Teen Mom

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by PiKA2001

...teen pregnancy in white upper-middle class America is still highly stigmatized and looked down upon.

Teen pregnancy is still highly stigmatized and looked down upon across America. That spans across race and across socioeconomic status, until....

The segment of America where teen pregnancy is not stigmatized and not looked down upon is a subculture that is highly correlated with the culture of poverty.

[littleowl33]

They did have an African American girl on the last season of 16 and Pregnant, but she was the adopted daughter of middle-class white parents. I believe the rest were white.

I watched the last episode of Teen Mom last night (and realized I missed the one before that) and I did feel really bad for Farrah after she lost all her money on the CL scam. Especially when she was on the phone with the bank and her baby fell off the bed and everything seemed like it was going to shit. But I still can't stand her.

(Side note - there are plenty of adults in her life, behind the cameras. If I was one of them I would have a really hard time not taking her aside and telling her she was making a huge mistake. Or putting her baby on the floor after she left it alone on the high bed it eventually fell off of!)

I was so relieved when Tyler decided he didn't want the phone records. All that behavior - requiring her to tell him about her phone calls, demanding phone records, telling her she disgusts him, etc - seemed like warning signs of a future abuser to me. She was wrong to hide the phone calls from him (and probably to call her ex, though I don't know what they were talking about), but he didn't handle it well. It's obvious they really love each other and I was really glad his mom talked some sense into him regarding how to deal with issues in a relationship. I just feel iffy about their future. They were so good together when they were dealing with the adoption, but lately when things get bad he treats her poorly and she just takes it because she loves him. Not a good dynamic, IMO.

I really liked the discussion Maci had with her new boyfriend about guidelines for their relationship with Bentley in the picture. It's obvious that Bentley comes first and any boyfriend needs to respect that, and she was up-front about that. I think that a lot of girls 16 and Pregnant/Teen Mom wouldn't be willing to risk missing out on having a boyfriend by telling them that. Go Maci!

This used to be a guilty pleasure I'd watch on occasion when I was hanging out with my Big & Little(s) but I feel myself getting sucked in. Erp.

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by littleowl33

They did have an African American girl on the last season of 16 and Pregnant, but she was the adopted daughter of middle-class white parents.

Well, that balanced it out.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by littleowl33

They did have an African American girl on the last season of 16 and Pregnant, but she was the adopted daughter of middle-class white parents. I believe the rest were white.

I watched the last episode of Teen Mom last night (and realized I missed the one before that) and I did feel really bad for Farrah after she lost all her money on the CL scam. Especially when she was on the phone with the bank and her baby fell off the bed and everything seemed like it was going to shit. But I still can't stand her.

(Side note - there are plenty of adults in her life, behind the cameras. If I was one of them I would have a really hard time not taking her aside and telling her she was making a huge mistake. Or putting her baby on the floor after she left it alone on the high bed it eventually fell off of!)

I was so relieved when Tyler decided he didn't want the phone records. All that behavior - requiring her to tell him about her phone calls, demanding phone records, telling her she disgusts him, etc - seemed like warning signs of a future abuser to me. She was wrong to hide the phone calls from him (and probably to call her ex, though I don't know what they were talking about), but he didn't handle it well. It's obvious they really love each other and I was really glad his mom talked some sense into him regarding how to deal with issues in a relationship. I just feel iffy about their future. They were so good together when they were dealing with the adoption, but lately when things get bad he treats her poorly and she just takes it because she loves him. Not a good dynamic, IMO.

I really liked the discussion Maci had with her new boyfriend about guidelines for their relationship with Bentley in the picture. It's obvious that Bentley comes first and any boyfriend needs to respect that, and she was up-front about that. I think that a lot of girls 16 and Pregnant/Teen Mom wouldn't be willing to risk missing out on having a boyfriend by telling them that. Go Maci!

This used to be a guilty pleasure I'd watch on occasion when I was hanging out with my Big & Little(s) but I feel myself getting sucked in. Erp.

I feel bad but then I don't. That was just so incredibly stupid that it's hard for me to understand why she fell for it. I hope everything turns out well for her and for Sophia because that girl doesn't have the sense God gave turnips.

Tyler's behavior worried me, too but his mom did a really impressive job of helping him realize how he was acting was wrong, and that his trust issues with his father were the root of the problem.

Maci is my favorite, and it's because she's the one that seems to "get it" the most. I think you're right it that some teenagers would have a hard time risking it, and I'm glad she puts her son first. I also think she dealt reasonably with Ryan and his girlfriend. I don't think it's too much to ask for her to meet the girl if he's going to be in a serious relationship with her.

[littleowl33]

Originally Posted by Alumiyum

I feel bad but then I don't. That was just so incredibly stupid that it's hard for me to understand why she fell for it. I hope everything turns out well for her and for Sophia because that girl doesn't have the sense God gave turnips.

Yeah, me too. I think she's just led a pretty sheltered life so far and just doesn't understand how the world works. Granted, her variety of 'sheltered' includes an unplanned pregnancy and abusive parents, but it also includes living in a beautiful house, not having to work for the things she needs and having pretty much any issue taken care of by mom and dad (until recently). Now she's forfeiting any sort of parental support or interaction because she sees it as meddling (the abuse issue aside - it seems like even with the court order they can still interact, like in the birthday episode), but she's also forfeiting the chance to learn real-world skills any way but the hard way. It could be the best thing that's ever happened to her, though.

Even so, CL puts that warning about scams and wiring money EVERYWHERE on their site and their emails. Sigh.

lol @ turnips.

[Alumiyum]

Originally Posted by littleowl33

Yeah, me too. I think she's just led a pretty sheltered life so far and just doesn't understand how the world works. Granted, her variety of 'sheltered' includes an unplanned pregnancy and abusive parents, but it also includes living in a beautiful house, not having to work for the things she needs and having pretty much any issue taken care of by mom and dad (until recently). Now she's forfeiting any sort of parental support or interaction because she sees it as meddling (the abuse issue aside - it seems like even with the court order they can still interact, like in the birthday episode), but she's also forfeiting the chance to learn real-world skills any way but the hard way. It could be the best thing that's ever happened to her, though.

Even so, CL puts that warning about scams and wiring money EVERYWHERE on their site and their emails. Sigh.

lol @ turnips.

Dunno. I grew up not having to work (at least in the literal sense) for the things I needed and my parents took care of just about everything for me, without an unplanned pregnancy or any sort of abuse...and I wouldn't have fallen for that. (Not that I didn't make any stupid decisions at 18, but I'm confident I wouldn't have been falling for that scam.) I'm sure she loves her daughter, I just hope she doesn't accidentally get the both of them into more trouble. I think she really might just be a few crayons short of a box. But it does look like she's working hard, so at least she's starting to get on her feet.

[KSUViolet06]

I am pretty sure there have never been Black families on 16 and Pregnant.

The one girl was Black and adopted by middle class white people. There was another girl who was half black, but being raised by a white single mom.

[Kappamd]

Bump

Amber is facing domestic violence charges.

http://content.usatoday.com/communit...nce-charges-/1

[DrPhil]

Originally Posted by Kappamd

Bump

Amber is facing domestic violence charges.

http://content.usatoday.com/communit...nce-charges-/1

GOOD.

I'm watching the new season of 16 and Pregnant and these stories are crazier than the first season. The one where everyone has dreds...yeah...they are interesting and HIS voice is annoying. I am glad that MTV aired the domestic violence warning after she attacked him.

[KSUViolet06]

Originally Posted by DrPhil

GOOD.

I'm watching the new season of 16 and Pregnant and these stories are crazier than the first season. The one where everyone has dreds...yeah...they are interesting and HIS voice is annoying. I am glad that MTV aired the domestic violence warning after she attacked him.

OMG. I was in permanent :facepalm: while watching that one (even moreso than the couple who was looking to purchase a pre-fab BARN to live in).