Kate Gosselin Celebrates Sextuplets' Birthday Bash Without Collin – It's Been 'A Struggle'
July 25 2017, Updated 1:04 p.m. ET
Kate Gosselin was seen celebrating her sextuplets 13th birthday in this past Monday's episode of Kate Plus 8, but troubled son Collin was still missing!
In a camp-themed bash, Aaden, Alexis, Hannah, Leah and Joel were seen enjoying their time in the home's large backyard. They participated in a scavenger hunt organized by their doting mom, 42, and cooked their own camp food – such as hot dogs and corn!
The girls of the family wore flower crowns as their enjoyed some luxurious "glamping." They received mani-pedis and got to create their own art projects while the boys got their hands dirty in the yard.
Two cakes – one for the boys and one for the girls – were the stars of the show. They were both camp-themed and absolutely gorgeous.
"The photos around the cake, I have them for every year, every child, every birthday. We always have the big birthday party at home on their birthday," Kate said. This year was "much like last year, obviously the difference is that Collin wasn't there."
All of Gosselin's children seemed to have the time of their lives, yet Collin was still missing, as he is currently enrolled in a program to help him cope with "special needs."
There is "a fairly fluid diagnosis of what those needs are, but he needs to learn certain strategies to help him deal with things," Gosselin previously told People Magazine. "This has been a struggle we've had for a very long time."
"It's been hard because there is a huge hole in our family without him here… But it comforts us to know he's where he needs to be right now, and I can feel good about that," she added.
As RadarOnline.com previously revealed, Collin was sent to a treatment facility after having long suffered from serious anger issues, likely stemming from his parents' divorce.
"Collin has serious anger issues," an insider close to the family told RadarOnline.com. "He frequently lashes out."
"He needs to be in an environment to help him learn the skills and gain the insight that he needs to be the best Collin that he can be," Kate said on his birthday last year. "So, birthday party without Collin – tough for them, tough for mom."
Sources told RadarOnline.com that he was living in a "preadolescent unit" at a facility about two hours from the Gosselin family home.
"I am comforted with the fact that my kids, all of them, each unique child, is receiving exactly what they need and that hasn't changed,"Gosselin said after the party. "I've said that before, I'll say it again. It's a bittersweet moment."
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"We've had many of them. You can't do anything without realizing he's missing, so we may not say it, but it's always there," she added.
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