- Kylie Kelce is married to former Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.
- Kylie is committed to raising awareness about autism, including for her three daughters.
- She said she and Jason don't listen to outside opinions about their marriage.
This essay is based on a conversation with Kylie Kelsey and has been edited for length and clarity.
I've said many times that my interest in the autism community began at a young age. My neighbor, Tim, who was a few years older than me, was autistic. We were very close, and now he's like an Uncle Tim to my three daughters.
Just as Tim taught me about neurodiversity, he is now teaching my honorary nieces. My daughters have benefited from having Tim in their lives. He is a wonderful introduction to autism and neurodiversity. And I am so, so lucky that they get to interact with him at such a young age, just like I got to interact with him, because he is truly one of the best people on this planet.
My daughters love Tim as Tim, but my oldest daughter is starting to realize that he is different from her other uncles. Wyatt is 4 and outgoing, so she gets annoyed when Tim doesn't verbally communicate with her. One time in particular, she was annoyed that Tim didn't say hello. So I told her, “When Uncle Tim is ready, Uncle Tim will say hello to you.”
It's the space and tolerance that we give to anyone we interact with. We haven't really talked about how Uncle Tim is different or sees the world differently than other people. It's just common courtesy. If someone doesn't want to say hello to you in that moment, they don't have to.
The lessons helped teach the girls about interacting in public.
Interestingly, it helped me talk to my daughters about interacting with the public: I never imagined that Jason and I would become famous in Philadelphia, or that strangers would know our children's names.
It has forced some conversations that I didn't think were necessary, and now when we leave the house and go into public places, I tell my daughters that if they don't want to say hi, they don't have to.
To be honest, it's a very fine and blurry line whether or not people approach Jason and I and call us by our girls' names, and it's no one's fault, because every interaction is based entirely on kindness.
But I try to talk to my daughters about this, and we talk about stranger danger, because I don't think anything can prepare you for being approached by a stranger who knows your name.
As our daughters grow up, we plan to keep the channels of communication open so that they can talk to us about anything that makes them uncomfortable, including public attention.
I don't care about other people's opinions about my marriage.
Raising our three daughters really brought Jason and I together as a team. Now it's us versus our kids and we're outnumbered. We can't defend them one-on-one anymore.
As public figures, Jason and I are aware that there are rumors circulating about our marriage, but we don't really think about it. We use social media in our own way, and I consciously try not to let other people's opinions influence me. I don't care what other people have to say because I don't think too deeply about it, and I don't really give people a chance to voice their opinions.
Keeping information from the outside world as quiet as possible is a really great way to protect each other and stay together. We are very happy in our marriage.
I talk to Tim about sharing his story.
I am passionate about the Eagles Autism Foundation and people often want to know why. I make sure to talk about Tim and make sure he consents to me telling our story.
Tim doesn't like the spotlight, so I'm supporting him with an anonymous donation that gives people with touch impairments access to art, including art created by Tim.
I'm grateful to have known Tim, and I tell him that, and I think it's really that simple. Having Tim in my life is the greatest joy I've ever had. That's what's driven everything that's happened.
