One of the questions many fans have on their minds is whether or not the children in the Kody Brown family on TLCs Sister Wives will choose polygamy for themselves. For 16-year-old Madison, the daughter of Kody and Wife #2, Janelle, polygamy is not an option and, at this point in her life, she is questioning if she even wants to be part of a faith that would ask wives to share their husbands as a part of achieving salvation.
The Brown family has 17 children, and family patriarch Kody has four wives: Meri (the only wife to whom he is legally married), Janelle, Christine and Robyn. And, overall, they don’t make polygamy appear very attractive, with their jealousies, bickering and literally running from the law, fearing they may be arrested for their lifestyle. So, it’s not such a shock that outspoken Madison would decide that the Fundamentalist Mormon faith is not her cup of tea.
Last season, the older Brown kids discussed polygamy with their friends. And, while they had varying opinions on putting polygamy into practice in their own lives, none of them voiced an outright rejection of their faith:
Rejection of Family's Faith
Madison, however, is forthright with her mom and dad this season about her views regarding her future as a practicing Fundamentalist Mormon.
"I would NOT be able to share my husband like that," Madison tells her friends. "For me, it wouldn't make me happy." And, when her father asked why she did not want to be a part of their religion, she said, bluntly, “Because I don’t want to share my husband. And, I don’t think it’s for me.”
Kody was obviously distraught at his daughter’s answer, and insisted that one could be in their faith and not be polygamous. But, Madison seems to feel that the pressure to be polygamous would be there, regardless—and perhaps she just doesn’t feel the faith reaches out to her needs, particularly the need she obviously has to be independent. Unlike her 17-year-old half-sister, Mariah—only child of Kody and Wife #1, Meri—the Fundamentalist Mormon faith doesn’t seem to speak to her beliefs.
Not Like Her Sister
"I am not like Mariah," she insisted to her parents, refusing to have her voice squelched or her opinion brushed aside. "I hang out with the kids that kinda do party, a little bit, some of them. … Mariah hangs out with a bunch of Mormons, and I don't."
But, while Kody insisted that she could be in their religion and not practice polygamy, and although he did appear shaken at her headstrong refusal of their faith, he did seem to understand that his daughter, like everyone, has her own path to follow.
"I tried to teach my kids to have a strong relationship with God,” he affirms. “Each individual has to figure that out themselves. It’s an anchor to keep you from going to the dark side. People make mistakes and it leads to unhappiness. I just want you to be happy," Kody concludes to his daughter.
Janelle seemed to have little to add as she sat quietly, absorbing her daughter’s declarations. Was that because she was taken aback by her daughter’s opinions, or was it simply because she has had similar ideas herself regarding polygamy as the years have passed, and understands where she is coming from?
Stay tuned.
The season premiere of Sister Wives airs on TLC this Sunday, November 18, at 9 p.m.
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UPDATED: Christine says, "I feel like a single mom" on season premiere
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