Kate Gosselin References ‘Turbulent Times’ In 18th Birthday Message To Twins Mady & Cara

Kate Gosselin is wishing her firstborn daughters. Mady and Cara, a happy 18th birthday, but her message to them is very different from the one posted by her ex-husband, Jon Gosselin.

In a lengthy Instagram post, the mom of eight captioned a photo of a birthday cake with a message to her now adult daughters praising them for overcoming the difficult times and offering hope for their future.

“HAPPY 18th Birthday, Cara and Madelyn! There are no words to describe how proud I am of you both,” Ket wrote.

“Despite the many turbulent times you’ve had to deal with so far in life, you have emerged as wise, level-headed, reasonable, forgiving, loving, kind and absolutely brilliant ADULTS! I can say that I’ve poured endless love into you and fought tooth and nail for the best for you, but I cannot possibly take credit for the truly wonderful humans (adult humans!) you have become! You will thrive in life, I am certain, and I will still be with you every step of the way going forward, continuing to guide you and love you. I love you both so very very much and I wish peace, happiness and the great successes I know are coming your way! #Turning18 #Adults.”

Kate later shared a photo of the twins hiding “18” balloons as they celebrated their milestone birthday.

Kate Gosselin’s message to Mady and Cara on their 18th birthday is in stark contrast to the message posted by the twins’ father. Jon Gosselin offered a simple “Happy 18th Birthday” to Mady and Cara with no photo and a plain purple background.

Jon and Kate Plus 8 fans first met Mady and Cara and their sextuplet siblings on the family’s TLC reality show in 2007. But just two years later, viewers saw the Gosselins’ messy divorce play out. Kate and the kids later starred in a Jon-less show, Kate Plus 8. In 2014, Mady and Cara also made headlines when they got tongue-tied during an awkward interview on the Today Show. They set the record straight later, assuring fans they were “okay” and well-adjusted after a childhood in the spotlight.

Jon and Kate Gosselin’s nasty custody arrangement has been a top tabloid subject for the past 10 years, and Jon reportedly remains estranged from his twin daughters. In 2016, Mady and Cara Gosselin confirmed to People that they weren’t on speaking terms with their father.

“He makes it seem like we’re being kept from him, which is insane,” Mady Gosselin said at the time. “He should maybe spend some time thinking about why we don’t want to see him, and maybe realize that if he ever does want a relationship with us, talking about us on TV is not the way to make that happen. He doesn’t even know us. How can he dare to talk about us?”

When the Gosselin sextuplets turned 14 in May, an insider told Entertainment Tonight that Jon and Kate are “still at odds” nearly a decade after their divorce.

“They will never agree about how to raise the children,” the source said. “[They] absolutely despise one another and can’t stand to even be in the same room.”