Khloe Kardashian shares rare photo of son Tatum on July 4

Khloe Kardashian shared a rare photo of her and ex Tristan Thompson‘s 11-month-old son, Tatum, celebrating Independence Day.

The reality star, 39, took to Instagram on Tuesday, July 4, to share photos from the festivities. In an instant, the little Kardashian ate a slice of watermelon and a strawberry while sitting next to a bowl of fruit that resembled the American flag.

Kardashian became a mother when she welcomed daughter True with 32-year-old Thompson in April 2018. Their son arrived in the wake of Thompson’s paternity scandal with Maralee Nichols.

Nichols made headlines in December 2021 for her child support lawsuit against Thompson. The fitness model, who welcomed son Theo that same month, claimed the professional basketball player got her pregnant in March 2021 while still in a relationship with Kardashian. The NBA player confirmed his paternity in January 2022 via social media.

A source told this exclusively later that year Us weekly that Kardashian and Thompson didn’t give their romance another chance.

The Good American co-founder recently spoke about the ups and downs of motherhood on her Hulu series The Kardashians. During a Season 3 episode, which aired in June, Kardashian discussed feeling less of an immediate connection to her son than she felt after True’s birth.

“If you compare it to True and him, it’s a completely different experience. Like the connection. With True, it took me a few days to think, “Okay, this is my daughter.” It was only days. But with him it took me months,” she shared. “I love him and I love kids, but I definitely don’t have that full bond. Many people say it takes time.”

Kardashian went on to say she felt “bad” for not interacting with her son sooner. “Not bad, but I feel guilty sometimes, like ‘Why isn’t it the same?’ I don’t treat him any differently — I doubt myself sometimes,” she continued. “Being a mom is truly one of the most magical experiences ever.”

That same month, the Strong Looks Better Naked author made it clear that she had no plans to reconcile with Thompson.

“Tristan and I always get along very well. He and I have a great friendship relationship. We get along well, and for my children I put everything aside. What’s done is done, so why hold on to it [past drama] for?” she explained on the show. “I don’t have to punish him because I’m not coming back to him.”

Kardashian noted that she set boundaries that allowed the couple to focus on co-parenting, adding, “When I’m not there, he’s there. I’d rather he was here than a babysitter. There are still boundaries . Like, I’ve definitely put my foot on a lot of things. Nobody’s chilling here if there aren’t kids involved. It’s always about the kids and it is. But we’re not just hanging out.”

She concluded, “I came back to him after a cheating scandal, so I don’t know if Tristan is like, ‘Oh wow, let’s work this out and eventually she’ll come back to me.’ So I understand why he might think that – so it’s my job to set boundaries that show my actions differently I keep it very short and sweet, and I make sure he knows it’s all about the kids I can not letting those old habits come into my life easily, it’s just not what I want.”