Janelle Brown and son Gabe.Photo:Janelle Brown/ InstagramJanelle Brownis celebrating her son’sGabriel “Gabe” Brown’s 22nd birthday amid thelong-simmering strainbetween him and his fatherKody Brown.On Wednesday, theSister Wivesstar shared a montage video of Gabe shoveling snow, cuddling a dog and taking in the great outdoors.“Happy Birthday@gaberown! I hope your next year is better than ever,” she captioned the clip, set to a melodic version of “Happy Birthday.“She continued, “Thank you for being the son who is always checking in on his mama, who feels deeply and has the tenderest of hearts.”The birthday message comes after the 54-year-old mom sharedconcernsabout how sons Gabe andGarrison Brown, 24, were handling their strained relationship with their dad on the latest episode of the TLC series.“Me and Garrison are at odds with my dad, because when we expressed our discontent at how things were going with COVID, I was met with just a wall,” Gabriel said early on inSunday’s episode. “And there was no line of dialogue. I think that that is what really drove the wedge between us.”In a later confessional, Janelle said, “I have worried about my boys’ mental health. Gabriel feels everything very, very deeply. But he’s also the kid who doesn’t say anything.“Of Garrison, she added he “just seems angry or sadder, like, he’s not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be.”Janelle Brown and son Gabe.Janelle Brown/ InstagramChristine Brownweighed in on the changed family dynamic, noting, “My kidsare more used to Kody not being in their life. He just wasn’t around as much.”“But he has been around Janelle’s kids,” the 51-year-old continued. “For them, this is just a lot more devastating than it has been for my kids.”In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE,Kody admitted to feeling “powerless"when it comes toseeing eye-to-eye with his older childrenand acknowledged their relationships have become strained.“Your relationship with your 10-year-old or your 5-year-old or your babies is very different than the relationship you have with a 15-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 25- and a 30-year-old. It’s very different,” he said. “I didn’t have any power in my household to say, ‘These are the rules.’”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Sister Wivesairs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
Janelle Brown and son Gabe.Photo:Janelle Brown/ Instagram

Janelle Brown/ Instagram
Janelle Brownis celebrating her son’sGabriel “Gabe” Brown’s 22nd birthday amid thelong-simmering strainbetween him and his fatherKody Brown.On Wednesday, theSister Wivesstar shared a montage video of Gabe shoveling snow, cuddling a dog and taking in the great outdoors.“Happy Birthday@gaberown! I hope your next year is better than ever,” she captioned the clip, set to a melodic version of “Happy Birthday.“She continued, “Thank you for being the son who is always checking in on his mama, who feels deeply and has the tenderest of hearts.”The birthday message comes after the 54-year-old mom sharedconcernsabout how sons Gabe andGarrison Brown, 24, were handling their strained relationship with their dad on the latest episode of the TLC series.“Me and Garrison are at odds with my dad, because when we expressed our discontent at how things were going with COVID, I was met with just a wall,” Gabriel said early on inSunday’s episode. “And there was no line of dialogue. I think that that is what really drove the wedge between us.”In a later confessional, Janelle said, “I have worried about my boys’ mental health. Gabriel feels everything very, very deeply. But he’s also the kid who doesn’t say anything.“Of Garrison, she added he “just seems angry or sadder, like, he’s not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be.”Janelle Brown and son Gabe.Janelle Brown/ InstagramChristine Brownweighed in on the changed family dynamic, noting, “My kidsare more used to Kody not being in their life. He just wasn’t around as much.”“But he has been around Janelle’s kids,” the 51-year-old continued. “For them, this is just a lot more devastating than it has been for my kids.”In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE,Kody admitted to feeling “powerless"when it comes toseeing eye-to-eye with his older childrenand acknowledged their relationships have become strained.“Your relationship with your 10-year-old or your 5-year-old or your babies is very different than the relationship you have with a 15-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 25- and a 30-year-old. It’s very different,” he said. “I didn’t have any power in my household to say, ‘These are the rules.’”Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.Sister Wivesairs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
Janelle Brownis celebrating her son’sGabriel “Gabe” Brown’s 22nd birthday amid thelong-simmering strainbetween him and his fatherKody Brown.
On Wednesday, theSister Wivesstar shared a montage video of Gabe shoveling snow, cuddling a dog and taking in the great outdoors.
“Happy Birthday@gaberown! I hope your next year is better than ever,” she captioned the clip, set to a melodic version of “Happy Birthday.”
She continued, “Thank you for being the son who is always checking in on his mama, who feels deeply and has the tenderest of hearts.”
The birthday message comes after the 54-year-old mom sharedconcernsabout how sons Gabe andGarrison Brown, 24, were handling their strained relationship with their dad on the latest episode of the TLC series.
“Me and Garrison are at odds with my dad, because when we expressed our discontent at how things were going with COVID, I was met with just a wall,” Gabriel said early on inSunday’s episode. “And there was no line of dialogue. I think that that is what really drove the wedge between us.”
In a later confessional, Janelle said, “I have worried about my boys’ mental health. Gabriel feels everything very, very deeply. But he’s also the kid who doesn’t say anything.”
Of Garrison, she added he “just seems angry or sadder, like, he’s not as happy-go-lucky as he used to be.”
Janelle Brown and son Gabe.Janelle Brown/ Instagram

Christine Brownweighed in on the changed family dynamic, noting, “My kidsare more used to Kody not being in their life. He just wasn’t around as much.”
“But he has been around Janelle’s kids,” the 51-year-old continued. “For them, this is just a lot more devastating than it has been for my kids.”
In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE,Kody admitted to feeling “powerless"when it comes toseeing eye-to-eye with his older childrenand acknowledged their relationships have become strained.
“Your relationship with your 10-year-old or your 5-year-old or your babies is very different than the relationship you have with a 15-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 25- and a 30-year-old. It’s very different,” he said. “I didn’t have any power in my household to say, ‘These are the rules.’”
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Sister Wivesairs Sundays at 10 p.m. ET on TLC.
source: people.com