An era has come to an end. The stars of the original "Teen Mom" have cried their last tear on MTV, and to be honest, I'm a little sad.
"16 and Pregnant" debuted its little face on our TV screens in 2009, showing the struggles of being a teenager with a child. It showed the reality of girls realizing they are bringing another life into the world. Some episodes even showed deadbeat dads who didn't want to take care of a child they helped create. Many girls and couples stressed over the fact that they had no money to buy diapers, or even a space to raise the child in. Some parents were supportive, others weren't. The audience was able to see all across the spectrum.
Four girls from the first season: Maci Bookout, Amber Portwood, Catelynn Lowell and Farrah Abraham, signed on to let cameras follow them around with their toddlers in tow for the first ever "Teen Mom."
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From left, Farrah Abraham, Catelynn Lowell, Maci Bookout, Amber Portwood from “Teen Mom” are shown.
Both series, produced by Morgan J. Freeman, have come under fire for glamourizing teen pregnancy. To me, it showed a different generation, where instead of loving and enjoying their grandchildren, grandparents were doing the parenting. In almost every single episode of "16 and Pregnant," you see a parent stepping in to help the teen mother. Many of the girls struggled with the idea of being a teenager and a parent. They wanted to go out and party when they needed to come home to their child.
"Teen Mom" watched as the four mothers grew up right along side their toddlers. Maci Bookout, my favorite teen mom, was going to school, raising her son, Bentley, and also constantly fighting with her baby daddy, Ryan, over custody rights. I can see how that can get a little stressful, especially since Ryan has the brain equivalency of a prune and likes to find girlfriends who just happen to look exactly like Maci. Just saying. When MTV left off with Maci, she was finally balancing school and motherhood in a normal, healthy way.
Amber Portwood probably gave us the most entertainment as viewers. She was in-and-out of love with her baby daddy, Gary, just as many times as she's been in and out of jail and-or rehab. She would profess to love Gary and want her family to be back together, but every once in awhile she'd suddenly be in love with another man. The last season, Amber was in rehab, but for what was never completely explained. The rumor mill churned out stories of prescription pill abuse, and Amber showed classic symptoms of being high all the time. Just watch one phone conversation the girl has, and tell me she's not on something. The sad thing was that Amber's little girl, Leah, was the true victim in this story, and for once the baby daddy, Gary ,stepped up and took care of his child.
Catelynn Lowell, the only mom who gave up her child for adoption (Carly), bloomed this season, with her and her fiance, Tyler, enrolling in school and juggling jobs. There was heartbreak as well for the two, when Tyler's father went to jail for the umpteenth time in his son's life. Tyler decided to cut ties from him indefinitely, a smart move if you ask me. Catelynn's mom decided to go to AA meetings to battle an addiction that's plagued her for a long time. They also lent their experience to other girls that were making the decision to place their child up for adoption as well. These two show a lot of maturity throughout the entire "Teen Mom" saga, realizing that their decision was the best for their child. If you could find a poster child for teen pregnancy, I'd like to think these two were the best.
Lastly, Farrah Abraham, the girl who only likes being a mom half of the time, moved to Florida and began culinary school. Her flat personality has always annoyed me and her blatant disrespect for her parents irked me to the point where I literally gritted my teeth when her segments came on. Farrah's daughter, Sophia, may be the cutest "Teen Mom" baby, but Farrah had the ugliest attitude. Constantly dating men, but claiming to be for Sophia first was a bit of a contradiction on Farrah's part. Her need for attention from someone, ANYONE, drove her to date many men who either weren't ready to help raise a kid or weren't ready for Farrah's stage-five clinger act. Farrah sent Sophia to live with her mother for a month while she concentrated on school. I know television doesn't show everything, but how could Farrah not be upset without her child? I break down emotionally when I'm separated from my dog for more than a week! I think I will miss Farrah the least.
With "Teen Mom" ending, it's only a matter of time before MTV finds something else to suck me in with for a couple seasons. Can't wait!
