Sister Wives patriarch doesn't treat them all equally. When it comes to face-to-face time, Kody is much closer to his children with his fourth wife and youngest wife, Robyn Brown. When the beloved unscripted series premiered in 2010, the Browns were one big happy family. The first season of the series chronicled Kody's marriage to Robyn, which changed the dynamic. Robyn was a divorcee who had three children from her previous marriage. The couple went on to have two biological children of their own, bringing their total to five.

At his peak, Kody had four wives and 18 children, but the good times wouldn't last long. By the time Sister Wives season 19 premiered, three of Kody's four wives had walked away from the marriage. Kody and Robyn found themselves in an accidentally monogamous marriage. Kody was already struggling to connect with many of his children. The divorces blew apart what remained of the relationships. These days, Kody is close to his children with Robyn, which he refers to as his "core family," but he barely speaks to many of his older children.

Robyn's Dream Of A Big Polygamous Family Died

Does She Take Any ability For The Family's Dissolution?

It's no secret that Robyn married Kody to be part of his polygamous family. She grew up in a polygamous community, but her first marriage had been monogamous before it ended in divorce. Robyn famously said that she didn't fall in love with just Kody but with his whole family. She saw the unique dynamic of the close-knit Brown clan and wanted the same for herself and her children. Robyn often dreamed of growing old with her Sister Wives. She saw herself sitting on a porch with them in old age, surrounded by their many children and grandchildren.

Alas, Robyn's dream was crushed by reality. Most of the Brown family didn't welcome her and her children as much as she had hoped. Kody's older children resented him for taking on more obligations when they felt like he was barely giving them the time and attention they needed. When Kody started to favor Robyn, his other wives and their children grew angrier at Kody. When the COVID-19 pandemic further divided the already struggling family, they never bounced back. Christine Brown, wife number three, left Kody in 2021, followed by Janelle Brown and Meri Brown.

What Robyn Thinks Went Wrong

"I Do Feel Like We Failed"

The Browns are Mormons, but they've grown less spiritual over the years. Recently, some of the family experienced a religious revival. During Sister Wives season 19, Robyn's daughter, 22-year-old Aurora Brown, ed a church and asked Kody to help baptize her. After the baptism, the family went to dinner to celebrate. In an on-camera interview during the episode, Robyn confessed to being disappointed that none of their children had decided to their church. "I do feel like we failed," Robyn laments. She discusses why she thinks the family fell apart and seems to accept some ability.

"I needed her just to go away. Because it took forever for her to finally realize it's been done and over for years."

Robyn regrets that the family's adults were too focused on themselves and not on what was best for the group. She also points out that they didn't center God enough. Though the Brown family is Mormon, they seemed to lose interest in religion over time. During the first few seasons of Sister Wives, the family could often be seen praying together, but that stopped after the family left Utah and moved into separate homes. Without the spiritual aspect, the empty polygamy wasn't enough to hold the Brown family together.

Understandably, Robyn thinks they failed to impart their values to their children. Of all 18 Brown children, not a single one has said that they want to live a polygamous lifestyle. Many of the adult children are married and have their own families, but, at least so far, they've all chosen to pursue monogamous relationships. They all say that they loved growing up in such a big family, but they didn't want polygamy for their own lives.

Will Kody & Robyn Have A Religious Revival?

Kody Should Try To Make Amends With His Other Children

Kody adopted Aurora and Robyn's other two children in 2014. The kids even changed their last names from Jesop to Brown. It doesn't seem like Robyn's children have much of a relationship with their biological father. When it was time for Aurora to ask someone to be a part of her baptism, she asked Kody instead of her biological father. Kody seemed to enjoy being a part of Aurora's baptism, and it may lead him back to religion. Going through multiple divorces made Kody bitter and turned him against his religion.

When Meri told Kody about wanting to go through the church, he told her he didn't recognize the authority of the church.

When his first wife, Meri, left him in 2022, she went to their church to seek an official release of the spiritual covenant. When Meri told Kody about wanting to go through the church, he told her he didn't recognize the authority of the church. Meri grew up in a polygamous family, and she's still a believer who wants to handle her divorce properly. Now that Kody helped baptize Aurora, the Sister Wives patriarch could be thinking about making amends with his other children.

Sister Wives airs Sundays at 10 p.m. EDT on TLC.