Kanya Iwana for Glamour Teddi Mellencamp is explaining how her approach to parenting has changed since going through treatment for cancer Mellencamp has been undergoing treatment for melanoma The 'Real Housewives of Beverly Hills' alum shares her three kids with ex Edwin Arroyave Teddi Mellencampis sharing how she's approaching parenting as she goes through treatment for cancer. In a candid interview published Thursday, July 17, withGlamour, theReal House Housewives of Beverly Hillsalum, 44, spoke about how her relationship with her kids — Slate, 12, Cruz, 10, and Dove, 5, whom she shares with ex Edwin Arroyave — has shifted since as she's gone through treatment for skin cancer. "Some days are extremely difficult, because I can still remember what I used to be like before, and I want to still be all of those things to my kids. And I can't," Mellencamp candidly shared. "I am so lucky that I have such smart, loving, resilient children who have been there for me through all of this." 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 celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Kanya Iwana for Glamour "There are some days where I'm at every single activity and feel like the old me. But there are others where I cry and get upset," she continued. "I feel hurt and so sad that I have to write on a piece of paper what my kids' days are going to entail, and none of it involves me because I can't do it." "Some days, I can't even write on the paper. Parenting has been a lot of communication with my kids, my friends, and my family, saying, 'This is what I need.'" Mellencamp went on to say that although it seems trivial, the old version of her thought that spending time with her kids watching television show wasn't necessarily "quality time." "Now, I have such a different view on things," she explained. "We pick a favorite show and watch it together, and we laugh and get obsessed. It doesn't have to be running around all the time. It can be us just in the moment." Kanya Iwana for Glamour Earlier this month, Mellencamp's ex-husband Arroyave shared a photo of their familyon Instagramin honor of Mellencamp's birthday,praising her for her strengthas she goes through her ongoing cancer journey. "Your resilience, tenacity, and strength have taught our children what a true warrior is," Arroyave wrote in his caption. "May God bless you with your best year ever." Mellencamp has been open about her cancer journey, which began with multiple surgeries to remove melanomas on her back. Then, this past February, she shared thather melanoma had spreadto her lungs and brain. But she's responding to treatment, as she said in an AprilInstagrampost: "All tumors stage 4 (metastasized melanoma in my brain and lungs) shrunk or disappeared." Read the original article onPeople
