Reality star mama Kate Gosselin celebrated Christmas at home with her kids, but there was just one small problem: Where was Collin? The 42-year-old recently revealed that Collin was enrolled in a program that assists children with special needs, but that didn’t stop fans from slamming the Kate Plus 8 personality for his absence on Christmas.

Kate took to Instagram on Dec. 25 to post a series of photos with her 17-year-old twins Mady and Cara and 13-year-old sextuplets Aaden, Alexis, Hannah, Leah, and Joel. “Merry? Christmas! A day full of great memories! #LoveMyKids❤️,” she wrote. Almost immediately, fans began posting nasty comments with one writing, “What about Collin? I understand he’s away dealing with his learning and behaving issues… But come on, IT’S CHRISTMAS! Bring the poor boy home!” Another agreed, “Yeah just continue on without poor Collin! Ridiculous, it’s Christmas!”

Luckily, there were a few who came to Kate’s defense. “Does anyone here, besides Kate, know what’s really going on with him? Is there any chance he might be a danger to himself, his siblings, or his mom? Maybe she’s doing the best thing for him and his family. Unless you know the whole story, give Kate a break.” You tell ’em! A second chimed in, “All of these perfect people on here should be finding a cure for cancer instead of bullying a single mother who is doing what is her business to do.”

Earlier this week, it was revealed that the mother-of-eight was quickly running out of funds. Kate always relied on TLC as a main source of income, but now that she’s been filming less, sources revealed to Life & Style that money is tight. “Kate no longer has the income she once had from the show,” an insider revealed. “The money is running out fast.”

The source also noted that “private school alone costs about $150,000 a year.” On top of that, the twins are heading to college soon. So how does Kate plan to pay for it all? Before TLC came calling, she was a registered nurse. But falling back on her old gig isn’t an option. “She’s let her nursing license lapse,” revealed the source. “And she hasn’t been a nurse in so long anyway.” That leaves her with an option she’s really not thrilled about: leaning on ex-husband Jon, 40, who works as an IT administrator and deejays at night.

“That’s Kate’s biggest fear,” the source said. “She dreads Jon will have more say and possibly even more custody which she’s fought nonstop to keep from him.”