Kailyn Lowry is speaking candidly about the challenges of parenting across multiple relationships, saying that who a person has children with can shape the entire experience of motherhood. On the May 27 episode of The LadyGang podcast, the 34-year-old Teen Mom alum said raising children without a supportive partner can turn motherhood into a constant state of stress, especially when she thought she would be sharing the journey with someone else. She described the emotional impact of feeling alone during difficult moments, saying it can create a “fight or flight” mindset in the middle of parenting.
Lowry explained that major moments such as birthdays, Christmases, and sleepless nights can feel heavier when one parent is carrying most of the responsibility. Instead of enjoying the “soft parts” of motherhood, she said some parents are too overwhelmed or overstimulated to fully appreciate cuddles, holiday traditions, or the quiet moments with their children. She emphasized that this experience is especially hard when it was not what she expected at the start of the relationship or pregnancy.
The former MTV reality star has been open about her family life for years. She first became a mother in 2010, when she appeared on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant while expecting her first son, Isaac, with then-boyfriend Jo Rivera. Since then, Lowry has had six more children with different partners. She shares son Lincoln, 12, with ex-husband Javi Marroquin; sons Lux, 8, and Creed, 5, with ex-boyfriend Chris Lopez; and younger children Rio, 3, plus twins Verse and Valley, 2, with former fiancé Elijah Scott.
During the interview, Lowry also acknowledged that she has financial resources and access to help that many other single mothers do not. She said she thinks often about women who knew they would be parenting mostly alone and do not have the same support or money to make life easier. In her view, those mothers often have to parent in a very different way because they cannot rely on outside help or flexibility.
Lowry also gave an update on her current relationship with Rivera, with whom she shares her oldest child. Reflecting on their early years as teenage parents, she said the relationship was difficult for a long time, though there were periods when they got along well. Looking back, she said Rivera did not contribute much during those early years, which she found frustrating. Still, she said she has grown to give him grace, especially because they were both so young when they became parents.
Lowry said the most important thing now is that Rivera is present for their son, noting that they do not need to communicate much beyond that. Her comments offered a personal look at the realities of co-parenting, the emotional toll of raising children largely on one’s own, and the different ways motherhood can unfold depending on the support system behind it.
