Teen Mom: I don’t know what my fascination is with this show. It’s like a car wreck. I can’t not watch. So the episode I’m watching (thanks DVR!) is the one where Amber beats the crap out of her baby daddy (and today, I just found out on Twitter, she’s going to jail for it and her daughter will someday have to watch YouTube videos of this whole debacle…tragic), Farrah is doing a DNA test so she can afford to care for her kid, Maci is trying to juggle the rights of Bentley’s dad with her life and a new boyfriend, and Catelynn and Tyler are just trying to graduate from high school.
Holy shit, girls! Life is hard. Having kids is hard! Affording anything is hard – and if you have a little shoe fetish like me? Sayonara, sweetheart. I think about our baby mamas who did this amazing thing. It might seem selfish to them but that’s the one way you should be selfish when you’re a teenager! Every single thing you want, you should have! Boys, degrees, clothes, freedom, travel, career, experiences. It’s called life. There’s plenty of time for responsibility and stuff later. You don’t appreciate it till you’ve done all that other fun, irresponsible, adventurous stuff.
I LOVE that we get see Tagg and Sloane’s baby parents doing what they should be doing. Playing varsity ball, going to college, having fun. Why on earth do kids want to grow up so early?! I’m so glad I got to travel and have a career and date lots of people with no strings attached (it’s not as slutty as it sounds, trust me) and be completely, 100% selfish for years and years.
Even after we were married, we got to know each other and figure things out. Fighting over what kind of spaghetti sauce you buy is nothing like fighting over who gets the kid when. Figuring out how to handle your finances is still virtually a guaranteed fight-starter even when you actually have money. Scott and I got to lounge on the couch on Sundays and watch football and nap in the middle of the day, or work out together, or head to Lake Powell on a Friday afternoon with just a bikini and a suit and some beer not a whole freaking SUV full of Gracos, and formula and baby gates and life jackets and baby monitors. So now all I want is for my kids, and their baby parents, to have all the same opportunities and experiences.
Don’t get me wrong. I LOVE our life. Now. And I’m so glad that I have absolutely no regrets about missing anything. I’ve done everything I wanted to and now I get to be a parent…and this is the most beautiful thing ever. EVER! I wish that more of the girls they feature were at least considering adoption as an option, and an opportunity. Not just for them but for families like us.
When Sloane’s adoption was finalized, we got her birth parents’ background info. It was interesting to read what she wanted for her daughter - opportunity, acceptance, stability, adventure…and to be a part of the baby’s life. I admire her so much for realizing that she could give her baby more by gifting her to us, and for understanding that, with respect and a whole lotta trust on both sides, we could make a life for this little girl where we all get to love her.
So, Catelynn and Tyler, you guys are amazing. I hope that you make the most of the opportunities you’ve created for yourselves. And the rest of you...prayers are with you. You may need them.
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