Khloé Kardashian is facing public scrutiny over her parenting after recounting an incident involving her 3-year-old son, Tatum Thompson, at a kindergarten graduation party for her best friend Malika Haqq's son.
As per HOLA!, on her podcast, "Khloé in Wonder Land", Kardashian described how Tatum, despite warning his mother he did not want to attend, was made to go to the event. She said he then deliberately caused chaos, splashing water, grabbing candy, knocking over decorations, and nearly toppling a buffet table before she intervened.
Khloé repeatedly referred to the episode as funny, but many listeners reacted negatively online, accusing her of minimizing her son's bad behavior and criticizing her gentle parenting style. Some said she failed to appropriately discipline Tatum, sparking a wave of backlash across social media.
The graduation celebration was for Malika's son Ace Flores, whom she shares with rapper O.T. Genasis. The party also included children of other celebrities such as Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's son Psalm and Blac Chyna and Rob Kardashian's daughter Dream.
Atlanta Black Star reported that amid the rising criticism, Malika Haqq publicly defended both Khloé and Tatum in an Instagram video. She described the party as amazing from start to finish and emphasized that Khloé was attentive and stopped Tatum from causing further disruption. Malika also stated she was not upset by the incident or the resulting controversy.
@khiculture Malika Finally Speaks After khloe kardashian son Destroyed Her Son Graduation Party #malika #khloekardashian #kardashian #trending
♬ original sound - Khi
Khloé herself addressed the situation, expressing regret for sharing the story, which she said was just a brief moment blown out of proportion. She assured fans that both of her children are disciplined privately.
Even with these assurances, social media was still split. Some blamed Malika for blindly supporting Khloé rather than holding her accountable for her problematic parenting choices, while others supported Khloé, saying that children tend to misbehave when they're young and criticized the overly critical comments made by people online.
The current parenting controversy comes after a relatively inactive period in the life of Khloé Kardashian, who recently made the headlines following a highly publicized argument with a teacher in California, stirring up speculations regarding her personal life following her previous drama-filled relationships.
Khloé and Malika have been in similar situations as parents, with both having gotten pregnant around the same time as well, with Malika giving birth to Ace in 2020 and Khloé giving birth to Tatum in 2022 using a surrogate.
For the time being, Khloé is receiving mixed opinions regarding her parenting style but remains friends with Malika nonetheless.
Originally published on Enstarz
