Bristol Palin expressed her grief over her son Tripp Johnston’s move to Alaska from Texas via Instagram Stories on Wednesday.
Bristol, 33, who now resides in Austin, Texas, said the occasion was bittersweet as Tripp moved back to the family’s hometown of Alaska.
Bristol is a mother of three children: son Tripp, 15, with ex-fiancé Levi Johnston, 34; and daughters Sailor Grace, eight, and Atlee Bay, seven, with ex-husband Dakota Meyer, 36.
She posted a picture of her two daughters on their doorstep to mark their first day of school, while detailing the changing dynamics in her family.
The Wasilla, Alaska native posted a picture of her two youngest daughters in the post, with a caption explaining how she’s dealing with this emotional time.
Bristol Palin, 33, expressed her grief over her son Tripp Johnston’s move to Alaska from Texas via Instagram Stories on Wednesday. She was pictured in May 2022 alongside her son Tripp, 15, daughters Sailor Grace, eight, and Atlee Bay, seven, and ex-husband Dakota Meyer, 36.
An emotional Bristol was photographed in September 2019 as she was christened.
“This has been the hardest first day of school so far as I am missing one of the biggest pieces of my heart,” Bristol said. “Tripp decided to finish high school in Alaska to be closer to his dad and our entire family.
“If you know Tripp, you know he lives to hunt and fish, and honestly, I can’t blame him for wanting to come home.”
Bristol, the daughter of former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin who appeared on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars in 2010 and Teen Mom OG in 2018, said she was doing well amid this difficult time.
“As difficult as it was to make this decision, it’s really not about what I want,” Bristol said.
Bristol mentioned her son’s growth and the value of spending time with his father when explaining how she is handling the family issue.
“He’s almost 16 and that relationship with his father is far more important than my own selfish desires to have him with his mom forever!” Bristol said.
Bristol said she was still very emotional about the situation and hoped the transition would be as smooth as possible.
“I can’t talk about it yet without crying,” Bristol said, “but I’m selfishly praying that we have a quick year and an easy transition.”
She posted a picture of her two daughters on their doorstep to mark their first day of school, while detailing the changing dynamics in her family.
Bristol posed with her daughters as they headed to their first day of school.
Bristol was photographed with her mother, former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, in 2018.
Bristol rose to national prominence in 2008 amid her mother’s vice presidential campaign alongside then-Republican presidential candidate, the late Arizona Sen. John McCain.
She appeared at the Republican National Convention in September 2008 alongside Johnston, as her pregnancy with Tripp made headlines amid her mother’s rapid rise to political prominence as McCain’s running mate.