Tatum

Oh, no, that's not what I meant either. I just meant that if my 16-17 year old daughter came to me and wanted to go on BC, I'd probably give her a brief lecture on continuing (or starting to) use condoms in addition to BC, and a brief lecture on making sure this was what she wanted, and that she wasn't being pressured. And then I would take her to a gyno and pay for her BC pills (or a different method). If however, my 13-14 year old came to me, we would be having an entirely different discussion. It may still end with me taking her to the gyno, but only because I'm under no illusions that refusing to provide her with contraception means she won't have sex. It just wouldn't feel to me like my 13-14 year old was really emotionally ready for this, and I would be alarmed.

It is still not a very kind world for girls, I am afraid. Girls are socialized at a young age to put the needs of others first, even at their own personal cost or safety. But in my opinion, putting your 14 year old daughter on BC is treating the symptoms, not the problem. It may still be necessary, but hopefully it goes hand in hand with talks about your dominion over your own body, and the fact that no one else is owed to it.

Leah's mom had her on the depo shot for much of her adolescence. She didn't bother to get her next shot once the 90 days had elapsed back in early 2009 because she and Robbie were no longer together and she figured she didn't need it. Since she had only recently lapsed she assumed she would not be immediately fertile, which actually is true for some women (I have gone for months without ovulating after coming off birth control). Leah mentioned offhand in one of the episodes that she might just put her daughters on birth control, at 13 or 14, regardless of whatever situation they may be in. While I think that is preferable to one of them getting pregnant at that age, I hope Leah's open policy about sex includes emphasizing that they do not have to have sex at that age just because it's the cool thing to do or their boyfriends expect it.

Therein lies the folly of your sister bankrolling your life- even when you're about to give birth, you still need to give her all your attention.

WHAT is going on in that picture? Is she wearing a halter top and nothing below? On closer look, she appears to be straddling a swing? BOTTOMLESS?? That cannot be sanitary.

I always think of it as a way to look candid, like, oh golly gee, here I am just thinking deep thoughts and I didn't even know there was a camera there!

Well, she's not a natural blond :). Who could forget that crispy brown with white highlights and flat ironed bangs mess she sported on her original 16 and pregnant?

I really don't think so. Even if she was not interested in a certain guy, I could see her feeling like if he's a single, hetero guy in her orbit, and if he wasn't interested in her, it would be a dis. I really think Leah places her entire worth on her looks and her ability to attract men. Maybe also being a mom, but Addie is already 7. Leah has never been able to get through any educational or career goals, so her entire identity revolves around her Teen Mom 2 life and being the local dime piece of the holler. I foresee a major identity crisis when she hits 30. And 40 is going to be traumatic for her I bet.

Interesting...I think once they get below 300,000 that's basically cancellation territory. I think that is still a ways off but 633,000 is the lowest ratings I have ever seen for this show.

Yeah, this goes back a few seasons, but when Leah was having one of her her freak out, everyone-is-against-me tirades one season, Victoria's husband (obviously no longer in the picture) was soothing her and to me it seemed very obvious there was something going on between the two of them. But I haven't watched enough to speculate if this is an ongoing "thing" with her.

I definitely got the impression Leah had something going on with her sister's ex, but news to me that she has something going on with the new guy, too?

Hahahahahaha. I'm sorry, I missed the rest of your post because I was laughing too hard.

But it really is two separate situations. Their appearance on Laguna was a footnote in their teen years- this show has been the constant for 10 years for the TM girls. The Laguna kids were not offered another season beyond the first two years, and the money MTV offered them would have likely been a drop in the bucket to what their parents could give them anyways, so no real incentive to keep filming anyways. The fact is, the Laguna kids had opportunities far beyond what most of the TM girls could have ever imagined in their early adulthood. While the TM girls have become emotionally and financially dependent on this show, for most of them...they didn't have the resources the Laguna kids did, mainly money and functional parents who could steer them properly. Also, I would not say Jason from Laguna (the most notorious substance abuser from the show) has come out on the other side. He still regularly relapses and I don't believe he's ever held a steady job, and just lives off his family's money, if The Hills reboot is any indication. ETA: I do think most of the secondary characters have gone on to lead very successful lives (Jen Bunney is evidently some corporate bigwig in LA), but...these were smart kids from well off families who emphasized education and networking. They were always going to be successful kids. With the exception of Maci and Chelsea, the TM girls were largely from poor families and parents who were substance abusers themselves, or had mental health issues. It would never have occurred to any of their parents to make them see a lawyer or financial planner or consider the long term effects of D list fame on teenagers- the parents saw the dollar signs as much as the kids did.

These girls are stunted at 17, and if they haven't gotten their shit together by now, on the cusp of 30, they probably won't ever. Especially once the TM checks stop coming in. That said, not sure it's very fair to compare them to the Laguna kids. For the most part, those kids came from functional, well off families where going to college is expected, and lawyers, financial planners, therapists, and other licenses professionals are trusted and utilized, not shunned for being uppity shysters out to take your money. Their parents mostly modeled adult behavior such as holding down a job and paying bills on time. Yes, the TM women are old enough to not be able to blame their childhood for every misstep they make, but I think for at least a few of them, growing up in a different household might have shaped them to be much better adults than what they are now.

OK, I hate to give her credit, but...I laughed out loud at her answer to the question about if people have sent her money yet to order a DNA test since he does not look like Chris, and she answers that she hasn't gotten checks in the mail yet but she's ready whenever they are.

I do think Artem can be pushy in subtle ways....but I don't know that he'd do that, without her permission. That would be pretty disrespectful. Honestly, Nikki, for all her vapid comments, strikes me as someone who if she decidedly did not want to get pregnant, would not only be on her own method of birth control but also insist her partner wear a condom. I have no way of knowing her mind, but honestly, based on her comments, I think she wanted to have a baby, and if she wasn't sure Artem was the one (I think early in her relationship she did, and then her interest waned), well, no guarantees she'd meet her soulmate even if they did break up and she probably worried she was getting too old to get pregnant on her own, or would be by the time she found someone. If I had to make a bet, I'd bet they both were just leaving it up to chance.

I don't for one minute believe either of them were trying to avoid getting pregnant. Nikki said during her medical appt that her primary method of birth control was the pull out method. Now, Husband and I have used that method for over 2 years now with 100% success (and we have two planned kids), but it's not a method I would use if I was desperate to not get pregnant. It is less reliable than other methods. Plus, ten bucks says there were times they didn't bother with this at all. I think Nikki wanted to get pregnant by someone she trusted would be a decent co-parent.

Well, when you're a reality show star who's network has gone to shit since Covid, I guess you've got to get creative... Also, I had a TV crush on him in 2004, and I don't think he's aging too well.

Agreed. At this point I am starting to judge Artem for staying with her. It's one thing to be "real" about your situation, it's another thing to ramble on about private things that make your partner look like an asshole publicly. If Nikki wanted to say in very general terms that pregnancy has interfered with her sex life or romantic life, that's one thing, but some things really should be kept private. She either has reached the point where she pretty much despises Artem, or she's just so desperate to remain relevant she'll try and monetize any facet of her life and who cares who gets thrown under the bus. ETA: for all her good points (and she does have them) a major fault of Nikki's that I have noticed is she is not great about taking responsibility for her actions. When she's called out for something, she usually tries to shift the blame to whoever is mad at her. Whether it's being disrespectful to Artem and flirting with other guys right in front of him, making a mess at Brie's house, instigating drama with the WWE girls and then bitching about the fallout, or even inadvertently hurting her brother's feelings and making him feel left out, she always gets really huffy and tries to turn it around on whoever is confronting her. I can see pretty easily her becoming majorly resentful of Artem for pushing her into marriage, ignoring all the mixed signals she gave him along the way and her own inability to hold firm that she wasn't ready (and maybe never would be with him).

Wow. She is just completely classless. This seems to be a long term plan to get out of her engagement without looking like a bitch...she's laying the seeds of Artem not being a very good partner because she probably realizes she came off rather poorly with him this season. That, or she's hurt by him and too chickenshit to have a direct conversation, so she's passive aggressively confronting him via podcast. Or hell, maybe she's just trying to get him to break up with her. Nikki is immature and lacking any kind of class, but this is partly Artem's fault as well. He is the one that rushed this and they are both idiots for not using birth control.

Think she did something similar with Lincoln- only she had it put in capsules. That was back in her Miss Delaware Junior Leaguer phase. Maybe she's finally letting go of the idea of Chris and moving on to a different personality to adopt.

Doubtful. I am sure these guys are all freaking out, wondering what the state of their contracts are going to be. I foresee increasingly desperate bids for attention. While some reality show producers are already making plans for how they can implement safety controls, I bet it's not even going to be worth it for this production company to try. Ratings have been on the decline, these women and their partners have already proven to be PR nightmares, and if they have to pony up the cash for PPE and Covid testing and other safety protocols, I bet that will be the death blow for this franchise. ETA: per the Ashley, there is a season 10 starting next month. Was this filmed prior to all the shutdowns?

I know that anxiety disorders are no joke, but I believe that the majority of these people use "anxiety" as interchangeable with "I get uncomfortable or overwhelmed any time I have to do something boring/unpleasant". Newsflash, ladies: most adults have to deal with stressful situations, either in their home lives or work lives.

Oh. Well I stand corrected then. I can't imagine her reaching Farrah levels, but it's been a long time since I've watched the show. Cole reminds me of the old adage: a person who marries for money will end up earning every penny. Sure he doesn't have to do his traffic control job anymore, but he spends all day it sounds like reassuring Chelsea of her beauty and worth and I would seriously rather work at Taco Bell than have to do that.

To me, Chelsea has four things going for her that none of the other teen moms can say (all 4 that is) - 1. she seems to actually like her kids, 2. She is respectful to her parents, 3. she has never gotten in trouble with the IRS or the local county for not paying taxes, and 4. she reportedly has a college account for Aubrey that has enough to cover 4 years of tuition and she has never raided it. That's it. That puts her in the top percentile for teen moms but when compared to regular people she is sadly lacking in many areas.