S08.E31: On the Mend

[hottesthw]

I think this show is turning into dangerous territory for these kids now. Are we going to watch as they film little Ali dying, Jace holding up his first liquor store at 12 with mom's gun, Chelsea telling her classmates all about her dad being a junkie on show n tell day? It's time for it all to end. 

And serious question, not getting political and will delete if it does, but in whatever state Jennelle lives in, how is it possible that someone with her reported (to the world) mental instability, a women who a court ruled multiple times isn't sane enough to raise her son, obtain a gun legally? Why doesn't any of her previous antics prevent her from doing So? Because I know I certainly wouldn't wanna live next door to that family and their ammunition!

Edited August 1, 2018 by hottesthw

[Farmfam]

Totally off topic but I cannot stand it when someone says “I could care less” - that is nails on a chalkboard to me!

[Pepper Mostly]

51 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Regarding Devoin, I'm neutral at this stage. Similar to Chris, I'm finding it a little suspect he wants to play the caring dad when he's conveniently low on cash and has no place to stay. I thought the conversation he had with Brianna was mature on both their ends, but the real test will be whether he continues to be involved once he has his own place. I also thought it was a bit interesting how he talked more affectionately about Stella than he did Nova. 

Maybe he's one of those people who really loves babies. I like babies, don't get me wrong, but I prefer older kids, they're more fun, to me. Devoin seems like a good natured guy, and now that he's off the coven's shit list, probably finds it easier to be around them. Yeah, he should get off his ass and find a job and a place of his own, especially since we all know that the coven can turn on a dime and he could find himself out of favor at the drop of a snotty onesie.

[ReadMeLattice]

21 minutes ago, BARISTA said:

I found this so irritating to watch. Lean on Cole for support yes but if an issue arises between you and Aubree's father's family, don't run and hide and get Cole to deal with it,, that's the epitome of childishness imo. You're Aubree's mom, this is your responsibility. This is similar to Jenelle getting David to do drop offs so that she can "avoid" her other baby daddy. What are these girls teaching their daughters ? When you're grown and something uncomfortable arises in life, go and run behind the nearest man you can find? I hate that :( 

@ghoulina off topic and out of curiosity, what did you think of Ireland? 

Yes, in some ways I really don’t see that Chelsea has moved far beyond 18-19. She hid behind Randy and now Cole. It’s all very high school. 

[teapot]

1 hour ago, Mothra said:

I'm with you on this.  And I also wondered about the reality of Ali's being able to use her wheelchair inside Leah's house.  I don't know whether the house was retrofitted to enlarge doorways and halls (Ali's wheelchair is pretty big, although it's a child-size chair; most "accessible" houses have at least 36" clearance *everywhere*) and create a roll-in shower.  Does the toilet have room for Ali to roll up to it, and bars to help her transfer to the toilet seat?  Is there room in her bedroom for her to wheel up to her bed, and assistive bars to help her transfer to the bed?  Are her clothes hung low enough that she can get to them without standing up?  How about sinks?  Is there room under the bathroom sink for her to roll her chair right up to it to brush her teeth?

 

the saddest part?  most of us would probably drain our savings and insurance trying to make our homes accessible for Ali.  Leah could practically afford it without blinking, and for her own reasons (deep denial but I can't help but feel sorry for her) she doesn't.

10 hours ago, Bridget said:

 

I have a good friend who I only get to see a few times a year and we have our mini notepads with us when we meet for lunch. It's filled up with things to ask each other as well as provides us a place to jot down follow up questions when the other person is talking. It might sound odd out of context, but it's to make sure we both are actively listening to one another instead of thinking to ourselves "don't forget to tell _______ about ___________" or interrupting one another. The notepad/pen combo works on so many levels, I promise.

 

you are soooo my best friend, in my head.

[gunderda]

22 hours ago, Blissfool said:

I hate that Cole, in my opinion, has sold out. I think he is caving in to MTV's demands....be more vocal about your distaste over the Adam situation, sprinkle a few f-bombs here and there, confront Chelsea's adversaries for her in person or on the phone, hawk things on your Instagram.  I'm starting to side-eye the guy.

To me it showed that Cole really cares about his step-daughter and is willing to step up and do what needs to be done when his wife is not comfortable.  Chelsea has admitted that she doesn't do well with confrontation and she crumbles under pressure.  Cole seems to be a 'straight to the point' type of guy and handles these situations better.  And since chelsea has been confronted in a not so nice way from Adam's parents before I don't blame her for not wanting to answer the door by herself. 

16 hours ago, Mothra said:

Here is what i am really worried about concerning Ali:  that she will die on this show.  Even if we are allowed to watch her deteriorate more and more, to the point where it's clear she's going to die soon, I do not want Leah to allow this to be shown.

I thought the same during the episode last night... which makes me curious if there is a time length expectation.  That scene really broke my heart.  Knowing that adults with the same condition died because their lungs stopped working properly and now it's happening to your own daughter.  I don't even have kids, so I can't even imagine the feeling, and it makes me really scared for her.

[TheRealT]

15 hours ago, Christina87 said:

See, this kind of thing is why I gave Grandma Donna a pass about the "grow up" remark in court. Chelsea was sobbing, and everyone was ready to torch Grandma Donna's house, but Chelsea is sooooo immature and passive aggressive when any sort of confrontation happens! We know she has started having Cole do the drop offs too. I get the feeling that Grandma Donna just wants to talk directly to Chelsea about issues (like the name change) and she makes it as difficult as possible. What did she do before Cole? Call Randy and wait for him to come over before she talked to the Linds? That kind of behavior absolutely DOES warrant a "grow up," to me. Now, if Donna had said, "you are the problem, you crazy bitch, and I fucking hate you," I would have taken issue with it...but I don't think she said anything too harsh given the way Chelsea's behaving. 

 

Yeah, during the "previouslies" I noted the ridiculousness of Chelsea crying to her daddy that Donna was "really mean" in telling her to grow up. I think there should be a pretty high bar for refusing to communicate directly with your child's grandparents, and to me, grandma throwing a snide "grow up" doesn't really qualify.

15 hours ago, lidarose9 said:

It would not surprise me if Jace ends up shooting David.

Quite possibly while UBT is beating Jenelle. Or Kaiser. And Jenelle is TOTALLY the type of sociopath who would shoot her husband, then make her kid lie and say he did it or pin it on a child too young to contradict her story. I could see UBT doing that too.

Edited August 1, 2018 by TheRealT

[Cherry Cola]

1 hour ago, Farmfam said:

Totally off topic but I cannot stand it when someone says “I could care less” - that is nails on a chalkboard to me!

I catch myself saying that, and corrrect it.  I think so many people say it wrong, it becomes ingrained.  And yes, I know it's annoying!   I hate when people say, I seen that.  Leah does that a lot! 

 

It was sweet when Bri said that Nova need Devoin and he said, "I need her. "  That melted my heart. 

Edited August 1, 2018 by Cherry Cola

[Mkay]

6 hours ago, jacksgirl said:

Long story short I hope. Was dealing with scary medical condition recently. Every time I went to doctor, I felt like my IQ dropped 40 points. I was so stressed that I would forget questions, or worse ask questions and while I heard the answer I could not process it. Having questions written down before hand helped, but follow up questions and answers are still a struggle for me. Leah should take one of her brightest friends or relatives from the holler to these appointments. Dealing with Ali's probable future is terrifying and my heart goes out to Corey and Leah, but she can do better and should.

Can she hit record on her cell phone and record the audio? Like you said I know sometimes in the moment I forget what I’m told or what I wanted to ask.  

[Ffiferoo]

When Leah was talking with Ali as they were getting ready for the appointment I was thinking that they should have made a list together of things to tell Dr. Tsao.  It's always hard to remember in the moment what you want to talk about, and if she was worried that Ali wouldn't feel comfortable talking about everything she'd been telling Leah (and that Leah had been hearing from school, etc), then having something to refer back to during the actual appointment would have been helpful.  As she's getting older it's important for Ali to feel empowered about her own needs as well, and have opportunities to practice advocating for herself at appointments.  Yet another benefit of parent and community groups that they could join would be to learn about strategies for attending important appointments, both with Ali's doctors and at school!  I've had several parents in the past bring a friend or relative to IEP meetings just to take notes so they can focus on listening and asking questions and the friend can take down all the information. 

[Rebecca]

4 hours ago, hottesthw said:

And serious question, not getting political and will delete if it does, but in whatever state Jennelle lives in, how is it possible that someone with her reported (to the world) mental instability, a women who a court ruled multiple times isn't sane enough to raise her son, obtain a gun legally? Why doesn't any of her previous antics prevent her from doing So? Because I know I certainly wouldn't wanna live next door to that family and their ammunition!

No court ever “ruled [Jenelle] isn’t sane enough to raise her son.” Jenelle willingly signed over custody to Barb. There aren’t mental health tests in the US to buy firearms. Jenelle isn’t a felon. Therefore she’s allowed to buy guns. In many other countries she would not be a candidate. Check out the laws of gun ownership in  Japan, for example. There’s a reason why we are known the world over for our easy (even legally) gun accessibility. There are almost more civilian guns in the US than there are in the rest of the world combined. I’m not getting political, these are just facts and the reason why someone like Jenelle (and David) has access to all the weapons of their choosing.

1 hour ago, Mkay said:

Can she hit record on her cell phone and record the audio? Like you said I know sometimes in the moment I forget what I’m told or what I wanted to ask.  

In many states you have to tell the other person if you are recording them but I can’t see why Dr Tsao would have a problem with her doing that if she asked.

[ghoulina]

16 hours ago, guilfoyleatpp said:

I agree that Chelsea wasn’t being very mature in dealing with adumb’s mom, but I also totally get why she’s sick of dealing with them. And why she wants Cole to do it.

I get the feeling that it's a two-way street. All these years, when the Linds pick Aubree up they don't come to the door. They wait in the car. I guess that could be just the cameras. But given how they treat their son, I can totally believe they avoid talking with Chelsea as well. Cole is more of a "neutral" party, so I don't have that much of an issue with it. 

Also, maybe just me, but I didn't think Grandma Donna showing up unannounced to confront Chelsea was appropriate. At all. Chelsea's lawyer emailed them. They can go through the lawyer. Or have THEIR lawyer do it. You don't just show up at someone's house like that. I might have hidden too! (I hide from the Mormons all the time.)

4 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Regarding Devoin, I'm neutral at this stage. Similar to Chris, I'm finding it a little suspect he wants to play the caring dad when he's conveniently low on cash and has no place to stay. I thought the conversation he had with Brianna was mature on both their ends, but the real test will be whether he continues to be involved once he has his own place. I also thought it was a bit interesting how he talked more affectionately about Stella than he did Nova. 

YES!!! Thank you! I can't just get 100% on board with him yet. I do think he meant what he said about Stella and Nova. But I think the whole, "Let me stay here and help while you're out of town....oh, hi, I don't have a place or a job" was just all too convenient. I need to see receipts if I'm ever going to believe that dude has handled his shit. 

Briana tends to favor one ex when the others are on her shit list. 

4 hours ago, BARISTA said:

@ghoulina off topic and out of curiosity, what did you think of Ireland? 

Ummmm.....that it was heaven on earth and I never wanted to go home? LOL! 

[teapot]

Just now, ghoulina said:

I get the feeling that it's a two-way street. All these years, when the Linds pick Aubree up they don't come to the door. They wait in the car. I guess that could be just the cameras. 

That struck me as so strange!  I can't imagine sending boy-child out to his grandma's car;  they always came to the door.  It could just be the way their family does things, but it was strange to me.

[ghoulina]

2 hours ago, TheRealT said:

Yeah, during the "previouslies" I noted the ridiculousness of Chelsea crying to her daddy that Donna was "really mean" in telling her to grow up. I think there should be a pretty high bar for refusing to communicate directly with your child's grandparents, and to me, grandma throwing a snide "grow up" doesn't really qualify.

Grandma Donna also proclaimed that Adumb is NOT on drugs. So I think Grandma Donna may need to do some growing up of her own. 

[Birdee]

9 hours ago, jacksgirl said:

 Leah should take one of her brightest friends or relatives from the holler to these appointments. 

That's going to be a quick dip in a shallow pond.

[Psycho Suzy]

19 hours ago, BitterApple said:

Chelsea's been having Randy fight her battles all her life, so I'm not surprised the torch has been passed to Cole. At the end of the day Aubree is her kid, not Cole's. She needs to grow the fuck up and deal with Donna. She looks completely childish hiding like that.

This I disagree with.  Aubrey IS Cole's kid, in every way.  And Cole always makes sure that she knows that.

[BitterApple]

57 minutes ago, SuzyQILoveYou said:

This I disagree with.  Aubrey IS Cole's kid, in every way.  And Cole always makes sure that she knows that.

She hasn't even known Cole for five years. He's a great father figure to her but he isn't the one who banged Adam as a teenager and got pregnant, that honor goes to Chelsea. It's not his responsibility to handle the Linds. If he wants to be present for support then fine, but Chelsea should be taking the lead when it comes to discussing any issues that pop up during visitation. Everyone bitches about Jenelle sending Dave to do her dirty work, Chelsea is doing the exact same thing.

Edited August 1, 2018 by BitterApple

[hottesthw]

4 hours ago, teapot said:

That struck me as so strange!  I can't imagine sending boy-child out to his grandma's car;  they always came to the door.  It could just be the way their family does things, but it was strange to me.

I've been involved in pick up and drop offs for more than a decade. Neither parent goes outside and the parent picking up gets out of the car to greet the kids . It's all they know and not strange at all. I'm assuming to Aubrre it's just how it's done and she doesn't think twice about it.

What was strange was in the beginning when they would both go outside and one parent always ended up screaming at the other in front of the kids.

[Bridget]

12 hours ago, teapot said:

the saddest part?  most of us would probably drain our savings and insurance trying to make our homes accessible for Ali.  Leah could practically afford it without blinking, and for her own reasons (deep denial but I can't help but feel sorry for her) she doesn't.

you are soooo my best friend, in my head.

Awww thank you for the compliment.

One can never have too many best friends, so I'm just throwing it out there: I can and will be one of your best friends in real life too! 

[KittyKat133]

Could Leah have possibly picked a worse rental house for her disabled daughter?? 

 

Its like she put “least handicap accessible unit possible, tons of stairs, small doorways, concrete sides to the steps with no railings” into her search engine on air b n b????

[KittyKat133]

Also I am so sick of platypus lips, constant bitch face, asshole to everyone kail! And I’m sorry, that baby that she brags about how cute he is, not the cutest baby by far! Is it me or does she ever wash his freaking hair? I bet he has a flat head too like eggsly only she covers it with that greasy mop! WASH THAT BABIES HAIR! There is nothing worse than a stinky dirty baby! Have her appointed baby momma of the week do it if she’s too lazy! Jeesh! It’s not like she doesn’t have help for him for gosh sake! 

Brisna, why go through all that surgery to have a more ridiculous looking ass??

 

jenelle, your security blanket??? Blech! 

[Bridget]

I don't know where to post this, because it jumped out at me during the episode, but I realized that Chelsea has an amazing resource in her attorney.  She doesn't need Randy anymore because she's got an attorney on retainer. I assume they're on retainer based off of the frequency that she needs to meet/communicate with them.

When she said "I e-mailed the photo to my attorney", my immediate thought was "I wonder how much it will cost Chelsea in billable hours for that attorney to open the email, figure out the best course of action and come up with a plan?"  I know you can't put a price on the safety and well being of your child, but she's so casual about it. I'm trying to decide if I want to meet with one over a WorkComp case and the fees are outrageous. My dad's not a dentist and I didn't get knocked up at 16, so I'm screwed. 

I don't say that to belittle Chelsea because it is evident that she needs an attorney to get the Linds to realize that she's not playing when it comes to Aubree. I know attorneys are expensive, so every time Chelsea says, "I e-mailed my attorney" or "I met with my attorney", part of me hopes that she realizes how lucky she is to have that option and the ability to pay for it. I just cannot imagine the billable hours that are paid for because Adumb and his parents refuse to play by the rules. The Linds should be thankful that Chelsea isn't taking them to court for the money she's forking out in legal fees because they cannot read a document, understand the words coming out of a judge's mouth or understand the legal ruling in whatever manner it is explained. 

Leah mentioned she's got an attorney who deals with schools and students with special needs, but she sounded spiteful (to me) when explaining it. It didn't sound as it if was preventative or immediate, like the way Chelsea uses hers; it was more like she was suggesting or threatening, "If anyone screws me over, I will come after them." That's what she SHOULD do, of course, but Leah also shouldn't let anything get to the point where she needs to take retroactive action. She needs to be ahead of everything and touch base with her attorney that specializes in students with IEPs/disabilities. She should've called her attorney the minute she thought the aide was being taken away instead of freaking out. That's what she's paying them for: to avoid freak outs.

I'm pretty sure Kail has one, especially with so many baby daddies and the issues that accompany them, but I wish more of these "moms", both OG and TM2 utilized attorneys on a more frequent basis or for the important issues that arise instead of trying to work things out themselves. When serious things come up, that's not the time to deal with it yourself, especially since these moms aren't exactly Rhodes Scholars. Let the professionals handle it for you. It's not worth the stress and strain that it can possibly cause on marriages, relationships and the potential for a negative indirect impact on the child(ren).

Edited August 2, 2018 by Bridget
posting late at night = redundancy & grammar errors

[IDreamofJoaquin]

On 7/31/2018 at 11:57 AM, Snarky McSnarky said:

I understand Netflix wants to cast Jenelle and David in The Crown as Meghan Markle's white trash relatives.

BAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!!

 

Because Ali Girl is the rare child who has this condition it makes me sad that she is not getting the help she deserves, Leah has the money to do this.

I'm going to be the 99th person to say Jenelle is such a liar.  

When they showed Devion on screen I saw his name as Devoid.  This place is really getting to me.  I thought he was just with the Coven to help with Nova but now he is living with them?  I like how Brittany is like "hire a nanny, this isn't my job".  But she still seems to end up doing it??

[Brooklynista]

3 hours ago, IDreamofJoaquin said:

BAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA!!!!!!

 

Because Ali Girl is the rare child who has this condition it makes me sad that she is not getting the help she deserves, Leah has the money to do this.

I'm going to be the 99th person to say Jenelle is such a liar.  

When they showed Devion on screen I saw his name as Devoid.  This place is really getting to me.  I thought he was just with the Coven to help with Nova but now he is living with them?  I like how Brittany is like "hire a nanny, this isn't my job".  But she still seems to end up doing it??

I think the coven is trying to jam as many people as possible in the apartment to collect MTV checks. Devoin can get a little piece of MTV money, that'll kick back to Briana so for now he's in their good graces.

[DNR]

18 hours ago, Ffiferoo said:

.  Yet another benefit of parent and community groups that they could join would be to learn about strategies for attending important appointments, both with Ali's doctors and at school!  I've had several parents in the past bring a friend or relative to IEP meetings just to take notes so they can focus on listening and asking questions and the friend can take down all the information. 

Little DNR had an IEP during his elementary school years. Our school district had the option of the parent being provided with  another parent who was experienced with IEP & the process to advocate for parent/child during the meetings. It can be very nerve wracking if you’re sitting there alone vs the school.  Leah is a mess so she should NOT go alone . To IEP or Dr Tao.  I wish someone on the doctors staff watched TM and said N0! NOO! Ali is NOT using the chair !! The parents ARE NOT following doctors orders !!! And for god sakes , rent a handicap accessible house Leah !!!! 

[Christina87]

3 hours ago, Brooklynista said:

I think the coven is trying to jam as many people as possible in the apartment to collect MTV checks. Devoin can get a little piece of MTV money, that'll kick back to Briana so for now he's in their good graces.

That's actually a really good theory!

[usernameG]

17 hours ago, BitterApple said:

She hasn't even known Cole for five years. He's a great father figure to her but he isn't the one who banged Adam as a teenager and got pregnant, that honor goes to Chelsea. It's not his responsibility to handle the Linds. If he wants to be present for support then fine, but Chelsea should be taking the lead when it comes to discussing any issues that pop up during visitation. Everyone bitches about Jenelle sending Dave to do her dirty work, Chelsea is doing the exact same thing.

I don't think you can compare Janelle and Chelsea. They are not the same. I would ask my spouse to get off the pot too if someone who I already had a confrontation with randomly knocks on my door. She could've called Chelsea or sent her an email apologizing. I can see why her randomly coming to her home unannounced would make Chelsea concerned. 

Also, it seems as though Chelsea handles a lot of the issues with support, the Linds etc.  Janelle farms out all her dirty work to David who just antagonizes that situation. 

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

4 hours ago, Brooklynista said:

I think the coven is trying to jam as many people as possible in the apartment to collect MTV checks. Devoin can get a little piece of MTV money, that'll kick back to Briana so for now he's in their good graces.

Absolutely this. I also think Briana was being so nice to Devoid because she was on good painkillers post-surgery. I was really nice to everyone when on painkillers post-surgery. 

[Mothra]

20 hours ago, Birdee said:

That's going to be a quick dip in a shallow pond.

Leah's mother is a nurse, I think.  Has she ever accompanied Leah on one of these visits?

[DangerousMinds]

27 minutes ago, Mothra said:

Leah's mother is a nurse, I think.  Has she ever accompanied Leah on one of these visits?

I think Corey should have made time to be there too.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

31 minutes ago, Mothra said:

Leah's mother is a nurse, I think.  Has she ever accompanied Leah on one of these visits?

They said Leah’s Mom was nurse on one of the early episodes, but I think we categorically found out that’s not true when Leah later went to work one day per week in season 1 or 2 at the same dental office where her mom worked. I think her mom is possibly a dental assistant but probably an office worker in a dental practice (or was when they shot that season) and MTV was pulling our leg with the whole nurse thing.

I think Mama Dawn did something to piss off MTV or something cause we don’t see her very much anymore. I also assume she had Addy and maybe Gracie, but it’s true Leah has 8 million relatives in the holler (plus Corey and Miranda) she could bring or have watch the other girlses so Mama Dawn could come.

Whatever happened to Leah’s BFF Kayla? I feel like Kayla could at least string a few sentences together intelligently. Maybe Kayla could come with her and take notes? Or PawPaw Jeff (I know he’s in denial, too, but hey)? 

[Guest]

Exactly, @JocelynCavanaugh! Leah is a fucking liar. She can't play Special Needs Mom martyr and simultaneously handwave things that will preserve Ali's health. She's actively encouraging her deterioration in a deluded effort to recreate her childhood. Kids are not cute accessories or mini me avatars. Ali's life expectancy is being shortened because of Leah's podunk hillbilly notions of gender roles and image. What a great way to inspire confidence in your child than to teach them their necessary mobility aid is not only a nuisance, but embarrassing and inevitable social suicide! Wholesome.

Why are all of Briana's exes from the past nine years sitting together waiting to see who gets the honor of wiping Briana's ass? Do none of them have jobs or families? That fucking hotel room was like the world's most awkward high school reunion. Is having had sex with Bri a prerequisite to be her on-call backup nurse?

Devoin's speech was actually sweet and showed a lot of personal growth, but I was totally taken out of the moment with Bri's disgusting underwear nose wiping. You're having a poignant heart to heart with the father of your child and you get misty eyed so you reach for… your child's underwear?

Isaac did make me laugh when he insisted he could watch "the kids." He's already more parental than Kail!

Edited August 2, 2018 by Guest

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 7/31/2018 at 2:16 PM, LotusFlower said:

I think Dr. Tsao, or others on the team (is there a team?), need to take a different approach when asking the patient and their family these kinds of questions. 

Maybe based on what we've seen, but I'm not going to second-guess his approach based on the few snippets MTV chooses to edit together for us to see.  I don't think that's fair to him.

 

On 7/31/2018 at 9:57 PM, smores said:

I also wouldn't have opened the door to Donna if I were Chelsea. 

Can anybody clarify this for me?  I thought Cole called Donna from inside the house as she was standing at the front door, which I thought was beyond ridiculous.  Did he actually open the door and talk to her?  That would make me feel a lot better.

 

On 8/1/2018 at 9:35 AM, hottesthw said:

And serious question, not getting political and will delete if it does, but in whatever state Jennelle lives in, how is it possible that someone with her reported (to the world) mental instability, a women who a court ruled multiple times isn't sane enough to raise her son, obtain a gun legally?

No court has ruled multiple times that Jenelle isn't sane enough to raise her son.  In fact, I don't think a court has ruled on the issue at all, period, never mind ruling on Jenelle's sanity.

 

18 hours ago, SuzyQILoveYou said:

This I disagree with.  Aubrey IS Cole's kid, in every way.  And Cole always makes sure that she knows that.

Not in every way, including the one that made it possible for her to exist in the first place.

 

12 hours ago, Bridget said:

The Linds should be thankful that Chelsea isn't taking them to court for the money she's forking out in legal fees because they cannot read a document, understand the words coming out of a judge's mouth or understand the legal ruling in whatever manner it is explained.

I don't know anything about family law, but I'm having trouble imagining what legal claim she would have for making them reimburse her. 

 

Quote

I wish more of these "moms", both OG and TM2 utilized attorneys on a more frequent basis or for the important issues that arise instead of trying to work things out themselves.

Conversely, I've been aghast in the past at how many lawyers these people have.  I'm well over twice their age and never in my life have the words, "I'm going to call my lawyer" come out of my mouth.  I'm sure it helps that I don't have a bunch of baby daddies and don't brush up against the criminal justice system with any regularity.  But still.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

16 minutes ago, DangerousMinds said:

I think Corey should have made time to be there too.

I agree but then I remember that Corey is the only adult in this situation working a real job with limited sick leave/vacation time. He has another small child plus Gracie and probably gets sick himself plenty from being around the germs kids bring home (I know I’ve never been as sick as often an adult as I’ve been since I had my own kids who picked up germs from other kids). I think he works in the mines which also isn’t so great for avoiding getting sick and must suck to work at when you’re sick but going to work, too. He probably needs that sick/vacation time himself and would eat it up quickly by going to all of the doctors visits. And his daughter’s mother does not have a job and is available to go, so I see why he may not use his sick time for that if Leah is available to take her. (Granted, I’d want to send a reliable representative from my family/friends with her because I wouldn’t trust that she’d understand/relay what was said correctly to me...but maybe MTV films the whole visit and gives a copy to Corey or something.)

I mean, I totally agree he should be there, but I also think it makes complete sense why he’s not there - he’s the one of the few people on this show who has an actual 40hr/wk job, limited sick/vacation time, and all... 

(I also assume he may try to hoard that off time for if something does go terribly wrong or downhill fast with Ali and she has to be admitted for a hospital stay, etc.) 

Edited August 2, 2018 by MyPeopleAreNordic

[Christina87]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Maybe based on what we've seen, but I'm not going to second-guess his approach based on the few snippets MTV chooses to edit together for us to see.  I don't think that's fair to him.

 

Can anybody clarify this for me?  I thought Cole called Donna from inside the house as she was standing at the front door, which I thought was beyond ridiculous.  Did he actually open the door and talk to her?  That would make me feel a lot better.

 

No court has ruled multiple times that Jenelle isn't sane enough to raise her son.  In fact, I don't think a court has ruled on the issue at all, period, never mind ruling on Jenelle's sanity.

 

Not in every way, including the one that made it possible for her to exist in the first place.

 

I don't know anything about family law, but I'm having trouble imagining what legal claim she would have for making them reimburse her. 

 

Conversely, I've been aghast in the past at how many lawyers these people have.  I'm well over twice their age and never in my life have the words, "I'm going to call my lawyer" come out of my mouth.  I'm sure it helps that I don't have a bunch of baby daddies and don't brush up against the criminal justice system with any regularity.  But still.

Yeah, Cole calling from inside the house is beyond ridiculous. Chelsea is the one making this into an issue. All the woman is asking is literally for a face to face talk. Can you IMAGINE what Chelsea would have done if Adam had avoided her to this extent when she was trying to talk to him? I think both sides have done something to exacerbate the problem, but Chelsea is making it into a big issue when it shouldn't be. Sounds like maybe Mrs. Lind is delusional about the extent of Adam's problems, but not confrontational and prone to yelling or fistfighting. Sometimes you need to keep your distance from people, and if Chelsea were dealing with a Jenelle or even a Roxanne, I could see it. However, if Mrs. Lind were the "knock on the door and brawl type," I'm sure that would have found its way into Chelsea's nonexistent storyline by now. You can be a totally sane person and just want to talk to somebody, and finally feel you have to resort to knocking on their front door. She probably felt crazy doing it! She had no choice, though, because Chelsea would not attend dropoffs, talk to her at the courthouse, and I doubt she would answer her phone. I had an adam type boyfriend once who would avoid me, and I'm embarrassed to say that I ended up on his doorstep more than once, because once you've exhausted all your options, that's the only choice left besides stalking them in public, which is definitely the crazier choice!

chelsea did a remarkable job of explaining to producers and Chelsey grace why she was concerned for adam to be around Aubree. I was impressed with her, and felt she was being very mature. Now, she needs to "grow up" and calmly give the same speech to Mrs. Lind. Yes, sounds like she may be delusional, but if she calmly outlined the reasons she was hesitant for Aubree to be exposed to adam, that's her best shot at getting somewhere. If Mrs. Lind hears that and keeps her head in the sand, well, she's got a court order and can document the times the Linds don't follow the rules. She should try to get along with her child's grandmother, though, first. And she can absolutely have Cole there for moral support. Some people have to confront unpleasant issues in life without a supportive spouse. If Chelsea had a psycho boss like my former one who sent her a "be in my office at 4:00" email, and she knew she'd leave in tears every time, she would not have the option to bring her spouse, or avoid the meeting. Everyone has unpleasant interactions that are unavoidable. There are a lot worse situations in life than having a discussion with Grandma Donna when she is objectively in the right, and has court documents that support her side. 

Edited August 2, 2018 by Christina87

[StatisticalOutlier]

6 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

Yeah, Cole calling from inside the house is beyond ridiculous.

So that is what happened?  Wow.  Why didn't they just not answer the door? 

Calling someone who's three feet away from you knocking on your door instead of opening the door and speaking to them in person is such an immature, chickenshit move.  If you don't want to talk to them, don't.  But don't hide behind your damn cell phone.

[Mothra]

1 hour ago, DangerousMinds said:

I think Corey should have made time to be there too.

She should always have someone reliable with her for these appointments, and Corey would work, if only to have an extra pair of ears there.  I think she even ought to ask the aide to come to at least one visit, to report on what's going on at school and to get instructions straight from the doctor, not filtered through Leah.  Of course, if this aide isn't going to be there next year, maybe that's not going to be helpful--but there must be someone from Ali's IEP team who could come to at least one visit.  Failing that, Leah ought to ask that reports of each visit be sent to the IEP team. 

God bless Leah, she has a terrible burden and she's not very bright--and she is very, very young.  She's too young to be facing this by herself, and especially where accurate reporting about how Ali's doing--that reminds me; our daughter's neurologist asked me to take videos of what I thought might be seizures.  Leah could easily document Ali's difficulties by recording them.  I heard what another poster reported hearing:  Dr. Tsao said Ali would use the breathing machine (I'm pretty sure now it's a CPAP) every night, which Leah apparently heard as "every other night," which doesn't make any sense at all if she understands the purpose of the machine.  Does Ali need to breathe only every other night?

Leah needs an adult to be with her for these visits.

[ghoulina]

19 hours ago, BitterApple said:

She hasn't even known Cole for five years. He's a great father figure to her but he isn't the one who banged Adam as a teenager and got pregnant, that honor goes to Chelsea. It's not his responsibility to handle the Linds. If he wants to be present for support then fine, but Chelsea should be taking the lead when it comes to discussing any issues that pop up during visitation. Everyone bitches about Jenelle sending Dave to do her dirty work, Chelsea is doing the exact same thing.

There's a difference there, to me. It's the WHY. David does that shit because he gets off on intimidating others. In truth, he could care less about any of Jenelle's kids. Cole steps in because he has a genuine love and concern for his step-daughter and he's trying to help his wife. 

 

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

Can anybody clarify this for me?  I thought Cole called Donna from inside the house as she was standing at the front door, which I thought was beyond ridiculous.  Did he actually open the door and talk to her?  That would make me feel a lot better.

I don't think either of those are correct. When Donna showed up Cole was on the shitter. Chelsea went to go get him, and there was probably some hemming and hawing about what to do. Donna left. When Cole was "finished", he called her. She was probably in her car on the way home, but she was not just outside when he called her. 

[Mothra]

1 hour ago, MyPeopleAreNordic said:

They said Leah’s Mom was nurse on one of the early episodes, but I think we categorically found out that’s not true when Leah later went to work one day per week in season 1 or 2 at the same dental office where her mom worked. I think her mom is possibly a dental assistant but probably an office worker in a dental practice (or was when they shot that season) and MTV was pulling our leg with the whole nurse thing.

I think Mama Dawn did something to piss off MTV or something cause we don’t see her very much anymore. I also assume she had Addy and maybe Gracie, but it’s true Leah has 8 million relatives in the holler (plus Corey and Miranda) she could bring or have watch the other girlses so Mama Dawn could come.

Whatever happened to Leah’s BFF Kayla? I feel like Kayla could at least string a few sentences together intelligently. Maybe Kayla could come with her and take notes? Or PawPaw Jeff (I know he’s in denial, too, but hey)? 

Well, MTV totally got me on that one.  Even if her mom isn't a nurse, she'd be better than nobody.  I'm not sure Leah's friends would be much help--they seem as ditzy as Leah, plus they're in awe of her for being a TV star, so I doubt they'd question anything she said or correct her if she misreported something.  Corey ought to feel obligated to go; I think he's slowly coming to grips with Ali's situation, and it would be good for him to be able to ask Dr. Tsao questions himself.

Edited to add:  Someone upthread pointed out that Corey has a real job and probably can't just drop everything for a two-day trek to Dr. Tsao, and that's true.  Could he not skype the doctor visits, though?  I'm sure any employer would understand and allow this.  These are young people who know all about video conferencing and stuff--they should be able to figure it out!

Given that Ali's MD is such a rare type and that apparently none of the local doctors was competent to deal with it, I'm actually surprised Ali's case manager hasn't gone along to a Dr. Tsao visit, or sent a school nurse, or somebody else like that.  It really seems to me that the school district particularly isn't understanding how serious Ali's disease is or what they should be doing to help her cope with it at school.

Edited August 2, 2018 by Mothra

[kaydub]

Long time lurker, old account, posted for a bit in the past in other fandoms, but just had to comment on this thread. i haven't watched TM or TM2 in a few years now due to just not being able to tolerate these girls, but I would still drop in here to enjoy the snarking and read up on what's going on, which is what I was doing with this thread about this episode. I just had to comment on the situation with Ali.

A few years ago, I gave birth to a baby who was diagnosed with a pretty bad heart condition while in utero. After he was born, things slowly got worse to the point where he was put on a transplant list. Eventually ended up a permanent resident in the ICU, where he eventually got the heart and ultimately, died due to complications from the transplant. Reading about Leah's struggle and dealing with the latest news on Ali's MD is just bringing me back to when I was told bad news with my baby's health and progress, when I was told they were going the route of a transplant, and every consultation with his doctor's. It's the absolute most terrifying thing, and I was a good few years older than Leah is now when I was dealing with it. Every day was a day of anxiety and trying to keep my head above water, knowing my baby may/will die. I cannot imagine what is going through her head, despite the fact that I went through something somewhat similar, because I only know how I myself have/would have handled it. I agree that she, and Corey, should definitely be seeking some support groups or therapy, because they clearly need it; especially with the fact that Ali has such a rare form of MD and is supposedly the only documented child with it(?). I was recommended to go into therapy myself to help deal with my baby's health issues, and everything about the whole situation, and have been in and out of it since then, I had a small support network (not counting family and friends) in the form of the parents of 3 other children in the ICU at the same time as my baby also awaiting hearts AND had a support worker assigned to me and my hubby on recommendation by my baby's surgeon to help us navigate and understand everything, and for support. She was a godsend. 

My point is, Leah and Corey could greatly benefit from that, and I cannot imagine that this Dr. Tsao has not recommended it. Which is leading me to believe that it may have been recommended, they just aren't following through with it, which good god, why not?! Ali has such a unique situation here, and it is clearly not going to get better, rather worse. My heart breaks for her on the fact alone that I've been through something somewhat similar. It is the truth, no parent should ever have to bury their child. 

[Christina87]

11 minutes ago, Mothra said:

She should always have someone reliable with her for these appointments, and Corey would work, if only to have an extra pair of ears there.  I think she even ought to ask the aide to come to at least one visit, to report on what's going on at school and to get instructions straight from the doctor, not filtered through Leah.  Of course, if this aide isn't going to be there next year, maybe that's not going to be helpful--but there must be someone from Ali's IEP team who could come to at least one visit.  Failing that, Leah ought to ask that reports of each visit be sent to the IEP team. 

God bless Leah, she has a terrible burden and she's not very bright--and she is very, very young.  She's too young to be facing this by herself, and especially where accurate reporting about how Ali's doing--that reminds me; our daughter's neurologist asked me to take videos of what I thought might be seizures.  Leah could easily document Ali's difficulties by recording them.  I heard what another poster reported hearing:  Dr. Tsao said Ali would use the breathing machine (I'm pretty sure now it's a CPAP) every night, which Leah apparently heard as "every other night," which doesn't make any sense at all if she understands the purpose of the machine.  Does Ali need to breathe only every other night?

Leah needs an adult to be with her for these visits.

I work in education and have never heard of an aide going to an appointment, but I think it's a GREAT idea!!! The school has funds for things like teacher workshops and conferences, so they might be able to use some of that money to let the aide have the day off. Also, she would not require a substitute with Ali not there, so there wouldn't be that expense. If the aide had to drive there, my school reimburses mileage (but not hotels, so hopefully they could make it in one day). If the aide couldn't go, a school nurse would be a great choice! I have friends who work in special ed, and they have seen parents from all over the spectrum. Some parents are bright and extremely involved, while others are totally neglectful and just plop the disabled child on the couch and go off to do drugs or whatever. I know my friends are very worried about their students who don't get good care at home, and would love to go to appointments themselves! Unfortunately, mental or physical illness in children doesn't discriminate by only choosing wealthy, open minded, bright parents with disposable income and one able to stay home. People like Jenelle have disabled children every day, and we all know how well she would handle the situation! I digress, slightly O/T, but I would personally donate money if that meant Ali's aide could attend. Maybe she could even gently break it to Leah in a way she could understand!

[Guest]

Also, it's beyond immature that Chelsea demanded Cole stop pooping to come talk to Adam's mom for her. What did she think it was going to be, a catfight? It's the grandmother of your child, not Jenelle. That's the type of shit you pull when you're 15 and your ex comes to the door so you make your new bf answer to gleefully drink in the drama. Let your husband take a dump in peace! Enough of this teen girl hair twirling act. Work out your conflicts like an adult.

[Pepper Mostly]

14 minutes ago, kaydub said:

Long time lurker, old account, posted for a bit in the past in other fandoms, but just had to comment on this thread. i haven't watched TM or TM2 in a few years now due to just not being able to tolerate these girls, but I would still drop in here to enjoy the snarking and read up on what's going on, which is what I was doing with this thread about this episode. I just had to comment on the situation with Ali.

A few years ago, I gave birth to a baby who was diagnosed with a pretty bad heart condition while in utero. After he was born, things slowly got worse to the point where he was put on a transplant list. Eventually ended up a permanent resident in the ICU, where he eventually got the heart and ultimately, died due to complications from the transplant. Reading about Leah's struggle and dealing with the latest news on Ali's MD is just bringing me back to when I was told bad news with my baby's health and progress, when I was told they were going the route of a transplant, and every consultation with his doctor's. It's the absolute most terrifying thing, and I was a good few years older than Leah is now when I was dealing with it. Every day was a day of anxiety and trying to keep my head above water, knowing my baby may/will die. I cannot imagine what is going through her head, despite the fact that I went through something somewhat similar, because I only know how I myself have/would have handled it. I agree that she, and Corey, should definitely be seeking some support groups or therapy, because they clearly need it; especially with the fact that Ali has such a rare form of MD and is supposedly the only documented child with it(?). I was recommended to go into therapy myself to help deal with my baby's health issues, and everything about the whole situation, and have been in and out of it since then, I had a small support network (not counting family and friends) in the form of the parents of 3 other children in the ICU at the same time as my baby also awaiting hearts AND had a support worker assigned to me and my hubby on recommendation by my baby's surgeon to help us navigate and understand everything, and for support. She was a godsend. 

My point is, Leah and Corey could greatly benefit from that, and I cannot imagine that this Dr. Tsao has not recommended it. Which is leading me to believe that it may have been recommended, they just aren't following through with it, which good god, why not?! Ali has such a unique situation here, and it is clearly not going to get better, rather worse. My heart breaks for her on the fact alone that I've been through something somewhat similar. It is the truth, no parent should ever have to bury their child. 

I'm so sorry about your baby, @kaydub. I can't imagine how difficult and heartbreaking it was for you. Thank you for sharing your story and your insights. Hugs.

[StatisticalOutlier]

15 minutes ago, Mothra said:

I heard what another poster reported hearing:  Dr. Tsao said Ali would use the breathing machine (I'm pretty sure now it's a CPAP) every night, which Leah apparently heard as "every other night," which doesn't make any sense at all if she understands the purpose of the machine.  Does Ali need to breathe only every other night?

I thought CPAP, too (they did a sleep study), but Leah more than once said it's a machine to "exercise" Ali's lungs, which I wouldn't associate with a CPAP. 

But if she does think it's to "exercise" her lungs, maybe she's remembering her live-in personal trainer talking about alternating days for upper and lower body work at the gym.  Don't want to over-exercise the lungs.

 

10 minutes ago, ghoulina said:

I don't think either of those are correct. When Donna showed up Cole was on the shitter. Chelsea went to go get him, and there was probably some hemming and hawing about what to do. Donna left. When Cole was "finished", he called her. She was probably in her car on the way home, but she was not just outside when he called her. 

Bad means, but good result if they didn't want to talk to her.  Just don't answer the door.

[guilfoyleatpp]

1 hour ago, Christina87 said:

If Chelsea had a psycho boss like my former one who sent her a "be in my office at 4:00" email, and she knew she'd leave in tears every time, she would not have the option to bring her spouse, or avoid the meeting. Everyone has unpleasant interactions that are unavoidable. 

That situation would definitely leave me in tears. Damn. I'm having sympathetic PTSD just thinking about my past terrible work situations. 

35 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

I work in education and have never heard of an aide going to an appointment, but I think it's a GREAT idea!!! The school has funds for things like teacher workshops and conferences, so they might be able to use some of that money to let the aide have the day off. Also, she would not require a substitute with Ali not there, so there wouldn't be that expense. If the aide had to drive there, my school reimburses mileage (but not hotels, so hopefully they could make it in one day). If the aide couldn't go, a school nurse would be a great choice! I have friends who work in special ed, and they have seen parents from all over the spectrum. Some parents are bright and extremely involved, while others are totally neglectful and just plop the disabled child on the couch and go off to do drugs or whatever. I know my friends are very worried about their students who don't get good care at home, and would love to go to appointments themselves! Unfortunately, mental or physical illness in children doesn't discriminate by only choosing wealthy, open minded, bright parents with disposable income and one able to stay home. People like Jenelle have disabled children every day, and we all know how well she would handle the situation! I digress, slightly O/T, but I would personally donate money if that meant Ali's aide could attend. Maybe she could even gently break it to Leah in a way she could understand!

My kid has an IEP and I've been asked by his school SLP for medical documentation so they can both be on the same page (I have sought out SLP from my health care providers as well). I've heard from other parents that it can be tricky (apparently some schools will use that information to deny/limit services). I agree that in Ali's situation, they might expand the services if an education professional had access to ALL the information. 

[Mothra]

36 minutes ago, Christina87 said:

I digress, slightly O/T, but I would personally donate money if that meant Ali's aide could attend. Maybe she could even gently break it to Leah in a way she could understand!

My daughter's disability involves an incredibly severe sleep disorder, and when we had the opportunity to participate in a sleep study at Harvard Medical School (we live in S PA), my daughter's case manager found the funds for my daughter's aide to go along with us because the study involved her wearing a monitor 24/7 for two weeks.  Not counting Leah's MTV money, there may be social service funds available from a lot of places--charities like Shriners (Bene Kedem Temple is big in Charleston!), churches, United Way.  The aide might even agree to go along without compensation, driving with Leah and Ali, staying at the house with them--only her time off would not be compensated.

[Mkay]

15 hours ago, Bridget said:

I don't know where to post this, because it jumped out at me during the episode, but I realized that Chelsea has an amazing resource in her attorney.  She doesn't need Randy anymore because she's got an attorney on retainer. I assume they're on retainer based off of the frequency that she needs to meet/communicate with them.

When she said "I e-mailed the photo to my attorney", my immediate thought was "I wonder how much it will cost Chelsea in billable hours for that attorney to open the email, figure out the best course of action and come up with a plan?"  I know you can't put a price on the safety and well being of your child, but she's so casual about it. I'm trying to decide if I want to meet with one over a WorkComp case and the fees are outrageous. My dad's not a dentist and I didn't get knocked up at 16, so I'm screwed. 

I don't say that to belittle Chelsea because it is evident that she needs an attorney to get the Linds to realize that she's not playing when it comes to Aubree. I know attorneys are expensive, so every time Chelsea says, "I e-mailed my attorney" or "I met with my attorney", part of me hopes that she realizes how lucky she is to have that option and the ability to pay for it. I just cannot imagine the billable hours that are paid for because Adumb and his parents refuse to play by the rules. The Linds should be thankful that Chelsea isn't taking them to court for the money she's forking out in legal fees because they cannot read a document, understand the words coming out of a judge's mouth or understand the legal ruling in whatever manner it is explained. 

Leah mentioned she's got an attorney who deals with schools and students with special needs, but she sounded spiteful (to me) when explaining it. It didn't sound as it if was preventative or immediate, like the way Chelsea uses hers; it was more like she was suggesting or threatening, "If anyone screws me over, I will come after them." That's what she SHOULD do, of course, but Leah also shouldn't let anything get to the point where she needs to take retroactive action. She needs to be ahead of everything and touch base with her attorney that specializes in students with IEPs/disabilities. She should've called her attorney the minute she thought the aide was being taken away instead of freaking out. That's what she's paying them for: to avoid freak outs.

I'm pretty sure Kail has one, especially with so many baby daddies and the issues that accompany them, but I wish more of these "moms", both OG and TM2 utilized attorneys on a more frequent basis or for the important issues that arise instead of trying to work things out themselves. When serious things come up, that's not the time to deal with it yourself, especially since these moms aren't exactly Rhodes Scholars. Let the professionals handle it for you. It's not worth the stress and strain that it can possibly cause on marriages, relationships and the potential for a negative indirect impact on the child(ren).

I’ve needed an attorney for years for a divorce but that crap isn’t cheap. I’m with you on this one. 

[monagatuna]

1 hour ago, SnarkEnthusiast said:

Also, it's beyond immature that Chelsea demanded Cole stop pooping to come talk to Adam's mom for her. What did she think it was going to be, a catfight? It's the grandmother of your child, not Jenelle. That's the type of shit you pull when you're 15 and your ex comes to the door so you make your new bf answer to gleefully drink in the drama. Let your husband take a dump in peace! Enough of this teen girl hair twirling act. Work out your conflicts like an adult.

It's the grandmother of her child who has repeatedly flouted court orders and Chelsea's instructions about how, when, and if Adam should have contact with Aubree, who allowed him to drive her around against court orders and after he almost killed an elderly couple with his car, who is in deep denial about the extent of his drug use, who has been given chance after chance to get it right, who handwaves her son's dangerous behavior at the expense of her granddaughter's well-being and safety. After eight years of this, I wouldn't have opened the door either, maybe because I'm scared, or maybe because I'm just fucking done. That woman has so little regard for Aubree's safety that she's just lucky she gets to see her at all. Chelsea has been far more patient than I would have been in this situation. The grandmother is not owed a confrontation and has been given multiple opportunities to play nice, and there's no guarantee Chelsea could have known that she would've gotten an apology rather than another angry confrontation. Any other grandmother, I'd be right there agreeing with you. But Chelsea has the right to not open her own door, regardless of her motivation.

[Mkay]

3 hours ago, Mothra said:

Leah's mother is a nurse, I think.  Has she ever accompanied Leah on one of these visits?

We have never found a nursing liscense for Mamma Dawn.  So I don’t think she ever was. I remember a few of us searched hard and found nothing. 

[Mkay]

1 hour ago, StatisticalOutlier said:

So that is what happened?  Wow.  Why didn't they just not answer the door? 

Calling someone who's three feet away from you knocking on your door instead of opening the door and speaking to them in person is such an immature, chickenshit move.  If you don't want to talk to them, don't.  But don't hide behind your damn cell phone.

I thought she eventually left and then Cole called.