Kate Gosselin, 41, is no stranger to the limelight — or to scrutiny for that matter. After all, the reality star suffered through a painful divorce in front of millions and had some of her most unflattering moments televised for all of America to see on Jon & Kate Plus 8 as well as Kate Plus 8. But for all that she’s had exposed, there is one major thing that she’s careful to protect — her son Collin, 12.
Collin, who is one of the sextuplets that Kate gave birth to back in 2004, is currently “away,” which Kate revealed in a recent interview with People magazine. “Colin has special needs,” Kate explained to the publication. And to help him better develop “life skills,” the 12-year-old has been living away from home and participating in a special program.
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“[There’s] a fairly fluid diagnosis of what those needs are, but he needs to learn certain strategies to help him deal with things,” Kate said. “This has been a struggle we’ve had for a very long time, and it’s one I’ve dealt with on my own. I’ve felt very alone in this.”
But while Kate has been living as a single parent since her and Jon Gosselin‘s, 39, ugly divorce in 2009, she HAS had support from her kids in dealing with Collin — as much support as 16 and 12-year-olds can give. However, it’s still been a challenge for all of the children to go through. “It’s not something that only impacted me or him — our entire family has been impacted,” Kate revealed.
“When you have a child with special needs, everyone is affected. The other kids, of course, realize that so much of my time and attention and focus has had to be devoted to Collin and trying to get him the help he needs.” And apparently Kate has been doing an admirable job at doing just that.
“Over the past year or so, Collin had such a different schedule — different schooling, different therapies, his own room — that his leaving wasn’t like one day he was sharing a room and on the bus with them and then suddenly he wasn’t,” Kate said. In fact, to help all of her children, the reality star takes them to regular therapy sessions.
“They do struggle,” she explained. “It’s not going to be an easy road — anyone who grows up with a parent who is often absent is going to have issues to deal with.” Collin’s challenges just seem more apparent right now. In the past, Kate has even said that he has “educational and social challenges.” However, she refuses to reveal his specific diagnosis as a way to protect him.
“There is a huge hole in our family without him,” Kate said. “But it comforts us to know he’s where he needs to be right now. I feel like I’ve made an investment in Collin’s future. To know he’s somewhere that’s helping him reach his very best potential has been a relief in many ways.”
Tell us, HollywoodLifers — what do you think of the Gosselin family today? Are you excited to see what their future holds?