Kris Jenner on Khloé Kardashian’s Wild Teenage Years, Plus One Childhood Memory She Wants to Forget

The ultimate momager and businesswoman Kris Jenner recently sat down with her daughter on Khloé in Wonder Land to talk about what its like being at the helm of the Kardashian-Jenner empire. Beyond the reality TV fame, headline-grabbing relationships, and billion-dollar brands and business deals lies what Jenner considers most important: family.

It seems like nearly all of Jenners dreams did come true, but not of course, without a few detours along the way. Jenner has navigated two divorces and the death of her ex-husband, Robert Kardashian, but she keeps her children a priority.

“My job as a mom was to make sure you felt safe and secure in a really special place – that was what was most important to me,” Jenner says.

If you have ever wanted a behind-the-scenes look into what it’s like parenting the Kardashian-Jenner clan, this is the episode for you. The mother-daughter pair discuss Kardashian’s wild teenage moments, lessons about parenting, grief, dating, and the one thing Khloé would like to forget from her childhood. 

Destined for Motherhood 

Jenner always knew she wanted to be a mom, specifically praying for six kids. A child of the 50s, Jenner says she is very traditional and always dreamed of marriage and motherhood: “All I ever wanted to do was have kids. I used to pray about having six kids, so when I was getting divorced from Robert, I really thought I messed up when there weren’t six of you,” she tells Kardashian.

Having Kendall and Kylie when she was in her early 40s raised eyebrows. “It was obviously safe to have babies at that age, but everybody thought there was some danger to it. People would say, ‘Aren’t all her eggs gone?’ It was very controversial.”

Jenner had two miscarriages: one before she got pregnant with her son, Rob Kardashian, and one before she got pregnant with Kendall. “When I got pregnant with Kendall, we were really trying. I thought, ‘This isn’t taking me down. I’m up for the challenge.’ I was laser focused.”  

Kardashian remembers her mom’s efforts to get pregnant… in a very literal sense. One traumatizing moment that stays with Kardashian was when her mom and ex-husband were having sex. Kardashian was under the bed and playing hide-and-go-seek. “You were hiding under my bed. You didn’t get caught and decided to stay there. And you got an earful. You being tortured for the rest of your life is exactly what you deserve.”

Life as a Blended Family

As a blended family, Kardashian says she hates when people refer to Kendall and Kylie as half siblings. She applauds her mom for keeping their family as one central unit. “I don’t remember ever there needing to be a conversation. We always had a strong family dynamic,” Kardashian says.

Jenner explains that the dynamics of every blended family are different: “I think it’s a little different when you have two families, and each parent has kids from a previous relationship. It’s a little harder. With Kendall and Kylie, I felt like I had two litters of kids—one just came a little after the other. You guys were so involved from the moment I got pregnant with Kendall and Kylie.”

For blended families navigating raising kids, Jenner says parents set the tone. She suggests doing things together and not excluding anyone: “We did everything together. Nobody was ever left out. Not even your dad—he came over right after Kendall was born and introduced himself as Uncle Robert. It’s our job as parents to make you feel loved and comfortable.”

After the “cooling off period” that is necessary after divorce, Jenner says her relationship with Robert remained respectful. She recalls, “He’d come through the back door like, ‘What’s for dinner?’ He’d be there Christmas morning and for birthdays. He just wanted to be a part of every special moment.”

Peace is crucial. “You don’t let the divide, the trauma, and the nastiness come in at all. You build a wall where none of that can get in because you are showing your kids how to have this amazing life together,” Jenner says.

The Wild Years: Raising Crazy Teenagers

Kardashian shares that as her kids get older, she is increasingly terrified about the idea of raising teenagers. Jenner shares that the anxiety is legitimate as Kardashian herself gave her a run for her money. She laughs, “Khloé, you were wild. You were spicy and crazy. Each one of you had 18 months of what I call ‘Hell Week.’”

She recalls Kardashian stuffing her bed, locking the door, and sneaking out: “There is no way she is this good of a kid, and that she puts herself to bed at 8 p.m. We had to break into your room. And that’s when we discovered you were sneaking out.”

She also remembers when Kardashian would steal her phone and lend it to people. The memory that still stings: when Kardashian stole her pilaf pans to cook for a guy: “I was so happy with that pan. I wore it in. It was just perfect. I would ask you to go get the pan, but you would never get it.”

Tips for Raising Kids as They Get Older

As kids grow up, Jenner encourages parents to celebrate the uniqueness of their children. She says it’s important to learn the love language of every child. “We have a thread where we are all so alike, and we are soulmates for life. That’s what makes us so close. But you guys are all so different. My love language for each one of you is just a little bit different. It’s about seeing each one of you and letting you be who you are.”

When kids start dating, it can get tricky. Jenner admits that the challenges that come with it tested her temper at times, but ultimately, she loves anyone her kids love and have loved. “When you guys become very close to someone, we welcome them into our family with open arms. We have the time of our lives. But I also feel like when you guys break up with somebody, I break up with them too.”

The Complexities of Mixing Family With Business

The family’s business empire  was not always her plan. “The way that our lives unfolded is one of the best things I could have ever dreamt of. It was the perfect storm that started out because I needed to pay the bills,” Jenner says. 

Kardashian reveals that Jenner being their manager was difficult for her and Kourtney at first. She shares that she had to put her mom in two different categories: “I always respected you as my mom, but the manager role was always hard for me. It was hard for us to differentiate mom from manager for those first few years. We would be defensive.” 

Imagine that! But Jenner agrees that while the transition for her kids as their manager was hard, it’s obviously been more than worth it: “Now we get to work with our favorite people, and we are having the time of our lives.”