Kat Stickler Defends Introducing Ex Jason Tartick to Daughter MK

Kat Stickler does not regret introducing ex-boyfriend Jason Tartick to her 4-year-old daughter, MK before their split.

“In light of current events, it has come to my attention that some of you are concerned with the fact that I introduced MK to the man I was dating, and that relationship is now no more,” Stickler, 29, began via social media on Monday, October 14. “So I thought, ‘You know what? Let’s have a chat about it.’ Because I think it’s important. I think it needs to be discussed.”

Without naming Tartick, 35, Stickler noted that her former boyfriend had spent time with MK. She pointed out that MK had also met Stickler’s “male friends” and “the husbands of my girlfriends.”

“Three things, she’s always with me when these males are introduced in her life, and they are always introduced as mommy’s friends,” Stickler explained. “She doesn’t call anyone dad. She has a dad that is never a point of confusion for her, and I promise you guys, she is OK.” (MK’s dad is Kat’s ex-husband Mike Stickler, to whom she was married from 2019 to 2021.)

Kat noted that the “internet dating timeline is very different from real life dating timeline.” She added, “I was in a relationship where we were heading down a serious route until we weren’t, and that’s OK.”

“I just hope that MK knows I am looking to find the right partner for the both of us, because we are a package deal,” she continued. “And I know I don’t always make the right decision, but I learn from my mistakes and every decision that I do make, it’s because it’s what I think is best for my daughter and I.”

@katstickler

I know that no matter what I say people will still have something to say, but I just wanted to say my piece

♬ original sound – Kat

Kat noted that she’s 29 years old, while quipping that she thinks her fans will call her a “youthful Angel,” when they find out her age. “That’s not what this is about. Also, no one’s ever said that, but I know some people think that,” she joked.

“A big part for someone who dates me is that they have to come into my world,” she said. “And I know that’s not easy.”

Kat explained that she “can’t leave Florida,” where she and MK live. “If someone comes to visit me, I can’t just shove MK in the cupboard,” she quipped. “Doesn’t matter what you guys say, it’s just not right.”

“Imagine if we all listened to the judgments that other people had about our lives and based our life decisions on those judgments,” she continued. “I never want to live in fear of not doing what’s right for me because of what other people are going to think.”

Kat noted that she loves that “the majority” of her fans are “looking out” for her and MK. “Just be patient with me, because this is a lot I know, my child,” she concluded. “I know that every single decision I make is with her best interest at the forefront of my mind and I can live with that. So, that’s all.”

Kat captioned the upload, “I know that no matter what I say people will still have something to say, but I just wanted to say my piece [sic].”

Two days before the post, Kat and Tartick both confirmed they went their separate ways after several months; they made their romance Instagram official in May. Kat shared the news first, sharing a video via her Instagram.

“With two back-to-back hurricanes, I obviously didn’t think it was the right time to talk about my personal life,” Kat said on Saturday, October 12. “A lot of you have already guessed, and yes, Jason and I have broken up. It was amicable. It just didn’t work. I don’t want to talk about it. Just wanted to tell you.”

She added, “I understand that with posting a relationship online, you also have to show this side [and] the aftermath. … I just wanted to tell you guys, and it’s not love wasted. I feel like sometimes it’s so easy to think when a relationship ends that the love was wasted but love is never wasted. That’s all I have to say.”

Tartick shared a separate statement via his Instagram Story on Saturday. “I am sad to share that Kat and I are no longer together,” Tartick wrote. “It’s fair to say that I love hard with all my heart and fall fast. Sometimes in life that works out and other times, it doesn’t. This time it didn’t.”

He continued, “Kat has brought me so much happiness and light, she brought out parts of me I never knew existed. I will forever be grateful for her and, of course [her daughter] sweet MK. This chapter closes amicably, and another opens.”

Tartick noted that he will “be rooting” for Kat’s “happiness” in the future, while adding, “I am also rooting for mine.”