Kim Kardashian loves soccer mom status as it’s ‘the only identity she made herself’, she wants to ‘be the better parent’
KIM Kardashian has attached herself to the soccer mom stereotype so she can achieve one thing on her own, a psychologist has said.
But she thinks the reality star will be tested by this as she enters unchartered waters as a single parent.
From the get-go, Kim Kardashian jumped headfirst into her role as a mom after marrying Kanye West in 2014 and having multiple children.
While supporting them in their day-to-day lives and through any changes at home, parenting looks to have come naturally to her.
Interestingly though and along the way, Kim has also embraced the stereotype of the soccer mom.
Whether rocking up at her son Saint’s soccer matches or North’s basketball games, come rain or shine, the 42-year-old reality star is a permanent fixture on the sidelines.
In fact, it was as early as 2015 when Kim showed her excitement at officially becoming a soccer mom in an Instagram post.
Commenting on a photo she’d shared of her daughter North running along clutching a soccer ball when she was a toddler she wrote: “Officially a soccer mom! #MyLittleGoalie”.
In an exclusive interview, licensed clinical psychologist Dr. Danielle McGraw told The US Sun: “Being a parent tends to be a heavily weighted identity and especially for soccer moms like Kim.
“The stereotype of a soccer mom is that she sacrifices herself for their children and puts them first.
“She sends the message, I’m present in my child’s life and am a good mom.
“For Kim however, it’s slightly deeper since a lot of other aspects of her identity are attributed to her family of origin.
“Even with most of her career, it revolves around a partnership with others, even with Skims.
“Her kids weren’t given to her by her family and she’s a single mom now.
“To Kim being a soccer mom is a huge part of her personality now and identity because it’s something that’s just her.”
More recently and Kim appeared to pull out all the stops when her former husband attended their eldest kid’s North and Saints basketball match in Los Angeles.
This time around and Kanye was accompanied by his new wife, Bianca Censori.
“When it comes to her becoming a mom it’s attributed to her own achievement but especially now she’s a single mom and the unit is changing,” adds Dr. Mcgraw.
“At the basketball game where Kanye’s new wife first joined, with this all in mind, it must have felt difficult for Kim.
“Kim’s probably doing more here as a result of Kanye and his wife being there.
“Kim would be marking her territory as a new woman comes into the picture.
“It’s possible that there’s an element of this going on and as a soccer mom she comes off as better than he is.
“Kim also likely brought Tristan for moral support and the same way that she went to support him when his mother died.
“He likely came along playing that role on that day and to support her.”
The Kardashian star has four children, North, Saint, Chicago, and Psalm, who she shares with her ex.
And while the pair’s turbulent divorce played out in public through 2022, its aftermath reportedly took a toll on Kim in that she struggled with co-parenting.
But it was towards the end of 2022 when she said in a podcast interview with Angie Martinez: “I’ll do anything to keep their life as normal as possible.”
But when West tied the knot with Australian Yeezy employee Bianca Censori, Kim’s parenting structure shifted further.
A new stepmom looked set to be absorbed into the Kardashian/West dynamic.
“After a divorce, there’s sometimes an inherent pressure to be better parents and the better parent,” adds Dr. McGraw.
“And so, it’s also possible that during the recent basketball game when Bianca showed up and Kim was wearing the red top, her clothing choice may have played a role.
“If Kim knew that she was going to be there it might’ve been a push to go above and beyond.
“In a way, here Kim was showing that she’s the mom or she’s the better parent.
“But again, what she’s ultimately doing is telling the world and her children that she’s there for them no matter what.”
Before Kim’s divorce and becoming a single mom and her road to motherhood included many ups and downs.
After giving birth to North in 2013 and Saint two years later, Kim suffered difficulties during both her pregnancies.
While continuing to build her huge business empire, she went on to have Chicago via surrogate in 2018 with Pslam arriving a year later.
Before now, the Skims founder opened up about her parenting role during a YouTube makeup tutorial with her sister, Kylie Jenner called titled “Get Ready With Us: Kim and Kylie.”
“Everything is, like, super planned out, ” she told Kylie before adding: “I’m really, really organized. I think that’s the key to being successful, honestly, is being organized,” she explained. “It’s hard, it’s a lot of work, but you can totally do it.”
“Kim has built up this huge career and she juggles a lot,” adds Dr. McGraw.
“But a common reason why the soccer mom becomes such a big identity for some is that the other parts of their identity aren’t as strong.
“It could be that they have a career that they don’t value anymore, or there aren’t other things in their lives that are super important.
“The kids then tend to become their identity.
“A lot of Kim’s identity has been tied to her family and her celebrity, more so than her accomplishments.
“While I respect Kim and think she works hard, she probably wouldn’t be as successful as she is if not for her family.
“Her pushing this soccer mom identity brings more meaning to her as a woman and as a single mom.
“But I think at a basic level, she absolutely loves her children.”