Meghan King got real about the “mom guilt” she experienced after traveling with two of her three kids — but she doesn’t regret it from a financial standpoint.
King, 38, revealed via Instagram on Sunday, August 13, that “many months ago” she was set to go to a wedding in San Jose with daughter Aspen, 6, and twin sons, Hart and Hayes, 5. At the last minute, King said her nanny “quit and took the airline credit with her,” which left her in “quite a pickle.”
The Real Housewives of Orange County alum — who shares her three children with ex-husband Jim Edmonds — then had several decisions to make, one of which was finding a new nanny for the trip. King noted that with another childcare provider she’d have to “buy another plane ticket AND pay the nanny on top of that while I’m pinching pennies.” The second option was drawing straws and bringing only two kids instead of three to California.
“It was a toss-up which boy stayed behind, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to travel with all three solo,” King wrote, explaining that “there’s many safety issues surrounding this” as her little ones outnumber her on the plane. “So I decided that this time Hart would soak up one-on-one time with his Momo [King’s mother], a highly desirable option for any of my kids.”
The trip was a success, according to King, who recalled her mom flying out to Los Angeles three days later to reunite her with Hart.
“Having a split household, I’m used to being away from my kids for days at a time, but my kids aren’t used to being apart from each other,” she continued, while sharing photos of Hart’s arrival at the hotel after being separate from his siblings. “The reunion was so happy and emotional, more so than I ever expected.”
Despite feeling good about her choice, the former reality star confessed, “I had a lot of mom guilt around this decision, but I made it out of their best interests (and a decidedly strong financial aspect) and I’d do it again.” King noted that “next time” either Hayes or Aspen will “get their days at Camp Momo” so no one is left out completely.
She further reflected on spending time with two of the three kids at one time, calling it “so special.” King admitted: “It made me realize that two kids are much more manageable than three 😂 I can break up fights between 2 but add a third and all bets are off. (I’ve never had just 2! It’s either been 1 or 3.).”
Overall, King said she “loved not traveling with a nanny for the first time and can’t wait to do it with all 3.” She concluded by giving her mom a big shout-out for “making this all possible and taking a family trip with, well, just family. MILESTONE ACHIEVED!!!”
King’s openness received mixed results on social media with one user questioning in the comments, “Well you ended up flying Hart [out] to LA anyway so was it really a financial decision?”
A second follower claimed haters were “missing so many points,” one of which was the “bond between grandparents and grandchildren.” The user replied to King’s post, writing, “Hart made core memories with Momo and vice versa and your littles who got to come did as well. Parenting is so damn hard with one, I can only imagine with three!!! You’re doing your best and people keep missing that mark. Good job mama.”
Over the years, King has made headlines for her divorce from Edmonds, which was finalized in May 2021 after splitting in October 2019. Her dating life, which included a brief marriage to Cuffe Owens in 2021, has also become a topic of conversation.
Through it all, King has remained focused on her children and finding her own happily, ever after. Us Weekly confirmed earlier this month that King is keeping her options open after forming a connection with lawyer Andrew Felix during the summer. (She was spotted in July getting cozy with Bachelorette’s Johnny DePhillipo during a New York City podcast taping.)
“Meghan is still seeing Andrew, but she’s keeping things very open and free. She’s not interested in settling down at the moment and wants to focus on herself, her work and family,” a source exclusively told Us on August 1.
