Kate Gosselin Says 'My Kids Know Who I Truly Am' After Son Collin's Abuse Claims

Kate Gosselin is insisting that her kids know her true self ... after son Collin Gosselin claimed she allegedly abused him.

Responding to someone's TikTok comment who praised her sacrifices, Kate wrote ... "Wow. Thank you. I needed this encouragement. I know who I am and my kids know who I truly am and to me, that’s all that matters."

In responding to another commenter, Kate wrote that critics judging her "have NO idea how lucky they are if they have no idea what it’s like having a child or relative with mental illness."

We reported earlier ... Collin made the bombshell allegations against Kate last week ... claiming she zip-tied him ... and locked him inside a room as a child.

While Kate has downplayed the claims as being brought on by his mental illness ... her ex-husband Jon Gosselin told Entertainment Tonight he wants Kate criminally charged.

Jon also told us directly ... he has an upcoming Netflix doc about what went down and wants Kate to come clean and "tell the truth."

Meanwhile ... a housekeeper named Ashley who worked for the Gosselins back in 2013 told PEOPLE she witnessed Kate grab Collin.

She said ... "She 110 percent abused Collin. It's hard to almost put into words the specific hate that she had towards Collin. You could just feel it."