At the end of the second season of TLC's "Sister Wives," Kody Brown's fourth wife made a generous offer to his first. Robyn, who had just given birth to child No. 17 for the Brown family, told Meri she was willing to act as a surrogate for her.
Despite Meri's long struggle with fertility troubles, she wasn't sure what to say. And throughout the show's third season, Meri seemed no closer to accepting or rejecting Robyn's offer than she was when it was first made.
On Sunday night's season-four premiere of "Sister Wives," little had changed where Meri was concerned, except possibly the pressure put on her by other members of the family.
"For as long as I can remember, I have prayed every single night that God would bless her -- us -- with another baby," Meri's only child, 17-year-old Mariah, said through tears. She then turned to her mother and added, "I feel like you have this choice and I feel like that if you choose not to, then you're taking something away from all of us."
Meri responded by telling Mariah she just needs more time. But is there more to it?
Meri recently spoke to The Clicker and revealed why the decision is just so hard to make.
"The reason why it's difficult for me to try and figure out where I am on it is because of my age and my stage in life," the 41-year-old explained. "You know, because I've got a daughter who is a senior in high school right now, and she'll be leaving. … It's just a conflict because do I want to start over completely again? Or are the children of my sister wives good enough? Are they going to satisfy that mothering that I have wanted for so many years?"
When asked if Mariah's plea served more as encouragement to her or simply additional stress in the decision-making process, Meri admitted it was a bit of both.
"It's really weird because I have hope and pressure and encouragement and stress all the time, with every comment, idea or thought toward it," she said. "There's so many factors involved, I feel like. There's just a lot to take in. (Mariah) is very … I mean, she wants in so bad it's incredible. She always has (wanted) for me to have another baby."
But Meri realizes that she can't allow Mariah to make the call, especially when she may not even be around when and if she has another child.
"Honestly, one of my concerns is now, if I were to have another baby … I mean, she's planning on moving back to Utah when she graduates next summer," Meri told The Clicker. "I just have this concern that well, she'll never know her sibling, cause she's leaving. So, I don’t know. There's a lot involved in this decision."
And ultimately, Meri believes it's one that she and Kody need to make together.
What do you think about Meri's struggle to reach this decision and the pressure she's feeling? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.
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