Khloe Kardashian may have ‘widened disconnect’ by not naming Tatum for 8 months & could ‘helicopter to overcompensate’
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KHLOE Kardashian's indecisiveness about naming her son could have long-term effects on their relationship, according to an expert.
The parenting pro noted that Khloe already admitted to having trouble bonding with Tatum, and waiting eight months to name him might have contributed to the problem.
The 39-year-old reality star explained why she had such a hard time naming her son on the Podcast.
Khloe, a patient of co-host Dr. Thaïs Aliabadi, opened up about her initial difficulty forming a bond with her son, whom she welcomed via surrogate in July 2023.
She revealed that she had nicknames for the baby boy for the first part of his life.
"We would always call him baby or I call him Papa all the time," Khloe told the podcasters.
She recalled the difficulty she had in not just naming the baby boy but bonding with him.
"It's interesting because I wasn't carrying him, I didn't really feel anything," Khloe said.
She explained that when she finally did settle on a name she made sure it wasn't too out there.
"I like unique names, but not off-the-wall names," the mother of two said.
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"I think our family has enough off-the-wall names. I didn't want to have just too much craziness."
She revealed that her son was eight months old by the time she got around to legally naming him.
Parenting expert told The U.S. Sun that while choosing the right name can be tough, Khloe's delay could have side effects.
"Choosing a name is no mean feat, and there are so many things to consider," she said.
"In Khloe’s case, she didn’t want anything too off-the-wall, as she felt her family had enough of those.
"But she wanted something unique, and there is a certain amount of pressure to get a name right, or you will be forever having people questioning your choice.
I think that by not naming him, she could have widened her disconnection.
Kirsty Ketley, parenting expert
"You then, of course, have other’s opinions on what name you should pick and need to think about how a name sounds against
your surname, what their initials will become, and how easy it is to spell — for the child and others!"
On top of that, Khloe admitted that she didn't bond with Tatum immediately.
"Khloe has spoken candidly about how she struggled to feel connected to her son the whole way through her surrogate’s pregnancy," she said.
She added that this feeling of disconnect carried into the months after Tatum was born.
"Taking into account the drama surrounding her and Tristan at the time, it may have had an impact on her emotionally and caused her to disconnect with her son," she explained.
Khloe's former partner Tristan Thompson fathered a child with another woman while they were expecting their second child.
"This could have been a factor in struggling to come up with a name, she [may have] felt she needed the same kind of connection that she had experienced with [daughter] True first," Ketley said.
"I think that by not naming him, she could have widened her disconnection.
"Bonding influences children’s responses to stress and learning behaviors, and their social skills."
The parenting pro explained that while bonding affects both the parent and child, the situation "will have likely had a bigger impact on Khloe."
"She will have likely had feelings of guilt and shame and probably have been frustrated and disappointed," Ketley explained.
"That's something which she may carry with her through his life, so she may overcompensate as he grows — not leaving him, helicoptering him, for example."
Tatum may find that hard to hear, particularly if he feels he has always been treated differently from his sister.
Kirsty Ketley, parenting expert
Ketley pointed out that baby Tatum's initial months would not have been affected by having no name but warned that Khloe's openness about her struggle may affect him in the future.
"This may be how he feels differently to his sister, or he may feel that she has been treated in a better way to him because she has that bond," she said.
That being said, Ketley doesn't think Tatum would understand that he was nameless.
"His basic needs were being met and by the time he was eight months, she felt a bond was formed," she said.
Khloe revealed that feelings of disconnect towards a child born via surrogate are not uncommon.
"This shouldn’t impact the child as long as a good, tight bond is forged as everyone gets used to the situation, and it sounds like all is very well now," Ketley said.
She praised the reality star for "speaking so openly" and helping to shine a light on the issue.
What happened between Khloe and Tristan?
The pair shared a tumultuous relationship before officially calling it quits in 2021. (Getty)
Khloe and Tristan were first linked in 2016 after attending a party in Miami together.
In 2018, they welcomed their first child, True.
Tristan was then caught cheating on Khloe multiple times during her pregnancy.
They split after it was revealed that he kissed Kylie Jenner's best friend Jordyn Woods at a party.
The pair reconciled in 2020 and ended things in 2021.
Six months after they ended, it came to light that Tristan fathered a child with Maralee Nichols while he and Khloe were together.
Just months later in July 2022, Khloe revealed that the pair were expecting their second child, son Tatum, via surrogate.
The pair are currently co-parenting and claim there is no romantic connection between them.
However, she still cautioned the socialite to be careful of how she shares her experience.
"In years to come, Tatum may find that hard to hear, particularly if he feels he has always been treated differently from his sister," she said.
Ketley explained how this behavior, known as "over-sharenting," can cause the child embarrassment and create concern over lack of privacy.
"While it could cause upset, it also sets the kids up for thinking that you need to share everything online, because validation through likes and comments, is how to feel fulfilled," she said.
"This can lead to self-esteem and confidence issues, anxiety, stress, depression, and an addiction to social media and screens."
However, she pointed out that this lifestyle is common for the Kardashians and said it is likely Khloe's children will see it as a normal part of their lives.
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Khloe has also said that she is now head over heels for her little boy.
"I am obsessed with Tatum now, of course," she said.
