Kristin Cavallari Returns to Co-sleeping With Kids Amid Divorce & Quarantine

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Last month, Kristin Cavallari became one of many parents dealing with two crises at once: going through a divorce from husband Jay Cutler, while also raising their three kids during coronavirus stay-at-home orders. Even with all that her money and privilege bring, we know it must be hard. In an interview over the weekend, she revealed how the situation has messed with the family’s daily routines, and one way they’ve been coping, by co-sleeping.

“I used to wake up at 5 a.m. every morning, work out, and then I would get my kids ready for school, take them to school and go to the office,” Cavallari told celebrity stylist Dani Michelle in an Instagram Live session for Revolve.

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Now, while running her jewelry brand Uncommon James from home, the reality-TV star has also been taking care of 7-year-old Camden, 6-year-old Jaxon, 6, and 4-year-old Saylor full-time. Add to that the fact that Cutler was reportedly creating an “unhealthy environment, causing irreparable harm to their minor children” — at least according to her court papers — and we can see how that rigorous schedule isn’t exactly happening anymore.

“Because of my kids, I get up from anywhere between 6:30 and 8,” Cavallari said. “And I don’t normally let my kids sleep with me, but I’ve been rotating my kids for the last week… It’s cute but those are the moments that will never be the same, we’ll never get those back. So in that sense, I’ve been trying to really enjoy that time with my kids.”

This reminds us of what Teen Mom 2 alum Leah Messer, along with other parents we know in real life, have shared about their kids needing the extra comfort that comes with snuggling with mom or dad at bedtime. Co-sleeping with bigger kids has definitely become a thing during the pandemic.

Needing reassurance and being reluctant to separate from parents can be a sign of anxiety in children, according to the Child Mind Institute, along with moodiness or tantrums, physical symptoms (stomach aches and headaches), and trouble sleeping.

Cavallari also talked about how homeschooling has been going … not great.

“With the boys, Jaxon will not listen to me,” she said. “He refuses to do work. I’m like, ‘I can’t fight with you about doing schoolwork.’ It’s too hard. … My boys are 7 and 6, so it’s not the end of the world if they’re not sitting here doing schoolwork every day, but everyone’s going a little stir crazy because we really can’t go anywhere.”

We hear you, KCavs. Those battles over schoolwork are not worth it. But from what we’ve learned about children’s mental health during this coronavirus pandemic, parents may want to return to some semblance of a routine eventually.

“Children really respond to knowing [limits], and the structure and the schedule at school,” Ron Stolberg, a licensed clinical psychologist and professor at Alliant International University, told SheKnows recently. “Not having structure creates a sense of anxiety in kids.”

That doesn’t necessarily mean a working mom like Cavallari needs to drop her work and become a full-time schoolteacher right now. She’s parenting in a crisis and doing the best she can. Maybe the first part of everyone’s new routine should be reminding ourselves a few times a day that’s what we’re doing, the best we can.

We hope that in a matter of time, Cavallari and Cutler will become one of these celebrity parents who are winning at co-parenting.

Launch Gallery: Anderson Cooper & More Celebs Who Are Co-Parenting With an Ex & Getting it Right

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