Monique Samuels Opens Up About How Her Relationship with Her Mother-in-Law Affects Her Kids
The #RHOP mom reveals what's next for her family.
Monique Samuels had the shadiest of visits with her mother-in-law this season of The Real Housewives of Potomac. If you didn't believe it when Monique said that her relationship with husband Chris Samuels' mom wasn't the best, you immediately got a sense of just how strained it is during that super awkward dinner where she called her daughter-in-law a "heifer."
However, Monique doesn't want her negative feelings about her in-law to have an impact on her two young children, Christopher and Milani. "When they see her, they know exactly who she is. I always made an effort to make sure that my kids get to see their Grans, especially for the holidays, because we travel a lot. Sometimes, we're so busy, but I'll say to Chris, 'All right, let's go. We've got to go down to Virginia Beach and go see your folks.' I'm the one that's always spearheading that relationship," Monique recently told The Daily Dish. "So since the show aired and what we saw, my husband's been very upset. I wasn't as bothered as he was, but just the thought of my kids one day hearing what she said about their mother, it does make me uncomfortable, and more so for the fact that they might have a tainted view of who their grandmother is. So that's something that she's going to have to explain to them. But I'm always going to encourage a relationship between my kids and their Grans, because I think that's an important relationship to have."
But Monique said that she's hopeful that giving their relationship some space by not communicating with her mother-in-law for the past year, will ultimately help them get to a better place. "We will get over it, and we'll get to a point where we have a better space with each other, and my kids will recognize that," Monique explained. "And that's one reason why I kind of stayed away right now, because I don't want them to pick up from me any hesitation, because kids, they respond to that, they feel that energy, and I don't want them to have that towards her."
However, the RHOP mom isn't entirely optimistic that she and her mother-in-law will be able to completely repair their relationship. "I would hope for it, but I'm not gonna hold my breath. The way I see it is as long as we're cordial enough to be in the same space, when people show me who they are, I let them have that, and I continue to be me. So I'm always gonna look out for her, always gonna make sure she has whatever she needs, and she's comfortable. And she's always gonna be welcome into our home, just not too often [laughs]. Just playing!" Monique joked. "No, hopefully, we'll get to a point where we can grow and move beyond, but based off of just the history, who knows? Just to be honest, who knows?"
Perhaps having more Samuels in the world will help bring this family closer together. Monique said during this season's reunion that she and Chris hope to fill their new Potomac home with more children. She told The Daily Dish that they aim to start expanding their family "one day soon," ultimately hoping to have two more children for a total of four kids. "I don't know when, but eventually. I'm not trying right now, but if it happens, it happens, if it doesn't, we'll actively try next year," she said. "I'm not ready right now, not with this move."
Yes, it's been a busy year as Monique and the rest of the Samuels clan get ready to move into their new Potomac home, but it sounds like Chris is more than willing to multitask. "Yeah, I think he's more ready than I am. I'm like, 'Hold up, I'm the one that got to carry these big old babies,'" Monique joked. "But no, Chris is excited. He's pretty much like, 'Look, whenever you're ready, let's do it.'"
Check out all of the RHOP homes, below.
