Penelope Disick’s reaction to Kourtney Kardashian’s engagement is heartbreaking—but totally normal

During the latest episode of The Kardashians on Hulu, fans got a front-row seat to the engagement of Kourtney Kardashian and Travis Barker. But afterward when Kourtney called home to tell her kids the exciting news, her daughter Penelope Disick’s reaction was anything but happy.

After hearing that her mom would be marrying Travis, nine-year-old Penelope Disick burst into tears and ultimately hung up on her mom. While the reaction was undoubtedly a little heartbreaking for Kourtney, she understood where her daughter’s emotions were coming from.

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“Penelope took it hard. I think it is a big change for her,” Kourtney explained during the confessional portion of the show. “Even though she loves Travis, I think she doesn’t know what that means. Like is that taking me away? I think she just doesn’t know what it means.”

When explaining how it went to her sister Kim later on, Kourtney her son Reign said, “Not exciting,” and her oldest son, Mason, didn’t pick up her call.

It was revealed that the decision to not have Kourtney’s kids present for the proposal was actually Grandma Kris’s idea.

“For us to have to lie to Scott and get them here under false pretenses would have been really hard for all of us,” Kris Jenner said to Kim during the episode. “So this is the right thing to do and so that is the way I feel about it.”

Penelope’s feelings about her mom getting married are not only totally understandable, they’re very normal, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics at HealthyChildren.org.

“As their parents date, develop serious relationships, and eventually decide to remarry, children may be reminded of their original family and of the life they once had with their mother and father,” the site says. “Now, however, with the prospect of this new marriage, they must confront the reality that their parents really are never going to reconcile and that they will never again have their original family back. This can be a source of great sadness.”

There are also a number of other reasons why children have complicated and emotional feelings surrounding a major life event like this: they may feel like they’re betraying the parent who isn’t getting married by embracing their new stepparent, they may feel like they’re “losing” the parent who is getting married, or they may simply feel awkward as they adjust to their new family dynamic. All of it’s normal, and it just takes time for everyone to adjust.

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Barker’s children, Landon, 18, Alabama, 16, and stepdaughter Atiana De La Hoya, 23, were all part of the post-engagement dinner and were all thrilled for Travis and Kourtney.

Despite Kris’s good intentions, Kourtney wasn’t exactly pleased with her decision to exclude her kids from the engagement.

“I do wish that my kids were here. I think it would have made them feel more included in the decision and part of the surprise,” she told the cameras before getting visibly emotional. “I know that my mom made that decision and it probably wasn’t her best.”

The proposal happened last October, so here’s hoping that since then the entire Kardashian/Disick/Barker family has had time to adjust and feel comfortable.

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