S06.E18: Lil' Starburst

[Mr. Miner]

Amber is a poser, posing to be wealthy and posing to be a mother. She's so fake, she doesn't have any friends. Anyone that is hanging around are just looking for a handout. How many thousands of dollars did she waste on a mommy makeover that didn't make her over. When all the money is gone, you won't see Amber getting a job anywhere. She will be on disability for all of her various mental problems.

[MissMel]

10 minutes ago, Uncle JUICE said:

How do you guys keep track?!? I have one of each and couldn't even hazard a guess. 

Mostly it's a sixth sense.  It's the timing of the month, the "connection", just a feeling, etc.  My best friend's daughter stayed with me for a couple of months, several years ago.  She went out one night with a friend and they 'hooked up'.  She came home and we were talking about it.  She said, "The weirdest thing happened.  I went to the bathroom after we got done and there was just a tiny bit of blood but not like I started or anything.  I've never had that happen before."  I busted out laughing.  I told her she just got knocked up, her due date would be Valentine's Day, and she would have her-a girl-on my birthday.  She didn't believe me at first.  Sure enough, I was right.  She called me on my birthday and I answered the phone asking her what color hair her daughter had.  She said, "I hate how you know these things.  Nobody but my mom knows I went into labor early this morning.  It is a girl, her hair is black and I just filled out her birth certificate.  She has your middle name." 

It's hard to explain but sometimes a woman just 'knows'.  

[DudeLeaveMeAlone]

31 minutes ago, Uncle JUICE said:

How do you guys keep track?!? I have one of each and couldn't even hazard a guess. 

Well, for me it is simple. We never *do* that style. And yet we have two boys. Guess Kim heard wrong.

[ginger90]

What was Amber going to cover the chairs with, blankets from home?

[LotusFlower]

4 hours ago, gunderda said:

But Bentley IS comfortable around Jen and Larry. If he didn't have a relationship with his grandparents either then I would be on Maci's side on this.  But he does. There is a good relationship with that side of the family and she's being an asshole trying to dictate holiday schedules.  The fair way is to rotate every year. None of this "what do you want to do this year?" BS.  Bentley probably has cousins he's familiar with in Texas and thinks it will be more fun. He seems to be more familiar with that side of the family so it's not surprising that if you give him a choice, he's going to choose TX. 

Because grandparents have to tow a fine line sometimes.  I went through this with my parents and my brother. My brother is SUPER laid back. probably woudln't get mad about anything but my mom was scared to speak up to him about something with his ex because she was worried he would get mad and not allow them to see my nephews.  Which was the most ridiculous thing in the world!! However I can see how Jen and Larry may have that fear a lot because Maci can control things so easily and likes to punish ryan through them.

They shouldn't have booked him a flight at all, no matter if Ryan asked or not.  Ryan shouldn't have to ask.  It should be automatic that since Bentley spent the holiday with Maci's family last year that Jen and Larry get him this year.  No ifs, ands or buts about it.  The bond and relationship with Jen and Larry is there, whether Ryan is around or not. 

All your arguments are based on the premise that Maci shares or should share time/custody of Bentley with Jenn and Larry.  "Bentley spent the holiday with Maci's family last year, so Jen and Larry get him this year."  What?  They're the grandparents, not the parent.  I'm not saying grandparents don't have a place in a child's life, and Maci is lucky that they've been so good to both her and Bentley, but that doesn't mean she has to switch holidays with them or negotiate with them as co-parents in any way. 

Is Ryan an only child, or do Jenn and Larry have other kids?  I'll reiterate what I wrote in an earlier post - all the problems stem from Ryan's lack of interest in being a dad, and Jenn and Larry act like Bentley is their son as opposed to their grandson.  It's a different role, with different expectations.  It's up to Ryan to negotiate things like holidays and demand more time with his son, but of course he doesn't, because he's a slacker or a drug addict or lazy or, again, simply not interested.  There's a reason that there's no custody arrangement or visitation or holiday schedule - Ryan doesn't want one, and has never asserted his rights.  None of that is Maci's fault.  

Edited May 3, 2017 by LotusFlower

[gunderda]

1 minute ago, LotusFlower said:

All your arguments are based on the premise that Maci shares or should share time/custody of Bentley with Jenn and Larry.  "Bentley spent the holiday with Maci's family last year, so Jen and Larry get him this year."  What?  They're the grandparents, not the parent.  I'm not saying grandparents don't have a place in a child's life, and Maci is lucky that they've been so good to both her and Bentley, but that doesn't mean she has to switch holidays with them or negotiate with them as co-parents in any way. 

But why not?? Seems that Jen and Larry took care of Ryan's custody weekends.  Whenever Bentley was suppose to be with Ryan, he was with Jen and Larry and Maci knew that completely.  At that time she could have taken visitation away from them.  But guess what, she probably liked her weekends childfree.  She created that visitation setup, she let is grow. He has a relationship with them like one would a parent. For her to keep them away from Bentley because of Ryan is really an asshole thing to do.  

[JBC344]

1 hour ago, gunderda said:

Maci doesn't have to be the bad guy.  She can set up a schedule that is agreed with upon all parties and stick to it.  She doesn't have to wait for Ryan to take her to court. It would benefit her just as much to have some sort of thing in writing. 

I know soooo many families who have it way worse than Maci where the kids are forced to go to the other parents' who are a complete mess and the kids would be much better without them.  Yet we have Maci who has a loving and caring relationship with Bentley's grandparents and she continuously wants to eff it up because she wants to stick it to Ryan. 

I haven't seen any evidence of Maci trying to sabotage Bently's relationship with Jenn and Larry.  The reality of the situation is that any "schedule" would be made with Jenn and Larry, Ryan has shown himself to be pretty incapable of following any schedule that he and Maci have set up previously.  So there is no incentive on Maci's part to keep pushing that because it doesn't happen anyway. The question is also I don't know how much Jenn and Larry want that, yeah they have a great loving relationship with Bently but Ryan doesn't live at their house anymore so it complicates things a little more.

Also we have seen on this episode that Jenn and Larry still defer the holiday schedule to Ryan, which in and of itself was a horrible idea, we all know how Ryan is the worse at communication.  This is why I suggested that the outcome may have been different if Jenn and Larry spoke with Maci directly on these issues but I don't know if they want to be in that position ultimately.

The first thing Ryan said to Maci was "it's not fair", well some may argue that since Ryan barely participates in the general parenting of Bentley that Maci has no obligation to split holidays "fairly". Now is that the approach I necessarily think she should take?  Not necessarily but it is a sound and fair argument, one that Ryan can't seem to comprehend.

I also want to add that in the previous half of this season Maci was put in an ackward position when Ryan and Larry were feuding and Ryan was trying to dictate that he didn't want Bentley at his parent's house anymore.  So then Maci was in a position where she is splitting custody with Jenn/Larry and Ryan between three homes. She can't win in that situation, but she also shouldn't be in the position where she has to defer to Ryan on some parenting issues but then Jenn/Larry on others.

I think they all need to sit down, all five of them and really have an honest adult conversation on parenting/custody/visitation, etc. 

[kira28]

3 hours ago, heatherchandler said:

She said that because she thinks that is what "rich" people say.  She is trying to imply that the crappy chairs are not to her standards.  I am thinking it is Matt's influence - remember how when they were moving to the new fancy neighborhood, he was saying things to her like, "we belong there, we have money, etc."  

She is trying so hard to play the part of wealthy lady, and she is failing so miserably. 

I thought the thing about Amber wanting chair covers was funny because ok... You cover the chairs in pink to match the cake or whatever but the rest of that room is all bright clown colors lol. Why would it matter if the chairs have pink slip covers when the walls are bright red yellow and blue? 

I'm glad Gary has some sense! 

[ginger90]

The all knew last Thanksgiving that there would be Thanksgiving this year, right? So why not have a coversation in advance?

My grandson lives with me. His other grandmother lives in another state, at least 6 hours away. She has made promises to take him on some breaks from school and then something or other happens where the dates change. It drives me insane. Sometimes people can't see beyond themselves. Rant over.

[LotusFlower]

35 minutes ago, gunderda said:

But why not?? Seems that Jen and Larry took care of Ryan's custody weekends.  Whenever Bentley was suppose to be with Ryan, he was with Jen and Larry and Maci knew that completely.  At that time she could have taken visitation away from them.  But guess what, she probably liked her weekends childfree.  She created that visitation setup, she let is grow. He has a relationship with them like one would a parent. For her to keep them away from Bentley because of Ryan is really an asshole thing to do.  

Because at the end of the day, they're Bentley's grandparents, and that's a different role in a child's life than a parent.  Yes, when Ryan had custody weekends with Bentley, he handed him off to his parents and Maci knew this, but a) she was angry about it (she wanted Ryan to spend more time with his son); and b) why did they allow this arrangement to go on in the first place?  Ryan had custody, not Jenn and Larry, so why did they take over?  Why did they allow Ryan to go out partying when he should have stayed home with his son?  Why did they go trick or treating with Bentley instead of Ryan?  Etc., etc. Why?  Because they seemed to really like taking over, and they got in too deep.  Whether they were looking the other way, or trying to fill a void in their own lives, or who knows what, they constantly enabled Ryan's do-nothing behavior, and it resulted in the current dynamic of the two of them caring more than Ryan about spending time with Bentley.  There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a close relationship with a grandchild, but I think they need to step back and remember that they're the grandparents, not the parent.

Edited May 3, 2017 by LotusFlower

[VioletNevermind]

I didn't fully appreciate the concept of a "word salad" until I watched Farrah attempt to communicate with anyone with more intellectual capacity than Soffeeeah (slim pickings, I know).  I don't think I have ever heard her say anything without sounding combative, going off on irrelevant tangents, making it all about herself, or otherwise coming off like a bratty teenage girl.  I keep waiting for her to finally grow the hell up, but she'll be a whopping (relatively speaking) 26-years-old later this month.  Methinks it ain't happening!

Edited May 3, 2017 by SuzyLee

[CofCinci]

Farrah doesn't present with word salad.  They're articulation errors. She has some sort of speech, communication or auditory processing issues (outside of being a raging bitch).  Word Salad is a much different that what we see in Farrah. 

[heatherchandler]

1 hour ago, LotusFlower said:

...Why?  Because they seemed to really like taking over, and they got in too deep.  Whether they were looking the other way, or trying to fill a void in their own lives, or who knows what, they constantly enabled Ryan's do-nothing behavior, and it resulted in the current dynamic of the two of them caring more than Ryan about spending time with Bentley.  There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a close relationship with a grandchild, but I think they need to step back and remember that they're the grandparents, not the parent.

I don't think there is such a thing as going "too deep" falling in love with your grandchild.  He is so loved by his grandparents and that is a great thing.  They absolutely took over the role the father is "supposed to" have.  But so what?  It just means that Bentley has two more people who love and care for him.  

My parents are extremely involved in my sons' lives.  I am so happy about that.  If something happened to me, god forbid, and my husband didn't keep them as involved, it would crush them.  I supposed he would be able to do that, my parents have no real "rights," but it would be at a great cost to the emotional welfare of my boys.  

Maci knows that Jen and Larry are very much invested in Bentley's life, and really love to spend time with him.  She should consider that when making decisions, even if the law says she doesn't have to.

[GreatKazu]

I wasn't going to comment on Kim's doggystyle topic, but I am now.

I read a book back in the early 1980s about how to choose the sex of your baby.  The man behind this was some doctor who had achieved much success in helping couples have boys or girls. The idea is more than just having sex doggystlyle to have a boy. Kim took a bit of information and drew her own conclusion. There have been countless of articles on what a couple needs to prepare for if they are going to try for a boy or a girl. I am sure Kim read one of these articles and just immediately figured since she and Butch had doggystyle sex and produced a boy baby, it worked. There is more to it than just that. The reason for sex from the rear is that penetration will be deeper into the uterus and the sperms with the Y chromosome will have a higher chance to get to the egg first.  That is not all. The woman has to know when exactly she is ovulating and to be able to have sex as close as possible to her date of ovulation. There was also mention about the Y chromosones tend to prefer a less acidic environment. In order to do this, a woman should have an orgasm. She should also eat certain foods. The male partners should wear boxers instead of briefs. There is more, but that is the gist of it. Kim left out a lot of information. Whether it works or not, that is a different topic. 

Kim is stupid. The mere fact there is even baby talk happening with C&T is just gross. 

[LotusFlower]

47 minutes ago, heatherchandler said:

I don't think there is such a thing as going "too deep" falling in love with your grandchild.  He is so loved by his grandparents and that is a great thing.  They absolutely took over the role the father is "supposed to" have.  But so what?  It just means that Bentley has two more people who love and care for him.  

I would argue that there is such a thing as going "too deep," and I certainly don't mean "in love."  It's great for Bentley to have two loving grandparents in his life, but it's also important for him to have a father, and he doesn't have that in Ryan.  Jenn and Larry are partly responsible for that, not only because they raised him, but because they consistently enabled his irresponsiblilty and inattentiveness.  Over time, everyone stopped expecting anything from Ryan (including Bentley), and Jenn and Larry formed a close bond with Bentley to the point where they now have expectations that fall outside of a grandparent's role.  

In my view, Jenn and Larry should spend less time griping about Maci and more time encouraging Ryan to be a better dad.  What's interesting about this issue is that everyone is making Jenn and Larry and Maci the key figures in this discussion, but to me, it's ALL about Ryan.

[SPLAIN]

Ryan has given plenty of reasons for Maci to not rely on his word. He is similar to Adumb in that he wants to pursue being a dad when it suits him. Being a parent is a 24/7 job and commitment. I realize Ryan doesn't have Bentley in his life like a full-time parent, but that doesn't mean he can't be 100 percent involved when he does have visitation. Part of that means to communicate with his child's mother. I clearly recall when Ryan just two years ago told Maci he wanted her to contact him directly and to not go through his parents which Maci confirms is her ideal plan as well. I found this article which is a synopsis of what had been going on during that time period including him being constantly late when picking up Bentley:

http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/teen-mom-og-recap-maci-bookout-co-parenting-bentley-201564

Quote

Basically, Ry Ry wants Maci to call him instead of his mom to discuss the schedule for picking up and dropping off their son. Mind you, he says this after last week’s episode in which he declared he was simply too busy for a phone call. 

Surprisingly, Maci is able to keep her cool, and says, “I want to include you. I want to co-parent with you, not your parents. So we're on the same page.”

Ryan flip-flops. He continues to say one thing and then does another. I can't stand Maci, but that is some crazy mind-shit game to be dealing with only because it affects Bentley. Maci shouldn't have to be wondering what it is Ryan wants each week. It should be consistent. If he can't bother to arrive on time for his own child, stop enabling him and stop trying to work out a schedule with him. Maci is better off working with  Jen and Larry. If they want to continue to be free babysitters for Maci, so be it. That is their choice. If Jen and Larry want to be the ones to continue to push Ryan into fathering his child, let that be their choice. I think Maci should just not push Ryan any further. His actions are telling. 

Larry and Jen should know they are not legally entitled to see Bentley, but if Maci chooses to share holidays with them, that is something they can work out as adults. Maci doesn't have to share any holiday time with them, but I think she really doesn't mind, it just depends. 

Edited May 4, 2017 by SPLAIN

[EmeraldGirl]

Larry can just stick it with his hokey pokey. His little country sayings are obnoxious. They see Bentley A LOT. Ryan sucks, and he's the one that never could bother to secure a better custody arrangement.  Maci has three children now, and she likes them together for the holidays. Just because wild-eyed Ryan and his 20 year old weird girlfriend text a few days ahead of the holiday doesn't mean things magically change after 8 years. Ryan probably forgot about it the minute his sandwich arrived. 

Amber talking about chair covers and purple balloons brought me right back to her super druggy days. She saw Gary's house and that Leah's room was green. She went into, "Oh my Jesus lord! Oh my Jesus lord! The room has to be pink and purple glitter!".  Gary dismissed her calmly with, "Thanks, I've got it". I saw the same gal again. And again Gary calmly giving it a silent, "Get over yourself, bitch". Even Matt stared at her like she was insane. 

Cate and Amber needed big old punches in the face on the aftershow. Seriously? The girl who placed her first child for adoption, and then spends every waking moment with this one, well, not awake? And Amber ... who could not even watch a clip show of herself because she said she was NEVER sober on camera. She pretended to remember these clips of Leah doing cute things. I'm guessing she remembers the clips and not the actual event in real life. What a bitch to judge anything when she was either high, in rehab, in prison, smacking Gary, or just flat on her back either with a boyfriend or out cold. The witches of the Midwest.  

[AmyFarrahFowler]

5 hours ago, MissMel said:

Mostly it's a sixth sense.  It's the timing of the month, the "connection", just a feeling, etc.  My best friend's daughter stayed with me for a couple of months, several years ago.  She went out one night with a friend and they 'hooked up'.  She came home and we were talking about it.  She said, "The weirdest thing happened.  I went to the bathroom after we got done and there was just a tiny bit of blood but not like I started or anything.  I've never had that happen before."  I busted out laughing.  I told her she just got knocked up, her due date would be Valentine's Day, and she would have her-a girl-on my birthday.  She didn't believe me at first.  Sure enough, I was right.  She called me on my birthday and I answered the phone asking her what color hair her daughter had.  She said, "I hate how you know these things.  Nobody but my mom knows I went into labor early this morning.  It is a girl, her hair is black and I just filled out her birth certificate.  She has your middle name." 

It's hard to explain but sometimes a woman just 'knows'.  

I LOVE this!!!!

 

5 hours ago, LotusFlower said:

All your arguments are based on the premise that Maci shares or should share time/custody of Bentley with Jenn and Larry.  "Bentley spent the holiday with Maci's family last year, so Jen and Larry get him this year."  What?  They're the grandparents, not the parent.  I'm not saying grandparents don't have a place in a child's life, and Maci is lucky that they've been so good to both her and Bentley, but that doesn't mean she has to switch holidays with them or negotiate with them as co-parents in any way. 

Is Ryan an only child, or do Jenn and Larry have other kids?  I'll reiterate what I wrote in an earlier post - all the problems stem from Ryan's lack of interest in being a dad, and Jenn and Larry act like Bentley is their son as opposed to their grandson.  It's a different role, with different expectations.  It's up to Ryan to negotiate things like holidays and demand more time with his son, but of course he doesn't, because he's a slacker or a drug addict or lazy or, again, simply not interested.  There's a reason that there's no custody arrangement or visitation or holiday schedule - Ryan doesn't want one, and has never asserted his rights.  None of that is Maci's fault.  

^^^^THIS

At the end of the day that's the bottom line. I think it's very nice of Jenn and Larry (although somewhat stupid) to babysit Maci's other kids, where does that obligate Maci to work out a visitation schedule with Bentley's grandparents? Maci and Ryan had a baby. Not Maci, Ryan, Jenn and Larry. 

Maybe it's time to do some mediation and work out a parenting plan with Ryan and file it with the courts. Jenn and Larry can also file for Grandparent's visitation. It may sound a little cold but these demands of Jenn and Larry are getting a little ridiculous.

[Meatball]

On 5/2/2017 at 11:15 AM, saratothej said:

I've had enough of Amber. How insecure is she that she has to constantly ask BOO BOO if she's having fun at the party/glad they did the party together. Good grief. I've never heard a parent ask their child so many times if they are having fun at their birthday party. It's a party...wtf do you think?  Amber also looks awful.

You can tell how much more connected Leah is to Christina than to Amber. It was kind of pathetic the way Amber had to call Leah over to her when she first came in the building and was joking with Christina about tricking her. 

Ugh! My mom constantly needed reassurance for everything. Christmas dinner? No matter how many times her guests thanked her, she had to ask me a zillion times if I thought everyone had a good time. I had to tell her how good the food was. Once she gave my aunt a beautiful painting of her (my aunt's) dog. When my aunt opened the present, she started crying. Later my mom asked me if I thought my aunt really liked the gift. Yes, mom. I think her tears showed on some level that she appreciated it. I used to think she needed reassurance, but now I think it's a combination of needing reassurance as well as praise. 

It's the same with Amber. If she's constantly asking Leah if she's having a good time, Leah will believe she had a good time because of her mom. That is until Leah grows up and sees how little her mom wanted to do with her unless she could get every ounce of credit.

Edited May 4, 2017 by Meatball

[JBC344]

Can someone clarify for me, maybe this information is coming from social media but other than the one time we saw Jenn and Larry babysit Jade, I keep repeatedly seeing "Jenn and Larry babysit Maci's kids". Is this an actual thing?

We were shown on the show that Maci was sort of whining to Jenn while dropping off Bentley about not having a babysitter for Jade and it was messing up their plans.  Jenn very graciously offered to babysit, Maci accepted, Ryan made a joke about it when he got home, and that was the last I personally ever saw of it. Again this could be something that was discussed on the Aftershow or Social media and I just may not be aware of it.

[GreatKazu]

57 minutes ago, JBC344 said:

Can someone clarify for me, maybe this information is coming from social media but other than the one time we saw Jenn and Larry babysit Jade, I keep repeatedly seeing "Jenn and Larry babysit Maci's kids". Is this an actual thing?

We were shown on the show that Maci was sort of whining to Jenn while dropping off Bentley about not having a babysitter for Jade and it was messing up their plans.  Jenn very graciously offered to babysit, Maci accepted, Ryan made a joke about it when he got home, and that was the last I personally ever saw of it. Again this could be something that was discussed on the Aftershow or Social media and I just may not be aware of it.

I remember when Maci wheedled Jen into babysitting Jayde. There was another scene where Jen babysat both kids according to this article, but I don't remember that scene:http://www.wetpaint.com/ryan-edwards-parents-relationship-bentley-1530680/

[JBC344]

Well that article is a week after Maci got married and I think the author is lumping all the kids together.  Maverick would of been a newborn correct? I think the author is taking the scene of Jenn babysitting Jayde and Bentley and including Maverick in that even though Maverick wasn't born yet.

Either way the assertions that "Jenn and Larry are constantly taking care of Maci's kids" are completely made up. 

[poopchute]

I'm confused about the Maci Thanksgiving thing.  I thought Maci said at one point that Ryan "keeps asking" about thanksgiving but she "didn't think it was going to work out" and then later we saw a scene with Ryan where it seemed like they had spoken about it but he was waiting on a definite answer.  Now there is clearly something wrong with him so I'm sure it's possible he just has no idea what  is happening around him but why would there be so much back and forth? If tickets are booked, then it should have gone like this:

"Can Bentley come for Thankdgiving?"

"No sorry we already booked our trip to Texas."

The end.

Why would there be multiple conversations about it without a definite answer?

[CofCinci]

29 minutes ago, poopchute said:

Why would there be multiple conversations about it without a definite answer?

Because Maci didn't want to tell the Edwards "no." 

[Vandy10]

I am no Maci fan, but I don't disagree with her about Thanksgiving. I know Jen and Larry are wonderful people who love Bentley and have done so much for him and Maci. But why have they had to step in and co-parent with Maci? Oh yeah, their son's a dickweed. In some ways, they were lucky Maci was a teen mom. If she'd been older and more established when Bentley was born, Maci wouldn't have needed them so much, and I doubt they have been as involved. Well, it is lazy Maci we're talking about, so maybe they would've had the same role. But in general, any self-sufficient person who procreated with deadbeat Ryan wouldn't need so much support from his parents. And so, despite their wonderfulness and despite the impression they've gotten over the years, they're actually grandparents, not co-parents of Bentley. I wouldn't let my son go with grandparents over Thanksgiving either. Summer break? Sure. But not my favorite holiday.

The potty training scene with Nova bothered me so much, just like the scene of Bentley adjusting himself. We don't need to see that MTV! And I find it abhorrent that the parents would let that be filmed. I don't know that the Bentley scene was something Maci could've anticipated enough to tell the camera crew they couldn't film it. But you know when you're potty training your kid. That's totally something Cate and Tyler could've (and should've) told the crew beforehand that they did not want filmed for posterity. As if poor Nova doesn't have it rough enough with those yokels for family, but now all of her peers for perpetuity are going to have seen this. Everyone she ever meets in middle school, high school, college, her first job...and so on.

That preview about the ornament and Leah only being able to make one, and Amber crying 2 feet from Leah...gah! It's not all about you Amber!

[Uncle JUICE]

It sounds like something really sad is happening here, particularly with the musty Baltierra crew, that's happened on the other show occasionally, too. Nova's a little person, not a prop. She deserves her privacy, too. She's not old enough to express it, but would either of these two yahoos want to be filmed taking a shit? One of the many reasons this version of the show needs to end. 

[MissMel]

30 minutes ago, Uncle JUICE said:

She's not old enough to express it, but would either of these two yahoos want to be filmed taking a shit?

It's not only that.  It's 'why the hell would you teach your child to take a shit in the living room instead of the bathroom, where the toilet is?'  

My parents used to get my oldest child every Saturday night. I bought a cool potty chair for him and another one for their house.  I came to pick him up one Sunday and the boy was sitting, in the living room, on this potty, watching tv and eating goldfish crackers.  WTF? "Mom! Why isn't the chair part on the toilet in the bathroom and the bottom part NOT the step stool to the toilet?"  

"I just thought he might be comfy-er on it in the living room."  Yes Mom, let's train him to take a shit in the living room while watching tv.  That should work out fabulously.  Jeezus.

[lezlers]

On ‎5‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 4:59 AM, CofCinci said:

Larry and Jen need to stop watching Maci's kids. I'm sure they're very offended that Bentley is with Taylor's family for another holiday season.  I think Larry and Jen have a strong case for some legal grandparent visitation schedule.  That said, Maci and Ryan need a legal shared parenting plan so each holiday is scheduled fairly between families.

I seriously doubt that.  Maci has never tried to keep Bentley away from them.  In order to claim grandparents rights you have to show a strong relationship between the grandparents and the child and that interference with the child's relationship with those grandparents is detrimental to the child.  You don't waltz into court and get a court ordered visitation schedule for grandparents because you're annoyed the child's mother isn't letting the child go out of state with you on thanksgiving.

Jen and Larry are lucky Maci allows them so much time with Bentley despite Ryan being involved or not, they'd be wise not to fuck with her, in all honesty.  They have no rights to Bentley.  They're nice people and both Bentley and Maci are lucky to have them, but let's not get it twisted.  They're not Bentley's parents and they have no right to demand to take him out of state on a holiday. 

They're the ones who raised their deadbeat son and continue to enable him, this is the kind of thing that happens.

[poopchute]

3 hours ago, CofCinci said:

Because Maci didn't want to tell the Edwards "no." 

Well that's pretty shitty.  If she knew the eventual answer was no she should have just said no. I don't get it.

[Uncle JUICE]

33 minutes ago, poopchute said:

Well that's pretty shitty.  If she knew the eventual answer was no she should have just said no. I don't get it.

The answer is that these people, in spite of their best efforts to pretend otherwise, are simply not adults. They have sold the years in which most people learn to be adults for fleeting fame, and cheaply. It will end up costing them greatly in the future. Think about it: when do you think you turned from a teenager (not by numbers) to an early adult? I'd guess for me, a guy who moved into an apartment at 20 and lived on his own for five years before my eventual wife moved in. Over that time, I had a job, I had to figure out how to be a functional independent person, do things on my own, and deal with people in an adult way. The adult way is, as someone said, "Sorry, but no, I've already made plans." A straight 'no.' Not some vague "I don't think so, we'll see." That sort of perspective, where you avoid conflict because you can't see that it really isn't a conflict (It's yes or no, the discussion afterward cannot change the outcome, and adutls recognize this situation and just say "Well that sucks but okay"), it's the behavior of a fifteen year old. 

[BlancheDevoreaux]

2 hours ago, Uncle JUICE said:

It sounds like something really sad is happening here, particularly with the musty Baltierra crew, that's happened on the other show occasionally, too. Nova's a little person, not a prop. She deserves her privacy, too. She's not old enough to express it, but would either of these two yahoos want to be filmed taking a shit? One of the many reasons this version of the show needs to end. 

To be fair, Catelynn had absolutely no problem taking a pregnancy test on camera and showing herself actually peeing on the stick. It seems that class, privacy, and decorum is not valued in that household. 

[AmyFarrahFowler]

11 hours ago, JBC344 said:

Well that article is a week after Maci got married and I think the author is lumping all the kids together.  Maverick would of been a newborn correct? I think the author is taking the scene of Jenn babysitting Jayde and Bentley and including Maverick in that even though Maverick wasn't born yet.

Either way the assertions that "Jenn and Larry are constantly taking care of Maci's kids" are completely made up. 

Okay let's forget that was ever said (although I still stand by it-one child or 10). Maci still owes them nothing as far as visitation goes. My opinion is that she's usually pretty generous with sharing Bentley and the Edwards should be happy about that. 

4 hours ago, Uncle JUICE said:

It sounds like something really sad is happening here, particularly with the musty Baltierra crew, that's happened on the other show occasionally, too. Nova's a little person, not a prop. She deserves her privacy, too. She's not old enough to express it, but would either of these two yahoos want to be filmed taking a shit? One of the many reasons this version of the show needs to end. 

I think if Tyler thought it would get him more screen time, he'd be on a potty in the living room right next to Novalee Reign grunting away.

[Cherry Cola]

17 minutes ago, AmyFarrahFowler said:

Okay let's forget that was ever said (although I still stand by it-one child or 10). Maci still owes them nothing as far as visitation goes. My opinion is that she's usually pretty generous with sharing Bentley and the Edwards should be happy about that. 

I think if Tyler thought it would get him more screen time, he'd be on a potty in the living room right next to Novalee Reign grunting away.

Please, don't give him ideas!!!

[SPLAIN]

11 hours ago, JBC344 said:

Well that article is a week after Maci got married and I think the author is lumping all the kids together.  Maverick would of been a newborn correct? I think the author is taking the scene of Jenn babysitting Jayde and Bentley and including Maverick in that even though Maverick wasn't born yet.

Either way the assertions that "Jenn and Larry are constantly taking care of Maci's kids" are completely made up. 

Their relationship is described here by Maci herself:

Quote

As for Ryan’s parents Jen and Larry, Maci was super nervous to tell them that she was expecting. In fact, fans got to watch the three of them talk it out during Teen Mom OG. Maci, Larry, and Jen ended up having a really heartfelt conversation, wherein Larry told Maci that she’s basically like the daughter they never had! We know, sobbing.

“I was nervous to tell Jen and Larry because they’re like my second parents,” Maci explains to MTV. “They support me like I’m their daughter, we’re very close, and I didn’t want it to change our relationship because I feel like it’s kind of the first real step of letting them know that I’m not going to be their daughter-in-law.”  http://www.wetpaint.com/maci-bookout-nervous-reveal-second-pregnancy-ryan-edwards-1405028/

There is no mention of them being babysitters to her other children in that comment, but it does show how close they are and how Maci is treated like their own daughter. Also, there was a video interview Maci gave where she did mention how Jen is a sweetheart and treats her children with Taylor just like her own grandchildren which is why she "feels comfortable leaving them in her care." 

[lezlers]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 8:34 AM, MissMel said:

I think they just don't want to be filmed anymore.  Maci's mom went trick or treating with them.

This reminds me, since I never saw it discussed in the threads (I may have missed it), was I the only one surprised that they took a golf cart trick or treating?  How lazy can you be???   You're supposed to walk, dammit!  If the kids get tired, that means trick or treating is over! 

Also, you shouldn't drive a golf cart down streets with kids running around if you're drunk.  There was no evidence that they WERE drunk, but it's Maci and Taylor so it's a pretty good guess.

[lezlers]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 11:19 AM, Uncle JUICE said:

How do you guys keep track?!? I have one of each and couldn't even hazard a guess. 

Well of course YOU wouldn't.  ;)  But if you guys had been trying for a while, I'm guessing their mother knows EXACTLY when they were conceived.

[lezlers]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2017 at 10:34 AM, gunderda said:

Maci doesn't have to be the bad guy.  She can set up a schedule that is agreed with upon all parties and stick to it.  She doesn't have to wait for Ryan to take her to court. It would benefit her just as much to have some sort of thing in writing. 

I know soooo many families who have it way worse than Maci where the kids are forced to go to the other parents' who are a complete mess and the kids would be much better without them.  Yet we have Maci who has a loving and caring relationship with Bentley's grandparents and she continuously wants to eff it up because she wants to stick it to Ryan. 

I don't see her as "effing" it up at all, though.  It's not Maci's responsibility to ensure Bentley sees Jen and Larry.  He's Ryan's son, not theirs.  They've been after him for YEARS to get a court order for visitation and he refuses to do so, why would Maci care?  Bentley is in her custody.  Ryan never really WANTS to see him, he certainly never goes out of his way to, so it's not like she has to worry about him taking off with Bentley.  There's zero incentive for her to go to court to establish a visitation schedule that SHE would be legally bound to. Also, she gives Bentley to Jen and Larry every other weekend, despite not being obligated in any way to do so.  She also invites them to every party and get together involving Bentley.  Just because she said no to Ryan (not Jen and Larry because they didn't bother communicating with her directly at all) one time, hardly means she's fucking up her relationship with them or withholding Bentley.   She asked Bentley where he wanted to go.  He said to Texas.  Who knows why.  She could be sending Bentley to the Edwards' for Christmas for all we know.  

I'm not a huge Maci fan by any means, but I honestly don't see that she did anything wrong in the situation.

23 hours ago, LotusFlower said:

All your arguments are based on the premise that Maci shares or should share time/custody of Bentley with Jenn and Larry.  "Bentley spent the holiday with Maci's family last year, so Jen and Larry get him this year."  What?  They're the grandparents, not the parent.  I'm not saying grandparents don't have a place in a child's life, and Maci is lucky that they've been so good to both her and Bentley, but that doesn't mean she has to switch holidays with them or negotiate with them as co-parents in any way. 

Is Ryan an only child, or do Jenn and Larry have other kids?  I'll reiterate what I wrote in an earlier post - all the problems stem from Ryan's lack of interest in being a dad, and Jenn and Larry act like Bentley is their son as opposed to their grandson.  It's a different role, with different expectations.  It's up to Ryan to negotiate things like holidays and demand more time with his son, but of course he doesn't, because he's a slacker or a drug addict or lazy or, again, simply not interested.  There's a reason that there's no custody arrangement or visitation or holiday schedule - Ryan doesn't want one, and has never asserted his rights.  None of that is Maci's fault.  

YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS, thank you!!!   I think some people are confused.  Jen and Larry are Bentley's grandparents, not his other set of parents.  Maci, while she should be grateful for their involvement in her son's life, owes them nothing.  She CERTAINLY shouldn't have to negotiate any sort of rotating holiday schedule with them.  That's absurd.

Edited May 4, 2017 by lezlers

[lezlers]

23 hours ago, gunderda said:

But why not?? Seems that Jen and Larry took care of Ryan's custody weekends.  Whenever Bentley was suppose to be with Ryan, he was with Jen and Larry and Maci knew that completely.  At that time she could have taken visitation away from them.  But guess what, she probably liked her weekends childfree.  She created that visitation setup, she let is grow. He has a relationship with them like one would a parent. For her to keep them away from Bentley because of Ryan is really an asshole thing to do.  

Who says she's keeping him away from them because of Ryan?  People are ascribing motivations to her without any sort of proof.   She asked him where he wanted to go, he said Texas.  There you go.  She doesn't have to force him to go with Ryan when they don't have any kind of holiday schedule set up.  If he said he wanted to go to Alabama, she would've sent him.   I honestly don't know where people are getting this "Maci is just trying to stick it to Ryan" argument from.

[ginger90]

Quote

It's not only that.  It's 'why the hell would you teach your child to take a shit in the living room instead of the bathroom, where the toilet is?'  

 

 

Because the couch is in the living room!

[Caracoa1]

Maci is " trying to stick it" to Ryan.  He rejected her!  Yes..Ryan is a shitty father but Jenn and Larry have been there for Bentley since Day 1.  Maci has no problem letting Bentley spend weekends and ordinary days with Larry and Jenn...Hell, they even watch her "trap babies" from another man!  The Edwards Family will be there for Bentley his entire life.... Taylor's family will be there for Bentley until Taylor divorces Maci!

[ghoulina]

On 5/3/2017 at 2:03 PM, ginger90 said:

 

What was Amber going to cover the chairs with, blankets from home?

 

Oh my gosh, she has the weirdest obsession with covering furniture! And not in a classy way either. 

 

41 minutes ago, lezlers said:

This reminds me, since I never saw it discussed in the threads (I may have missed it), was I the only one surprised that they took a golf cart trick or treating?  How lazy can you be???   You're supposed to walk, dammit!  If the kids get tired, that means trick or treating is over! 

I live in a super small town and a lot of people who are considered part of our town don't even live within the "city" limits, they're a mile or more out in the sticks. So on Halloween it's not unusual to see trucks driving up and down the streets, letting the kids pop out and get candy. I don't know whose neighborhood they were in, but maybe none of them live on an actual street, so they went trick-or-treating in a neighborhood they weren't based out of?

7 minutes ago, Caracoa1 said:

 

Maci is " trying to stick it" to Ryan.  He rejected her!  Yes..Ryan is a shitty father but Jenn and Larry have been there for Bentley since Day 1.  Maci has no problem letting Bentley spend weekends and ordinary days with Larry and Jenn...Hell, they even watch her "trap babies" from another man!  The Edwards Family will be there for Bentley his entire life.... Taylor's family will be there for Bentley until Taylor divorces Maci!

 

I don't think that's really fair to say. We know next to nothing about Taylor's family, so there there's no way to know how involved they would be if Maci and Taylor eventually divorce. They may very well be nice people just like the Edwardses. 

Mileage varies, of course, but I really don't see this about Maci trying to stick it to Ryan. She didn't make the decision, Bentley did. With the way Ryan is rarely present for things, I can't say I blame the kid for not wanting to take a trip with him. I do think Jen and Larry are amazing, and if it were me I might have been more inclined to try and encourage Bentley to take turns. But, at the end of the day, she doesn't have to. Ryan has NEVER pursued getting a set visitation schedule and HE is the one who has used his parents as pawns. I think Maci is in a tough situation. I normally don't care for, but I think she's kind of damned no matter what she does. 

[ChristmasJones]

I wonder what age these kids (Bentley, Leah, etc) will be when they have the light-bulb realization that their entire lives have been broadcast to the world.  I also wonder how that will affect their relationships with their parents.

The whole thing is like a real version of the movie The Truman Show.

[Birdee]

I wonder how it will affect their relationships with everyone they ever meet. When my mom breaks out the baby/childhood pictures to show my husband, I'm beyond mortified and usually close to tears. And he loves me. If she did that with complete strangers, I'd disown her. If that was broadcast on TV for the world to see? I'd have to become a hermit. I think they're going to spend a lot of time questioning people's motives once they realize just how easily their parents sold their privacy. 

[lezlers]

1 hour ago, Caracoa1 said:

Maci is " trying to stick it" to Ryan.  He rejected her!  Yes..Ryan is a shitty father but Jenn and Larry have been there for Bentley since Day 1.  Maci has no problem letting Bentley spend weekends and ordinary days with Larry and Jenn...Hell, they even watch her "trap babies" from another man!  The Edwards Family will be there for Bentley his entire life.... Taylor's family will be there for Bentley until Taylor divorces Maci!

LOL.  I'm pretty sure Maci wouldn't take Ryan back if someone paid her.  Also?  On her original "Being Maci" special, it was pretty clear that Ryan was trying fairly hard (for him, anyway) to get her back and she wasn't remotely interested.   The question remains: has Maci actually done anything to show she said no to Thanksgiving just to stick it to Ryan?  No, she hasn't. But by all means, let's just keep making up motivations for people. 

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

 

 

I live in a super small town and a lot of people who are considered part of our town don't even live within the "city" limits, they're a mile or more out in the sticks. So on Halloween it's not unusual to see trucks driving up and down the streets, letting the kids pop out and get candy. I don't know whose neighborhood they were in, but maybe none of them live on an actual street, so they went trick-or-treating in a neighborhood they weren't based out of?

 

I thought about that, but then, did they drive the golf cart to the other neighborhood?  Why wouldn't they just take their car, park it and let the kids walk up and down the street like you're supposed to?   I know it's stupid, but I get irrationally upset about dumb stuff like that.  Don't even get me STARTED on girl scouts no longer going door to door to hawk their cookies.  LAZY! The lot of 'em!

[ghoulina]

9 minutes ago, lezlers said:

I thought about that, but then, did they drive the golf cart to the other neighborhood?  Why wouldn't they just take their car, park it and let the kids walk up and down the street like you're supposed to?   I know it's stupid, but I get irrationally upset about dumb stuff like that.  Don't even get me STARTED on girl scouts no longer going door to door to hawk their cookies.  LAZY! The lot of 'em!

Haha, I feel ya. Although, I think the Girl Scout thing is more of a helicopter/scared parent thing than laziness. We do have a girl down the street who is involved in 4H and she actually goes door-to-door for her fundraisers. But again....small town. In the cities, I think they're too afraid to let kids out of their sight anymore. 

I was thinking that golf cart also might be because of Jade and Maverick? But who knows. People are super into golf carts these days, I see them all over my town. 

[CofCinci]

If there are trick-or-treating in a gated community it is the norm to have a golf cart.  Farrah has one too.

[Snarky McSnarky]

It looks like Farrah is planning on moving Starburst to San Diego (on the show, perhaps not in real life).  She tours a house and asks if there is a Homeowners Association, and later reveals she doesn't want to live in a HOA because they create problems for her animals, her life, and her creativity...

http://www.eonline.com/news/848216/farrah-abraham-goes-house-hunting-with-her-ex-simon-on-teen-mom-og-and-it-ends-in-disaster

Edited May 4, 2017 by Snarky McSnarky

[lezlers]

7 minutes ago, CofCinci said:

If there are trick-or-treating in a gated community it is the norm to have a golf cart.  Farrah has one too.

Well that's stupid.  You need to EARN your candy, you lazy fucks. 

[Scarlett45]

Regarding Thanksgiving- I'm on Maci's side on this one. As the custodial parent/primary caretaker it's her decision to make regarding the schedule for Bentley (minus a court order which they don't have), if Maci geniunely wanted to let Bentley decide (she may or may not have) and Bentley decided he wanted to go to Texas okay then, that's how it's going to be. I know Jen and Larry are bummed out, and no one including Maci is doubting their love or devotion to Bentley, and no one is trying to stand in the way of them having a relationship, just this time it didn't work out the way Jen and Larry wanted. 

I also think 8 is plenty old enough to decide if you want to take an optional trip. I'm more concerned that Bentley didn't want Ryan to get mad. He shouldn't worry about his Dad being mad at him for where he wants to spend Thanksgiving.  Of course you don't get a say between going to school, the doctor, things like that, but if you'd rather spend the holiday with your Mom rather than your grandparents that's fine. 

Edited May 4, 2017 by Scarlett45

[Soobs]

If Farrah moves to California her neighbors are going to be a lot less cool about that horse. When I lived in Austin (near the University) my across the street neighbor had a wolf/dog hybrid that looked just like a wolf. Once it got loose and chased a woman pushing a stroller down the street.  Nobody ever reported it as far as I know. In my experience, Texans are pretty live and let live unlike in California where it's common for neighbors to report each other for doing unpermitted work on their property.

I was surprised that Maci asked Bentley what he wanted to do. Kids go where you tell them to go, right? Seemed a little passive aggressive to me. Like she wanted him with her but didn't want to say it. She was wrong but Ryan cursing her out didn't help his case.

It's painful to watch Cate and Tyler. They seem so humorless. Amber does too. As for her not wanting kids, no shame in that. Mtv should give her an award. She and Farrah are the only ones I think on TM and TM2 who haven't had more.

Edited May 5, 2017 by Soobs