RoxiP

Honestly the video with Chloe showing her apartment (which looks so much like my daughter's apartment last year - typical off-campus apartment!) - she looked better than I have ever seen her.

But then he wouldn't have the privilege of being publicly humiliated every week on satellite television.

If I remember correctly Sumit said that his parents arranged the marriage after Jenny's first visit to India (sorry if that isn't correct but that's what I remember him saying). They strongly disapproved of his relationship with Jenny and forbade him to be in contact with her again.

I was surprised the first time I went to one of my daughter's high school games and saw the cheerleaders and drill team - there are some of those girls who are not outwardly fit - and yet very athletic! In today's cheer competitions there are different requirements - with the extreme lifts and pyramids they do they have to have stronger "bottom" girls who are able to lift and catch the lighter "flyer" girls. Tyra was obviously a flyer.

Perhaps Danielle fell victim to the autocorrect demons!

It's not common but there are some 50-year old women who have not yet gone through menopause and are still capable of having children. Perhaps Laura is one of those (we all know Angela is not). Laura's dress (which apparently Aladin picked out) definitely could have used some altering. And she could have used a hairstylist.

I think Jenny thought she was walking into a Hallmark Movie story - star-crossed lovers torn apart by his dictatorial and judgmental family kind of crap! She can't quite give up the fantasy at this point. It is pathetic to see a woman my age acting so ridiculous.

I don't particularly see Ben as judgmental. I think that he thought he was coming to meet a young, beautiful, innocent (but of appropriate age) girl and he is finding out that she might not be what she portrayed herself to be. If you live by a certain Christian code (abstinence, no alcohol, etc.) and your partner holds themselves out to be the same and then you find out that isn't true I would think you have a right to be a little miffed! This isn't judging Akinyi for her choices by the way. If she chooses to drink and if she has had sex before in the past (because certainly Ben has) that is not an issue, but if she hasn't been honest about it then it is a problem because it is kind of a bait and switch situation. More concerning to me, however, is how is she going to treat my child. And lying to her father (and her mother knowing) - that is NOT COOL!

Truth about the teenage girls. I do think that Tyra was truly hurt that these girls with whom she apparently spent most of her time in cheer and gymnastics did not continue being close once she got pregnant. She's young and at that age you think your friends are going to be your friends forever. I sort of remember thinking that McKayla dated someone while she and Caelyn were apart but nothing about Caelyn - although my brain is a slippery slope some days! I see where Shellie was coming from about McKayla being broken but she certainly didn't phrase it well and it probably wasn't the right time or place to bring that up. Kind of sad because at one time it seemed Shellie and McKayla had a pretty decent relationship...until Shannon came back into the picture. Shellie's filter seems to be pretty broken when it comes to speaking what she perceives as her truth. And yes, I think Caelyn has lost some weight and looks better than he did - plus as he matures his face is thinning out. Whew! Glad my daughter is beyond the teen pregnancy danger years.

No way am I letting my elementary aged child decide where I'm going to live. Numerous children have been moved away from their homes into new situations and guess what - they get over it! They make new friends! Think of military families who are not promised security. My personal belief is that Tiffany came to South Africa, married Ronald and got pregnant right away thinking that the U.S. government would look more favorably upon their request for a spousal visa because she knew there was NO WAY he would be able to get a visa to the US based on his past criminal history.

I do think a 16-year old should have a baby shower - she is going to need stuff for her baby no matter what, and has even less resources than a properly married expectant mom. Should we be glorifying teen pregnancy - absolutely not! But obviously in her familial unit this is not out of the norm, which is very sad. I would like to see them feature a relative who has NOT had a child! I wasn't married when I had my child (of course I was 38). I had two showers - guess I was lucky that I had good friends. I'm sure people judged me (heck, I judged myself!) but choosing to have my child was the best decision of my life. Babies are proof that God is still in the miracle business!

I don't agree with McKayla's actions towards Caelyn and Shelly, but none of those is a deciding factor in taking her children away. If she keeps it up it will be parental alienation but at this point that's not a factor. Doesn't make it a good thing and I am totally against the way she is acting but it is not grounds for removal of her children. Parenting classes would be of great assistance to her (and Caelyn for that matter).

I was impressed that four weeks post-baby Tyra could do those gymnastic runs

My daughter has ADHD/Dyslexia. I put her on medication in 2nd grade because she couldn't write and was also having social problems because at that age girls can be really mean when another classmate is falling behind. We have always been very cautious about the medications (she only takes them on school days - of course at age 22 and in college she is now responsible for her own choices regarding her medication). I was lucky to have great teachers who walked this journey with me and my daughter.

I'm not sure that I don't dislike Chloe more than McKayla. Although I think McKayla is an entitled, spoiled, demanding brat (and those are the nicest words I'm willing to post), I can see how her background (father dying of an overdose, mother becoming addicted, grandfather with anger issues and alcohol issues, etc.) have made her into the diva that she is. Take into account that (like her or not) she is extremely attractive - she has an unduly high opinion of herself and has bought into her own fantasy of how the world is supposed to be. I don't get Chloe's excuse. To me she is just spoiled and entitled and quite honestly not that attractive. She hooks up with Max, who is by all accounts a total loser, just to get back at her mother who seems to fit the definition of a helicopter mom. She is willing to overlook the warning signs about a bad drug addiction just to stick it to her mom. She is willing to put her adorable little girl (sorry she looks like Max but on the baby it looks a lot better!) into danger just to prove that she can. She totally annoys me! For some reason I got the impression that Alex's mom was not at Grandma's house until recently...perhaps when Tyra used to stay there?

Sleepovers were not allowed in my home for my (now 22-year old) daughter. I'm not naïve enough to not realize that teenagers can find someplace to have sex if they want to, but I'm not going to give them an open invitation in my home. One of my daughter's friends lived with me for a while after my daughter went to college and she thought I was trying to control her with my house rules (no guys on the second floor, no drugs or drinking in my home and as a courtesy please let me know if you aren't coming home at night (no problem if you choose to sleep elsewhere by the way) so I can lock the house up tight. My daughter had the same house rules and anyone who is living there rent-free had to abide by my rules, which to me was perfectly reasonable. Most of all be courteous and respectful of the person who is paying the bills for that home! LOL!

Thanks for your response and I apologize for my error. I'm new to this forum and not really good yet at following the posts and responding to them. I agree that once you become a parent you should start behaving like one but I'm willing to give Alex a little grace...but only a little...in order to do the best for his baby. I think Alex's grandmother probably is a decent person (although I still am irritated that they stood there and let Tyra unload all the stuff from the car and carry it in the house instead of meeting her at the car and helping her...of course I was irritated that they stopped on the way home from the hospital in the first place - the last thing you want to do after giving birth is stop and visit relatives on the way home!). Loved your "female Austin powers" description of the clueless mom.

Somebody commented that Alex didn't know how to speak and compared him to a young NBA player...those up and coming NBA players have agents, publicists, and are taught from a very early age when they are becoming prospects how to be seen in public...Alex has none of those things. He is caught between his grandmother, who raised him, his mother, who abandoned him, and like any 18 or 19-year old kid (and yes, he's still a kid) he just wants to please them. Asking him to stand up and be a man at this point is going to be difficult. He is just trying to do the right thing. I think he eventually will but he's going to make mistakes.

Their past performance/recording history doesn't bother me at all. Anybody can "sign" someone to a label - but whether the label has enough clout to get the artist noticed is another thing altogether. Grant and Ashlund both talked at length about performing in front of larger audiences when they introduced themselves. Also, anybody can put out a self-produced and financed EP these days. In no way does that guarantee a career. I thought Ian was the best of the bunch (and unlike some of you I really liked most of these kids - and I am a better than good singer and have worked teaching children to sing in the past and have a good ear for pitch). I thought Ashlund and Cravetay's voices were overrated - Cravetay because she was more about attitude than singing and Ashlund because she was more about performance than singing - but Ashlund has the ability to learn whereas Cravetay is going to have to learn the hard way. So many of today's youngsters are all about becoming famous instead of actually working at their craft. It is unfortunate because there just isn't enough true talent out there. I think Ian has a lot of true talent and I am happy he won, although I feel like he will have to be marketed very carefully to make certain he doesn't loose what makes him unique and special. He isn't the definition of a "pop" artist but he is an intense young man who seems to be very talented and hopefully will be well managed.

I honestly think Madysyn has an amazing voice but I agree that her personality is mediocre. She would need to be surrounded by other singers to have a chance at a career - perhaps a girl group? Grant could, with the right handling, make somebody a lot of money simply because of his looks and his voice. His voice is very good and he has those clean, All American looks that would make him popular among young teen girls and their moms. He wouldn't even need a personality. Ian has the most raw talent but I'm not sure he would fit in the "pop" genre. He is (in my opinion) much more of an emo-type singer. I'm not sure he should settle for pop stardom. Cravetay...just no. Ashlund has the personality and charisma that Madysyn lacks. if the two of them were molded together they would make a really good performer. It all depends on what Timbaland wants...does he want true talent? Then I think it is Ian's competition to lose. Does he want pure vocals? Madysyn. Does he want to sell a lot of records fast? Grant. Does he want nubile sex appeal? Ashlund. Does he want sass and attitude? Cravetay. Don't forget - it today's recording world it isn't so much about talent as it is about what is going to sell...auto-tune makes singing ability an almost nonexistent factor.

Oh and then Cravetay was horribly off tune (and again Timbaland didn't call her out on it) on the entire bridge. It was the weakest vocal of the video. I like Ashlund but I think that her "look" is entirely inappropriate for a girl who is "only 13." Her look is way too sexy for somebody who is barely in her teens. I also think her voice is pretty weak - she is prettier than her voice. Madysyn's biggest problem is her mother. Her constant criticism denigrates Madysyn's confidence. Ian seems to be the total package of songwriter/artist if he can just get out of his own head. I like Grant and his voice is amazing (and his face will sell a million albums just because he's so pretty). I think his father has decided that he needs to "manage" him and has really started pushing him. I wondered why my video cut off - I finally was able to get the end of the last episode on On Demand last night.