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The Real Housewives of Orange County‘s Emily Simpson admitted that she’s struggling to master the balancing act of parenting three children with different needs.
While volunteering at an animal shelter on RHOC Season 19, Episode 10, Emily opened up to castmate Jennifer Pedranti about how her 10-year-old son Luke’s diagnosis of ARFID (which stands for Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder) amid ongoing autism spectrum disorder testing has affected her other two children with Shane Simpson, daughter Annabelle, 12, and Luke’s twin brother, Keller.
“Luke knows that his brother and sister are irritated by him,” Emily shared with Jenn. “And that hurts my heart because Keller came to me the other day, and he goes, ‘Mom, can I go to therapy too? I’m just really sad about everything and I don’t have anybody to talk to.'”
RELATED:Â Emily Simpson Opens Up to a Producer About Her Son Luke’s Health: “Constantly Have That Guilt”
In a confessional, she continued, “I’ve really focused all my time and attention on Luke, and it was actually detrimental to my other children. I was wrong. I thought that they didn’t need me as much, but what I realized is they needed me; they just needed me in different ways.”
Emily Simpson sheds new light on parenting with Shane Simpson
During the same conversation with Jenn, Emily also unpacked the latest in how she and Shane have been navigating their conflicting parenting styles when it comes to Luke.
“Shane and I don’t really know how to parent him very well and we don’t really understand, like, what’s going on with him,” she said. “But, like, I understand that, because of what’s going on in Luke’s brain, that I have to regulate his emotions. So, I coddle him.”
According to Emily, her husband of 16 years, on the other hand, is “not a warm and fuzzy person,” and tends to take a more stern, pragmatic approach when Luke acts out in such ways as being clingy and reverting to baby talk.
RELATED:Â Emily and Shane Simpson Clash Like Never Before: “You Make It More Difficult”
She added, “The therapist actually said there’s no one in the house that [Luke] has a connection with except for me. And she’s like, ‘How about you just do this: When his behavior’s like that, why don’t you hug him?”
When she follows that advice, however, Emily described Shane as feeling as though she’s “rewarding bad behavior,” rather than trying to correct their son.
Emily Simpson shares a “difficult” update on daughter Annabelle
Emily had already highlighted the point about her perceived lack of focus on her other kids’ needs earlier in the episode, arriving exhausted to a meetup with Tamra Judge, following early morning prep for Annabelle’s latest cheer competition two hours away in San Diego.
Despite spending the whole day supporting Annabelle, Emily still worried she wasn’t doing enough as a mom.
“The real concern for me is: Does Annabelle feel like I’m connecting with her? Does she feel like she can talk to me?” she shared with Tamra. “I also want to have a bond with her, and it’s been very difficult because I feel like Luke takes up a lot of my time.”
As Emily concluded, “I’m trying to parent my children in a way where they all feel like they’re getting love and attention.”
Don’t miss what Emily revealed about how parenting clashes affected her and Shane’s marriage during a recent visit to Bravo HQ.
