S9.E20: The Here & Now

[druzy]

Maci attempts to explain her PTSD to Bentley while Mackenzie and Josh get advice from a parenting coordinator. Catelynn and Tyler try to wean Vaeda off her pacifier before the new baby arrives.

Airs October 26, 2021

[ginger90]

Clip:

 

 

[Marisagf]

Just watched the clip.  Gag me.

[ginger90]

8 minutes ago, Marisagf said:

Just watched the clip.  Gag me.

My apologies. 😁

[Marisagf]

I am watching the Cheyanne baby shower where she gets the call from Cory.  

I just can't with this chick and this stupid over the top party.  She sounds bored and uninterested.

[Andyourlittledog2]

God, Cheyenne. She is such a waste of space.  Completely over anything she says or does at this point.  She has had enough parties to last most of us a lifetime.  Pretty pretty princess needs to grow the eff up already.

[Caseysgirl]

Do any of these families ever cook or do they all just eat take out and fast food?  Meanwhile, have Tyler and Caitlin any idea how to break a habit, particularly in a 2 year old? If yourfamily  is riddled it’s addictive  behaviors, try to be a little compassionate toward Vaeda.  You were obviously the ones who kept sticking that binkie  in her mouth to shut her up & now with no explanation at all you just grab it away from her.   You’ll be sending her to rehab in a few years!

[Marisagf]

Just finished the episode.  Cheyenne was all about the ring and I did NOT like the baby ring for Ryder.

Amber=Boring

Maci=Boring

Mackenzie=Boring and weird

Catelynn=Boring and sad.  Poor Vaeda.  Was cold turkey really the best thing?  How about her thumb?  Tyler continues to be manic and goofy.  And Nova still has speech problems and Tyler's affectations. 

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

[Chris Knight]

Did unemployed Maci really say, while lounging on her couch probably on a weekday when the rest of us were at work, that she needs a vacation  ?!?!

TyCate should have chosen a better time to take the pacifier. How close was this to the due sate ? Cate is huge and looked close to the end but I thought she said 10 more weeks.

MacKenzie's family needs structure and routine. Laying around all day while Mom's on her laptop isnt productive. Why cant the daughter do summer school as her teachers recommended  ? Summer school can be very helpful and the sessions dont last all summer.

While I find it very hard to believe Amber is stressing over school and demanding an A from herself, she should be proud of a B. I know its online and not really Purdue but for someone like Amber who has struggled greatly with school, this is not bad.

 

[edie3]

That wasn't a baby sprinkle, that was a tsunami! 

Did anyone notice Amber was drinking out of a sloth cup? How appropriate! And she lets down Leah and James by not making an A? No, honey you let them down by not spending any quality time with them. 

And forgive my lack of knowledge about being bipolar, but if you are half way between depressed and manic, isn't that "normal" behavior?

The expert MacKensie hired did not do them any favors.

[Jeanne222]

So Amber is going to be a Forensic Anthropologist!  Dream big girl dream big!

All those teen mom girls and baby daddies need to find something, anything to do!

How much is MTV paying to afford huge rings, fancy clothes, swimming pools & counselors?

Maybe this really is the end of the world!

[lasandi]

I see MTV has ceased renting friends for Amber to bounce things off of and that producer is now it.  Amber’s life seems lonely and sad to me and I almost feel sorry for her.  I said almost.  Lol 

[Jeanne222]

6 minutes ago, edie3 said:

That wasn't a baby sprinkle, that was a tsunami! 

Did anyone notice Amber was drinking out of a sloth cup? How appropriate! And she lets down Leah and James by not making an A? No, honey you let them down by not spending any quality time with them. 

And forgive my lack of knowledge about being bipolar, but if you are half way between depressed and manic, isn't that "normal" behavior?

The expert MacKensie hired did not do them any favors.

Yes just exactly what did the expert contribute?  Bet we don’t see her again?

She didn’t look real experty to me!

2 minutes ago, lasandi said:

I see MTV has ceased renting friends for Amber to bounce things off of and that producer is now it.  Amber’s life seems lonely and sad to me and I almost feel sorry for her.  I said almost.  Lol 

She’s living in a rental paying two baby daddies child support to raise her children!

Will she ever wake up?

I’m just waiting for a new wacko guy to enter her life so she can smile again!

[Andyourlittledog2]

So the expert just talks to them about modifying the kids behavior while the kids are raptly listening to her?  Seriously, the people in this franchise have absolutely no boundaries with their kids and always talk about them while they are right there. It's so stupid. It's parenting 101A to not discuss your kids problems and behaviors with others while the kids are listening.  I loved the way Mac just walked away and out of the room when faced with Gannon's defiance. She just retreated and played victim and whined that her kids hate her to Josh. And if we can hear through that door so can Gannon, who again, was right there. 

The dog was adorable though, with his head cocked listening at the bedroom door.

Amber is so full of herself. She thinks she is going to become some doctor of forensic anthropology while majoring in neurological psychology.  And she is just beginning her BA or BS studies (depending on the actual major). The likelihood of her finishing just this first year is not great. She hasn't really stuck to or completed anything in her life except her prison stint. Loved her brother explaining to her that to get a 4.0 you can't get even one class with less than a 4.0. Did Amber seem confused about that basic fact?  If she wants to get into a graduate program that will earn her the doctorate (dream on) she will need that 4.0 G.P.A. Competition is rough. Producers shouldn't keep encouraging her to attempt things she has no hope of achieving.

Vaeda is still practically a baby. Taking away her pacifier right before the most stressful time in her little life is kinda mean. She'll probably regress anyway. Let her have it for a while. Seeing the baby with one may prompt her to want to become a big girl and do without after a while if they play it right.

Don't care about Maci or her PTSD.  She's a big girl, she can get back on the horse, so to speak,and refuse to let that one event circumscribe her entire life. The longer she plays into it, the harder it will be to overcome it. She's setting a pattern. And of course she has to bring Bentley into it. That poor child.

[Mr. Miner]

7 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Amber is so full of herself. She thinks she is going to become some doctor of forensic anthropology while majoring in neurological psychology.  And she is just beginning her BA or BS studies (depending on the actual major). The likelihood of her finishing just this first year is not great. She hasn't really stuck to or completed anything in her life except her prison stint. Loved her brother explaining to her that to get a 4.0 you can't get even one class with less than a 4.0. Did Amber seem confused about that basic fact?  If she wants to get into a graduate program that will earn her the doctorate (dream on) she will need that 4.0 G.P.A. Competition is rough. Producers shouldn't keep encouraging her to attempt things she has no hope of achieving.

Did she tell her therapist that she already dropped half of her classes? Sounds about right!

[Jeanne222]

1 hour ago, Mr. Miner said:

Did she tell her therapist that she already dropped half of her classes? Sounds about right!

I think she said half of the class had dropped out!  Meaning it was too hard for them at Purdue Global!

[SilverLake0315]

12 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

And if we can hear through that door so can Gannon, who again, was right there. 

I am loathe to defend either of these nitwits, but I think we could hear them because they had mics on. Hard to know if we could've otherwise.

I'll give Maci credit for one thing: getting Larry, Jen, Ryan, et al. off my screen! I do not miss them one bit.

[StatisticalOutlier]

Amber's brother tells her that she doesn't have to be the smartest person, she just needs to be smarter than the rest.  If you're smarter than the rest, doesn't that make you the smartest person?  

But what do I know?  I didn't graduate from college with a 3.97 GPA.

But that brings up the issue of Amber's being so entirely clueless about what exactly Purdue University Global is.  I was thinking she didn't know anybody with enough real college experience to tell her that she never applied to Purdue University, was never accepted by Purdue University, isn't attending Purdue University, and isn't going to get a degree from Purdue University (or any university, but I digress).  

Where's Mr. 3.97 in all this?  I'm beginning to wonder where he attained his 3.97 GPA.

[BrownBear2012]

15 hours ago, Caseysgirl said:

Do any of these families ever cook or do they all just eat take out and fast food?  Meanwhile, have Tyler and Caitlin any idea how to break a habit, particularly in a 2 year old? If yourfamily  is riddled it’s addictive  behaviors, try to be a little compassionate toward Vaeda.  You were obviously the ones who kept sticking that binkie  in her mouth to shut her up & now with no explanation at all you just grab it away from her.   You’ll be sending her to rehab in a few years!

Everything you said...YES! Tyler and Cate had two meals in front of the camera that were in styrofoam boxes...looked like deep fried slop. 

I was appalled at Tyler's cruel and anger filled tirade about Vaeda's pacifiers. Good grief..really? She's only two! Cate was being reasonable and empathetic but Tyler was being an asshat. Maybe get out your Google machine and research the best way to end the pacifier with a two year old before throwing all of them in a bag and putting them in the garbage! How about allowing her to have it at night and at naptime for awhile so she doesn't suck her thumb? A lot of two year olds still use a pacifier at naptime/bedtime...it's better than thumbsucking! Tyler, who smokes cigarettes, is upset about a two year old still using a pacifier? I really can't stand him anymore...no job, sits around the house yelling at everyone...he certainly seems to be spending a lot of time get jacked up at the gym.

[BrownBear2012]

39 minutes ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Amber's brother tells her that she doesn't have to be the smartest person, she just needs to be smarter than the rest.  If you're smarter than the rest, doesn't that make you the smartest person?  

But what do I know?  I didn't graduate from college with a 3.97 GPA.

But that brings up the issue of Amber's being so entirely clueless about what exactly Purdue University Global is.  I was thinking she didn't know anybody with enough real college experience to tell her that she never applied to Purdue University, was never accepted by Purdue University, isn't attending Purdue University, and isn't going to get a degree from Purdue University (or any university, but I digress).  

Where's Mr. 3.97 in all this?  I'm beginning to wonder where he attained his 3.97 GPA.

Didn't her brother go to a for profit school? It wasn't a traditional school...I think it was either Strayer or Phoenix? I almost spit my water out last night when she was yapping away about being a "Doctor of Psychology"...OMG!!!! Do these girls live on another planet??? And that producer just stands there enabling all of this bullshit stuff. 

[Mr. Miner]

15 hours ago, Chris Knight said:

MacKenzie's family needs structure and routine. Laying around all day while Mom's on her laptop isnt productive. Why cant the daughter do summer school as her teachers recommended  ? Summer school can be very helpful and the sessions dont last all summer.

I think the whole family is brain damaged. Does Josh cut his own hair? with a spoon?

[Snarky McSnarky]

Maci:  "I need a vacation."

The Entire World:  "You are ON vacation!"

[suzeecat]

16 hours ago, edie3 said:

The expert MacKensie hired did not do them any favors.

I thought she hired this "expert" because of all the trouble the kid was causing at school.  Why didn't the "expert" go and observe him at school?  Obviously, if the school doesn't want him there, there is a problem and the kids is not "acting normal".  Whoever paid her did not get their money's worth.  What Makenzie needed was specific examples of how to handle specific situations. 

[BrownBear2012]

2 hours ago, SilverLake0315 said:

I am loathe to defend either of these nitwits, but I think we could hear them because they had mics on. Hard to know if we could've otherwise.

I'll give Maci credit for one thing: getting Larry, Jen, Ryan, et al. off my screen! I do not miss them one bit.

Without that mess of a family to bitch about and fight with Maci has no storyline at all. She needs to be let go and while she's at it, quit bullying Mackenzie like a mean Alpha girl.

[BrownBear2012]

Just now, suzeecat said:

I thought she hired this "expert" because of all the trouble the kid was causing at school.  Why didn't the "expert" go and observe him at school?  Obviously, if the school doesn't want him there, there is a problem and the kids is not "acting normal".  Whoever paid her did not get their money's worth.  What Makenzie needed was specific examples of how to handle specific situations. 

All three kids have behavorial/school issues. Gannon seems broody and sullen. Jaxie seems overlooked and ignored. Broncs has a lot going on...and Josh just sits there catatonic. He barely says two words and just stares into space. Mackenzie tries to discipline but she has no help from Josh. Of course the kids are happy to see him...he never disciplines them...he just sits and stares into a void. They need parenting help as a "team"...Josh needs to be an active participant in managing the kids and disciplining them. Jaxie needs to have one on one time with both parents and in particular, they need to be setting aside time to help her with reading and other schoolwork that she is failing at. 

[Cinnabon]

Why does Amber feel she must have a 4.0? 

[Jeanne222]

If I was a kid and had to listen to MacKenzie I’d bite the teacher too!

She grates on my nerves with all that whining!

Say something and mean it. Move along. 

[TheRealT]

Bentley's Orange Mullet is literally the most interesting aspect of Maci's story, yet they haven't addressed it at all. I would much rather hear about BOM- whose idea was it? how and when was it executed? what kind of reaction does it get?- than listen to Maci drone on about her alleged PTSD.

Why did Cate and Ty have a third child? Well, I know why, but every one of their segments screams "PLEASE DON'T HAVE ANY MORE KIDS!!!" It seems like they barely interact with either of the kids they have, though they do chat with Nova a bit more now that she's older. Vaeda, like Nova when she was younger, always seems to be running around screaming in the background while her parents melt into the couch glued to their phones.

[Andyourlittledog2]

7 minutes ago, Cinnabon said:

Why does Amber feel she must have a 4.0? 

To shove it in the 'haters' faces that she is the bestest. I think she thinks if she doesn't do fantastic we will all think she's stupid and unable to succeed. I don't think she's stupid she's just ignorant and a terrible person. That's different and no grades are going to change that.

Although it pains me greatly to relate to Amber in any way, I totally get what she was saying about the perfect being the enemy of the good.  When I was in college I had that problem big time. I would absolutely convince myself that I was failing a class, would have to drop out of school, etc after midterms or finals and then discover I got an A. I was so worried all the time that I wasn't perfect. Of course when I was a kid I'd bring home all As and A+s and my dad would just stare at me and ask why they weren't all A+s.  Nothing was ever good enough. So in high school I went the other way, played hooky and skipped finals and graduated with a 1.57 GPA. But I went to college anyway because it was that or get a crappy job and move out and I'm not a fool. So in college it took me a while to trust myself that school and I were going to be okay.

[3outta5]

3 hours ago, BrownBear2012 said:

Didn't her brother go to a for profit school? It wasn't a traditional school...I think it was either Strayer or Phoenix? I almost spit my water out last night when she was yapping away about being a "Doctor of Psychology"...OMG!!!! Do these girls live on another planet??? And that producer just stands there enabling all of this bullshit stuff. 

Yep, Phoenix. I have that weird Pluto/Samsung TV channel and it just showed that episode!

[Jeanne222]

1 hour ago, 3outta5 said:

Yep, Phoenix. I have that weird Pluto/Samsung TV channel and it just showed that episode!

What kind of school is Phoenix?  Good or bad. I never heard of it!

[Marisagf]

4 hours ago, TheRealT said:

Bentley's Orange Mullet is literally the most interesting aspect of Maci's story,

I was just saying this earlier today!

[Andyourlittledog2]

2 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

What kind of school is Phoenix?  Good or bad. I never heard of it!

It's a reputable for profit online school.  There were a lot of disreputable ones but Phoenix was and continues to be a pretty good school for folks who are working and going back and getting higher degrees to advance their careers. Most people I've known have used Phoenix to get more advanced nursing degrees but they have other majors as well. Personally I have always advocated for actual on campus higher education but it isn't always possible for various life reasons. Brick and mortar degrees tend to get more recognition and credit when applying for jobs but a masters is a masters as long as the online school is reputable and accredited.

[BrownBear2012]

4 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

What kind of school is Phoenix?  Good or bad. I never heard of it!

It's a "for profit" school. They basically charge you a buttload of money for a diploma. They are known to target vets who use the G.I. Bill college/vocational $$ to pay for it. These for profit schools are notoriously bad and tuition is sometimes higher than a regular college. They usually have one large office building or just several floors of an office building for "classes" though probably most of the "classes" are remote now. I'm sure Amber's brother was targeted the minute he finished his tour of duty and got swamped with solicitation calls from various for profit "schools".

[Andyourlittledog2]

That was/is true of a lot of for profit online schools but Phoenix is not one of the bad ones. It is expensive and it has been online for years now. The degrees are legit and they count for employers hiring. At least that is true in California. It's basically college for people with work and families who cannot do brick and mortar.

[BrownBear2012]

On 10/26/2021 at 9:35 PM, Andyourlittledog2 said:

God, Cheyenne. She is such a waste of space.  Completely over anything she says or does at this point.  She has had enough parties to last most of us a lifetime.  Pretty pretty princess needs to grow the eff up already.

Right? How many parties has she had or has her family had for her since she's been on this show? It's really over the top. Of course they'll have a huge ass engagement party next. Her parents are poster parents for how to make your daughter an obnoxious princess/diva...I'm not sure that ring was big enough for her...she acted like she liked it but she wasn't swooning. This poor schmo Zach will never measure up for her...he'll never be Cory.

[mrs ra]

Cate and Tyler are just clueless parents. Poor Vaeda. It was just unnecessary cruelty to abruptly take away her pacifiers. And she reacted by loudly crying and they did little to comfort her. It seemed they were almost gleeful. They could have eased her into giving up the pacifier by transitioning slowly. Start by only allowing in the crib and at bedtime. There are books that they could have read to her that explain in terms she would understand that “you’re a big girl.” They could have had small rewards for times she didn’t have it. 

[MaggieG]

On 10/26/2021 at 10:36 PM, lasandi said:

I see MTV has ceased renting friends for Amber to bounce things off of and that producer is now it.  Amber’s life seems lonely and sad to me and I almost feel sorry for her.  I said almost.  Lol 

Where is cousin Krystal??

Call me a sap, but I thought Zach's proposal was sweet. I don't see this marriage lasting long though, even if they make it down the aisle

Maci, I don't care. I understand PTSD is a real thing (I was robbed at gunpoint at work, so I get it) but Maci just seems like she is not actively trying to work on it and using it as an excuse. Can she not go to any gas station or is it just that one? Because if she is low on gas, she can easily go anywhere else.

[BrownBear2012]

11 hours ago, mrs ra said:

Cate and Tyler are just clueless parents. Poor Vaeda. It was just unnecessary cruelty to abruptly take away her pacifiers. And she reacted by loudly crying and they did little to comfort her. It seemed they were almost gleeful. They could have eased her into giving up the pacifier by transitioning slowly. Start by only allowing in the crib and at bedtime. There are books that they could have read to her that explain in terms she would understand that “you’re a big girl.” They could have had small rewards for times she didn’t have it. 

It is sad. The only job Tyler has is to parent. He doesn't work and he has hours of nothing to do. The least he could have done is read up on some parenting tips and figure out a way to gently break Vaeda from the binky. She didn't have to go cold turkey...the lack of any kind of comforting of her or explaining why she was having the binky taken away was wrong and totally uncalled for. The more I see of these two, the more I dislike them. Vaeda already seems like a child in distress...now they're having a third child that Tyler is less than excited about because it's not the boy that he whines about wanting. Cate seems ambivalent. This show is not longer serving it's original purpose...a cautionary tale about unprotected sex and teenagers...now it's just a depressing show with spoiled, unproductive adults that have no skills or post high school education. Time to cut these people loose.

[StatisticalOutlier]

18 hours ago, Jeanne222 said:

What kind of school is Phoenix?  Good or bad. I never heard of it!

Have you ever heard of "University of Phoenix"?  That's usually what it's called in their advertising--not just "Phoenix."  They settled a complaint by the FTC about their marketing practices, paying $50 million to the FTC and forgiving $141 million in debts owed by some former students.  (So what happens to the ones who were misled by the advertising but actually paid for their degrees?  Is the real knowledge these Phoenicians got with their degree the life lesson that it's better to borrow than to pay?)

From a Washington Post article: 

"Investigators say the University of Phoenix ran an advertising campaign that featured Microsoft, Twitter, Adobe and Yahoo, giving a false impression the school worked with those companies to employ its students. There was no such partnership, according to the FTC, a charge the university disputes."

"According to the complaint, the misleading marketing campaign targeted active-duty service members, veterans and military spouses. The university has been the largest recipient of post-9/11 GI Bill education benefits since the program’s inception more than a decade ago."

https://www.washingtonpost.com/education/2019/12/10/ftc-reaches-million-settlement-with-university-phoenix-deceptive-advertising-probe/

But back to the show...Mr. 3.97 warns that if Amber gets anything other than an "A-plus" for her final grade, she can kiss her 4.0 goodbye.  At all the colleges I attended (mostly famous football schools), an A was the highest grade, and it was 4.0 grade points.  There was no A-plus.  Maybe Mr. 3.97 enrolled in some sort of University of Phoenix Platinum Plan that granted A-pluses?  But even if he did, an A-plus would be more than 4.0 grade points, so you could still have a 4.0 GPA with zero A-pluses if every other grade was an A.

So many questions.  Although it's becoming clear that my original assumption, that Amber doesn't have anybody in her life who knows anything about a real college like Purdue University, is looking to be correct.  Well except for all the MTV staff, of course, whose livelihood depends on her continuing to be ignorant and clueless, and who should have a hard time sleeping at night.

[toodywoody]

Since Amber doesn't have to work and take care of kids, her GPA should be high. When I went to college I was working at night and taking care of my daughter who was around Leah's age. So what I'm getting at, is there is no excuse for her not to have time to do her school work since she's at home and not working and doesn't have custody of her kids. 

[MargeGunderson]

But she has to make her own charcuterie plates now! Who has time for that and school?

[Andyourlittledog2]

And she sees her son on Wednesdays! There goes the whole week. She's just one person, y'all.

 

[BrownBear2012]

23 hours ago, BrownBear2012 said:

It's a "for profit" school. They basically charge you a buttload of money for a diploma. They are known to target vets who use the G.I. Bill college/vocational $$ to pay for it. These for profit schools are notoriously bad and tuition is sometimes higher than a regular college. They usually have one large office building or just several floors of an office building for "classes" though probably most of the "classes" are remote now. I'm sure Amber's brother was targeted the minute he finished his tour of duty and got swamped with solicitation calls from various for profit "schools".

My bad... I should have correctly called this school "University of Phoenix" instead of just "Phoenix". And dollars to donuts Amber's brother was definitely targeted when he left the military. A friend of mine got a job at Strayer University, a for profit "school" as a curriculum counselor. When he arrived at work the first day he was given a long list of names of people with their phone numbers and told to make cold calls to them and pitch Strayer. He was told they were all vets that probably are looking to further their education and to hard sell Strayer as the best school for them to be a part of. After two days of trying to sell something that he did not even believe in himself, he quit. He said he felt dirty for trying to sell a school like this to people that had seen terrible things in defense of our country...it made him feel dirty. He got a better job two weeks later that didn't involve selling a fake school to people that had just returned from a war. They never explained to him why they hired him as "curriculum counselor" instead of just being honest and say it was a sales job.

[Andyourlittledog2]

It may very well be true that UOP marketed to Amber's brother and they had been cited for their marketing in the past but that does not negate the fact that it an accredited school and a lot of people who go back to school for higher degrees (usually older people who have day jobs and families) do study an accredited not easy program in whatever field and get degrees that are recognized by employers and allow them to promote and advance in their careers. It is not in the same category as those for profit schools who were scamming and churning out useless degrees and programs and leaving people high and dry. Not all for profits are equal. I've known several people who earned higher (bachelor and masters) degrees from Phoenix and gotten good jobs and promotions due to the degrees they got from this school. Expensive, yes. Marketing issues in the past, yes. But they aren't a scam university who churn out useless degrees that are not recognized  in the real job world.

[Cosmocrush]

On 10/26/2021 at 7:36 PM, lasandi said:

I see MTV has ceased renting friends for Amber to bounce things off of and that producer is now it.  Amber’s life seems lonely and sad to me and I almost feel sorry for her.  I said almost.  Lol 

Same.  Seriously, doesn't Amber have ANY friends that would at least consent to a FaceTime call?  Her mother, her brother, and now the producer. I thought about this last night and realized we really have never seen her with a girlfriend have we?  There was a cousin who used to show up from time to time when the cameras were there not for a long time now. 

[sandwoman]

Quote

Cate and Tyler are just clueless parents. Poor Vaeda. It was just unnecessary cruelty to abruptly take away her pacifiers. And she reacted by loudly crying and they did little to comfort her. It seemed they were almost gleeful. They could have eased her into giving up the pacifier by transitioning slowly. Start by only allowing in the crib and at bedtime. There are books that they could have read to her that explain in terms she would understand that “you’re a big girl.” They could have had small rewards for times she didn’t have it

THIS. Also I HATED that Cate said "we're weaning her" as she's holding a screaming child who they are making go cold turkey. That's not weaning! They don't know anything!  They don't even have to read a book, literally they could google "How to wean two year old from pacifier" and find simple blogs and videos with tips that aren't torturing a poor baby for no reason. 

I really feel for Vaeda. As the middle child, she's going to get the least amount of attention I fear. 

[TheRealT]

1 hour ago, sandwoman said:

THIS. Also I HATED that Cate said "we're weaning her" as she's holding a screaming child who they are making go cold turkey. That's not weaning! They don't know anything!  They don't even have to read a book, literally they could google "How to wean two year old from pacifier" and find simple blogs and videos with tips that aren't torturing a poor baby for no reason.

And what made it all so much worse for me was that I felt like C & T were doing it for a storyline on the show. Neither of them strikes me as thoughtful enough for it to occur to them to try to change their child's behavior except to eliminate behaviors that are annoying for C & T. The binky is the opposite, a simple thing that keeps the kid out of their hair sometimes. I don't see why either of them would even think to "wean" Vaeda from the binky. It's not like they read about in a parenting magazine or heard about it from a friend in a moms group. I think the only rationale they expressed was Ty saying, "Who wants their kid using a binky when they're [some age]?!" [in that super cool and funny way he has. why hasn't he been swooped up to star in a sitcom yet?!]

I think they were trying to come up with some kind of "Vaeda's going to be a big sister now. How will that affect her?" storyline (like Nova's last week) and the binky thing seemed like a good idea. Since they're morons and horrible parents, it was the best they could come up with and they didn't even think to look up any information about how to support your child in making that transition. I'm sure they thought the storyline would make them relatable to "normal" parents, but, like all their attempts to appear "normal," just-- no.

It's gotten to the point where all of the OGs + Mackenzie have resorted to a strategy of using their kids' challenges and life events as content so they can maintain their own privacy. It's disgusting. Cheyenne's Party of the Week storylines are annoying and boring, but at least she's not exploiting her kids (as much).

[StatisticalOutlier]

19 hours ago, Andyourlittledog2 said:

It may very well be true that UOP marketed to Amber's brother and they had been cited for their marketing in the past but that does not negate the fact that it an accredited school and a lot of people who go back to school for higher degrees (usually older people who have day jobs and families) do study an accredited not easy program in whatever field and get degrees that are recognized by employers and allow them to promote and advance in their careers.

My problem is that someone closely related to Amber got a 3.97 GPA at University of Phoenix. 

[Andyourlittledog2]

2 hours ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

My problem is that someone closely related to Amber got a 3.97 GPA at University of Phoenix. 

Yeah, that burns. 🙂

I'm pissed off because I am a complete brick and mortar snob and find myself defending UOP because I know too many people who did mid-life masters programs there and got good jobs and promotions.  I'm petty, I know.