Kyle Christy / TLC

The Brown family, from left, Christine, Meri, Janelle, Robyn and Kody.

Before saying so long to 2012, the "Sister Wives" family said so long to the third season of their TLC reality show with the finale on Sunday night. The episode, like others before it this season, showcased tensions between family man Kody Brown and one of his four wives -- this time wife No. 1, Meri.

It all started when Meri sat down to add the finishing touches to the plans for her new home. Kody warned Meri that she was already over budget before she even looked at carpet swatches, and that's all it took to leave her  teary-eyed and feeling as though her husband was judging her. The hubbub died down soon enough, but it seemed to cap off a trend.

Just a week earlier, Kody found himself on the wrong side of more than one wife when, during the course of a stressful family road trip, he announced that he wanted to be "obeyed." And before that, an episode focused on the distress of third wife Christine, who said she felt as though they were all "failing as a family."

Despite all of the drama, the group seemed solid in a post-season special that aired right after the finale. Still some fans might have been left wondering just how the polygamist family would handle it if the bad times became more than the Browns could bear.

In an interview with The Clicker earlier in the season, Kody Brown explained that their plural marriage is similar to any other marriage in that all of his wives are free to go if they want to.

"We chose to be married," he said. "Nobody forced us to do this, and we choose to stay in it out of love and commitment. Just like any marriage. I hate to say it, because I don't like divorce -- nobody likes that -- but my wives are free to leave, if they make that choice."

But relationship woes that come and go aside, leaving isn't a choice he expects any of them to make.

"Each one of my wives is a strong and independent woman, and essentially could have a good relationship with the man of their choice," Kody told The Clicker. "They just are in this relationship with me. And we have chosen to be a family out of love, out of devotion, out of faith."

Did you follow the family's ups and downs this season? Tell us on our Facebook page.

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Everyone knows family road trips can be stressful. After all, cramming the whole gang into a small space for hours at a time with little sleep rarely brings out the best in anyone. The next episode of TLC's "Sister Wives" proves that road trip rule is true for the Brown family too -- well, at least one member of the family.

In an exclusive sneak peek, polygamist patriarch Kody can be seen losing his cool during a vacation pit stop.

"You know, I've had two nights in a row where I've been driving all day," the father of 17 explained. "Today we've been fighting the wind all day, and I've had four hours of sleep ... and I was just done."

Given that, you might think Kody would have been all too happy to have one of his four wives take the wheel. But you'd be wrong. When wife No. 1, Meri, offered to keep on trucking in the driver's seat rather than have him take another shift, Kody decided he'd had enough and stormed out of the RV.

"I was just ready to melt down because I was too exhausted to sit there and try to delegate," he later said. "I wanted to bark orders and have them obeyed."

Well, that didn't go over well with any of his brides.

"I think that word 'obey' is in fact a four-letter word," third wife Christine informed him. "Kody, I think that we do our best. We understand that you get tired. We understand that you get stressed out. You can't just throw out, 'I think you should obey me!' It's kind of like ... well, that's offensive."

Not to cranky Kody.

Find out whether or not the family man's mood improved when "Sister Wives" airs Sunday night at 9 p.m. on TLC.

Do you think Kody's temper was typical road trip stress, or did he take it too far? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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TLC

Meri and Kody Brown.

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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TLC

Madison and Kody.

Not every member of the Brown family plans to follow in the footsteps of patriarch Kody Brown and his four brides. At least one of the family's 17 children has decided that the polygamous lifestyle and the Fundamentalist Mormon faith just aren't for her.

In the following exclusive sneak peek from the season premiere of TLC's "Sister Wives," Madison, daughter of Kody and second wife Janelle, expresses her independent streak.

"I would not be able to share my husband like that," 16-year-old Madison tells her friends in the clip. "For me, it wouldn't make me happy."

That's much the same answer she later gave her father when he asked why she didn't want to be part of the family's faith.

"You can be in our faith and not be polygamous," Kody assured.

But Madison seemed unlikely to budge. She feels that her big sister Mariah, Kody's 17-year-old daughter with first wife Meri, is much more suited to the religion.

"I am not like Mariah," she insisted. "I hang out with the kids that kind of do party -- a little bit, some of them. … Mariah hangs out with a bunch of Mormons, and I don't."

And while Madison understands that many parents would be upset to learn that their child isn't going to follow their path, her parents are flexible.

"They're supportive," she explained. "They don't care; whatever makes me happy."

Kody agreed, and added, "I tried to teach my kids to have a strong relationship with God. Each individual has to figure that out themselves."

The season premiere of "Sister Wives" airs Sunday night at 9 p.m. on TLC.

Are you surprised by Madison's decision or her father's reaction? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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TLC

Christine explains her recent struggles in a rare one-on-one talk with Robyn on the next episode of "Sister Wives."

The mounting tensions in the "Sister Wives" family may finally be at an end thanks to two of Kody Brown's four brides. As regular viewers know, Kody's third wife, Christine, hasn't been satisfied in her marriage ever since wife No. 4, Robyn, hit the scene. While Christine often talks to their husband about the issue, she hasn't had much to say to Robyn at all -- until now.

In a sneak peek for the upcoming episode of the TLC reality show, the two women sit down for a one-on-one talk that leads to tears and a better understanding of what went wrong.

"I want you to know, during all of (the problems), it was him that I had a hard time with -- it wasn't you," Christine confessed. "It was Kody. I just felt left."

And she puts part of the blame for that on herself. As she sees it, all the problems began when she first felt jealous of Robyn.

"I became jealous, and it changed our relationship," Christine explained. "I started questioning what he was doing. I started to be like, 'Well, why do you need to go? I don't get that. Why?' It's like when my kids are ornery, I don't always want to be around them."

But ultimately, Kody gets most of the blame, according to Christine. After all, he vowed to be by her side "through thick and thin" and she expected more from him.

Since joining the Brown family, Robyn had simply assumed that Christine didn't like her. She broke down following the explanation.

As for Kody and Christine, things are already improving there. On last week's episode, the pair went out for a date and swapped apologies over ice cream.

"Sister Wives" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. ET on TLC.

Do you think the troubles are finally over? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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At the end of the season-two finale of TLC's "Sister Wives," Kody Brown's fourth wife, Robyn, gave birth to the family's newest addition, baby Solomon. She then followed that up with an offer to help expand the family even more by serving as surrogate for Kody and his first wife, Meri. Meri's decision?

That unknown served as a cliffhanger, but even with a new season on the way, it could remain a mystery for some time.

In an exclusive sneak peek for the season-three premiere, Robyn reveals that while Meri wants to have another child (in addition to her 17-year-old daughter Mariah), she still hasn't made up her mind about Robyn's offer.

"I know that Meri has been through a lot trying to have more children," Robyn explained. "She's had a miscarriage once before that I know was really hard on her. She's been through a lot of disappointment and a lot of ups and downs emotionally. It's not fun sitting there hoping every single month and being let down."

That's what inspired Robyn's emotional offer. At the time she made it, she said that she'd been praying about it since she first met Meri. And Meri's delayed response doesn't bother her at all.

"I know Meri's still thinking about it, and I'm not sure where she's at and that's OK," Robyn said. "I'm giving her a lot of room to figure it out. And it's going to take some time anyway. Solomon needs to be old enough for me to be pregnant again. So we're just kind of in this place right now where Meri's thinking it over."

If Meri takes Robyn up on her offer, it would mean baby No. 18 for the Brown family.

Learn more about Meri's motherhood decision when the season three premiere of "Sister Wives" airs, appropriately enough, on Mother's Day, May 13 at 9 p.m. ET.

Do you think one wife carrying a child for another is good solution or do you think it could potentially cause problems for the family? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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Bryant Livingston / AP

The season-three premiere of TLC's "Sister Wives" reveals more woes for Kody Brown and his third wife, Christine.

As "Sister Wives" viewers know well, Kody Brown and his four brides not only share their highs on the show, they share plenty of their low moments too. And last season revealed several of those lows for Kody and wife No. 3, Christine.

The problems for the pair started shortly after Robyn, aka Kody's fourth wife, joined the family. As Christine put it at the time, she just didn't "feel special anymore."

A sneak peek for the upcoming season premiere shows that while the Brown family has moved on and grown up in many ways since last season, Christine and Kody's relationship woes remain the same.

"My relationship, it's just kind of at a standstill right now," Christine explained in the preview. "We're not really working on it at all. We're just kind of letting it just kind of sit there and hoping that somehow things are going to be better. But right now, we're not really even working on it, and that's hard. That's really hard."

Hard for Kody too, it seems, as he now believes "Christine's very different than she used to be."

But it's Kody's first wife, Meri, who sees the problem from both sides, and she thinks she has the answer.

"It's easy when you're in a situation like that to put blame on the other person," she said. "I know that's what Christine's doing, and I know that's what Kody's doing. And the biggest thing that you have to do in a situation like this is to look inward and figure out yourself, 'cause you're not going to change the other person no matter what. Doesn't matter how many times you tell them that they're being stupid. They're not going to listen to you."

And if anyone knows how to handle ups and downs with Kody, it's Meri. She's been married to him for 22 years -- that's four more years of wedded bliss (and less-than-blissful moments) than Christine's had.

See more from the Brown family when "Sister Wives" returns to TLC on May 13 at 9 p.m. ET.

Do you think Kody and Christine will be able to overcome their problems? Share your thoughts on our Facebook page.

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