.”

She elaborated to a producer, “We did try a laser treatment on Luke’s brain. It’s supposed to reduce the swelling. I don’t think it was all that helpful. But the thing that I noticed that changed his behavior the most was putting him into a different school. Because that was a big stressor, was him not being able to function within a classroom.”

Emily went on to tell Jenn that her recent parenting experiences had given her a new appreciation for the past. “I remember thinking, like when the kids were little, how difficult it was, because it’s like, they’re crying,” she added. “And that was easy.”

Emily Simpson gives an update on daughter Annabelle’s recent accomplishment 

While Annabelle may have given Emily and Shane a hard time about her new room, she was all smiles in a recent update Emily shared on Instagram. “She’s the hardest working 13 year old and so proud of herself,” Emily captioned a video of Annabelle showing off her tumbling skills. 

As Emily and Shane content with shifting family dynamics, get details on how to watch RHOC Season 20.