Growing up, says Kendall Jenner, her dad wasn’t the kind of father who discussed feelings or emotions. Since Cailtyn Jenner came out as transgender, however, her daughters Kendall and Kylie say that their relationship with her has become closer and more tightly knit than ever — their father’s transition, they say, has opened the door to a more honest relationship. “She’s our hero,” the sisters agree.Kendall, who says she’s been “daddy’s girl” her entire life, told
People, “When my dad came out as transgender, our relationship grew. She could finally be honest with me. We could talk about deep emotions she was feeling through that time. Growing up my dad was not usually one to talk about her feelings so that was a big step for us.”[video_embed id='1686228']RELATED: Kendall Jenner says she doesn’t have a backup plan[/video_embed]Referencing her dad’s coming out (on both
20/20 and the cover of
Vanity Fair, no less) Kendall says that as both Olympian Bruce Jenner and as Caitlyn Jenner, her father has been a role model for her: "I used to watch old Olympic videos of my dad and wish I could be a part of those spectacular moments with her," she said. "There are so many stories she tells about her life and I love to just sit there and listen. She has lived so many amazing lives in one lifetime. My favorite thing to learn from my dad is about my dad. Inspiring then and inspiring now."Her sister, Kylie, agrees. “My dad has always been an inspiration to me, from winning the gold medal at the Olympics to getting her pilot’s license,” she told
People. “However, watching her live out her true self has been the most inspiring of them all.”Caitlyn credits the support of her children for making her transition less difficult. “Honestly, if one of them had had a problem, I wouldn’t have done it,” she said, but the road to finding her most genuine self hasn’t been without its pitfalls. In 2016, she backed Donald Trump and was criticized by activists because of the president’s anti-LGBTQ+ policies and viewpoints. It’s a stance she says she
now regrets. She also admits that her relationship with stepdaughter Khloe Kardashian remains fractured since her coming out. As recently as last December, Khloe says that she remains
“hurt” by the way Caitlyn told her about her transition.However, Caitlyn’s relationship with her son Brandon Jenner has improved post-transition. Brandon, who avoided his father as a teenager and young adult,
now says that “In seeing [Caitlyn] come out to me and explain his true self, I was more proud right there to carry the last name Jenner and to be part of the family than at any time before.”[video_embed id='1974045']BEFORE YOU GO: Chris Cuomo accidentally bares it all on his wife’s Instagram live[/video_embed]
