"I was just trying to help, but it's almost like no good deed goes unpunished. And this is my punishment."
"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" cast member Jennifer Aydin revealed she's not speaking with her mother currently.
During a chat with TooFab, the reality star opened up about how the rift came to be after her family's jewelry business closed due to the pandemic and her brother moved out of their parents home to head to Turkey temporarily.
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View StoryThe "traumatizing" event of the closure, along with their son's departure, caused the parents' relationship to break down, as "being stuck together, 24/7 ultimately was driving them crazy," according to Jennifer.
"So I just thought it would be healthier if my dad moved out of there, you know, in order to help my mom," she explained, "Let him live here so that she doesn't have to be irritated by him. They don't need to bicker so much because that's toxic energy. And I feel like nobody needs to live life like that. Especially the chapters that they're in. Right?"
"I'm just like, 'One of you needs to be removed from the situation,'" she continued. "And since it's my mother's house, I'm not going to take her out of her house. I was like, it's easier to take my dad."
"But by me getting involved, it ultimately showed my mom that I was choosing my dad instead of her," she added. "And it caused problems between me and my mother."
So much so, Jennifer revealed, "We are not speaking."
"I was just trying to help, but it's almost like no good deed goes unpunished. And this is my punishment."
The mother of five went on to say how her background comes into play with the family tension, as the "RHONJ" reality show showcases her reality.
"You know, we're middle Eastern culture where we don't show our dirty laundry," Jennifer began. "Even before I joined the show, a lot of people from my community were like, 'Oh my God, how are you going to go on a show about sharing your life when we're such a private culture?' And I was like, 'I've never been a private person.' So I'm not going to not be true to who I am. Like, I've always been very candid with everybody. Like almost to my detriment. It's just my gift, you know? And I feel that when you show what's going on really in your life, that it's going to allow people to relate to you."
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View StoryWith that in mind, Jennifer said she understands her mother's feelings.
"So I get why she's angry at me, but I really want her to know that ultimately I was just doing this so that I can keep the peace in my house."
She's even made a move towards reconciliation.
"She is not receptive to it at this point in time," Jennifer said of her mother. "So I'm just going to give her her space, you know, and ultimately let the ball be in her court whenever she's ready."
But Jennifer is hopeful she and her mother will eventually reconcile.
"Look, at the end of the day, they say blood's thicker than water," she said. "Like family is everything. I'm hoping that it's one of those things where it like gets worse before it gets better. Because ultimately everything I do is for her happiness."
"The Real Housewives of New Jersey" airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.