Teen Mom

I can’t call MTV’s Teen Mom one of my guilty pleasures because it doesn’t necessarily bring me any pleasure.  In fact, every time I catch myself watching the reality show based on four teenage mothers, I feel sad.  Why do I watch?  I’m not quite sure.  Maybe because it’s interesting.  Maybe because it’s so real and raw.  Or maybe it’s simply due to my pop culture hobby, and I feel obligated to be up to speed on such shows.  No matter what the reason, I’ve watched many of the episodes and have many different feelings as a result.  When I watched early episodes in the past, I wasn’t a parent yet.  But as I recently watched the final episodes of the series, I realized that I have much more sympathy for the innocent children involved now that I’m a mother.

Maci’s story is certainly the least tragic.  In fact, it seems to be a fairly common scenario, and I think that’s probably what makes her the most relatable.  And although her situation may be less tragic and dramatic than some of the others, she and her ex are capable of creating very sad memories for their toddler if they’re not careful about arguing in front of him.  She’s still upset that her baby’s father didn’t help out much when Bentley was first born.  That’s understandable, but if she holds onto that anger for forever, it will end up hurting their child more than anyone else.

Farrah’s story is quite tragic.  Her daughter’s father died before the baby was even born.  So now as she raises their daughter, a piece of her ex lives on for forever.  That’s a beautiful thing, but also so, so sad.  I can only imagine the mix of emotions she feels sometimes when she looks at Sophia.  Side note:  She has GOT to stop being such a brat to her parents.  Seriously.

Amber’s story is such a chaotic, angry mess.  This girl has got issues – SERIOUS issues.  She’s downright mean.  Apparently she has a drug problem.  I’ve watched her hit her boyfriend on TV with my own two eyes.  It’s so incredibly depressing to watch.  Their daughter, Leah, is so cute and so sweet.  My heart hurts for that innocent baby.  With a mess of a mother and a father who sometimes just makes things worse, I feel like it’s so unfair to Leah.  I can only hope that at least one of her parents will straighten up and provide her the life she deserves.  A peaceful one.

And last, but not least, there’s Catelynn.  I remember the first time I saw her on the show.  Her mom was being so mean to her that I almost changed the channel.  But Catelynn’s calm reaction was so fascinating that I had to keep watching.  Catelynn and her boyfriend, Tyler, decided to give up their baby for adoption.  That’s the irony of this entire TV show.  The two people that come across as being the most kind, most mature and most mentally capable of being parents are the ones that chose adoption.  They did a wonderful thing for Carly’s new family, but I can’t even imagine the sadness and pain they must feel about giving her up.

I think that all of these kids could use more kindness in their lives in one way or another.

What do you think about MTV’s Teen Mom?