Denise Richards wished her daughter Sami a happy 18th birthday Wednesday after admitting they have a “strained” relationship.
The “Real Housewives of Beverly Hills” alum shared three photos of Sami through the years to Instagram with the caption, “In a blink of an eye you’re 18…. !!!!”
She continued, “Happy Birthday my beautiful Sami. I love you so much. Privately many more words to share with you. I love you unconditionally and I am very blessed & grateful to be your mom. And Nana is looking down celebrating with you🎂I love you my sweet Sami💗 Happy 18th Birthday!🎉🎂🎊🎁😘.”
The sweet message prompted a response from Sami, who replied in the comments section, “thank you so much mom i love you too ❤️❤️.”
Just last month, the actress, 51, revealed on SiriusXM’s “Jeff Lewis Live” that things are tense between her and her eldest daughter.
“Honestly, I have a strained relationship with her,” she said. “It’s very difficult. I know we’ll get back to where we were eventually, but right now, it is strained.”
Richards shares Sami, 18, and daughter Lola, 16, with ex-husband Charlie Sheen. She is also mom to daughter Eloise, 10, whom she adopted in 2011 as a single mom.
![Denise Richards standing with her hands on her hips at an event.](https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/03/denise-richards-sam-sheen-42.jpg?quality=90&strip=all)
Currently, Sami lives with her father, which appears to be an issue for Richards.
“Obviously, I would love for her to live with me,” the “Wild Things” star explained. “She lived with me all these years.
“But I think it’s very difficult raising teenagers now and especially in Los Angeles when there’s access to everything. We didn’t grow up with Postmates and Uber where you have everything that you want,” she continued. “There are certain rules, and I enforce them. And [at Sheen’s], there’s different rules at that house, and that’s OK.”
![A screenshot of Sami Sheen crying in a TikTok video.](https://pagesix.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/03/denise-richards-sam-sheen-40.jpg?quality=90&strip=all)
Last September, the teen posted a TikTok video that she subsequently made private after it went viral.
In the emotional video, she wrote: “1 year ago today: trapped in an abusive household, hated myself, would go days without eating or sleeping, insanely depressed, hated school, etc…”
Then, alongside a happier video of herself, she wrote: “now: finally moved out of the hell house, had a spiritual awakening, own 2 cats, happy single, full of self love, and dropped out of high school :).”
Richards and Sheen, 56, married in 2002. She filed for divorce in 2005 while pregnant with Lola.