Inside North West's Relationship With Her Mom Kim Kardashian
Whether you love them or hate them, you know who the Kardashians are. Their hit reality TV show, "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," spanned 20 seasons and ran for 14 years, making the entire family famous. Although the show came to an end in 2021, the Kardashians wouldn't have to live life without the cameras around for long — they promptly signed a deal with streaming giant Hulu to produce a new reality show, "The Kardashians." It's similar to the original with a slightly different title, more intimacy with the audience, and expedited production.
Thanks to reality TV, fans have had an inside look into how Kim Kardashian has been raising her children. Her oldest daughter, North West, made her debut on the show when she was just 22 months old. North is Kim and Kanye West's firstborn daughter, whom they welcomed into the world in 2013. Kim's mother, Kris Jenner, revealed that Kim chose to name her daughter North for a very specific reason. "The way [Kim] explained it to me was that North means highest power and she says that North is their highest point together," Jenner told "The View" (via People). As with any mother-daughter relationship, however, Kim and North have their ups and downs. Here's a close look at their dynamic.
No, Kim didn't let North start dating at age 5
When North West was just 5 years old, rumors were swirling that she had a boyfriend. Yup, really. It all started when one of Kanye West's buddies, the rapper known as Consequence, allowed his 7-year-old son, Caiden Mills, to post some heartfelt messages on Instagram. Mills seemed to have a little crush on North, and he posted some snaps of him buying her gifts and of the two of them on play dates. In a since-deleted post, Mills wrote, "Shout out to Northie, Babygirl I'll see you soon" (via Daily Mail). He added a few kiss emojis for good measure, and the internet had a mini meltdown. Not long after that post, another followed of Mills purchasing a necklace. "She's gonna LoVe It. Wrap that up sir, I'll take it," he captioned the post.
The picture that arguably made the most waves was the one Mills posted on Valentine's Day, which featured an image of him armed with Valentine's Day gifts and captioned, "Love is in the air." Kim Kardashian and Consequence remained mum about the rumors for a while, but Kim eventually addressed them and appeared surprised that people would even consider it a possibility that her daughter was dating Mills — or anyone for that matter.
"She doesn't have a boyfriend. Like, is that for real? She's 5," Kim told reporters (via ET Online) as she was making her way to her car after attending the Hollywood Beauty Awards.
Kim tried to shield North and her siblings from her messy divorce
Kim Kardashian and Kanye West's high-profile divorce was as messy as can be, but amid it all, Kim aimed to protect her kids and shield them from all the drama. Her first priority was to ensure they didn't see the media coverage about their father's shenanigans. North West's grandmother, Kris Jenner, revealed in an episode of "The Kardashians" that she was afraid North might be "hearing something, and maybe she won't say it." However, Kim thought differently. "It's a chain to my whole household. No TV, only Apple TV," Kim revealed, saying that was the only way to keep the kids from seeing any of the news coverage.
Kanye wasn't exactly saying kind things after the split, but Kim revealed on the show that she didn't clap back at him because she was thinking of her kids. "It really, really is hurtful and it sucks, but I can control how I react and I can control if I'm a mess. Then my kids will see that," she said. "I really do believe that one day, my kids will appreciate my silence, my understanding, and my grace, and I will try to keep it together at all times," she added.
Speaking on the "Angie Martinez IRL Podcast," Kim said that despite everything, she protects her ex-husband for the sake of her kids — she doesn't want their relationship with him to suffer.
North has told Kim that she thinks 'Dad is the best'
During an episode of "The Kardashians," Kim Kardashian had a candid chat with her frenemy sister, Kourtney Kardashian, about North West. Kim admitted that she often turns to Kourtney for advice when it comes to raising her children and she did just that during their conversation. Kim opened up about the challenges she faces with North when she comes back home from visiting her father, Kanye West.
"[North will] be like, 'Dad is the best, he has it all figured out. He doesn't have a nanny, he doesn't have a chef, he doesn't have security. He lives in an apartment.' And she'll start crying, 'Why don't you have an apartment? I can't believe we don't have an apartment,'" Kim confided in Kourtney.
As if that isn't already hard enough for a mother to hear from her child, Kim added that North would tell her how she and her dad cooked together. "That's amazing that you make ramen, you know, like great," Kim huffed. Kourtney added, "That you boil water and pour it onto some noodles." Kourtney tried to console Kim, telling her that her children are the same way when they come back home from visiting their father, Scott Disick. "I feel like everything falls on the parent that's more involved," she said.
Kim has tried to stay connected to her daughter
When Kim Kardashian opened up to her sister Kourtney Kardashian about North West preferring her dad's home, Kourtney suggested Kim spend more time doing everyday, normal things with her daughter, to which she responded that she had a one-on-one cooking session with North, which helped to solidify their bound.
Despite the challenges Kim and North face, the two still like to spend time together. Kim has posted various snaps of the two of them having fun on social media. In one Instagram post, they were wearing matching pajamas in what appeared to possibly be a mother-daughter pajama party; in another, they both sported temporary face tattoos. In one TikTok video, Kim showed off her hairdressing skills as she styled North's hair. She also once posted a selfie she and North took ahead of a school drop-off. Clearly, the two spend plenty of quality time together.
Kim also makes a habit of wishing her daughter a happy birthday on social media. She took to Instagram to wish North well on her 10th birthday with a sweet message. "My sweet special baby girl. I can't believe you're 10 years old North. My soul changed the day I met you and I love having you as my best friend," Kim wrote. "Thank you for making me a mommy. I love you so so so much and I will always be by your side forever."
Kim has allowed North to be outspoken
The parenting approach that children should be seen and not heard has become somewhat outdated, but it's not necessarily always for the best. Kim Kardashian has been accused of spoiling her children in the past and allowing them to misbehave. Anyone who's been keeping tabs on North West knows that the girl is very outspoken, and it's the way her parents raised her. Kanye West said as much in 2016. "I want to learn what my daughter has to say. What she learns. I just want to learn how she learns in this world," he said (via People). It's not 100% clear whether Kim shares Kanye's view on this, but she has allowed her daughter to make her opinions known in public and has often found some of her shenanigans hilarious.
While attending Paris Fashion Week in 2022, North appeared to be fed up with all the photographers snapping away at her, so she wrote the word "stop" on her invitation and held it up at reporters, glaring at them over the edge of the sign. Kim later took to Instagram to share snaps from the event, including a video of North holding the sign. "North I guess had it with the people taking pictures of her so she wrote on her invite STOP and held it up and wanted them to just focus on the show," Kim wrote in the caption.
Kim has joked that North intimidates her
Kim Kardashian isn't shy to admit that raising her daughter, North West, is a full-time job. The two sometimes get into heated arguments, and North often hits below the belt. While making an appearance on the "Mom Confessions" web series, Kim recalled how her daughter would call her house "ugly" when they got into an argument. "Every time I get into some kind of disagreement with my daughter North, she thinks this is a dig to me: She'll say, 'Your house is so ugly, it's all white! Who lives like this?' She just thinks it, like, gets to me, and it is kind of mean because I like my house," Kim said.
In another candid interview with Bari Weiss for the "Honestly" podcast, Kim revealed plenty about her personal life and struggles. When asked who intimidates her, the answer was quite surprising. "Who intimidates me? I was going to say politicians, but they don't. Maybe just my daughter, North," she said. In an episode of "The Kardashians," Kim revealed that her sister, Kourtney Kardashian, once told her that "North is my lesson on this planet. "I'm supposed to learn even more about patience — she teaches me patience. She has taught me a lot about life." Kim also told Jay Shetty on his "On Purpose" podcast that being a parent is "the most challenging, rewarding job on this planet" and that "you are never prepared."
North has strong opinions about her mother's fashion choices
Perhaps one of the reasons North West intimidates her mother is because she's not afraid to criticize her fashion choices. It's no secret that Kim Kardashian is a fashion trendsetter, and it appears North might follow in her footsteps one day — but she has different ideas about what's fashionable.
Kim favors black outfits, but North thinks it's about time her mom swaps it for another color. Speaking to Vogue, Kim said that North is hard to impress. "North is very opinionated when it comes to what I'm wearing," she revealed. "She'll always complain when I'm wearing too much black." In an attempt to please her daughter, Kim put on a pink outfit when she visited North's school on Valentine's Day. "[I was] wearing head-to-toe pink, and she got so excited she ran over and hugged me. [Of course] she opened my coat, saw the black lining, and says, 'Mom, you're still wearing black,'" Kim recounted.
North also dreams of taking over her mother's and father's clothing companies when she grows up. An interview Kim did went viral when she revealed that North (then eight) told her she was going to "take over Yeezy and SKIMS" (via The Sun). Kim responded by telling her that it's hard work and she'd have to get up early every day if she wanted to run two companies. North replied, "Run it? I just said I want the money from it."
North got into trouble with her mom for going live on TikTok without permission
Managing children's social media use can be quite a challenge, and even Kim Kardashian sometimes catches her daughter, North West, spending time on social media without permission. Back in December 2021, North decided to go on her and her mom's new joint TikTok account and give their millions of followers a live house tour. This did not go down well with her mother, however.
North showed viewers most of their house, and some of her siblings also made an appearance in the video. Kim, meanwhile, was lounging in bed, unaware that her daughter was live on TikTok. North made the mistake of thinking her mother would go along with her shenanigans and entered her bedroom, announcing, "Mom, I'm live." Kim immediately chastised her. "No! You're not allowed to go live. North, come on. You're not allowed to go live," she scolded. North, realizing that she was about to be reprimanded on a live TikTok video, quickly ended the stream with a final, "Okay, bye."
Kim recounted the incident when she made an appearance on the "Honestly with Bari Weiss" podcast. "In my household, there are rules," she said. "She [North] did feel really bad about that, and she apologized to me. She said, 'I saw on TikTok that I got in trouble and I'm really sorry.' And she got it."
Kim uses North's artwork to monitor her mood
While showing Vogue around her house, Kim Kardashian could hardly wait to show the camera North West's paintings and drawings. Kim described North as "a very good artist" and revealed that her daughter often paints things for her. Kim showed off some of North's drawings — a landscape she did a few years ago and a painting of a wolf she gifted to her. North also drew the family pet — a bearded dragon.
Most of the paintings and pictures showcase a mixture of bright colors, but Kim noticed that North's style changed when she had to stay home after contracting Covid. She showed a charcoal drawing her daughter did while holed up in her room. It was a picture of a monstrous face with its mouth wide open, a long jagged tongue emerging from it. The background was colored in swirling black. "Maybe that was just her emo mood," Kim said as she studied the painting. "I love seeing the personality and the moods and everything that she goes through ... and it's really been an amazing hobby of hers," she added.
Kim introduced North to Pete Davidson when they were dating
After a very messy split from Kanye West, Kim Kardashian started dating Pete Davidson. Things started looking pretty serious — the two dated for nine months before calling it quits — and during their time together, Kim eventually introduced her daughter, North West, to Davidson.
Eagle-eyed paparazzi spotted North taking a drive with Davidson in her mom's MOKE car. TMZ posted pictures that were taken of the drive, and in some of the photos, North can be seen sitting on Davidson's lap as he lets her take the wheel. Apparently, the fun drive lasted about half an hour. The outlet noted that Kim and Davidson had been dating for about six months at the time. It's not clear whether Kim had introduced her daughter to Davidson on that very day or if she'd done it a while ago. The two appeared to be having a lot of fun, however. Sadly, Davidson didn't stay in North's life — he and Kim broke up after nine months of dating, with Kim revealing on the family's reality show that their relationship faced many obstacles. She hinted that one of these obstacles was her ex-husband Kanye West, who took frequent jabs at Davidson in public and even threatened him on a few occasions.
Kim is very protective of North's privacy
While supervising her daughter on a TikTok live, Kim Kardashian was caught off guard when North West casually revealed that she has dyslexia. While Kim clearly didn't see the revelation coming, she played it pretty cool. North was testing out funny filters on the live when, out of nowhere, she said, "Guys, I have dyslexia, do you even know what that is?" She didn't seem shy to share her diagnosis, and her mother seemed to confirm that it was indeed the truth when she told her daughter, "Northy you are sure spilling the tea on here." North then said, "Should I drop an album?" Kim told her that she was "really saying way too much" and that she was going to end the live. All the while, North was smiling mischievously. "I love you but I purposefully don't talk about stuff that you're going through," Kim added.
While North seems pretty happy to share all about her life, Kim has made it clear in the past that she's fiercely protective of her children's privacy — they don't regularly appear on the family's reality TV show and there are strict rules when they do make an appearance. Kim even revealed on the "Pretty Big Deal with Ashley Graham" podcast that she had Kanye West look over the footage of the show when their children were involved, and if Kanye didn't approve it, it wouldn't be featured in an episode.
Kim has had to deal with North's complaints of wanting to be an only child
Even though her life is pretty glamorous, North West isn't immune to those tween mood swings. While making an appearance on The Ellen Show in 2021, Kim Kardashian was pretty open about what it's like to parent North at this age. "North is like goth — she's into Hot Topic ... She puts fake tattoos on her face, and she listens to Black Sabbath," she said. Kim did say that she was "really lucky" that her kids are well-behaved but confessed that she still faces plenty of challenges when it comes to parenting.
Kim revealed that North is often difficult when it's time to drive to school because she doesn't want to travel in the same car as her brother, Saint West. In an episode of "Keeping Up With the Kardashians," Kim revealed that North isn't very fond of her younger brother. In fact, North still wishes she was an only child and was never thrilled to have siblings. "I thought she was gonna grow out of this like, 'I want to be an only child' phase. She hasn't," Kim shared on Ellen. This often leads to separating North from her siblings when driving them to school. "[North] wants her own music, she wants her own vibe, she wants to sing with her [friends]. So I have to trade off. It's always a thing — bribes," Kim said.
Kim told North all about the night she was conceived
It might be safe to say that when her kids ask her where babies come from, Kim Kardashian is more forthcoming than your average parent. In fact, she told her eldest daughter North West all about the night she was conceived — and not in private. Kim spilled the beans on an episode of "The Kardashians."
It all started when Kim and North visited Paris together and swung by designer Olivier Rousteing while they were there. Rousteing has previously designed dresses for Kim, and one specific electric blue dress turned out to play a pivotal part in North's conception. Kim explained this to North in detail. "Northie, I've known Olivier since before you were a baby, and he gave daddy this blue dress that daddy wanted for me," she said. "It was my birthday the year before you were born and I wore the dress, and I got pregnant and you got in my belly the night I wore that dress," she continued, telling North that the designer is basically to thank for her existence. North didn't appear very interested in her mother's story and quietly continued to eat the fries in front of her. The rest of the Kardashian fandom, however, was not as calm.
A conversation about Kim's revelations quickly started up on a popular message board, with one fan saying, "TMI. No child needs to hear that." Another added, "Their lack of boundaries is disturbing to me" (via The Sun).