On screen, Tamra Judge has been dealing with Kelly Dodd’s reign of terror along with the other Housewives.
In real life, however, she has other, more personal concerns.
Tamra has just admitted to fans that she and Eddie are talking about having a child of their own.
Tamra Judge held an Instagram Q&A that was supposed to be about her CBD oil products, but of course she answered some personal questions.
"If you were able to, would you have another baby with your hubby?" one curious fan asked.
"Absolutely!” Tamra replied with enthusiasm.
In fact, she reveals: “I talked to him about adoption the other day."
Tamra is 52, just past the median age for menopause, and even pre-menopausal women at that age have extremely slim odds of a viable pregnancy.
Tamra did clarify that this exact moment may not be the best time for her to add a new member to the family.
"Our lives are so busy," Tamra confessed.
"And," she noted. "Sophia is 14."
14-year-olds can largely manage themselves in ways that younger kids cannot, but school and a social life and activities can still take up a parent’s time.
Adding a baby into the mix would consume much larger chunks of time and energy.
"It would be hard," Tamra concluded. "But doable."
Tamra is already a mother of four.
Her eldest is Ryan Vieth, who is 33 years old and tends to make headlines for the worst possible reasons.
Then there s Sidney Barney, who is a college student and not on friendly terms with Tamra.
Tamra’s second son is Spencer Barney, who recently received his first tattoos.
Sophia Barney, who of course is 14, recently attended her very first homecoming dance. Milestones, people!
As you may have guessed from doing some math if you didn’t know already, Tamra had Ryan when she was 19.
She was not a celebrity at the time. She was a teen mom, doing the best that she could.
Ryan’s "troubles" have been extensive and disturbing.
He has been arrested for domestic violence.
Just months ago, he posted something horribly transphobic about a trans child, suggesting that parents who support their trans kids herald the end of the world.
And on the midseason 14 trailer for The Real Housewives of Orange County, Ryan can be seen expressing some intense self-loathing.
(That self-loathing may explain some of his behavior and the bigotry he expressed, but it does not excuse it, of course)
Ryan has come into conflict with Spencer, who notably is a good person and naturally disagrees with Ryan’s awful takes on the world.
The difficulties between the brothers is not the only family feud, however.
Tamra has had a strained-at-best relationship with her eldest daughter, Sidney Barney.
Sidney resents her mother’s use of her and her siblings for storylines on reality television.
She accuses Tamra of emotional abuse and of neglect, particularly during Tamra’s divorce from her father, Simon Barney.
Sidney has openly slammed Tamra for misrepresenting their relationship publicly and for posting photos without her permission.
To her credit, Tamra appears to have gotten the message and it has been a considerable amount of time since she posted or mentioned Sidney.
This is in accordance with Sidney’s wishes.
Tamra is a complicated person, but we can likely all agree that she has been a more successful parent over time.
Money and experience can both make parenting easier and better for everyone involved.
While Tamra probably won’t win mother of the year (let’s be real, few Housewives would), adopting a child into an affluent household would be a good deed.
Tamra has learned some hard lessons about life and parenting. If she’s prepared to put those to use, good for her.
