Briana DeJesus: Farm league promoted to the Majors

[teapot]

40 minutes ago, GreatKazu said:

Man, I am so glad I grew up in the 1970s. I cannot imagine what life would have been like. Bad enough dealing with trifling bitches at school. At least at home I was away from those tricks. Summer was even better as it gave me a break from stupid people. The idea of dealing with stupidity on a daily with Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter which gives assholes another way of being bullies and assholes...ugh. 

I wish TM would just go away for good. 

I am old school. I was a watcher of The Real World. The original RW, not what it has become. One great thing about that show was how the most mundane things that happened on the show was so interesting to watch. Hearing conversations around the dinner table, watching pranks be pulled that didn't involve hurting someone, watching three people sitting in a hot tub discussing why one is against abortion while the other two mention why they are for abortion, watching Tami working at the HIV center, those were just some of the interesting things I enjoyed watching. It kept my attention. I am not sure when this whole thing with reality tv took a turn for the worst with all this drama, fighting, screaming, car-chasing, and verbal and physical smackdowns. It is the norm and I think for the most part, people are accustomed to that kind of drama. If there isn't any drama, it is boring. It is why I can't get fully on board with the "Chelsea is boring" feeling because to me, she gives me a break from the fucking insane drama with the rest of the yahoos. To me, that is normal and reminds me of why I loved RW so much. Yes, there was drama on those early seasons, but nothing on the level that we now see on these reality shows. 

although, I must admit that I watched the Osbourne kids go to the DMV to take the learners' permit test.  and I also watched Nick & Jessica go to Home Depot.  I questioned my sanity, both times.

but I hate manufactured drama worse than anything, yet I continue to watch!

[Calm81]

3 hours ago, Lm2162 said:

Imagine being five months pregnant and still having to check who your baby's father is liking on Instagram. 

You know you fucked up when you have to search for "likes" on social media to make sure your baby daddy isn't "liking" so and so's bikini closeup.

Thankfully my husband and I never got into social media. I have social media accounts for my "brand" lol. It's not really a brand but a hobby of mine that some would think was a "brand."

Kids these days (I'm 35) take for granted the digital era. When I was in middle school and high school I'd have to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR for the school class photos or yearbooks to come out to get a picture of my school crush, so I could draw hearts around his face and stare at it while listening to love songs.

Or when I had to ask my friends if I could take their picture knowing my crush was standing 10 feet behind them in order to get his picture in the shot, to then run to the nearest cvs or Walgreens and get 24 hour photo delevoping for my throw away camera.

Ah yes, the good 'ole days. Nobody appreciates the effort we had to make to get a picture yet alone take a gazillion selfies to get insta likes. No! We had to wait for the yearbook to come around and awkwardly ask people to acknowledge our existence with a generic "it's been fun hope you have a nice summer and see you next year" with terrible grammar on the pages of a yearbook.

WOW! 

I went down on memory lane. What were we talking about, again? ?

[Christina87]

1 hour ago, Lm2162 said:

Personally I think she's boring but not because she has a nice, drama free life or a nice family. I'm genuinely happy that she has those things, especially after the years of Adam crap. I just don't find her very interesting or compelling as a person. She's fine and likable. I just wish we could see *one* person in the series who had a personal passion or some intense drive. Not perfection, just some kind of... gumption? Deep interest in the world? Go get 'em attitude that doesn't result in an arrest? I had hope for Kailyn and Maci in those areas-- Kailyn, for all her flaws, was tough, hard working and determined at the start, and Maci was interested in journalism and a good parent. Now they've *totally* gone down the tubes massively and I can't stand them, more than many of the others in fact.

Train wrecks like Briana, Jenelle, and Amber are fun to watch in very very small doses. Then it gets to the point of DV, child abuse, addiction, child after child, and animal abuse and it's just awful. 

You took the words out of my mouth! Imagine having one person on the show who was passionate about something...a career, an art, a sport, etc. I think a lot of these girls became teen parents in part because they had nothing else going for them. I was super into dance growing up, and I never ever would have had unprotected sex because the thought of having to stop dance was the worst thing in the world!

being a nice person with a skill they don't use who married another decent person is fine, but not someone who should be on TV. I wish that if Chelsea wants to be a SAHM, she would get passionate about being the best SAHM she could be. I'd love to see her learn about nutrition, and experiment with cooking different recipes from scratch. Some would fail epically, and that would make for great television! Keeping her house clean would be a nice start too, or learning how to ice a homemade cake for aubree's birthday. I wish she would get passionate about volunteering at aubree's school on the PTO, or through their church. My church has a food bank, and I'd totally volunteer there one or two whole days a week if I didn't have to work. Seeing her teaching her kids how to make a difference would be admirable. She could get into couponing and go shopping for the food bank too! Maybe taking a sewing class would be a fun way to improve her SAHM skills, or even taking the kids on educational outings. 

I would have LOVED to see one of the girls go to medical school, but I would totally settle for one who's passionate about singing in the church choir and giving voice lessons or volunteering at a food bank. 

Edited July 20, 2017 by Christina87

[teapot]

4 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

You took the words out of my mouth! Imagine having one person on the show who was passionate about something...a career, an art, a sport, etc. I think a lot of these girls became teen parents in part because they had nothing else going for them. I was super into dance growing up, and I never ever would have had unprotected sex because the thought of having to stop dance was the worst thing in the world!

being a nice person with a skill they don't use who married another decent person is fine, but not someone who should be on TV. I wish that if Chelsea wants to be a SAHM, she would get passionate about being the best SAHM she could be. I'd love to see her learn about nutrition, and experiment with cooking different recipes from scratch. Some would fail epically, and that would make for great television! Keeping her house clean would be a nice start too, or learning how to ice a homemade cake for aubree's birthday. I wish she would get passionate about volunteering at aubree's school on the PTO, or through their church. My church has a food bank, and I'd totally volunteer there one or two whole days a week if I didn't have to work. Seeing her teaching her kids how to make a difference would be admirable. She could get into couponing and go shopping for the food bank too! Maybe taking a sewing class would be a fun way to improve her SAHM skills, or even taking the kids on educational outings. 

I would have LOVED to see one of the girls go to medical school, but I would totally settle for one who's passionate about singing in the church choir and giving voice lessons or volunteering at a food bank. 

didn't Amber & her friends make cupcakes from a mix once?  (raise your hand if you've watched this show for *too* fucking long...)

[Christina87]

Kail burned some slice and bake cookies last season too, and thought it was the funniest thing ever. No, it's not funny. You are just inept at cooking, and it's not funny that your kids have to eat pizza every night because of your shortcomings!

[GreatKazu]

10 hours ago, Calm81 said:

Man, I miss the days where the most drama came from Puck eating peanut butter out of the jar with his double dipping finger with Pedro (R.I.P) having a panic attack over it. Now it's turned into something I can't snark and watch with my family around me.

There always has to be the mandatory "running through the house naked" scenes and threesomes in the shower. I'm no prude but if I want to watch that stuff I'd google "naughty stuff to watch with hubby with no relatives around me . com". 

 

I would also watch because they would play indie type of music, stuff you don't hear on mainstream radio.

A lot of music that was heard on the original RW series is on my iPod.  Stuff by R.E.M., Duran Duran, all that music played well on the series. It was a great mix of music. I have a couple of seasons on DVD, but the original music is not on there, which is pretty sad. I know by heart what songs were played for certain scenes on the various seasons. I can hear them in my mind when I watch those DVDs. 

I didn't blame Pedro for the peanut butter issue. Puck would pick his nose and never wash his hands. Oh god, so gross! If it had been me, I would have just bought my own jar and kept it hidden just to avoid tension. Then again, Puck touched everything. lol 

Back to Briana. When she speaks, it grates. 

Edited July 21, 2017 by GreatKazu

[ReadMeLattice]

Seriously, I can't name an actual interest a single one of them has. And yes, exactly, I'm not talking just medical school or human rights law, I'm saying literally anything besides relationships. Like baking. Volunteering. ANYTHING. Now maybe MTV just doesn't show their interests, but their social media posts definitely don't either.

[Christina87]

If there's anything I've learned from this series, it's that girls without passions and goals are at risk for teen pregnancy. If I ever have a high school daughter with a serious boyfriend and no activities, she will be required to develop some quickly. Haha! Sure, Leah was interested in cheerleading, but I think she was one of the cheerleaders who saw it as a good way to get to know guys, likely not a genuine interest. If Chelsea had danced and played basketball, Kailyn had played soccer, and jenelle had shut herself in her room doing artwork instead of brooding and texting guys, I wonder if their stories could have turned out differently. 

[teapot]

6 minutes ago, GreatKazu said:

A lot of music that was heard on the original RW series is on my iPod.  Stuff by R.E.M., Duran Duran, all that music played well on the series. It was a great mix of music. I have a couple of seasons on DVD, but the original music is not on there, which is pretty sad. I knew by heart what songs were played for certain scenes on the various seasons. I can hear them in my mind when I watch those DVDs. 

 

that is my problem with The Hills (you guys, I *know*...but mid-aughts fashions will always rock my world!  and I wish I worked in a closet!)

the scenes are just not the same with these random replacement songs!!!

2 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

If there's anything I've learned from this series, it's that girls without passions and goals are at risk for teen pregnancy. If I ever have a high school daughter with a serious boyfriend and no activities, she will be required to develop some quickly. Haha! Sure, Leah was interested in cheerleading, but I think she was one of the cheerleaders who saw it as a good way to get to know guys, likely not a genuine interest. If Chelsea had danced and played basketball, Kailyn had played soccer, and jenelle had shut herself in her room doing artwork instead of brooding and texting guys, I wonder if their stories could have turned out differently. 

didn't Chelsea play softball?

[ReadMeLattice]

Yes, Chelsea played softball. She, like Leah, was a popular party girl in high school. 

[Christina87]

I love when people say she wasn't part of the popular crowd when her episode description starts out "popular high school senior...". They usually use that one when someone suggests she was a mean girl. 

[mamadrama]

6 hours ago, Calm81 said:

 

Kids these days (I'm 35) take for granted the digital era. When I was in middle school and high school I'd have to wait AN ENTIRE YEAR for the school class photos or yearbooks to come out to get a picture of my school crush, so I could draw hearts around his face and stare at it while listening to love songs.

Or when I had to ask my friends if I could take their picture knowing my crush was standing 10 feet behind them in order to get his picture in the shot, to then run to the nearest cvs or Walgreens and get 24 hour photo delevoping for my throw away camera.

Ah yes, the good 'ole days. Nobody appreciates the effort we had to make to get a picture yet alone take a gazillion selfies to get insta likes. No! We had to wait for the yearbook to come around and awkwardly ask people to acknowledge our existence with a generic "it's been fun hope you have a nice summer and see you next year" with terrible grammar on the pages of a yearbook.

 

I'm two years older and I feel your struggles. When I was in middle school, I worked for the school paper. I took a lot of pictures of my crush for, you know, assignments...Nobody ever asked why he never appeared in an issue. 

[Faul McCartney]

I just watched the Briana special and was appalled at Nova's car seat straps. I know people think it's being a sanctimommy to comment on car seat safety but her straps were SO loose, she would go flying in an accident. Not cool ☹️

[GreatKazu]

On ‎7‎/‎23‎/‎2017 at 4:51 PM, Faul McCartney said:

I just watched the Briana special and was appalled at Nova's car seat straps. I know people think it's being a sanctimommy to comment on car seat safety but her straps were SO loose, she would go flying in an accident. Not cool ☹️

People are fools if they take offense to car seats not being used properly. Many of the parents on this show have been pretty lax with their safety when it comes to cars and car seats. Hell, they don't even care about their own health and can't bother using a condom during sex. Kail is one major offender of not being a safe driver and she certainly has no fucks to give about anyone else's safety. We will see in an upcoming episode how she again uses her cell phone while driving. She also claims she has a doctor's note which gives her the right to NOT use her seatbelts. Ha! Bullshit. Leah has failed big time with car seats and seatbelts. Ryan couldn't bother using either one for his son. But it was okay in Maci's eyes because she didn't do anything about it. 

Edited July 26, 2017 by GreatKazu

[Faul McCartney]

1 hour ago, GreatKazu said:

People are fools if they take offense to car seats not being used properly. Many of these parents on this show have been pretty lax with their safety when it comes to cars and car seats. Hell, they don't even care about their own heatlh and can't bother using a condom during sex. Kail is one major offender of not being a safe driver and she certainly has no fucks to give about anyone else's safety. We will see in an upcoming episode how she again uses her cell phone while driving. She also claims she has a doctor's note which gives her the right to NOT use her seatbelts. Ha! Bullshit. Leah has failed big time with car seats and seatbelts. Ryan couldn't bother using either one for his son. But it was okay in Maci's eyes because she didn't do anything about it. 

It's absolutely insane to not be careful about car seats and seat belts. My husband always thinks I'm pulling our daughter's straps too tight but I tell him (and her) that car seats and her sun hat are nonnegotiable! 

[Rebecca]

Every single (adult - Nova gets a pass) person in Briana's scenes is a moronic, trashy loser. The way they speak in front of Nova is horrifying. I can't believe the language or the topics she's exposed to at age 6 by these people. 

They need to get off the show, the trashy, moronic loser quota was already reached before them, now it's totally out of control with them added. 

[GreatKazu]

12 minutes ago, Rebecca said:

Every single (adult - Nova gets a pass) person in Briana's scenes is a moronic, trashy loser. The way they speak in front of Nova is horrifying. I can't believe the language or the topics she's exposed to at age 6 by these people. 

They need to get off the show, the trashy, moronic loser quota was already reached before them, now it's totally out of control with them added. 

It is a glimpse into how things were for Briana and her sister when they were younger. Imagine what they heard and saw? 

I hated how Briana's sister told Luis how his decisions were affecting her and the family. The Helter Skelter crew is forgetting Briana's decision to have sex with this guy that she only knew for 30 seconds. They are also not mentioning how she could have had an abortion. Even Briana was putting the blame on Luis. I don't like the guy but, I am sick of these damn wenches pointing the finger at every single person instead of acknowledging their choices. 

[zenme]

Yes, I am constantly shocked by the conversations these people have in front of Nova. Do they really think Nova  doesn't hear or understand?  These conversations are going to be imprinted on that child forever. It's awful.  

People need to get on some damned birth control. In 2017 there's no reason for this insanity.

[BitterApple]

11 minutes ago, GreatKazu said:

They are also not mentioning how she could have had an abortion. Even Briana was putting the blame on Luis. I don't like the guy but, I am sick of these damn wenches pointing the finger at every single person instead of acknowledging their choices. 

Briana needs to realize that even if a guy says all the right things about stepping up, being involved and making it work, 99.9% of the time it's not gonna happen. The Cory Simms of the world are few and far between. Guys in 2017 aren't playing house off a one-night stand. She should've gone into this pregnancy planning on being a single mother, and based any decisions off of that, not whatever Luis was telling her.

I also agree with zenme regarding these girls' cavalier attitudes towards birth control. If you're young, fertile and having sex without protection, there's always a chance a pregnancy can occur. It's been happening that way since the dawn of man. When you already have a kid, that excuse becomes even more lame.

[TeenMomAngerMgmt]

So I never watched TM3. I vaguely know that Briana's mom lied about the paternity of her daughters and that Nova's father is a trash bag. I'm kinda going in blind without the additional context of the other shows, but I kinda like Brittany? She has shaded Briana getting pregnant multiple times over the episodes I've seen and I'm kinda here for it. 

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, TeenMomAngerMgmt said:

So I never watched TM3. I vaguely know that Briana's mom lied about the paternity of her daughters and that Nova's father is a trash bag. I'm kinda going in blind without the additional context of the other shows, but I kinda like Brittany? She has shaded Briana getting pregnant multiple times over the episodes I've seen and I'm kinda here for it. 

Brittany annoyed me with her righteous indignation over Luis, but I like her best (besides Nova). Seems Brittany is a productive member of society, working, not having kids and pawning them off on others, not being a hypocrite. I know she loves her sister but I would be annoyed with Briana's bs too at this point. Especially since their Mom has been diagnosed with lupus, whatever help she has given Briana as far as childcare has probably fallen on Brittany.  

[ReadMeLattice]

Brittany is irritating and has an annoying attitude but she at least works, seems to have her shit together, and doesn't have unplanned children. As ridiculous as I find her tough girl attitude, she seems like she has and would step up to the plate to care for a sick mom and her sister's kids who are not her responsibility in any way. 

[monicageller]

12 hours ago, TeenMomAngerMgmt said:

So I never watched TM3. I vaguely know that Briana's mom lied about the paternity of her daughters and that Nova's father is a trash bag. I'm kinda going in blind without the additional context of the other shows, but I kinda like Brittany? She has shaded Briana getting pregnant multiple times over the episodes I've seen and I'm kinda here for it. 

I also haven't seen TM3, or Briana's episode of 16&P, so other than what I've seen on TM2 I know nothing about these people. I like Brittany as well and Nova is adorable. What is the situation with whoever her father is? I gather he up and left Briana not long after Nova was born?

[bethster2000]

On 7/20/2017 at 0:27 PM, GreatKazu said:

Stuff by R.E.M., Duran Duran

David walking on the streets after being kicked out of the house for the assault on Tami.  "Come Undone" by Duran Duran.

Topic.

[Scarlett45]

11 hours ago, monicageller said:

I also haven't seen TM3, or Briana's episode of 16&P, so other than what I've seen on TM2 I know nothing about these people. I like Brittany as well and Nova is adorable. What is the situation with whoever her father is? I gather he up and left Briana not long after Nova was born?

Nova's father Devon was never involved as a parent. He occasionally shows up for Birthday parties, holidays and kindergarten graduation but as far as consistent parenting, emotional or financial support he has been MIA. Nova has had interactions with her extended family but the bulk of her care has fallen on Briana's Mom (I mean outside of Briana of course). 

[TeenMomAngerMgmt]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

Nova's father Devon was never involved as a parent. He occasionally shows up for Birthday parties, holidays and kindergarten graduation but as far as consistent parenting, emotional or financial support he has been MIA. Nova has had interactions with her extended family but the bulk of her care has fallen on Briana's Mom (I mean outside of Briana of course). 

My impression is that Devon was the "Adam" of that season. Is that accurate?

[DudeLeaveMeAlone]

8 minutes ago, TeenMomAngerMgmt said:

My impression is that Devon was the "Adam" of that season. Is that accurate?

In my opinion, Arabella's dad was more the "Adam" of that season. He was a violent drug addict. Devoin was more your typical, disinterested guy who was allowed to walk away from the responsibility. It didn't help that the coven of crazy women screamed at him every time they saw him, got in his face and threw stuff at him when he left. I wouldn't come around either.

[Scarlett45]

11 minutes ago, TeenMomAngerMgmt said:

My impression is that Devon was the "Adam" of that season. Is that accurate?

I wouldn't quite say that. He wasn't a hateful sadistic abusive prick (I don't think he would've called Briana a stretched marked bitch or Nova a mistake), he just had no interest in being a father- point blank. 

Adam is nasty hateful human being with no redeeming qualities, Devon was just useless. 

@DudeLeaveMeAlone we are of the same mind. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Scarlett45

[ReadMeLattice]

I'd have come around and taken her to court to get joint custody. (That would have REALLY driven them crazy!) And a restraining order against the mom and sister. He was too useless for that, clearly doesn't care about his daughter even now. He doesn't get a pass from me because he still has an equal 50% obligation to his child no matter what her family is like, but I'd definitely have made sure I never had to interact with that family. Yikes! I'm sure a judge or mediator could have helped with that so he didn't have to face their harassment (and it WAS harassment). He likely wouldn't have been involved regardless, but they don't see that their behavior helps him and others make excuses for that. 

I certainly don't think they owed him kindness and gratitude every time he came around to "entice" him to keep coming or something, but they were just so damn EXTRA.

Edited July 27, 2017 by Lm2162

[Scarlett45]

12 minutes ago, Lm2162 said:

I'd have come around and taken her to court to get joint custody. (That would have REALLY driven them crazy!) And a restraining order against the mom and sister. He was too useless for that, clearly doesn't care about his daughter even now. He doesn't get a pass from me because he still has an equal 50% obligation to his child no matter what her family is like, but I'd definitely have made sure I never had to interact with that family. Yikes! I'm sure a judge or mediator could have helped with that so he didn't have to face their harassment (and it WAS harassment). He likely wouldn't have been involved regardless, but they don't see that their behavior helps him and others make excuses for that. 

I certainly don't think they owed him kindness and gratitude every time he came around to "entice" him to keep coming or something, but they were just so damn EXTRA.

I don't think anyone is disagreeing with you. Had Devon really been interested in being a father (like Jo was) he would've gotten a visitation plan in place, he wasn't that interested for a variety of reasons- I also think because Nova is a girl, fathers are more likely to seek joint custody etc if they have a son (I'm speaking of instances where the parents never lived together, in cases where the father has lived with the child and actively parented the child for a period of time gender doesn't seem to be a factor).

Briana's attitude (and her family's attitude) does stink, but I think if Devon had done something consistent from Day 1 they would've been far more chill with him, even "hey I got a part time job, here's half my check every two weeks for the baby", they would've given him credit for that. He did NOTHING what so ever to support Nova. 

[Rebecca]

I have to give Briana a shred of credit for having her mom and sister leave before Luis came over. It's still pretty fucking sad she couldn't count on them to have the self control to stay in another room but obviously we all know that wouldn't have worked for these people. They are wayyyyy too enmeshed in briana's life, imo. Her mom and sister were carrying on like they had been cheated on themselves...they practically were more upset than Briana. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Rebecca

[DudeLeaveMeAlone]

39 minutes ago, Lm2162 said:

I'd have come around and taken her to court to get joint custody. (That would have REALLY driven them crazy!) And a restraining order against the mom and sister. He was too useless for that, clearly doesn't care about his daughter even now. He doesn't get a pass from me because he still has an equal 50% obligation to his child no matter what her family is like, but I'd definitely have made sure I never had to interact with that family. Yikes! I'm sure a judge or mediator could have helped with that so he didn't have to face their harassment (and it WAS harassment). He likely wouldn't have been involved regardless, but they don't see that their behavior helps him and others make excuses for that. 

I certainly don't think they owed him kindness and gratitude every time he came around to "entice" him to keep coming or something, but they were just so damn EXTRA.

Oh, don't get me wrong - he's a useless piece of shit for abandoning his kid. I can't stand that men have the ability to just walk away from their children, expecting the mother to take care of everything. It's wrong, it's disgusting and it pisses me off. All I was trying to point out is that he wasn't as awful as Adam with the verbal abuse towards Briana. It was her family that was verbally (and physically) abusive towards him.

[ReadMeLattice]

Yeah, I agree they were totally abusive towards him. If they were trying to "help" Briana they pretty much guaranteed the opposite. If they had been calm and collected like Chelsea's family, they would have proved that he was an ain't-shit dude. Instead they just seem like assholes and his abandonment of his child appears almost reasonable. Stupid of them. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Lm2162

[GreatKazu]

16 hours ago, bethster2000 said:

David walking on the streets after being kicked out of the house for the assault on Tami.  "Come Undone" by Duran Duran.

Topic.

I had never heard of that song by DD until that scene aired the first time. I had to have that song and to this damn day, when I hear it, it reminds me of that scene. 

Briana's mother and sister have a certain mentality about men and any time any guy proves them right about their feelings, they shift into Hulk-mode.

Briana needs to not discuss her private life with those two and those two need to stop meddling in Briana's life. I personally know a mother who is this way with her 18 year old daughter. She has always been in her daughter's business. She doesn't let her daughter figure things out on her own. She tells her, "You need to do A, B, and C." "Don't do this and don't do that." She has even gone with her daughter to spy on the guy her daughter was dating because the daughter felt her boyfriend was cheating. When the mother told me this story, she sounded like a high school girl rather than a 35 year old mother. I was stunned. I had no problem telling her how her child will never learn to handle life's roadblocks because she is there to make her daughter's decisions for her. I then informed her that if you have any inkling a partner is cheating, call it off. Spying? Really? By the way, this mother was a teen mother when she became pregnant at 17 years of age. The teen mentality is still there like the girls on this show. 

Thank you Jesus for my kids. My husband and I let them be kids, teens, and adults. We let them make mistakes and we allowed them to figure out what they needed to do. There is a difference between children going to parents for opinions and advice, but it is a whole different matter when parents are tangled in the lives of their children. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by GreatKazu

[TeenMomAngerMgmt]

From what I've gathered Brittany and her mom seem really...protective? Is that the word I'm unsuccessfully groping for? 

[Scarlett45]

11 minutes ago, TeenMomAngerMgmt said:

From what I've gathered Brittany and her mom seem really...protective? Is that the word I'm unsuccessfully groping for? 

With Brittany I kind of get it a little bit more. (Not excusing her behavior and attitude) 

Briana is a fuck up, and now with their mom being sick Brittany is picking up the slack for Briana's bad mistakes. Because Brittany does love and have emotional attachment to her sister (and Nova), it's much easier to take her anger at Briana's choices out on Luis who she doesn't give a fuck about. Brittany is the one that will "have to" step up as sister, bff, co-parent etc and she's angry because she's actually a productive person. Throw that in with a general bad attitude and you have a powder keg. 

[ReadMeLattice]

I will say that I thought Briana showed a modicum of sense when she broke up with Luis. Yes, obviously it would have been better if she'd showed that sense before the romantic candlelit dinner at The Club, but at least she broke it off with somebody who was treating her poorly and with whom it obviously wouldn't work out, which many of the girls on this show appear unable to do until someone is arrested or goes to rehab.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

I feel for Brittany because it's obvious Brianna is the family fuck-up, but that's because the family has allowed her to fuck-up without facing consequences of her actions on her own and they've always put the fault/blame on others instead of on Brianna, which excuses her actions.

They're super overprotective of her once a guy is cheating, leaving her when pregnant, etc but maybe that super overprotective streak would be better served by following Brianna to The Club & yelling at men before they can take her to bed or watching Brianna take the pill every evening..... 

Or maybe Brianna should grow up and act like an adult (which she now is) and be responsible for her own life....

Edited July 27, 2017 by MyPeopleAreNordic

[Scarlett45]

8 minutes ago, Lm2162 said:

I will say that I thought Briana showed a modicum of sense when she broke up with Luis. Yes, obviously it would have been better if she'd showed that sense before the romantic candlelit dinner at The Club, but at least she broke it off with somebody who was treating her poorly and with whom it obviously wouldn't work out, which many of the girls on this show appear unable to do until someone is arrested or goes to rehab.

I agree with you there. I also think Briana was able to do that because she's not a very "emotionally hungry" person. She's made plenty of bad choices (like duh) but I never got the impression that she felt like she was nothing without Luis (or Devon or anyone else). Someone like Chelsea, despite the love and care of her biological family had NO self esteem and thought that she was nothing without Adam and his attention. 

[ReadMeLattice]

Yeah. It's weird because Chelsea had no real reason to lack self-esteem, but she clearly for whatever reason believed herself to be nothing with a guy, specifically Adam. Briana has no real reason to have a lot of self-esteem (though of course everyone should have basic self-worth, not saying she should hate herself), but she seems to at least not think she's worthless when single, or when without a particular partner. As messed up as her mom and sister are, at least they are not Mama Dawn, encouraging pregnancies and marriages after 30 seconds of teen dating. Briana does that stupid stuff of her own accord.

Edited July 27, 2017 by Lm2162

[Scarlett45]

12 minutes ago, Lm2162 said:

Yeah. It's weird because Chelsea had no real reason to lack self-esteem, but she clearly for whatever reason believed herself to be nothing with a guy, specifically Adam. Briana has no real reason to have a lot of self-esteem (though of course everyone should have basic self-worth, not saying she should hate herself), but she seems to at least not think she's worthless when single, or when without a particular partner. As messed up as her mom and sister are, at least they are not Mama Dawn, encouraging pregnancies and marriages after 30 seconds of teen dating. Briana does that stupid stuff of her own accord.

Yeah, if Briana had just used birth control this entire mess could've been avoided! But again, whats she been doing with herself all these years? No schooling? No job? I don't think she's been neglecting Nova or anything but come on....she's probably more of a Leah type who doesn't require a lot of intellectual stimulation.

[Christina87]

I can see where Chelsea gets her lack of self esteem. I was raised in a very similar household and grew up similarly in terms of looks, and everything was great until the teen years. I ended up getting in an Adam-type relationship as a teen because I was wildly attracted to the guy, and he seemed so nice at first. When he became verbally and emotionally abusive, it was honestly a shock because my dad is so awesome, and I kind of just expected every guy to be trustworthy and kind. I felt like I must be doing something wrong, so I said goodbye to any shred of dignity trying to get in this guy's good graces for years. After him, I went through a rough couple years of dating assholes because I wasn't savvy enough to recognize one. When all the males in your life growing up are perfect 10's, sometimes you lag behind in discerning their character and blame it on yourself. There was a lot of "he wouldn't have treated me like that if I was prettier" and "no wonder he was so mean...I double texted him!" I'd see other people around me breaking dating rules and ending up with marriage, and it furthered convinced me that I was worthless.  It took until a cole-like guy in my mid-twenties who treated me decently to turn things around. I worked on myself a lot before I met him, but sometimes a guy reminding you of your worth does the rest of the job for you. Chelsea was my favorite when the show first started because we were going through the same thing!

I agree completely about briana! There is no hint of low self esteem, but the opposite. I bet her mother raised her to distrust men, while also affirming that she is the s***, and I see that kind of raising producing a very different person from Chelsea. Briana unfortunately takes it to extremes, and has an "all I have to do is show up" attitude. She almost seems to think she has a pass on giving effort in life. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by Christina87

[GreatKazu]

1 hour ago, TeenMomAngerMgmt said:

From what I've gathered Brittany and her mom seem really...protective? Is that the word I'm unsuccessfully groping for? 

Helicopter parenting.

They hover over her and smother her with their protective shield of, I don't know what, but it apparently doesn't work because Briana is now with another baby and who knows what life will hand her being with Luis. 

Quote

I can see where Chelsea gets her lack of self esteem. I was raised in a very similar household and grew up similarly in terms of looks, and everything was great until the teen years. I ended up getting in an Adam-type relationship as a teen because I was wildly attracted to the guy, and he seemed so nice at first. When he became verbally and emotionally abusive, it was honestly a shock because my dad is so awesome, and I kind of just expected every guy to be trustworthy and kind

I had a similar experience myself. No reason whatsoever for me to have been with a guy who was horrible to me. Or so I thought. What I was told later by a therapist, and this was probably your situation as well, not sure, but I grew up never being told how to protect myself from guys like the one I ended up dating. No one instilled in me how to be alert and aware of any red flags that might appear in any relationship. At my young age, I foolishly thought coming from a great family with great financial security and living in a great neighborhood was enough to protect me from ending up with a bad boyfriend. Wrong. In fact, I was the kind of person that would fall prey to a bad boy because I didn't have those instincts. I wasn't aware of what to look out for. It wasn't drilled into my head that the minute someone disrespects you, they don't have your best interest at heart. Don't accept excuses or apologies. Just leave the relationship. I wasn't educated about setting out boundaries and learn to protect that space from anyone who tries to break it. 

It is why when I had my children, I decided to instill in them all I could about what signs to look out for, red flags, set out your boundary and don't let anyone violate that boundary. I also used that to inform them about pedophiles, molesters, etc. It helps them in the long run as well when dealing with your basic assholes at school, work, and anywhere else you may be. 

[Scarlett45]

@GreatKazu and @Christina87 very interesting. People have often wondered "why" Chelsea was the way she was with such a loving family (especially her Dad etc), I always thought Chelsea was the way she was just because of her personality. Some people just have low self esteem, it's not because of an absentee parent.

I think people are quick to scream "Daddy issues" when a girl makes a bad choice about a boyfriend but sometimes young people just make bad choices. However given that women are the ones who become pregnant and give birth, when you throw that wrench into things it's far more impactful. I always thought had Chelsea not gotten pregnant with Aubree she would've let go of Adam a lot sooner. 

 

I think of the two siblings Brittany has the higher IQ and more ambition (which isn't a lot compared to Briana), but in another era I could see Briana being a woman with a "simple life" (small house, few kids, husband with a factory job) and being perfectly content. 

[GreatKazu]

Quote

I think people are quick to scream "Daddy issues" when a girl makes a bad choice about a boyfriend but sometimes young people just make bad choices.

Exactly. 

It doesn't help when an abuser-type of personality hooks up with a young girl and lays on the charm so thick. The abuser can be so suave and their manipulation is so subtle in the beginning. 

[Scarlett45]

Just now, GreatKazu said:

Exactly. 

It doesn't help when an abuser-type of personality hooks up with a young girl and lays on the charm so thick. The abuser can be so suave and their manipulation is so subtle in the beginning. 

While I think it's better in 2017 than in previous eras, there's this idea that an "abuser" is an ugly, rough, criminal type who's an obvious addict and unsocial person. I think now people are becoming more educated to the fact that yes, good looking, smooth, professional men & women can be abusers too. 

[Christina87]

@GreatKazu you are so right!!! I thought that financial security, family support, and growing up in a great neighborhood would protect me too. The guy that I dated was the son of a physician's assistant, and he made straight A's through high school. My parents liked him because of these attributes, until I told them some of the things he did. Then they hated him, but I was in too deep. They never knew just how bad it was until we broke up. I never thought this kind of person could be trash. My sister used to run around with people who were more outwardly trashy, and I told myself that my boyfriend was a class above, and would likely marry me because that's what upper middle class people do. I guarantee that if I had gotten pregnant in high school with him, I would have behaved just like Chelsea as far as trying to be a familyyyyyy (I never would have put my dad on the hook for financing my life, though). When he disrespected me, I just felt like I had done something wrong. It took me so long to learn to put up boundaries and see through the BS. Once I was treated like I deserved, I learned that it was possible to be in a happy relationship and not to settle for less. 

I applaud you for going to a therapist! I always felt like I should, but I didn't want to admit to my parents that I needed one. That sounds silly now! Luckily I did have a professor in college that I grew really close to, and I was able to talk to her about this situation. She was a really insightful person whom I believe would have made a great therapist! She helped me to get over the aftermath of the relationship, especially, and encouraged me to get back out there. I wish Chelsea could have talked to someone. I feel like she would still be pining over Adam if Cole had never come along!

Edited July 27, 2017 by Christina87

[GreatKazu]

23 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

@GreatKazu you are so right!!! I thought that financial security, family support, and growing up in a great neighborhood would protect me too. The guy that I dated was the son of a physician's assistant, and he made straight A's through high school. My parents liked him because of these attributes, until I told them some of the things he did. Then they hated him, but I was in too deep. They never knew just how bad it was until we broke up. I never thought this kind of person could be trash. My sister used to run around with people who were more outwardly trashy, and I told myself that my boyfriend was a class above, and would likely marry me because that's what upper middle class people do. I guarantee that if I had gotten pregnant in high school with him, I would have behaved just like Chelsea as far as trying to be a familyyyyyy (I never would have put my dad on the hook for financing my life, though). When he disrespected me, I just felt like I had done something wrong. It took me so long to learn to put up boundaries and see through the BS. Once I was treated like I deserved, I learned that it was possible to be in a happy relationship and not to settle for less. 

I applaud you for going to a therapist! I always felt like I should, but I didn't want to admit to my parents that I needed one. That sounds silly now! Luckily I did have a professor in college that I grew really close to, and I was able to talk to her about this situation. She was a really insightful person whom I believe would have made a great therapist! She helped me to get over the aftermath of the relationship, especially, and encouraged me to get back out there. I wish Chelsea could have talked to someone. I feel like she would still be pining over Adam if Cole had never come along!

I am glad you were able to remove yourself from a life of pain with someone who was only going to hurt you.

I was actually seeing a therapist for another reason later on. During our sessions, my upbringing came up and that was how the therapist analyzed and informed me how I was so naïve at that age. She once told me about people who are street-wise, tend to be more protective themselves and more aware of their surroundings. That is how I wanted to educate my children. And that is what I see in Briana's sister. Although, she takes it to a whole other level with that "I'm gonna get you before you get me" mentality. It can be a good thing to a degree, but she can take it down several notches. 

Edited July 27, 2017 by GreatKazu

[Christina87]

8 minutes ago, GreatKazu said:

I am glad you were able to remove yourself from a life of pain with someone who was only going to hurt you.

I was actually seeing a therapist for another reason later on. During our sessions, my upbringing came up and that was how the therapist analyzed and informed me how I was so naïve at that age. She once told me about people who are street-wise, tend to be more protective themselves and more aware of their surroundings. That is how I wanted to educate my children. And that is what I see in Briana's sister. Although, she takes it to a whole other level with that "I'm gonna get you before you get me" mentality. It can be a good thing to a degree, but she can take it down several notches. 

Thank you!!! I never would have thought then that I would ever be over it. Towards the end of our relationship, he started actually trying harder and doing a better job. Then I found out he had been lying about a big promise he made to me, and it was so upsetting. Since things had been going relatively well, it was a bigger blow than it would have been before. He went on a trip for two weeks, during which I got a breather and realized I was truly happier when he was not around. I got out and met new people, and realized there were lots of cool people out there I could spend my time with. Then, after being separated for two weeks, he didn't call me for two days after he got back!!! That was truly the last straw. He accused me of being crazy needy by expecting him to call, and I realized how dumb it was. After I broke up with him that final time, it was hard to get over it, but I never ONCE regretted it. Haha that ended up being a novel! I wish I could go back ten years and tell myself to go ahead and get out, that it would be okay. 

And I agree about Brittany! Actually, I think Kail might have the right amount of street smarts, as she attracts really decent people as friends and partners. Unfortunately, she is a horrible person. If she could dial back her personality, she would have it made!

Edited July 27, 2017 by Christina87

[monicageller]

7 hours ago, Christina87 said:

I can see where Chelsea gets her lack of self esteem. I was raised in a very similar household and grew up similarly in terms of looks, and everything was great until the teen years. I ended up getting in an Adam-type relationship as a teen because I was wildly attracted to the guy, and he seemed so nice at first. When he became verbally and emotionally abusive, it was honestly a shock because my dad is so awesome, and I kind of just expected every guy to be trustworthy and kind. I felt like I must be doing something wrong, so I said goodbye to any shred of dignity trying to get in this guy's good graces for years. After him, I went through a rough couple years of dating assholes because I wasn't savvy enough to recognize one. When all the males in your life growing up are perfect 10's, sometimes you lag behind in discerning their character and blame it on yourself. There was a lot of "he wouldn't have treated me like that if I was prettier" and "no wonder he was so mean...I double texted him!" I'd see other people around me breaking dating rules and ending up with marriage, and it furthered convinced me that I was worthless.  It took until a cole-like guy in my mid-twenties who treated me decently to turn things around. I worked on myself a lot before I met him, but sometimes a guy reminding you of your worth does the rest of the job for you. Chelsea was my favorite when the show first started because we were going through the same thing!

 

Wow, this was exactly my situation as well. I feel like I could have written it! My dad was a great man and I didn't know of any deadbeat dads/crappy boyfriends or husbands so I wasn't even aware shitty men were a thing, I guess? I found out the hard way through my first relationship which was Chelsea-and-Adam-esque, followed by another couple that were similar. A lot of abuse. Then I met my partner when I was 23 and relationship-wise, things have been amazing ever since.

I was impressed with Briana for knowing she had to break up with Luis, and then actually following through with it.