After losing custody of her kids to Thomas Ravenel early this year, Kathryn Dennis feels broken by the court system.
The Southern Charm star is still permitted to see them a couple of times a month.
Kathryn is opening up with a lot of raw feelings about finding her new “normal” in these “difficult times” without her children.
She also has a lot of advice for parents who worry that their lives might be turned upside down as hers has been.
Kathryn Dennis can currently only see her two young children, Kensie and Saint Ravenel, every other weekend.
The rest of the time, they are with their father, disgraced former Southern Charm star Thomas Ravenel.
Despite the prior drug conviction that tanked his political career and his in-court admission to assault following his arrest for sexual battery, he was awarded custody.
Kathryn took to Instagram to share her reflections upon how she copes with this devastating change.
“There will be a lot more difficult times than good times when you are without your kids,” Kathryn warns.
“It’s normal,” she acknowledges.
“It’s normal if it’s only difficult at first,” Kathryn writes.
“:It’s going to be that way, it’s going to be hard,” she stresses..
Kathryn counsels her fans and followers that “you gotta accept that’s just the way it is and pivot.”
“Just like everything in parenting,” Kathryn says.
“I like to visualize a tunnel and the light at the end being my children,” she reveals.
Kathryn advises anyone in a similar situation to “Focus on the light even if it seems dim at first.”
“Kids are resilient,” Kathryn writes.
“And,” she continues, “the bigger picture is not as bad as the smaller picture feels.”
She is demonstrating an extremely healthy sense of perspective.
“I started doing a little projects,” Kathryn shares.
These were projects “like setting up Kensie’s dolls for her and telling them they had been playing while she was gone.”
Kathryn adds that she has been “moving the Pokémon action figures and saying they were battling while they were gone!”
“I also get through with a lot of DIY projects,” Kathryn shares, “or prep for them and doing their Lego sets.”
“LOL just some food for thought that I thought I could add,” she explains.
That is not the only suggestion that she has.
“Take millions of pics and videos, too,” Kathryn advises her fans and followers who are parents.
She explains: “Those are all you’ll watch when they’re not with you.”
That brings to mind a painful, evocative image. But then, everything that she said did.
For whatever reason, right or wrong, family court ruled that Kensie and Saint were better off with Thomas than with Kathryn.
Thomas had accused Kathryn of neglecting the children, and even of allegedly leaving cocaine within reach of them.
He claimed to have evidence. We of course do not know the full details, as much of the family court dispute was sealed.
If we lived in a better society, it would be easy to reassure ourselves that the court must have made the right choice.
As it is, Southern Charm fans are suspicious at best of the outcome, citing Thomas’ resources and the influence of his family.
One thing is for sure: this is a painful time for Kathryn, and we wish Kensie and Saint the very best.