ReadMeLattice

Yeah, @HeySandyStrange, it's not some condemnation of him personally, it's their culture. But their culture is very, very sexist. I don't think Leah working is the same as Miranda working, but I'd bet money that Corey, Jeff, and company wouldn't exactly be thrilled if Miranda got some newfound career ambition. It's never black and white. Corey and Miranda aren't bad people. But sexism is undoubtedly ingrained into their cultural and family life. I do wish the girls saw someone around them with some kind of higher education and a career, especially a woman. Sadly, the only thing they'll likely aspire to is finding a good man rather than a Robbie Kidd to support them.

Yeah, Corey bitched a LOT about Leah working. He likely wouldn't as much if Miranda worked, but I'd be willing to bet quite a bit that he wouldn't exactly love and support the idea. Their community is pretty backwards as a whole. I like Corey and Jeff, but they are undoubtedly misogynists. Not any more than anyone around them and not anymore than Miranda or Leah likely are themselves, but it's still disappointing when I'm reminded of how much of the country swings that way.

That's exactly what I got from it too. I understand it's difficult logistically to switch careers in law enforcement when you move, but it's not like nobody in law enforcement or security/park ranger fields ever moves. I think we're being a bit optimistic by assuming that's the issue. If he'd meant that, he'd have said "gave up her job," not her "career." Her career, in that or another field, could easily have continued. She was only 21-22 with a college degree. As it stands, it looks like she didn't have much of one-- worked only about a year or less. I understand it was technically her "choice," but it doesn't seem in their circles that there really is much of one. At least not without social/romantic consequences. And it sounds like he's praising her as if that was the obvious result, not a personal individual choice for her and Corey.

Is Papa Jeff referring to weirdo gender roles? It's not like she couldn't have gotten a different job in her new area...

Have you guys seen the boutique "Sophia" is opening in Texas??

This might be a dumb question, but how would one lighten one's eyes??

Forgive me for the quote, don't know why it won't be deleted. I don't think they're using it responsibly, but I understand self-medicating. In the states I'm mentioning it's not just legal as medical marijuana, obviously, it's legal for any use, but where they live they're obviously doing something illegal. I just don't think it can necessarily be compared to their crack-infused, violent upbringing. I also don't think it's that different from, say, Maci's and Taylor's incessant day drinking. That's legal but it's just as or more irresponsible. I do think it's really hypocritical for Tyler to bitch at Cate when 1) marijuana increases appetite and 2) they both use it. He has a habit of doing things he shames when Cate does them, and this is one of them. He wants her to go off the meds, which would mean she'd have to self-medicate more, not less, AND the substance of which they BOTH partake likely makes Cate hungrier. If he really wants to see all this change, he could start by being healthier himself and finding a more qualified therapist, who would discuss these issues more with her, help her find a plan to slowly ease off marijuana use or get her a prescription, be willing to discuss her trauma with her, and not. Allow. Cameras.

Some data in Washington says that the number of fatal crashes linked with pot has increased since legalization; data in Colorado suggests the opposite, that fatal crashes have plummeted. We'll have to keep monitoring the data to see. We do know that violent crime has greatly decreased in Colorado since marijuana legalization, likely because it's regulated and not associated with gang activity or black markets and the violence often associated with them. Marijuana is also not linked to any domestic violence or likelihood of rape, while alcohol is. In fact, married couples who use marijuana are LESS likely to engage in domestic violence, according to studies, which is why I can't ever see Catelynn's use of marijuana as equivalent to Butch's or April's violent, abusive behavior. Marijuana greatly helped me with my chronic PTSD (as it's proven to do) when prescribed meds (often much more harmful and addictive and under whose influence many people drive) couldn't. We spend millions of dollars a year jailing people who use marijuana while letting rapists and domestic abusers spend a few months in jail or get probation. I'd like to see it legalized everywhere as it is where I live.

There are no risks to exercising while pregnant.

That's horrible and delusional. Plus, tons of kids don't play sports. Do the commenters think those kids just never do anything?! The ONLY thing Ali probably couldn't do is a sport. And there are even adaptive sports for disabled kids. But seriously, art, music, cooking, writing, reading, science, crafts, gardening, stories, religious activities, theatre...there are actually probably more things she CAN do than things she can't. They're just making excuses :( I wonder if she does more at Corey's? But I doubt it.

Oh god, I agree with all of that except the Dr. Drew part. Knowing him, he'll probably bitch at Cate and Chelsea most for not losing weight/being nicer to Adammm, shame Farrah for doing porn but not Amber or Maci for bullying guys into marrying them, act inappropriately excited about Jenelle's and Maci's irresponsibility babies, and behave like Matt's best friend. PLEASE NO DREW

That was so weirdly...intimate or creepy or something.

I will say that marijuana greatly aided my severe depression and chronic PTSD, which Catelynn likely also has from her abusive upbringing. Chronic/complex PTSD is an entirely different disorder from PTSD itself and reflects more of what Cate has experienced. Antidepressants never helped me much (they generally don't if the problem is trauma more than genetics), but marijuana does. It's legal where I live for any kind of use, including recreational, so I guess it's different, but I really can't blame the girl for self-medicating. I found that the prescribed meds left me feeling much more like a druggie than a little weed. If the meds do work for her, she should work on slowly backing off the marijuana, and she should get more trauma-focused therapy, but there are a lot of "shoulds" with severe mental illness and not enough time in the world to explain why they generally don't happen. I have nothing but sympathy for her. The idea of working out, even a brisk walk, or even a shower would have been laughable on some of my worst days. You might as well have asked me to go to the moon. And if someone had constantly told me to just *get myself straightened out,* it would have been straight up abusive. Tyler clearly has some affection for Cate but wishes she was "hot" and more mentally stable, but no smarter or more successful than him. I really can't stand the guy. Re: the weight loss, Tyler eats the exact same foods Cate does. I don't exactly see him with a mouthful of fresh veggies or heading to the gym while she eats Burger King. And health isn't only dependent on weight. Weight is really just a marker you can use to gauge if you should test for certain things. Tyler's cholesterol, blood sugar, blood pressure, etc., could be equally problematic. They should BOTH make a commitment to slowly eating healthier. And Tyler should take the lead with his own diet, or (gasp) cooking and shopping for healthier foods, since he's not the one suffering from anxiety, insecurity, and depression.

My husband was able to sit through about 20 minutes of the show the other day and all he could focus on was the "heifer" scene. Now every time I eat ice cream, he says, "I don't want to be married to no big ol heifer!" And does those obnoxious hand gestures Tyler did every time he said "heifer." He's joking (I'm pretty small so it doesn't smart), but even as a joke it's a little annoying, and it reminds me of how much of a douche Tyler is several times a week, lol.

Javi and Kail were two attention whoring narcissists in a pod. They belonged together. *Chokes on sob*

She shows up for cheer and tumbling even when she doesn't have the kids. That was part of their custody agreement from the beginning of the dispute. Leah and Corey are honestly just cruel not to find more activities for Ali. There are about a million things a physically disabled child could get into. :(

What I want to know is who the heck granted high school diplomas to Leah and Jeremy. @dabronx, Social Security is such a mixed bag. My husband gets it because he works full time, and you can only receive it in some cases if you make below a certain income level (not extremely low, you can be lower middle class, but Leah's income would likely not qualify?). He gets it because in order to get TO work without being unhygienic/late every day to make the same salary as someone without his disability would make, he requires the help of an aide, some medical equipment, and a service dog. So things like the shower wheelchair, the aide's salary, the dog's food, etc., get covered. He doesn't prove it every month but he had to show proof of his expenses for several months and then it is automated. I say all this to say that while I 100% believe people should receive a great deal of help when they or someone they take care of is disabled, Leah and Corey don't actually appear to USE the equipment and resources they have been provided. Which is why I hate the random emphasis given to the disability by the show, because it's so upsettingly awful that they don't actually use the many things that would prolong or improve Ali's life. But I can totally see them, especially Leah, exploiting the disability to get aid while not actually caring for it. :(

I completely agree. I hate to speculate that she was sexually or severely physically abused, but she is 100% the picture of an early childhood abuse victim.

And the mom of his kids, I'm sure.

Corey and Leah are 100% equally at fault when it comes to 1) their mutual cheating, which was for no purpose other than to bang-- cheating isn't "caused" by anything other than that, unless maybe you're being abused at home or something. And 2) their mutual neglect of their disabled daughter. Corey is 100% no more and no less at fault than Leah for those two things. She didn't "seduce" him, he didn't push her, they did something equally horribly hurtful and wrong and continue to neglect their daughter's disability equally. Other than that, though? Corey seems like a genuinely good guy. Jeremy I have no use for; he seems pretty lame, sleazy, and weak except for his work ethic. But Corey, no-- he's a good person, I think. The mistakes he's made are awful, especially towards Miranda, but I can't say he's a deep down bad person. I *don't* happen to think he truly loved Leah or anything, just thought she was hot, got her pregnant, and then tried to do the right thing. I don't want to give credence to his "feelings" for Leah any more than I want to give credence to Chelsea's feelings for Adam. Sometimes with young men, we tend to lend more 'depth' to their feelings for a toxic person, whereas with a girl, we can recognize it's just infatuation. He was certainly infatuated with Leah, but I don't think that means he truly would have loved her and stayed forever. At least not happily. And I don't think that's a moral failing on his part or something-- he was a kid who got another kid pregnant, full stop. Leah, I don't know. She doesn't seem to have much substance at all. But I don't know how I'd be growing up in that environment. I was pretty horrifically abused as a child, sexually and physically. I have PTSD and had some awful relationships, made a lot of bad choices, and fucked up. But I got it together. I'm 27 now. I don't know how to judge her or not judge her. Could that be me, I think, with a lower IQ or less education, or a toxic culture around me like that that encourages illiteracy and reliance on men? But then again, she seems to bring it all on herself. I have both utter empathy and utter disdain for her. At the same time.

No, she failed it. They let her in anyway.

That was a surprisingly non-immature blog post. It's not like it was amazing, but I expected much worse, much more pettiness. Oh well, guess I'll have to hold out for Javi's book for that, judging by his comments and his many recent slutty Instagram photos.

@Tatum, 100% agree. It does make me want to blast all her posts where Ali isn't in a wheelchair or paper plates are strewn everywhere so she changes it! Maybe we could change a life. Lol

@Tatum, definitely agree. She could change her circumstances with a lot of time and work. What I meant by "not her fault," though, is that no one around her seems very interested in education. And she failed her very basic entrance exams for college. I know from experience that it's very difficult to teach students the foundations of grammar, spelling, analysis, etc., when you're trying to make up for a lifetime of poor education. Some of my hardworking students (at a large, high-ranked university) still fail basic writing and have to retake it, and they have every possible privilege. Add to that a culture of near-illiteracy and lack of respect for education, parents and siblings who are also uneducated and don't mind, multiple children, and an immature, lazy person ill-equipped for fame, and that's just not gonna happen. She'd need to enroll in a lot of remedial courses before she could ever pass a class in any decent school, as would many of the people she appears to know. Of course she could change it, and it's ridiculous that she complains about a very real flaw being pointed out. She should be grateful to the naysayers, honestly, if it helps her grammar, even if they were inappropriate about their expression. But I'm just commenting on the overall culture of a total lack of respect for education and anything besides attractiveness and baby-making. Jeremy made fun of "people with PhDs" at least twice that I remember on the show. Mama Dawn is pretty unabashedly uninterested in improving her truly illiterate-level writing skills. It's pretty terrifying how little critical thinking is going on in these people's heads.

Ohh, got it. I wouldn't put a scene past him, thought one of them might have been drunk or something.