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Thomas Ravenel Explains Why His Children Live in His Guesthouse
“I caught all this grief for this,” the #SouthernCharm dad said.
Thomas Ravenel is loving the dad life as he raises his children, 3-year-old Kensie and 18-month-old Saint Julien, this season of Southern Charm. But T-Rav did raise some eyebrows among fans when he revealed in the season premiere, "The kids are living in the guesthouse instead of the main house because kids are messy and destructive. And I want to be able to retain the peace of mind knowing that if they spit up, it's not on a $30,000 rug but a $200 rug."
Thomas encountered some backlash among fans after the episode aired, and he explained his rationale for the living arrangement during a recent interview with PEOPLE. “I caught all this grief for this, but I was taking the advice of my nanny, who said that would be the most appropriate place to raise the children because the front house is like a museum that’s four stories — it’s very dangerous. There are no open areas to play, you have all this antique-y furniture, you know, it’s just not conducive to raising children, it’s not kid-friendly," Thomas set the record straight. “I mean, this is a woman who’s a phenomenal person who knows her stuff.”
The Southern Charm developer couldn't discuss the specifics about how his ongoing custody arrangement with the mother of his children, Kathryn C. Dennis, is going. However, he did tell PEOPLE, “I have the kids full-time, so I’m doing it myself.”
Thomas said that his continuous conflict with Kathryn was one of the reasons why the two ultimately decided to call it quits. “Conflict is something I’ve tried to shield the children from,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons it was best that Kathryn and I go our separate ways because that conflict, all the constant disagreements and arguments, was creating a negative energy that was unhealthy for the children. It was a children-first decision.”
Kathryn recently told PEOPLE that her limited time with her children is “the most difficult challenge I can imagine anyone could ever go through in life. Those are my two angels.”
Kathryn also told PEOPLE that her experience in rehab, which she completed prior to Season 4, is helping her get through this difficult time. “I’ve learned that I have [to] cope right now because there is an end to all of this custody [conflict]. There’s a light at the end of the tunnel. And I have to remain true to myself and remain resilient in my recovery," she said. "There’s going to be a day when things get back to normal, and that day’s getting closer and closer.”
Watch Kathryn open up more about her time in rehab, below.
