S05.E04: New Kids On The Block

[Brooklynista]

Like all the rest of you, I was really baffled by Tyler's conversation w his mother in the diner.  He was talking to his mother like he's going to go in that meeting w BrandonandTeresa and lay the smack down on them.  He's gonna step in the room all big dicked Justin Beiber of the Midwest and give them the whatfor.   Uh huh.  You tell em Tyler. 

 

I can't wait for Tyler, the one with absolutely rights or power in this situation to tell BrandonandTeresa just how it's gonna be.  And they had better like it.  Yessir.  You tell em Ty.

 

I. Cannot. Wait.

[kira28]

 

Like all the rest of you, I was really baffled by Tyler's conversation w his mother in the diner.  He was talking to his mother like he's going to go in that meeting w BrandonandTeresa and lay the smack down on them.  He's gonna step in the room all big dicked Justin Beiber of the Midwest and give them the whatfor.   Uh huh.  You tell em Tyler.

 

I can't wait for Tyler, the one with absolutely rights or power in this situation to tell BrandonandTeresa just how it's gonna be.  And they had better like it.  Yessir.  You tell em Ty.

 

I. Cannot. Wait.





 

 Agree!  I don't understand why Tyler's mom (who is usually pretty straight up tell it like it is) doesn't put the smackdown on her son and maybe.. say.. introduce him to reality! He has no rights to Carly.  Legally she is nothing to him. He has no more rights to her than he does to any  of his "millions" of followers' kids.  If B&T have asked for a meeting to discuss how they see the contact with Carly happening, most likely the news ain't pretty. I mean it was normally that Cate and Tyler got to see Carly once a year. And they said its been over a year since they last saw her... so things aren't looking good for Catelynn and Tyler. Then Tyler is a jack ass and deliberately defies B&T's wishes regarding social media and now Tyler thinks he can saunter into this meeting like a scrawny bad ass and tell Carly's REAL parents and the two people who control access to her that they need to understand how Tyler feels and put themselves in HIS shoes. Um just no. HIs whining about how he has put himself in the adoptive parents shoes for the last six years and now its their turn to put themselves in his shoes. NOPE. Not gonna fly. I can't believe his mom agreed with him!! No, its actually time for B&T to do the responsible thing for Carly and cut off ALL contact with Tyler and Cate. You can see her in 12 years if she chooses but that's it.  No more visits, no more pictures, no more presents or  updates. Obviously Tyler is too much of a prick to follow a few rules so too bad!

[ghoulina]

I feel badly for Catelynn in this situation, though. I haven't really seen HER do anything to break the rules or disrespect Carly's parents. It will really suck if Tyler ruins things for her. Orrr....she could finally break it off with him and deal with B&T on her own. But we have a better chance of Maci graduating college this year than we do of that.

[Tatum]

 

Agree!  I don't understand why Tyler's mom (who is usually pretty straight up tell it like it is) doesn't put the smackdown on her son and maybe.. say.. introduce him to reality!

 

I don't know that Kim can always be counted on to give Tyler a much needed kick in the ass. While she occasionally has good advice, she seriously enables a lot of his bullshit. And in just the previous episode, Catelynn was explaining to Kim that B&T might be mad about the online postings, and Kim is like, well Tyler doesn't like being told what to do, or something to that effect. Well boo hoo, Kim, Tyler's going to probably have a lot of times where he's told what to do.

 

And she seems to share Tyler's lack of understanding about boundaries regarding Carly and what Tyler's "rights" are. In a previous season, when Cate and Tyler invited B&T to something (was it their high school graduation?) and B&T didn't immediately accept, didn't Kim take it upon herself to call them up and pressure them into coming? I remember Dawn called C&T in for a meeting and basically said, please don't have your batshit crazy relatives calling up B&T on your behalf.

 

Really, I blame Kim for a lot when it comes to Tyler. She seems to have this attitude that he's her precious little baby boy that can do no wrong and anyone that disagrees with him is out of line.

[NikSac]

Agreed. If it really was a case of her switching brands of BC, your doctor and pharmacist will caution you to use a backup method during any lapse in BC. It really should be common sense at this point. All these babies are "trap" babies, IMO. 

 

Plus, I've never heard of switching brands causing this problem. Switching the type for sure - like switching the hormones used in it - but the brand? That doesn't make sense. She should've gone for the antibiotics excuse, at least - it's more believable.  I too think they were all "trap" babies, but I can't believe the girls are still naive enough to think that'll actually work.

[Brooklynista]

Plus, I've never heard of switching brands causing this problem. Switching the type for sure - like switching the hormones used in it - but the brand? That doesn't make sense. She should've gone for the antibiotics excuse, at least - it's more believable.  I too think they were all "trap" babies, but I can't believe the girls are still naive enough to think that'll actually work.

Ha!

 

The old antibiotics and orange juice tale.  When did that one go out of fashion?

[poopchute]

Yeah I've been on birth control for 17 years and my pill brand has switched more times than I can count.  Sometimes I'll just go and pick it up and it's a whole new packaging or it just has a new name or whatever, and I just proceed as usual and keep on truckin.  I don't think I've ever known in advance, I've pretty much just opened them up and been like, oh these are different again, oh well down the hatch.  No doctor or pharmacist told me I should be concerned or do anything differently.

 

I wonder what Catelyn and Tyler are up to on all their social media accounts lately.  I don't follow them or care enough to check them out to satisfy my curiosity but I do wonder what they are saying in regards to these recent episodes, or are they saying nothing at all?  Since they spend all day reading about themselves on the internet, I'm sure they've read plenty of negative feedback.  Maybe Tyler is reading this right now!  Anyway I just would love to see his reaction to all this.

[ginger90]

I wonder what Catelyn and Tyler are up to on all their social media accounts lately. 

I didn't see anything specific about an episode, but there's this: https://twitter.com/TylerBaltierra/status/588752298094002176

And this is interesting:  https://twitter.com/CatelynnLowell/status/588406255292649472

 Lots of therapy???

[Darknight]

I didn't see anything specific about an episode, but there's this: https://twitter.com/TylerBaltierra/status/588752298094002176

And this is interesting: https://twitter.com/CatelynnLowell/status/588406255292649472

Lots of therapy???

She needs a better therapist.

[Snarky McSnarky]

I didn't see anything specific about an episode, but there's this: https://twitter.com/TylerBaltierra/status/588752298094002176

Tyler, when it comes to men's clothing designs...less is more.

Edited April 17, 2015 by Bella Roche

[Ffiferoo]

I think maybe Tyler's mom, even though she seems level-headed sometimes (because who wouldn't compared to April and Butch...), is still a part of their seemingly family-wide delusion that Carly is a part of their family.  She probably isn't discouraging Tyler as much as she arguably should because she wants Carly to be a part of her life as well.  I wonder what the effect will be on this dynamic to have the new baby actually present.  Either they'll finally start to move on more, or they'll overcompensate and act even more like Carly should be in their lives "for her sister's sake".

[Trampolina]

Bubby got a criminal justice degree from University of Phoenix?  I work in the juvenile justice field and I'm pretty sure he would be laughed out the door.  What a waste of time and money.

[fliptopbox]

MTV needs to put a stop to this scripted nonsense (TM and TM2).  They're no longer documenting the lives of typical teen parents and their struggles.  They've created a bunch of minor celebrities and thrown lots of money at them.  They're filming eight moms in their early twenties who don't have to work for a living, own houses, and drive brand new cars.  Everybody knows where they got the money to live that way.  Of the eight women, only Chelsea has an ordinary job.  And then there is the ever-changing collection of douche nozzles that viewers are subjected to.  Aside from Corey and Jeremy, the males are just as bad as the moms.  Full of themselves for no reason, talking themselves up but delivering very little of substance.  There is no correlation between these television characters and regular people who had children when they were teens and sacrifice every day to support them.  Enough already.

 

End of rant.

Indeed. It's like the damn housewives, except younger and a lot less successful. At least most of the housewives have (or had) careers and times in their lives when they were actually working to get to their success. These twats have the impression that being on TM and simply giving birth as teens makes them celebs and therefore real work is beneath them...sorry, but no. Have a seat. None of these people are teens anymore, and at this point there is really no purpose in following them around. I have the show DVRing but I haven't actually watched past the first episode. I just get the info here.

 

Ha!

 

The old antibiotics and orange juice tale.  When did that one go out of fashion?

That actually can be true. Before I got an IUD anytime I switched birth control (pills, shot, patch..) I was told certain antibiotics can make them less effective. But I have a feeling Kristina has no idea about any of that. And anyway, if you're just switching types of pills you're only "not covered" for a short time. But really....who would want to sleep with Gary? That'd be the perfect excuse not to!! She's crazy for allowing herself to be tied to him for the rest of her life.

[starfire]

I imagine that C&T's "career" as speakers for open adoption has dried up after Tyler's ridiculous tirades. I blame much of this on the adoption agency. It appears that both C&T and their families are all under the impression that they would be highly involved in Carly's life. Carly visiting and staying with them, spending summers, attending events like high school graduations and weddings, developing relationships with family members, and so on.  Why is this? The adoption counselor never seems to nip that in the bud, and would encourage them to contact B&T about whatever it was C&T wanted (Carly attending graduation for example) to give B&T time to think about their request. Was the adoption plan really that vague? It should have been VERY clear to C&T before the adoption on how things would work. Pictures twice a year, a visit once a year and THAT'S IT.  In the preview for next week, Tyler says something about that in the meeting with B&T, he is going to talk to them about what he pictured the open adoption to look like. WTF? The fact that after 5 or 6 years they apparently still don't have clear guidelines and understand the expectations is a huge problem. C&T are obviously clueless about it and the blame for that lies with the adoption counselor. Also, the post-adoption counseling, or lack thereof, especially for Tyler, is appalling. When he was having serious problems about the adoption, all that the adoption counselor did was give him the phone number of another birthfather.

 

C&T were two troubled kids from screwed up families who made a good decision to choose a better life for their daughter, but who apparently did not receive the  information and appropriate non-biased counseling to make an informed decision.

[lexiexx]

I cannot believe Tyler literally said that Brandon and Theresa would have a sad little girl if they closed the adoption.   Didn't he say that it had been a year and a half since they last saw the kid?    She wouldn't even notice if she didn't see them again.  

 

I just can't get over that little punk's sense of entitlement.   I'd cut his ass off just for that one comment alone if i was Brandon or Theresa.  

 

Even Cate is being an idiot about it even if she does comprehend they don't have rights to Carly or decisions about her being on social media.   Why does she think Brandon and Theresa owe their feelings any consideration?    They are stuck on this idea that they did Brandon and Theresa a favor, which is bullshit IMO.   They should be thanking them for caring for the kid they didn't want to keep.   Not whining about how their feelings on being attention whores on social media should be considered and catered to.   

Edited April 17, 2015 by lexiexx

[DangerousMinds]

Gary is just BEYOND gross. When your girlfriend tells you, "Hey I'm preggors," What does he do? How does he respond to the news? ADOPTION! Brings that up! Then adds "Maybe Amber can be the god mother?"  That alone is so messed up, he has some werid issues that maybe he still thinks he dating Amber in his head. If i was his GF I would dump his butt.

 

Does Gary poor GF just have low self esteem? I mean... RUN GIRL! Between flirting with his ex and getting all upset pervious when Amber said "We are never getting back together," Gary what does that mean with your current girlfriend? Obivously you don't see long term since you argue with Amber about getting back together in the future. Clearly she a placeholder for Amber until she comes back...Look how he recated when she told him she was preggors! Gary is just beyond gross mentally and physical!

 

Also Does Maci look 23 to anyone else? I'm surpise people say she looks young. She looks early 30's to me; you know what this show is going to do right? When the Teen mom OG kids becomes teenagers they are going to get their own spin off show. 10 years not that long if they keep on pimping the moms and when they get tired of this show, "Hey! These kids we know! Let's see their drama teenage lives now!" TEEN MOM WILL NEVER GO AWAY!

 

Also does anyone else think Maci shouldn't planned to tell her son that she pregrant on his Birthday?

 

Is any of the Teen moms have degree's besides Farrah? *Shudders

 

it kinda broke my heart when Gary told his 5 year old daughter that this baby is a mistake. Gee I wonder if that will have any mental impact for year later? Gary is not gonna live long if he stays obese....I feel like gary gf kinda wanted get pregrant to keey Gary since she talked about marriange and Gary could leave since if they are not married.

Adoption is a valid option for an unexpected pregnancy. Why is hat so terrible to verbalize and discuss if that' how he feels?

[Darknight]

I imagine that C&T's "career" as speakers for open adoption has dried up after Tyler's ridiculous tirades. I blame much of this on the adoption agency. It appears that both C&T and their families are all under the impression that they would be highly involved in Carly's life. Carly visiting and staying with them, spending summers, attending events like high school graduations and weddings, developing relationships with family members, and so on. Why is this? The adoption counselor never seems to nip that in the bud, and would encourage them to contact B&T about whatever it was C&T wanted (Carly attending graduation for example) to give B&T time to think about their request. Was the adoption plan really that vague? It should have been VERY clear to C&T before the adoption on how things would work. Pictures twice a year, a visit once a year and THAT'S IT. In the preview for next week, Tyler says something about that in the meeting with B&T, he is going to talk to them about what he pictured the open adoption to look like. WTF? The fact that after 5 or 6 years they apparently still don't have clear guidelines and understand the expectations is a huge problem. C&T are obviously clueless about it and the blame for that lies with the adoption counselor. Also, the post-adoption counseling, or lack thereof, especially for Tyler, is appalling. When he was having serious problems about the adoption, all that the adoption counselor did was give him the phone number of another birthfather.

C&T were two troubled kids from screwed up families who made a good decision to choose a better life for their daughter, but who apparently did not receive the information and appropriate non-biased counseling to make an informed decision.

I think I remember an episode where C&T wanted Carly at their high school graduation. Then got upset when B&T didn't show up or declined. This is why you research things before you do it. From C&T view they thought an open adoption was like co parenting with B&T. Unfortunately it's not. Open adoption means you get updates on the child via letters or pictures. I hope Tyler realizes that he's making it much harder to see or have a relationship with Carly. When she grows up she's going to see how her bio dad is a dick to her parents. It might change her opinion and view of him, if she decides to seek out her birth parents.

[lasandi]

Like all the rest of you, I was really baffled by Tyler's conversation w his mother in the diner.  He was talking to his mother like he's going to go in that meeting w BrandonandTeresa and lay the smack down on them.  He's gonna step in the room all big dicked Justin Beiber of the Midwest and give them the whatfor.   Uh huh.  You tell em Tyler. 

 

I can't wait for Tyler, the one with absolutely rights or power in this situation to tell BrandonandTeresa just how it's gonna be.  And they had better like it.  Yessir.  You tell em Ty.

 

I. Cannot. Wait.

Oh Brooklynista, I have fallen down laughing and I can't get up!!!

[ghoulina]

Tyler, when it comes to men's clothing designs...less is more.

 

Oh my gosh, that douche suit. Awful. Just awful. I am scared to see what he wears to the wedding. (Who am I kidding? He'll call it off!)

[zenme]

FlowerofCarnage: Yest. 10:25 am

I wonder if Brandon and Teresa wanted to meet with Tyler and Catelynn to formally closed the adoption but Dawn and her Bethany bosses convinced them not to because of the potentially negative PR. How would it look if Bethany's star spokespeople for open adoption had their adoption closed on them

 

That's a really good point, but I was thinking B&T felt they needed Dawn there to guide them through closing the adoption.  My thinking is that if I were B & T I wouldn't care what Bethany thinks about negative PR.  Concern for the child would be the priority for me--not Bethany.  Although, I'm sure those Bethany could be quite manipulative...I'm interested to see what will transpire in next week's episode, and what role Dawn will play.

[Tatum]

I usually read the comments here before watching the show in order to decide if it's worth my time to sit down and watch it- so I finally watched last night. I was expecting a certain level of douchery from Tyler based on the comments, but omg, you guys went easy on him.

 

I could not believe his speech to his mom about how he always puts himself in B&T's shoes, and maybe they need to put themselves in his shoes. Hey Tyler- no one needs to be putting themselves in anyone's shoes with regards to Carly. B&T are not asking for your validation of the choices they've made for themselves and their daughter. You don't need to "understand" why B&T would request that you honor certain wishes- you just need to do it. It doesn't matter if you think it's dumb.

 

Tyler seems to have this idea that B&T are providing some kind of finishing school for Carly, and that Tyler can fire them at will if he is not happy with the decisions they make- and that they are requesting feedback from him. B&T are probably too nice and mild mannered to really lay it on the table for C&T, so hopefully Dawn gets that job.

[zenme]

Part of me thinks that Tyler has a really hard time putting himself in B&T's shoes.  He thinks they should just be grateful, bottom line, and I'm sure they are (!), but he's not looking at it as a parent.  He's not seeing that if he really loves Carly he should allow her to have as normal and peaceful of a family life as she can.  When the time comes, she'll seek them out.

[Tatum]

Part of me thinks that Tyler has a really hard time putting himself in B&T's shoes.  He thinks they should just be grateful, bottom line, and I'm sure they are (!), but he's not looking at it as a parent.  He's not seeing that if he really loves Carly he should allow her to have as normal and peaceful of a family life as she can.  When the time comes, she'll seek them out.

 

Well, that seems to be his default line of reasoning- you wouldn't even have Carly if it weren't for me, so you need to just accept whatever I do and just keep reminding yourselves of that. There's just so much wrong with that reasoning and it's unfortunate that no one can make Tyler see that. This is not an ongoing transaction in which Tyler still has input and leverage. While B&T can (and should) continue to be grateful for being chosen by C&T and having their daughter, that does not mean they are obligated to run their decisions by Tyler, or seek his opinion on anything.

[AnythingCanBe]

Well, that seems to be his default line of reasoning- you wouldn't even have Carly if it weren't for me, so you need to just accept whatever I do and just keep reminding yourselves of that. There's just so much wrong with that reasoning and it's unfortunate that no one can make Tyler see that. This is not an ongoing transaction in which Tyler still has input and leverage. While B&T can (and should) continue to be grateful for being chosen by C&T and having their daughter, that does not mean they are obligated to run their decisions by Tyler, or seek his opinion on anything.

 

I totally agree.  And Tyler also seems to be rewriting history by acting like he just gave Carly to B&T as some kind of really nice favor that they should be constantly paying him back for.  In reality, he gave Carly up because he couldn't provide her with a stable home.  Maybe he should stop and be grateful to B&T for giving his biological child a great life (not to mention putting up with his BS for this long).

[Brooklynista]

Here's a question for the room...Why was Kim so damned tan in her diner scene w Tyler?  It was like a special blend of Chelsea Orange-Glo.  Also, was that a postal uniform on her?

Edited April 17, 2015 by Brooklynista

[Snarky McSnarky]

Here's a question for the room...Why was Kim so damned tan in her diner scene w Tyler?  It was like a special blend of Chelsea Orange-Glo.  Also, was that a postal uniform on her?

Not sure what that uniform was, but I loved the producer's solution.  "We're too cheap to go back and blur the logo, so we'll just slap some Gaffer's Tape over her jacket and hat."

[wrestlesflamingos]

As opposed to, you know, politely asking Kim to switch outfits. Nah, let her wear tape.

[CaliforniaLove]

Aside from Corey and Jeremy, the males are just as bad as the moms.

 

I completely disagree...Javi's intentions are PURE!!

[MissMel]

I didn't pay attention to the uniform but maybe Kim got spiffed up for her wedding and that might be the reason for the glow? Just a guess, I'm not sure of the timeline.

[butterbody]

I was thinking she must have had some pretty serious hat hair under there, if she chose to slap tape over it rather than just take it off.

[ghoulina]

I totally agree.  And Tyler also seems to be rewriting history by acting like he just gave Carly to B&T as some kind of really nice favor that they should be constantly paying him back for.  In reality, he gave Carly up because he couldn't provide her with a stable home.  Maybe he should stop and be grateful to B&T for giving his biological child a great life (not to mention putting up with his BS for this long).

 

Yes! Exactly! Tyler walks around like B&T owe him this big debt of gratitude, because without him they wouldn't have their child. But it goes both ways, bubba. You ostensibly gave your child up because you didn't want to bring into the hell that was your life. You wanted something better for her. B&T ARE that something better. Because of them your child won't live in a scuzzy house, where drugs are being done, and people are fighting, and grandpa is in and out of jail. She will be clean, fed, and well cared for in a stable, loving home. He should be thanking his lucky stars that such great people adopted his daughter. 

[FozzyBear]

I think Dawn let Tyler think that adoption was like letting your parents take care of your baby while you went to college or something and once they were ready he and Caitlyn could step back in and apply for some sort of joint custody. I honestly think they thought that. That "open adoption" was some sort of legal term that protected their parental rights for some future date.

[GreatKazu]

Adoption is a valid option for an unexpected pregnancy. Why is hat so terrible to verbalize and discuss if that' how he feels?

Because it goes against what he has been telling Kristina, which is likely a bunch of bullshit, much like he told Amber when she was in prison. Gary has likely been feeding Kristina a lot of what she wants to hear rather than the truth. To blurt out, "Why not adoption?" would send the message to Kristina that he really doesn't want her either because if he loved her, why would they give up their child? Amber and Gary didn't opt for adoption, but here he is supposedly in love with Kristina, but he wants her to give up their baby?

 

The relationship seems one-sided. What I really don't get, is why did he bother with having this relationship go as far as it did if all he was interested in was just having sex? That is all it seems to be for Gary, anyways. Why didn't he just have her be his sex partner until Amber comes out of prison? See, this where I am so confused with Gary. He appeared to let Amber go because of his relationship with Kristina and yet, he doesn't seem that much into her. What the hell?

Edited April 17, 2015 by GreatKazu

[Darknight]

Okay I have a theory about C&T. So Bethany uses their their fame for services. I think Carlys brother that B&T adopted was friends with Caitlin. Catelynn has said multiple times that girls have explicitly told her that she is the reason they considered/followed through with adoption. Catelynn meets up with pregnant girls in her area to promote adoption one on one. There are many scenes of her on Teen Mom over the years at Bethany speaking engagements or "expectant parent support groups". I remember one scene where a young pregnant girl went up to Catelynn at one of those meetings. You could tell she was maybe a little starstruck by her. She asked Catelynn for her number and Catelynn graciously said "yes of course you can! Call me any time. I'd so love to help you with adoption". And this girl was so giddy that Catelynn was happy to give her number out like that.pretty sick how Bethany blatantly uses Catelynn's fame to reel local girls in like that. Even more sick how Catelynn is happy go along with it. Unfortunately like someone else said buying a baby is in high demand. Bethany adoption attracts middle/upper class christians looking for a healthy white baby the majority of the time. So it's a pr move on their part and a $$$ opportunity for Catelynn.

[Tatum]

Because it goes against what he has been telling Kristina, which is likely a bunch of bullshit, much like he told Amber when she was in prison. Gary has likely been feeding Kristina a lot of what she wants to hear rather than the truth. To blurt out, "Why not adoption?" would send the message to Kristina that he really doesn't want her either because if he loved her, why would they give up their child? Amber and Gary didn't opt for adoption, but here he is supposedly in love with Kristina, but he wants her to give up their baby?

 

The relationship seems one-sided. What I really don't get, is why did he bother with having this relationship go as far as it did if all he was interested in was just having sex? That is all it seems to be for Gary, anyways. Why didn't he just have her be his sex partner until Amber comes out of prison? See, this where I am so confused with Gary. He appeared to let Amber go because of his relationship with Kristina and yet, he doesn't seem that much into her. What the hell?

 

Their whole relationship is weird. But I partially blame Kristina for the adoption mention. She's the one who said, I know neither of us wanted a baby. It's one thing to say, I know neither of us planned on having a baby, it's another to acknowlege that neither parent wants the baby.  It's hard to take these conversations at face value given they're likely reenacted, but it seemed like Kristina was trying to play it cool and act like marriage and a baby are the furthest things from her mind (when in actuality she has every intention of keeping the baby and would like to marry Gary-ew) and so it makes sense for Gary to say, well, if neither of us actually wants to have a baby at this point in our lives, why don't we consider different options?

 

As far as how Gary sees Kristina- I think she's convenient. She takes care of Leah, she's willing to provide all the benefits of a partner without insisting on a firm commitment, and she makes Amber jealous, which I think Gary gets off on. I don't think he's over Amber, but I also don't think he's entirely sure he wants to reconcile with her, so his relationship with Kristina allows him to straddle the line while getting regular sex, companionship, and help raising Leah. It's a pretty good deal for Gary actually- I just can't figure out what Kristina is getting out of the deal.

 

On a totally unrelated note- Maci and Ryan's interactions this week were night and day from last week. He was actually polite and almost friendly. Although I am sure I am playing right into editing hands, I can't help but think Ryan treats Maci so much nicer when he and the girlfriend of the season are on the rocks.

[lexiexx]

Okay I have a theory about C&T. So Bethany uses their their fame for services. I think Carlys brother that B&T adopted was friends with Caitlin. Catelynn has said multiple times that girls have explicitly told her that she is the reason they considered/followed through with adoption. Catelynn meets up with pregnant girls in her area to promote adoption one on one. There are many scenes of her on Teen Mom over the years at Bethany speaking engagements or "expectant parent support groups". I remember one scene where a young pregnant girl went up to Catelynn at one of those meetings. You could tell she was maybe a little starstruck by her. She asked Catelynn for her number and Catelynn graciously said "yes of course you can! Call me any time. I'd so love to help you with adoption". And this girl was so giddy that Catelynn was happy to give her number out like that.pretty sick how Bethany blatantly uses Catelynn's fame to reel local girls in like that. Even more sick how Catelynn is happy go along with it. Unfortunately like someone else said buying a baby is in high demand. Bethany adoption attracts middle/upper class christians looking for a healthy white baby the majority of the time. So it's a pr move on their part and a $$$ opportunity for Catelynn.

 

I could not agree with this more.   I have never understood the Cate fans.   The reasons why she gave her kid up are highly debatable.   It was documented on the show that she did not understand the limits of the adoption.  If she wasn't making money by leading other teenagers down that road she would probably be a lot more pissed off about that.    They've been having issues since the kid was first born and they weren't allowed to know her name or where she lived.  Now the issue is what they can do with pictures.   So I think Cate is a fucked up person for making a buck off of glossing over it.  She does what benefits her, whether it be give her kid up to keep a guy, tell pregnant teenagers that they get to choose what they want in an open adoption to make money off of it, etc.   Then goes on interviews where she plays the brave and selfless person when she's not.   She bows down to bethany and tyler all the time knowing what she knows to get what she wants.

Edited April 17, 2015 by lexiexx

[GreatKazu]

Their whole relationship is weird. But I partially blame Kristina for the adoption mention. She's the one who said, I know neither of us wanted a baby. It's one thing to say, I know neither of us planned on having a baby, it's another to acknowlege that neither parent wants the baby.  It's hard to take these conversations at face value given they're likely reenacted, but it seemed like Kristina was trying to play it cool and act like marriage and a baby are the furthest things from her mind (when in actuality she has every intention of keeping the baby and would like to marry Gary-ew) and so it makes sense for Gary to say, well, if neither of us actually wants to have a baby at this point in our lives, why don't we consider different options?

 

As far as how Gary sees Kristina- I think she's convenient. She takes care of Leah, she's willing to provide all the benefits of a partner without insisting on a firm commitment, and she makes Amber jealous, which I think Gary gets off on. I don't think he's over Amber, but I also don't think he's entirely sure he wants to reconcile with her, so his relationship with Kristina allows him to straddle the line while getting regular sex, companionship, and help raising Leah. It's a pretty good deal for Gary actually- I just can't figure out what Kristina is getting out of the deal.

 

I think it is just semantics. I can't imagine these two ever said to one another they never wanted to ever have a baby. They likely said they would put off having a baby.. Also, Kristina asked Gary, "Are you shocked? I know we said not wanting a baby." She was wanting his reaction to the news, not what should she do.

 

I think you put it quite well why Gary holds on to Kristina while he seems to have feelings for Amber.

[NikSac]

As far as how Gary sees Kristina- I think she's convenient. She takes care of Leah, she's willing to provide all the benefits of a partner without insisting on a firm commitment, and she makes Amber jealous, which I think Gary gets off on. I don't think he's over Amber, but I also don't think he's entirely sure he wants to reconcile with her, so his relationship with Kristina allows him to straddle the line while getting regular sex, companionship, and help raising Leah. It's a pretty good deal for Gary actually- I just can't figure out what Kristina is getting out of the deal.

 

I guess it could be argued that Kristina also gets companionship and sex out of the deal - I just have an incredibly hard time imagining either of those being very good with Gary. Maybe she likes being on TV, or being with Leah?  I will agree, it's a confusing relationship. Gary makes it so obvious that he doesn't really want to be with her.

 

ETA: I can't really tell if Gary still has feelings for Amber, or if he just likes messing with her head. I never really saw a mean streak in him before, but I do this season. I definitely think he gets off on having two women who "want" him.

Edited April 17, 2015 by NikSac

[FlowerofCarnage]

I finally got around to watching the Teen Dad special that aired a while back and one thing that stuck out to me was how engaged Ryan was with Bentley compared to what we are seeing in the current episodes. What the hell happened? Bentley seemed to enjoy being with his father outside the situation of Ryan moving out of his parent's house. Ryan went to pick Benthey up at school, had a conversation with his teacher about Bentley's little quirks. Now, Ryan can barely get out bed to exchange custodyat the agreed upon time and Bentley cries when having to spend time alone with Ryan.

[NikSac]

I finally got around to watching the Teen Dad special that aired a while back and one thing that stuck out to me was how engaged Ryan was with Bentley compared to what we are seeing in the current episodes. What the hell happened? Bentley seemed to enjoy being with his father outside the situation of Ryan moving out of his parent's house. Ryan went to pick Benthey up at school, had a conversation with his teacher about Bentley's little quirks. Now, Ryan can barely get out bed to exchange custodyat the agreed upon time and Bentley cries when having to spend time alone with Ryan.

 

Personally I suspect it's the new girlfriend and/or drugs... but good question. Hopefully we'll be able to tell as the season goes on.

[ktwo]

Was it just editing or was Gary's first and foremost thought "How am I going to tell Amber." What the Hell, Gary? How about giving your GF a hug for Christ's sake. You'll have plenty of time to figure out how to best stick it to Amber.

If I recall correctly, Gary's VERY FIRST comment was "is it mine?" Which is just so, so disgusting. Then he immediately brought up "What will Amber think?"

Just gross.

Count me as someone else who cannot wait for the adoption closing conversation. I might even watch this live.

And I also want to know what happened to Maci's parents.

[FozzyBear]

If I recall correctly, Gary's VERY FIRST comment was "is it mine?" Which is just so, so disgusting. Then he immediately brought up "What will Amber think?"

Just gross.

Count me as someone else who cannot wait for the adoption closing conversation. I might even watch this live.

And I also want to know what happened to Maci's parents.

I'm guessing Maci's parents just didn't want to film anymore. I'm sure it's kind of a pain in the ass so if you don't need the money and don't care about being famous...

[mywinston]

Where does Tyler get off being so indignant? I mean, I get that they were both probably misled about what "open adoption" meant, but at this point they're what, 22, 23? That's old enough for any idiot to realize oh, Brandon and Teresa very clearly do not want this shitshow invading their lives with Carly. Just buck up and enjoy your yearly pictures. I'd find them both a lot more respectable if they did that. CateLynn seems to have a vague idea, she seemed very subdued in that kitchen scene where everyone was going on about when they get to meet Carly, knowing not to sound too sure of anything. Tyler, on the other hand, spouting off about how Brandon and Teresa NEED to put themselves in his shoes, and how he poor, put upon Tyler is sooo tired of doing the reverse. I wanted to rip his douchey little scrunching eyebrows off. You have a kid on the way, worry about that, not grandstanding about sticking a nothing point to poor Brandon and Teresa.

Maci, boring. Ryan seems slow.

I was watching this with my Mom, it's her first season of any Teen Mom incarnate and after recently getting her hooked on Catfish, I figured I'd force this on her, as well. When Gary casually remarked to Leah about the baby being a mistake, my Mom, no joke, gasped and looked at me dramatically but genuinely horrified. What a truly awful thing to say to a kid, for a variety of reasons, most of which you guys have listen here. Then later, that talk between Gary and Amber in front of an obviously distressed Leah? Gross. I tire so much of seeing these poor kids try to comfort their parents. Maci may be boring, but her baby reveal for Bentley was cute and involved him and for all her faults, she treats her child like a child and not a peer she's shooting the breeze with.

[Elizabeth9]

I'm watching season 3 and in the "Terrible Twos" episode, Catelynn goes to an adoption retreat. Several of the other birth moms mentioned that their adoptions have closed. So it must be possible, and Catelynn knows this.

[SeenYouWitKieffah]

I'm watching season 3 and in the "Terrible Twos" episode, Catelynn goes to an adoption retreat. Several of the other birth moms mentioned that their adoptions have closed. So it must be possible, and Catelynn knows this.

I remember watching that episode during the marathon before this season started. If memory serves, Catelynn looked quietly terrified when that discussion came up. 

[NikSac]

Random thought - I'm among those who thought that what Gary planned or intended to say was "adoption or abortion."  Actually I thought he was going to say "abortion" first and in a rare fit of being kind to Kristina he said adoption first, then started to say abortion and said adoption a second time, possibly when he saw the look on her face. But it also occurred to me last night (couldn't sleep, what can I say?) I wonder if this was one of those re-enacted scenes and either he chose to not say abortion in the re-enactment, or the producers suggested that he not say it? 

 

Regardless of anyone's personal beliefs on abortion I do think it should be discussed more on this show as well as 16&P because it is a legal legitimate option out there, but they generally seem to shy away from it. I remember one 16&P episode where both teen sisters were pregnant and one chose abortion while the other kept the baby, and then there was Jenelle's medically induced abortion while she was on a dating app looking for the next man to impregnate her, but that's the only two I can think of. If that really was one option Gary brought up with Kristina I think it could be good to show it - how they talked about it, each of their beliefs, how they arrived at whatever decision, etc. I realize this show has gone wayyyy past the point of being the educational "why not to get pregnant as a teen" show that Dr. Drew originally claimed it was, so maybe it's pointless now, but I thought they should show it if that's what happened.

Edited April 19, 2015 by NikSac

[Brooklynista]

I'm always baffled by how many of the girls don't "believe" in abortion. It exists. It's not a purple unicorn.

But I guess it's easier to not believe in abortion than it is to believe in I dunno, safe sex or marriage first.

[luvly]

ETA: I can't really tell if Gary still has feelings for Amber, or if he just likes messing with her head. I never really saw a mean streak in him before, but I do this season. I definitely think he gets off on having two women who "want" him.

 

This actually reminds of the comment Amber made to her brother about how the show has changed and messed up Gary even more than herself. For someone who usually can't see past her own problems, it was interesting to hear Amber say that in a sympathetic way and I really want to know what she meant by it. IMO, Gary's insecure as hell and he enjoys poking the crazy because he equates explosive reactions with passion and proof that Amber still has feelings for him. He craves the chaos almost as much as Amber does.

 

I finally got around to watching the Teen Dad special that aired a while back and one thing that stuck out to me was how engaged Ryan was with Bentley compared to what we are seeing in the current episodes. What the hell happened? Bentley seemed to enjoy being with his father outside the situation of Ryan moving out of his parent's house. Ryan went to pick Benthey up at school, had a conversation with his teacher about Bentley's little quirks. Now, Ryan can barely get out bed to exchange custodyat the agreed upon time and Bentley cries when having to spend time alone with Ryan.

 

This takes me back to Dr. Drew excusing his absenteeism early on by claiming men don't have much fun with babies because they're not active yet but that his involvement will pick up once Bentley gets older. It's always seemed to me that Ryan is resentful that he actually has to fully parent his child. He'll play with him and do the relatively easy parenting things but if he has to put more effort in he gets surly. Maci even mentioned in the Aftershow that she thinks Ryan genuinely wants to be a good dad, but if something that requires less work or is more interesting comes along, it's easier for him to use that as an excuse for not stepping up. I think their relationship is starting to change because Bentley's old enough to feel Ryan's disinterest even if he can't fully comprehend it yet.

[Spencer Hastings]

Random thought - I'm among those who thought that what Gary planned or intended to say was "adoption or abortion."  Actually I thought he was going to say "abortion" first and in a rare fit of being kind to Kristina he said adoption first, then started to say abortion and said adoption a second time, possibly when he saw the look on her face. But it also occurred to me last night (couldn't sleep, what can I say?) I wonder if this was one of those re-enacted scenes and either he chose to not say abortion in the re-enactment, or the producers suggested that he not say it? 

I thought he meant abortion as well and checked himself when he saw Kristina's reaction/just went along with what she said.

[NikSac]

This actually reminds of the comment Amber made to her brother about how the show has changed and messed up Gary even more than herself. For someone who usually can't see past her own problems, it was interesting to hear Amber say that in a sympathetic way and I really want to know what she meant by it. IMO, Gary's insecure as hell and he enjoys poking the crazy because he equates explosive reactions with passion and proof that Amber still has feelings for him. He craves the chaos almost as much as Amber does.

 

I wish I could think of the exact quote, if there is one, but I remember reading once that if a person "hates" someone they still care. The line between love and hate is surprisingly thin. It's when one or both become indifferent that you know it's pretty much over, and IMO they're nowhere near that point with each other. I think they'd be terrible together but I do think Amber and Gary still care about each other very much. I wonder what she meant by her comment too. I wonder if she's thinking MTV promoted him as Mr. Amazing and that's why he's so cocky now?