Celebrity Parents Kristin Cavallari Says Co-Parenting 'Has Its Challenges' but 'Never Put the Kids in the Middle' "We're just navigating it the best way we know how," says Kristin Cavallari about co-parenting with ex Jay Cutler, with whom she shares three children By Benjamin VanHoose Benjamin VanHoose Benjamin VanHoose is an Associate Editor on the Movies team at PEOPLE. He has written about entertainment and breaking news for over five years. People Editorial Guidelines Published on May 13, 2021 11:15AM EDT Kristin Cavallari is opening up about co-parenting with ex Jay Cutler. The Hills alum, 34, shares three kids with the former NFL player — sons Camden Jack, 8, and Jaxon Wyatt, 7, plus daughter Saylor James, 5 — and in a new Mr. Warburton cover story, Cavallari tells the magazine about navigating a co-parenting relationship together. "It has its challenges for sure, especially in the beginning when everything is so fresh still. But we're just navigating it the best way we know how," she says. Cavallari explained what she learned from her own parents' divorce on how to proceed with her family. "Never put the kids in the middle of it, no matter how mad you are at your ex-spouse. One thing that my mom did was she never said anything bad about my dad," she says. "Now that I'm older, I really respect that. I always want my kids to see Jay and me as a united front. He's their father. That's important and they need to see that from me." Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday. Rowan Daly, Mr. Warburton Rowan Daly, Mr. Warburton Jay Cutler Shares Tribute to Ex Kristin Cavallari for Mother's Day: 'Some Kids Have All the Luck' The pair tied the knot in 2013, and in April 2020, Cavallari announced their decision to end their marriage. "Being a mom is really where I found my true purpose," she tells Mr. Warburton. "It's also been the most natural thing I've ever done. It's truly what I live for. Seeing them blossom into their own individual selves is really cool." Rowan Daly, Mr. Warburton Rowan Daly, Mr. Warburton Ahead of Mother's Day, Cavallari opened up to PEOPLE about how spending extra time with her kids in quarantine allowed her to slow down and appreciate life's small moments. "I just want to enjoy it because it goes so fast, and I see how fast it goes with my kids," she said. "I just took my baby daughter into the doctor to get her physical for kindergarten next year — my baby's going to kindergarten! It goes so fast." Cavallari continued, "I just kept saying to myself, 'I'm never going to get this time back with my kids.' So, yes, there's sometimes I want to rip my hair out, sure, but it's fleeting. It's going to end. And there's going to be a day where my kids don't even want to hang out with me anymore, and I'm going to miss these days." "Hopefully, that won't happen!" the mom of three added.