S9.E23: Home Is Where The Heart Is

[druzy]

Cheyenne gives birth to baby Ace while Catelynn plans a babymoon. Mackenzie’s father comes to visit, so she tries to get his health back on track. Gary wants to understand Amber’s mental illnesses so agrees to go to therapy with her.

Airs November 16, 2021

[Andyourlittledog2]

Good lord. This description had me rolling my eyes so hard I gave myself a headache. a babymoon?   Is that the midwest's version of a baby sprinkle? Btw, 'baby sprinkle' immediately makes me think of a baby peeing on one. For that matter a 'babymoon' conjures up a little butt. Maybe there's something wrong with me.

Gary going to therapy to hear alllllll about Amber's many diagnoses is something I think Amber will really love as it makes her the center of all attention and highlights her victimhood.  Poooooor Amber. Ugh.

Watching Mackenzie parent her father when she completely fails at parenting her own kids annoys me for some reason. I like her dad but not Mackenzie with her dad so that's a plotline I am not looking forward to seeing. And it will doubtless include more Odes to My Dead Mother.

Cheyenne giving birth just reads her entire family and friends paying homage to the wonder that is Miss Cheyenne.

Why do I watch this show again?

[ginger90]

2 clips:

 

 

 

 

[Andyourlittledog2]

Little Miss Control Freak shows her ass tonight.  I think Taylor left because he didn't want to say what he was really thinking on camera. I'd be so pissed if my partner pulled that crap on me. Maci won't get out of bed so Taylor makes a very very very minor decision about picking up his OWN child and Maci gets pissed because he didn't 'run it by her first'. She is so in the wrong here. Unless there is some reason Taylor should not be picking up any of the kids (drunk, loaded, suspended license, etc) then he doesn't need any reason at all to make a safe arrangement for Jayde's pick up on one day when Maci felt ill and didn't get out of bed. Seriously, this woman just pushes my buttons.  The MTV lifestyle money is the only reason I can see that they are still together. Like last week when she was hugging him and didn't show the affection you'd give someone who wasn't your husband. It's like it's Maci's world and she will judge you and decide if you are worthy of her attention and allowed to live in it.

[Mr. Miner]

I keep tuning in hoping Amber will be euthanized. 🤷🏻‍♂️

[eskimo]

It looks like Kristina is completely over Gary trying to accommodate Amber.  If she said that on camera then things must really be boiling under the surface, otherwise she'd have smiled and nodded until the cameras left.  

Maci so completely overreacted about this stupid little detail.  Taylor looks like he is also boiling below the surface.  Everything is about Maci.  Even Taylor's counseling session was about how he could tiptoe around Maci's issues.  

Cate had to have just been dreaming out loud when she mentioned PR and Hawaii.  First of all she probably wouldn't be allowed to fly that far along.  Second is that it would be stupid to expose your pregnant self and baby to Covid by sharing air with 300 other people in a giant tube.  Since her text to her mom said a lakehouse in MI, I'm thinking that talk was just for the cameras. 

Mac's dad is really struggling.   I feel so bad for him.  

[Andyourlittledog2]

1 hour ago, eskimo said:

Even Taylor's counseling session was about how he could tiptoe around Maci's issues.  

Right?  That was a general counseling session about general communication. Fine. But let's get into detail about what was actually communicated and I think there would be a deeper dive into why Maci is so controlling and can't even deal with Taylor not immediately bowing before her and apologizing and swearing to always abide by Maci's rules for how they navigate their daily lives.  And Maci kept emphasizing how much in love they are and minimizing her role in the problem.

If I never hear any of the these people giggle about 'morning sex' or 'blowies' again it will be too soon.

I noticed Kristina being just barely accepting of Gary going to counseling to 'understand Amber'. I'd love to know what she says when the cameras aren't around. I would also bet money on Amber's counselor being another MTV choice who basically offers affirmations of whatever is the Teen Mom's attitude and doesn't challenge them to think past their own wants and points of view. That seems to be a theme with these televised therapy sessions, making the respective Teen Mom happy and 'right'.

Mac's delighted squealing for all occasions has got to stop. No wonder her kids are so loud all the time. I feel terrible for her dad. He seems so helpless and dependent. Since Wondermom apparently did everything for everyone while she was alive the survivors don't seem to know how to continue living on their own now. It's so unhealthy. Mac acts helpless. Her dad acts helpless. It's just beyond normal.

Edited November 17, 2021 by Andyourlittledog2

[Cosmocrush]

Maci honestly never bothered me...before last night.  Then I saw some of what all the criticism is about.  Good grief, she's down for the entire day so Taylor takes over the pickup duties (as he should) the best way he can and she gets angry?!?  Because he let her sleep?  Because he took care of their children without disturbing her?   Seriously, if Taylor had bothered her to ask what he should do about Jade I think she would have told him to figure it out (or maybe that's just what I would do). 

By the way, seems her Big Pile o' Crap has reconstituted itself on the bedroom floor.

[Soobs]

Mac's self described dirty house looked a lot better than Maci's cluttered compound. It looked like Home Goods barfed up an entire store in Maci's mansion. Weird argument between Maci and Taylor. She said something like their whole thing is being there for their kids. I guess that means you aren't allowed a sick day and you have to be a servant to your kids? She has control issues and the life coach lady was useless.

Looks like Gary's wife is sick of being Saint Kristina and I can't blame her. I didn't follow the Instagram drama that closely but didn't Amber blame her for Leah not wanting a relationship complete with home wrecker name calling? And then she either didn't apologize or "apologized" and that's why Leah and Amber can barely be in the same room with her? Not sure that's how it went down but that's my impression. In the lead up to the therapy session Gary said something about Amber saying things out of line and then apologizing and then they (Kristina and Gary) apologizing. Why would they apologize? It seemed like he was placating her as usual. It must be maddening for Kristina if that's the case. They should leave the show but Gary seems pretty locked into it.

 

[Cosmocrush]

18 hours ago, Mr. Miner said:

I keep tuning in hoping Amber will be euthanized. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Oh Emm Gee, I'm glad I didn't have coffee in my mouth when I read this!😄

I know many of us have logged serious couch time in the last 22 months but Amber has been on the couch for the entirely of this series.  I have NO idea how she survived prison where I imagine there are no couches and they don't allow someone to sit on one for two years.    The thing is I think she is just fine with the situation.  Kids/no kids, high/sober, boyfriend/no boyfriend it doesn't seem to matter; she's not leaving the couch.  

I don't know why Gary thinks he needs to go to Amber's doctor "understand Amber's mental illness" any more than he already does.  Read a book Gar.  Oh and to stay snarky, I had a chuckle when I saw the signage outside her doctor's office:  Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 

 

[StatisticalOutlier]

3 hours ago, Cosmocrush said:

I had a chuckle when I saw the signage outside her doctor's office:  Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 

Me, too.  It's not like she started seeing this guy back when she was young and wants to continue with him. 

And...surely Amber and the doc have discussed her life, right?  It's obviously not up to him to be her college counselor but is he yet another person who's letting Amber wallow in disinformation about the path to her chosen career?

[BrownBear2012]

On 11/16/2021 at 5:59 PM, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Little Miss Control Freak shows her ass tonight.  I think Taylor left because he didn't want to say what he was really thinking on camera. I'd be so pissed if my partner pulled that crap on me. Maci won't get out of bed so Taylor makes a very very very minor decision about picking up his OWN child and Maci gets pissed because he didn't 'run it by her first'. She is so in the wrong here. Unless there is some reason Taylor should not be picking up any of the kids (drunk, loaded, suspended license, etc) then he doesn't need any reason at all to make a safe arrangement for Jayde's pick up on one day when Maci felt ill and didn't get out of bed. Seriously, this woman just pushes my buttons.  The MTV lifestyle money is the only reason I can see that they are still together. Like last week when she was hugging him and didn't show the affection you'd give someone who wasn't your husband. It's like it's Maci's world and she will judge you and decide if you are worthy of her attention and allowed to live in it.

To me, this seemed very scripted. There is no storyline for these two anymore now that Ryan and company are no longer on the show so the producers have to come up with some kind of drama. The shooting PTSD has run its course so why not have a faux argument about picking up Jayde from school. Yawn fest. Even his phone call to Maci's friend seemed scripted...she was way too happy to interupt her day to pick up Maci's kid. And I'm calling them out on this...99% of public schools in this country have strict rules about pick ups. You can't just randomly have someone pick up your kid from school without notification to the main office at school and then you have to sign in and in some cases show ID. Some schools even have a 24 hour in advance pick up notice...everything about Taylor and Maci seems contrived and fake.

[BrownBear2012]

7 hours ago, Cosmocrush said:

Oh Emm Gee, I'm glad I didn't have coffee in my mouth when I read this!😄

I know many of us have logged serious couch time in the last 22 months but Amber has been on the couch for the entirely of this series.  I have NO idea how she survived prison where I imagine there are no couches and they don't allow someone to sit on one for two years.    The thing is I think she is just fine with the situation.  Kids/no kids, high/sober, boyfriend/no boyfriend it doesn't seem to matter; she's not leaving the couch.  

I don't know why Gary thinks he needs to go to Amber's doctor "understand Amber's mental illness" any more than he already does.  Read a book Gar.  Oh and to stay snarky, I had a chuckle when I saw the signage outside her doctor's office:  Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 

 

Exactly...why the hell is she seeing a shrink that specializes in child and adolescent psychiatry??? She's a grown ass woman with adult issues. I just don't understand why Gary is placating her by going to her therapy session...they aren't together anymore! I totally get why Kristin feels that (again) Gary is putting Amber before her and his kids. He owes her nothing. She will never understand why Leah holds so much animosity towards her...she's a malignant narcissist. Add that one to her list of mental illnesses that she uses to excuse her shitty behavior. Gary needs to tell her that Leah isn't ready to jump back into a relationship with her right now and that he isn't going to be pushing her to do so. She has a lot of hurt and anger about Amber's behaviors, poor choices that she put before her own daughter and the online bullying that Amber has engaged in that has hurt Leah and Kristina...so it's best for Amber to work on herself and let Leah work on her feelings. Perhaps in time they can reconnect. Goodbye!

[BrownBear2012]

On 11/16/2021 at 3:33 PM, Andyourlittledog2 said:

Good lord. This description had me rolling my eyes so hard I gave myself a headache. a babymoon?   Is that the midwest's version of a baby sprinkle? Btw, 'baby sprinkle' immediately makes me think of a baby peeing on one. For that matter a 'babymoon' conjures up a little butt. Maybe there's something wrong with me.

Gary going to therapy to hear alllllll about Amber's many diagnoses is something I think Amber will really love as it makes her the center of all attention and highlights her victimhood.  Poooooor Amber. Ugh.

Watching Mackenzie parent her father when she completely fails at parenting her own kids annoys me for some reason. I like her dad but not Mackenzie with her dad so that's a plotline I am not looking forward to seeing. And it will doubtless include more Odes to My Dead Mother.

Cheyenne giving birth just reads her entire family and friends paying homage to the wonder that is Miss Cheyenne.

Why do I watch this show again?

"Babymoons" are the latest "thing" with celebrities and rich people. Usually during the sixth month of pregnancy couples go to some relaxing resort/beach and spend a few days just enjoying each other before baby is born. Along with gender reveal parties and co-ed baby showers, this seems to be the new "in" thing to do. Cate was way too far along to go anywhere and a trip to PR or Hawaii was just absurd. These two are the biggest nudniks on the show

[TheRealT]

On 11/17/2021 at 12:23 AM, eskimo said:

It looks like Kristina is completely over Gary trying to accommodate Amber.  If she said that on camera then things must really be boiling under the surface, otherwise she'd have smiled and nodded until the cameras left. 

I noticed that too. Good for Kristina being over Amber and her bullshit. I think Gary's heart is in the right place with trying to find a way to positively engage Amber in Leah's/their lives, but... it's Amber. She's fucked up. There's nothing her psychiatrist can explain to make it ok. She seriously hopes that therapy for Leah would entail a mental health professional telling Leah that she's got Amber all wrong and that Amber is a great mom who's always been there for her, but Amber has some mental health issues that are totally beyond her control. Those issues somehow make Amber prioritize men over her daughter, blow off visits, and be totally self-involved.

In all fairness, the self-involvement probably is due to Amber's mental illnesses and that's kind of the root cause of the other behaviors. BUT "I'm an asshole because I'm mentally ill, so everyone just has to accept it and excuse all of my assholeish behavior" doesn't really work, especially with a child. Amber's idea of "resolving things" is to make Leah/Gary/Kristina understand that Amber is Mentally Ill, so whatever she does is ok and their role is to unconditionally support and kowtow to her. Gary's idea is to somehow make Amber a functional adult/parent who gives a fuck about her daughter. They'll never be on the same page. Gary needs to focus on supporting Leah in understanding and accepting that her birth mother will never care about her the way she should and moving forward positively however she can. That's a very tall order which leaves little/no bandwidth for trying to make Amber feel better about being an asshole.

Do people who already have two kids really go on "babymoons"? It was so weird hearing Cate go on about how they won't have any time for themselves after the baby comes when-- they already have two young kids. Obviously, those kids will get less attention when there's a newborn in the house, so how about having a "parentingmoon" during which they give the kids extra attention in anticipation of them having to adjust to their baby sister? No? Too child-focused? I can't imagine how stressful it is for two people who have no jobs to contemplate having to care for their infant (who isn't even a boy!). My heart goes out to them.

Speaking of two parents, zero jobs, I am riveted by the ongoing saga of How Will Maci and Taylor Organize Picking Up and Dropping Off Their Three Kids for School and Activities? Hopefully, MTV will do a spinoff show focusing on that exclusively. I didn't even understand what Maci's alleged beef was. Does she feel like it's a parenting failure if anyone but her or Taylor picks the kids up from school? Why? People with jobs have to rely on others picking up/dropping off their kids all the time. Are they all substandard parents? What damage does it do to kids to have a non-parent pick them up from school? Is it greater than the damage that having their privacy sold on MTV does? I hate Maci.

Edited November 18, 2021 by TheRealT

[Jeanne222]

Maci really showed her ass in this episode.  Maybe she's why Ryan drinks!

Maybe we've been focusing on the wrong idiot all along!

Edited November 18, 2021 by Jeanne222

[3outta5]

So we agree there is 0% chance Tyler actually did the set up for that dinner, right?? The rose petals were too symmetrical (yes, this is what jumped out at me!)

Maci, wtf? I've had your back this whole time but you lost me. Although Ryan is still an idiot AND terrible.

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by 3outta5
grammar

[Chris Knight]

10 hours ago, TheRealT said:

I didn't even understand what Maci's alleged beef was. Does she feel like it's a parenting failure if anyone but her or Taylor picks the kids up from school? Why? People with jobs have to rely on others picking up/dropping off their kids all the time. Are they all substandard parents? What damage does it do to kids to have a non-parent pick them up from school? Is it greater than the damage that having their privacy sold on MTV does? I hate Maci.

I didn't get this either. Was she mad he asked a friend for help ? Or was she mad he asked that particular friend ? Or that he didnt get Queen Maci's approval ?

[Cinnabon]

11 hours ago, BrownBear2012 said:

"Babymoons" are the latest "thing" with celebrities and rich people. Usually during the sixth month of pregnancy couples go to some relaxing resort/beach and spend a few days just enjoying each other before baby is born. Along with gender reveal parties and co-ed baby showers, this seems to be the new "in" thing to do. Cate was way too far along to go anywhere and a trip to PR or Hawaii was just absurd. These two are the biggest nudniks on the show

Except in most of those cases, either one or both of the parents actually works, so they take some time that they don’t usually get together. In this case, Tyler and Cate are together 24/7 already.  Not to mention that we’re still in the midst of a pandemic! Great plan to potentially expose a pregnant woman to airport/airplane germs.

Edited November 18, 2021 by Cinnabon

[Cinnabon]

12 hours ago, BrownBear2012 said:

 

NM

Edited November 18, 2021 by Cinnabon

[BrownBear2012]

6 hours ago, 3outta5 said:

So we agree there is 0% chance Tyler actually did the set up for that dinner, right?? The rose petals were too symmetrical (yes, this is what jumped out at me!)

Maci, wtf? I've had your back this whole time but you lost me. Although Ryan is still an idiot AND terrible.

 

MTV did it...remember when Josh did a similar thing for Mackenzie? And you know there was no way Josh could have planned and executed that soiree.

4 hours ago, Chris Knight said:

I didn't get this either. Was she mad he asked a friend for help ? Or was she mad he asked that particular friend ? Or that he didnt get Queen Maci's approval ?

None of the above...it was a manufactured disagreement/conflict by the producers of the show.

[BrownBear2012]

23 hours ago, Soobs said:

Mac's self described dirty house looked a lot better than Maci's cluttered compound. It looked like Home Goods barfed up an entire store in Maci's mansion. Weird argument between Maci and Taylor. She said something like their whole thing is being there for their kids. I guess that means you aren't allowed a sick day and you have to be a servant to your kids? She has control issues and the life coach lady was useless.

Looks like Gary's wife is sick of being Saint Kristina and I can't blame her. I didn't follow the Instagram drama that closely but didn't Amber blame her for Leah not wanting a relationship complete with home wrecker name calling? And then she either didn't apologize or "apologized" and that's why Leah and Amber can barely be in the same room with her? Not sure that's how it went down but that's my impression. In the lead up to the therapy session Gary said something about Amber saying things out of line and then apologizing and then they (Kristina and Gary) apologizing. Why would they apologize? It seemed like he was placating her as usual. It must be maddening for Kristina if that's the case. They should leave the show but Gary seems pretty locked into it.

 

Gary saying they apologized was one of the more outrageous things he's said in quite awhile. Why the hell would they have to apologize to Amber??? Gary placates and enables Amber...also he is codependent with her. Kristina is in a tough spot but she needs to make a stand and tell Gary that he needs to stop all this nonsense with Amber and set boundaries once and for all. Gary will never quit this show...he likes the money too much.

[BrownBear2012]

14 hours ago, TheRealT said:

I noticed that too. Good for Kristina being over Amber and her bullshit. I think Gary's heart is in the right place with trying to find a way to positively engage Amber in Leah's/their lives, but... it's Amber. She's fucked up. There's nothing her psychiatrist can explain to make it ok. She seriously hopes that therapy for Leah would entail a mental health professional telling Leah that she's got Amber all wrong and that Amber is a great mom who's always been there for her, but Amber has some mental health issues that are totally beyond her control. Those issues somehow make Amber prioritize men over her daughter, blow off visits, and be totally self-involved.

In all fairness, the self-involvement probably is due to Amber's mental illnesses and that's kind of the root cause of the other behaviors. BUT "I'm an asshole because I'm mentally ill, so everyone just has to accept it and excuse all of my assholeish behavior" doesn't really work, especially with a child. Amber's idea of "resolving things" is to make Leah/Gary/Kristina understand that Amber is Mentally Ill, so whatever she does is ok and their role is to unconditionally support and kowtow to her. Gary's idea is to somehow make Amber a functional adult/parent who gives a fuck about her daughter. They'll never be on the same page. Gary needs to focus on supporting Leah in understanding and accepting that her birth mother will never care about her the way she should and moving forward positively however she can. That's a very tall order which leaves little/no bandwidth for trying to make Amber feel better about being an asshole.

Do people who already have two kids really go on "babymoons"? It was so weird hearing Cate go on about how they won't have any time for themselves after the baby comes when-- they already have two young kids. Obviously, those kids will get less attention when there's a newborn in the house, so how about having a "parentingmoon" during which they give the kids extra attention in anticipation of them having to adjust to their baby sister? No? Too child-focused? I can't imagine how stressful it is for two people who have no jobs to contemplate having to care for their infant (who isn't even a boy!). My heart goes out to them.

Speaking of two parents, zero jobs, I am riveted by the ongoing saga of How Will Maci and Taylor Organize Picking Up and Dropping Off Their Three Kids for School and Activities? Hopefully, MTV will do a spinoff show focusing on that exclusively. I didn't even understand what Maci's alleged beef was. Does she feel like it's a parenting failure if anyone but her or Taylor picks the kids up from school? Why? People with jobs have to rely on others picking up/dropping off their kids all the time. Are they all substandard parents? What damage does it do to kids to have a non-parent pick them up from school? Is it greater than the damage that having their privacy sold on MTV does? I hate Maci.

Tyler and Cate's kids seem bored. They're either whining and rolling around on the couch or floor or wandering around aimlessly with nothing to do. Tyler and Cate seem disengaged, unplugged from their kids. They don't seem to do anything with the girls and spend more time complaining about their lack of contact or time with Carly then actually doing things with the kids they have. 

[MargeGunderson]

I think that Gary clearly misses having a father in his life, and he doesn’t want Leah to feel that way about Amber later in life. He should listen to Leah and let her dictate what kind of relationship she has Amber (if any). Leah is smart and has Amber’s number (so does Kristina).

[Snarky McSnarky]

This series is shedding viewers faster than a snake sheds its skin.  It started the season with an underwhelming 500,000, and lost ground with every episode.  Now for the first time, a regular season TM show had fewer than 400,000 viewers...395,000 to be exact. 

https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-tuesday-11-16-2021-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html

 

 

Edited November 18, 2021 by Snarky McSnarky

[heatherchandler]

38 minutes ago, Snarky McSnarky said:

This series is shedding viewers faster than a snake sheds its skin.  It started the season with an underwhelming 500,000, and lost ground with every episode.  Now for the first time, a regular season TM show had fewer than 400,000 viewers...395,000 to be exact. 

https://showbuzzdaily.com/articles/showbuzzdailys-tuesday-11-16-2021-top-150-cable-originals-network-finals.html

 

Wow!  Ratings slipping??  Even with riveting storylines like "Maci is mad because Taylor asked someone else to pick up their daughter?"  Well if that isn't good tv, I don't know WHAT is!

How about when she said, "we pride ourselves on always being there for our kids..."  And she thinks that somehow, having another person pick them up from school means she is not there for them?  

Edited November 18, 2021 by heatherchandler

[Jeanne222]

I said it before I think Gary, strange as it is, is still sweet on Amber!  He would deny it a million times but his actions speak otherwise. 

Kristina has a tough job taking care of Ambers child while her husband drops everything every time Amber calls. 

Wasn’t it a short time ago Amber accused him of getting fresh with her?

Didn’t Gary want to set Amber up in a double wide on his property. 

If I was Kristina I’d surely have a secret stash of cash.  She just might need it someday. 

[MistyMeg]

On 11/17/2021 at 1:56 AM, Mr. Miner said:

I keep tuning in hoping Amber will be euthanized. 🤷🏻‍♂️

This has to be by far the best post I have ever read on any forum!!!!  Brilliant!!!  All we need now is Ambers  farewell message....   💉

[kitkat343]

   ON 11/16/2021 AT 8:56 PM,  MR. MINER SAID: 

I keep tuning in hoping Amber will be euthanized. 🤷🏻‍♂️

16 hours ago, MistyMeg said:

This has to be by far the best post I have ever read on any forum!!!!  Brilliant!!!  All we need now is Ambers  farewell message....   💉

 

 

We already know the farewell message will be delivered on a couch.

Edited November 20, 2021 by kitkat343

[teapot]

I might sound insensitive;  I fortunately don’t have an illness that requires me to take meds to feel normal.  And I know mental illnesses are real.

BUT Amber is milking it, right?  She looked so smug while trying to explain to Gary that he wasn’t “like her”, like it made her special or something.  I’m positive we have ordinary moms in this world who are “like her” who just get up, take their medication, take their kids to school, go to work and get on with it

[teapot]

So, Maci is *totally* relatable, right?  We all have morning sex w/our husbands, followed by a beer and a fight over why we just love him so stinking much.  Obviously. 

[TheRealT]

32 minutes ago, teapot said:

I might sound insensitive;  I fortunately don’t have an illness that requires me to take meds to feel normal.  And I know mental illnesses are real.

BUT Amber is milking it, right?  She looked so smug while trying to explain to Gary that he wasn’t “like her”, like it made her special or something.  I’m positive we have ordinary moms in this world who are “like her” who just get up, take their medication, take their kids to school, go to work and get on with it

Yeah. Amber is a horrible "mental health advocate" because she's not managing her mental health issues well. At all. With all due sensitivity and consideration, she just isn't. She doesn't have any kind of custody of either of her kids (rightfully, for the kids' well-being); she keeps getting in trouble with the law for acting out violently; she posts destructive (to herself and her kids), "crazy" rants on SM; she doesn't seem to understand why her daughter has been hurt/alienated by her behavior; etc., etc. Amber is a mess. There are mentally ill people who are holding down jobs, being good parents, helping others, raising awareness about managing mental illness, planting flowers in the park, whatever. Amber isn't doing any of that stuff. Personally, I don't even necessarily buy her story that she's getting As and Bs in her two classes at Purdue Global (but good for her if she is).

Amber's idea of "raising awareness" about mental illness is convincing everyone in her life and the general public that people who can claim "mental illness" should be exempt from any judgment or scrutiny of their actions. "Oh, you slapped me/chased me with a machete while I was holding our baby?-- No problem! You're mentally ill! That makes it all ok! My bad! I'm sorry! No really, I should have understood that you have an uncontrollable need to abuse me and our child. I apologize for being such an insensitive asshole. Are you ok, Amber? Is there anything I can do for you (besides taking 100% responsibility for caring for our child since you obviously can't because-- Hey, MENTAL ILLNESS-- but you're still an awesome mom!) Again, I'm so sorry! I'm such an asshole and you're awesome!" She's literally delusional.

[Jeanne222]

I still remember Amber zooming out of Gary's driveway in her white car angry she had driven 40 miles to see Leah!

Maybe Leah is wiser than the adults.  She says "enough" and means it!

[Polliwollidoodle]

I guess maybe I am in the declining # of viewers. I was probably catching about 2 out of every 3 times and now I think I've missed the last several. I do sometimes catch it on demand but that requires effort  lol.

I will try to watch the clips at least about Maci and T's tensiion and devotion to each other.

Re Caitlyn and Tyler and their lack of parenting their kids, I think I have shared this before that yes I agree but I do feel that neither of them had anything remotely resembling a good supportive role model for parenting. Compared to what they had growing up, they are stellar examples. I don't really believe that, but my point is since they are not abusing their kids and the kids are not hungry and sleeping on the floor or bare mattresses, this is a vast improvement over the way they grew up.   

....know what I would love to see ? (and forgive me if it's been shown. I clearly missed it)..... as one of the excursions or even a mention of a trip to a library. You know, where you don't need to spend money and possess things?

[Cinnabon]

10 hours ago, teapot said:

I might sound insensitive;  I fortunately don’t have an illness that requires me to take meds to feel normal.  And I know mental illnesses are real.

BUT Amber is milking it, right?  She looked so smug while trying to explain to Gary that he wasn’t “like her”, like it made her special or something.  I’m positive we have ordinary moms in this world who are “like her” who just get up, take their medication, take their kids to school, go to work and get on with it

I think she is truly severely mentally ill and would be on disability if not for the MTV money. IMO she has a personality disorder, and those are very hard to treat even with meds. None of this excuses how she acts and treats her kids, but I think her mental illnesses are real. Thank goodness her kids both have dads able to raise them.

[TheRealT]

On 11/20/2021 at 11:39 AM, Cinnabon said:

I think she is truly severely mentally ill and would be on disability if not for the MTV money. IMO she has a personality disorder, and those are very hard to treat even with meds. None of this excuses how she acts and treats her kids, but I think her mental illnesses are real. Thank goodness her kids both have dads able to raise them.

ITA. Amber's mental illnesses are obviously real. What she doesn't seem to understand is that others have the right to protect themselves and their kids from her abusive, hurtful behavior. They're not being "mean" or "ignorant" or "insensitive." If someone is a homicidal maniac, that's a "mental illness," but it doesn't mean that people have to let her kill them or be totally fine with her killing people and just do whatever the killer wants to support, protect, and enable her while she goes on killing people.

Amber doesn't understand that other parents have a hard time getting out of bed to visit their kids because of their mental (or physical) illnesses. Or even just the stresses of being a functional adult. Depending on the circumstances, many of them get out of bed anyway because they want to do the best they can for their kids. And Amber only has to visit with her kids, it's not like she's actually taking care of them. She's "too sick" to see her kids once a week for a few hours for weeks and weeks at a time and she doesn't even call to talk to the kid or try to come by another time. When anyone calls her out, she gets defensive and self-pitying, insisting that everyone, including her kids, should "understand" that she's mentally ill, which justifies all of her behavior. Same thing when she posts nasty rants about Leah's real mom online, embarrassing and hurting Leah. Same thing when she chases James and his dad with a machete. Same when she intentionally tries to hurt Leah and ruin her 12th birthday by blowing her off at the last minute (again). Etc., etc. Amber isn't even sorry for all the horrible shit she does; she doesn't even pretend to be. She actually blames everyone else and paints herself as a victim. Even on her best day, she has ZERO gratitude toward Kristina and Gary for taking care of her kid and she's actually pissed at Kristina for it. She seriously believes that that makes sense and that Kristina has somehow wronged her by being a great stepmom to Leah (while Amber was in jail/more focused on herself or her latest bf). Like, she seriously expects other people to see it like that too, even Leah. How can anyone have a healthy relationship with someone like that?

Amber isn't just benignly mentally ill. She's extremely toxic and abusive and she seems to have no empathy, even for her own kids (who have been through a lot, mostly because of Amber). It's really impressive that Leah is able to recognize that and set some boundaries with Amber since Gary and Kristina have been so codependent and enabling with Amber up to this point (K seems to be done now). I hope Leah is able to get help in understanding that choosing not to endlessly indulge Amber is appropriate and healthy and find a way to make peace with her birth mom being in her life on a limited basis (if at all). I think it's unrealistic to think that Amber will someday get it together to the point where Leah will be able to have a "normal" close relationship with her in a healthy way.

[MistyMeg]

On 11/20/2021 at 5:48 AM, kitkat343 said:

   ON 11/16/2021 AT 8:56 PM,  MR. MINER SAID: 

I keep tuning in hoping Amber will be euthanized. 🤷🏻‍♂️

 

 

We already know the farewell message will be delivered on a couch.

Starting with  " I know I have been a great Mom!!! "  She will screw her face up and pretend to cry.....😭

[monicageller]

On 11/18/2021 at 11:49 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

Me, too.  It's not like she started seeing this guy back when she was young and wants to continue with him. 

And...surely Amber and the doc have discussed her life, right?  It's obviously not up to him to be her college counselor but is he yet another person who's letting Amber wallow in disinformation about the path to her chosen career?

It's very Ross Geller and his pediatrician. But this is real life, which makes it both funnier and sadder at the same time.