Jesus God, Leah!!

[geauxaway]

I wonder that, too, @teapot.  And I’m also getting a weird feeling knowing that her druggie dad was living in her basement around the girlses.  Maybe I am just in high alert all the time, but it really rubs me the wrong way, and now explains why Gracie was acting out the way she was.  I honestly hope nothing untoward happened, but I just get a bad vibe.

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

All of this makes me really sad for the girlses.  I'm glad Leah is less of a mess than she was and that she's finally opening up about all of this.

Leah's bio dad seems like a piece of work.  

I assume MTV gave her a favorable edit because so many of the people in the Leah story line are probably people they really like & who treat them crew well- Corey, Miranda, PawPaw Jeff, and even Mama Dawn & Leah.  Plus, with Ali's health problems, they probably feel like this group has really been dealt a low blow to begin with.  They probably gave Leah's drug issues a nice edit because of her kids and the other adults, just like they did for so long with Jen & Larry when it came to Rhine's addiction being hidden for so long. 

I think what Leah meant to say when she talked about having that month in rehab was that she finally had time to get to know herself because she was alone for the first time like ever.  She went from Mama Dawn's house which was cramped with Lee and her two siblings, to a home with Corey and the girlses, to a home with Jeremy & the girlses, to a home with her dad, TR Dues, & the girlses, and tons of family members always around (which was great as far as support and help).   The girl probably hadn't ever been alone in a room by herself for more than an hour or so in her life.  She probably meant to say that she got to finally have some time by herself to actually hear herself think and get to know herself as someone besides Corey's wife, Jeremy's wife, the twins' mom, Addie's mom, cheer mom, MLM mom, Teen Mom "star," etc.  I think that's what she maybe was trying to say.  Maybe (I may be giving her too much credit). 

[MaggieG]

She also hasn't gone back to rehab 6 times a la Cate

[Tatum]

On 11/19/2018 at 2:29 PM, MyPeopleAreNordic said:

All of this makes me really sad for the girlses.  I'm glad Leah is less of a mess than she was and that she's finally opening up about all of this.

Leah's bio dad seems like a piece of work.  

I assume MTV gave her a favorable edit because so many of the people in the Leah story line are probably people they really like & who treat them crew well- Corey, Miranda, PawPaw Jeff, and even Mama Dawn & Leah.  Plus, with Ali's health problems, they probably feel like this group has really been dealt a low blow to begin with.  They probably gave Leah's drug issues a nice edit because of her kids and the other adults, just like they did for so long with Jen & Larry when it came to Rhine's addiction being hidden for so long. 

I think what Leah meant to say when she talked about having that month in rehab was that she finally had time to get to know herself because she was alone for the first time like ever.  She went from Mama Dawn's house which was cramped with Lee and her two siblings, to a home with Corey and the girlses, to a home with Jeremy & the girlses, to a home with her dad, TR Dues, & the girlses, and tons of family members always around (which was great as far as support and help).   The girl probably hadn't ever been alone in a room by herself for more than an hour or so in her life.  She probably meant to say that she got to finally have some time by herself to actually hear herself think and get to know herself as someone besides Corey's wife, Jeremy's wife, the twins' mom, Addie's mom, cheer mom, MLM mom, Teen Mom "star," etc.  I think that's what she maybe was trying to say.  Maybe (I may be giving her too much credit). 

 

I expect MTV also wanted to minimize any discussion of culpability on their part- they're the ones giving her large paychecks to buy the pillses and they're the ones making even bigger paychecks off her shenanigans. Much like they downplay her smoking- it's probably not to protect her image, but their own. They don't want to look like they're endorsing it.

 

I just don't think MTV has any altruistic motives AT ALL.

 

Also, Leah was a straight up bitch to the crew during the height of her addiction.

[BitterApple]

1 hour ago, Tatum said:

 

I expect MTV also wanted to minimize any discussion of culpability on their part- they're the ones giving her large paychecks to buy the pillses and they're the ones making even bigger paychecks off her shenanigans. 

Right, similar to how they edit around the various animal and child abuses regularly occurring at Jenelle's house.

[Christina87]

So now Leah has a pic up with her most recent ex, with all these hashtags about true love...guess they are back together?

i know it's disappointing to be single a while (especially when it's your first time single ever!), meet a guy, and then figure out he's not the one. It sucks to think you're finally leaving the single life behind, and then bam! You're back on the market. But Leah...stand in your power! Live your standard! Go for your best life! You can find someone who treats you like gold, and is at a good place in your life. Move forward, not backward!

[monicageller]

Yep, they are back together:

[Scarlett45]

10 hours ago, monicageller said:

Yep, they are back together:

That’s actually a cute photo. 

[BitterApple]

I don't know if this guy is decent or not, but in general I think an older man who already has a kid or two is a perfect fit for her. 

[AhFillAck]

@Kazu (are you not Great anymore?? I don' beleef it!!!)

@Rebecca

@Calm81

@Mkay

@monicageller

I am back!!!!! I saw in my notifications that you noticed I've been gone and by golly I am flattered. I've missed reading (and sighing out) the snark for sure. 

Hi to everyone else as well!! How ever will I catch up?!? 

Since we are in the Witchnose Thread and I don't want to stray too far off topic, I don't have too much to say about Leah at the moment since she is less of a mess than before, but we will always have Cate. 

[ghoulina]

On 11/24/2018 at 8:43 AM, Scarlett45 said:

That’s actually a cute photo. 

It is. And her dude appears to keep a clean home. 

[MyPeopleAreNordic]

He also seems to maybe value his son's privacy and respect the fact that his kid hasn't been a TV/social media "star" since birth and asked Leah to cover the kid's face in her post. That seems like a positive.

(Although it could be his son's mom who has requested this and I'm giving him too much credit.)

1 hour ago, ghoulina said:

It is. And her dude appears to keep a clean home. 

This is a plus, especially if he and Leah ever shack up, since we know our girl Leah's top priorities don't include keeping a clean or uncluttered house (or SUV).  Bless her heart and all. 

Maybe he even keeps his fridge stocked with lunchables (or more than lunchables!).  Gracie is probably so relieved. 

In all seriousness, I'm going to take that he has a nice, well-kept home AND the fact that he has reached his current age in The Holler without having had several children by several different women and/or several grandchildren as positives.  

Edited November 27, 2018 by MyPeopleAreNordic

[Mkay]

3 hours ago, AhFillAck said:

@Kazu (are you not Great anymore?? I don' beleef it!!!)

@Rebecca

@Calm81

@Mkay

@monicageller

I am back!!!!! I saw in my notifications that you noticed I've been gone and by golly I am flattered. I've missed reading (and sighing out) the snark for sure. 

Hi to everyone else as well!! How ever will I catch up?!? 

Since we are in the Witchnose Thread and I don't want to stray too far off topic, I don't have too much to say about Leah at the moment since she is less of a mess than before, but we will always have Cate. 

Yay!!!!

[monicageller]

[Polliwollidoodle]

On 11/27/2018 at 5:01 PM, MyPeopleAreNordic said:

He also seems to maybe value his son's privacy and respect the fact that his kid hasn't been a TV/social media "star" since birth and asked Leah to cover the kid's face in her post. That seems like a positive.

(Although it could be his son's mom who has requested this and I'm giving him too much credit.)

This is a plus, especially if he and Leah ever shack up, since we know our girl Leah's top priorities don't include keeping a clean or uncluttered house (or SUV).  Bless her heart and all. 

Maybe he even keeps his fridge stocked with lunchables (or more than lunchables!).  Gracie is probably so relieved. 

In all seriousness, I'm going to take that he has a nice, well-kept home AND the fact that he has reached his current age in The Holler without having had several children by several different women and/or several grandchildren as positives.  

I haven't been following much but with respect tot he photo of the blessed family together from Thanksgiving, I would bet that it is the babymamma (haven't read enough to know if it's also an ex-wife??) that said the face could not be shown of the babe.

[Scarlett45]

8 hours ago, mayvenne said:

I haven't been following much but with respect tot he photo of the blessed family together from Thanksgiving, I would bet that it is the babymamma (haven't read enough to know if it's also an ex-wife??) that said the face could not be shown of the babe.

Yes his ex wife, good point. Or they both could’ve agreed. I’m interested to see him on film, we’ve never seen Leah have a boyfriend she didn’t marry! Okay that’s not true, she didn’t marry Robbie or TR Dues. 

 

Arent we getting a new season shortly?

[FairyDusted]

24 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

Yes his ex wife, good point. Or they both could’ve agreed. I’m interested to see him on film, we’ve never seen Leah have a boyfriend she didn’t marry! Okay that’s not true, she didn’t marry Robbie or TR Dues. 

 

Arent we getting a new season shortly?

Right around the corner. Mid January I believe. 

[Marley]

Leah can fuck off. She’s still blaming MTV and reading that article it’s pretty clear she’s not taking responsibility at all. Also Jeremy can fuck of with the MTV comments. Your dumb ass ex wife is on a reality show and making sweet coin because of it they are gonna show your garbage marriage for what it was. I think she actually got a great edit and MTV could’ve shown way more. She’s one of those ppl who can never take responsibility for anything. It’s always someone else’s fault. All the Teen mom girls act like it’s so tough being them. Without MTV Leah would be a truck stop waitress giving bjs in the bathroom for some extra pill money. Cry me a river you dumb hillbilly.

Edited December 23, 2018 by Marley

[Rebecca]

On 11/27/2018 at 1:17 PM, AhFillAck said:

@Kazu (are you not Great anymore?? I don' beleef it!!!)

@Rebecca

@Calm81

@Mkay

@monicageller

I am back!!!!! I saw in my notifications that you noticed I've been gone and by golly I am flattered. I've missed reading (and sighing out) the snark for sure. 

Hi to everyone else as well!! How ever will I catch up?!? 

Since we are in the Witchnose Thread and I don't want to stray too far off topic, I don't have too much to say about Leah at the moment since she is less of a mess than before, but we will always have Cate. 

!!!!!!!!!! I haven’t been in this thread for awhile, welcome back...hope you stuck around!

On 11/27/2018 at 4:01 PM, MyPeopleAreNordic said:

the fact that he has reached his current age in The Holler without having had several children by several different women and/or several grandchildren as positives.  

Right there with ya, I have a hard time understanding how they are seen as negatives in the first place. I also don’t understand the assumption that their relationship was/is bad or negative - are there links about it? I just haven’t seen anything, other than Leah’s track record (which is terrible when it comes to relationships, true, but that doesn’t necessarily indicate they all will be or that this guy himself is an issue), to indicate that there were major problems. Since this isn’t Jenelle and we have seen zero footage of him so far I’ve been giving him the benefit of doubt that he’s not a bad guy. Leah does seem to pick decent guys somehow, at least compared to most of the guys who have been on the show and/or dated any of the TMs.

[Tatum]

On 7/5/2018 at 8:55 PM, Tatum said:

So, 1. He named his son Raylan, 2. He’s a 39 year old man who has a Twitter and his screen name is “Raylan’s dad” 3. He was evidently only married long enough to knock up his wife, have the baby, and then split when his kid was probably not even walking yet, and 4. he has “mutual friends” with a 26 year old who’s never held a job and only has a high school diploma, thus eliminating the possibility these are work or school mutual friends. 

 

Sounds like a real winner. 

 

8 hours ago, Rebecca said:

!!!!!!!!!! I haven’t been in this thread for awhile, welcome back...hope you stuck around!

Right there with ya, I have a hard time understanding how they are seen as negatives in the first place. I also don’t understand the assumption that their relationship was/is bad or negative - are there links about it? I just haven’t seen anything, other than Leah’s track record (which is terrible when it comes to relationships, true, but that doesn’t necessarily indicate they all will be or that this guy himself is an issue), to indicate that there were major problems. Since this isn’t Jenelle and we have seen zero footage of him so far I’ve been giving him the benefit of doubt that he’s not a bad guy. Leah does seem to pick decent guys somehow, at least compared to most of the guys who have been on the show and/or dated any of the TMs.

All speculation at this point, but I don't find Leah to be much of a catch outside of her MTV connection, so my assumption is anyone who would date her is also not much of a catch.

[Rebecca]

1 hour ago, Tatum said:

 

All speculation at this point, but I don't find Leah to be much of a catch outside of her MTV connection, so my assumption is anyone who would date her is also not much of a catch.

True but she’s “pretty” and thin, has money, is still young-ish and she’s in West Virginia so I’m inclined to think that those things do make her a catch probably to a lot of guys, as mind blowing as that might be to us! And somehow she’s managed to be married to the most hard working guys on the show, who are decent to great fathers so I assume her “picker” must not be as off as a lot of other TMs. That’s why I think he deserves a chance to show me he’s a fuck up and not good for her before I judge him, lol. I also don’t understand judging him for having his first kid in his late 30s? Surely some guys in WV decide to wait to have kids even though it’s not the norm? Maybe he worked on the pipeline for years like Jeremy and decided to settle down finally and it just didn’t work out. We have no idea about his previous relationship or life, maybe his ex cheated - who knows at this point. As for the mutual friends, it could be as simple as he’s coworkers with one her family members or friends, I’m not sure how her lack of a job precludes that. Or maybe it’s all bullshit and he slid in her DMs and they just don’t want to tell us that. Lots of men have Twitter, of all ages. Not that he’s a shining example but our president loves twitter and he’s 72. Social media is pretty widespread at this point so I can’t assume anything from that.

I also acknowledge I want Leah to have a good guy - I don’t think she gets the right kind of support from her family and she’s going to need some, especially as Ali deteriorates so maybe it’s somewhat wishful thinking on my part as well. I’m not sure why I’m trying so hard to give this guy a chance, I just have a weird hunch like I’ve never had before that this could be a good thing for Leah.

[Tatum]

22 minutes ago, Rebecca said:

True but she’s “pretty” and thin, has money, is still young-ish and she’s in West Virginia so I’m inclined to think that those things do make her a catch probably to a lot of guys...

But in my mind, a guy who would consider a woman a catch based on her age and body type actually isn't a catch himself. The same goes for a guy who would date a woman just because she's on TV.

 

(ETA: not saying this guy only likes Leah for the reasons above. But if that was his reason, he's a jerk. And I don't see what else Leah brings to the table. She's dumb, lazy, and incredibly vain. She's also super needy and never accountable for anything).

22 minutes ago, Rebecca said:

 I also don’t understand judging him for having his first kid in his late 30s? Surely some guys in WV decide to wait to have kids even though it’s not the norm?

I'm confused- who is judging him for that? If you're talking about my post, I was judging him for being 39 and having a twitter account with the screen name "Raylan's dad", not for being a first time dad in his 30s.

Edited December 27, 2018 by Tatum

[Rebecca]

22 minutes ago, Tatum said:

I'm confused- who is judging him for that? If you're talking about my post, I was judging him for being 39 and having a twitter account with the screen name "Raylan's dad", not for being a first time dad in his 30s.

 

No, not to you at all, it was further back in the thread. The post I originally quoted was in response to someone “side eyeing” him for having his first kid at an “old” age. They acted like it was a red flag because a lot of guys in West Virginia are grandfathers by that age, apparently. I was agreeing with MyPeopleAreNordic that him not having a bunch of kids by a bunch of women is a positive and saying that I don’t understand how one could view that as a negative, as some apparently do.

By the way, I wouldn’t think a guy only after those things is a great catch either but like you said, Leah is vain and I think I she’s superficial, a lot of people are, so I assume this guy probably is and those are the things that drew him to her. Lots of people would find those things a catch, especially if they’re also the type that’s not intellectual and etc. I don’t think it makes him a bad person, just not the right guy for me and you and probably most of us here, but he could be great for Leah. She would probably love a guy who was super into complimenting her appearance and things like that. I mean, she wouldn’t know what to do or say with a Rhodes Scholar anyway. She probably sits around looking “pretty” and telling him he stinks, teehee. Not what I’d want but it’s Leah. Haha.

Edited December 27, 2018 by Rebecca

[Christina87]

I totally judge him for his age, but only because I feel he should be wise enough by this point to avoid the seemingly bad choices he is making. If I'm lucky enough to have children, I will be an older mother, so I think that is a good thing. Maybe this guy is a gem, but based on what we know about him, most evidence points to making bad decisions. While I can see a young man having a baby and then dating hot, trashy Leah, I feel an older dad should know better.

I think in the normal world, it is a good thing to wait that long to have a kid. In the normal world (no MTV, no pillses, not as much family pressure to get married at 18 and pop out 10 kids), people who wait until their late 30's to get married are usually intentional, cautious people who want to make sure they're getting it right, and are mature enough to make it work, at least for several years. It is a HUGE red flag to me that this guy was done with the baby mama by a year in, and now has thrown caution to the wind by choosing Leah. The fact that he immediately got with a known procreator the second the ink on his divorce papers were dry makes me nervous, because the fact that he waited so long to have a kid, and only had one, makes me think he will likely want at least one more biological kid. Someone his age may struggle to get pregnant, so better get s youngin' for baby #2! The last thing I think Leah needs is another pregnancy and child!!! I wish her boyfriend had, in his eyes, a "complete" family. I mean, he might, but IMO a man with one young child is going to be inclined to have a sibling for that child. 

Sure, a man much younger could have a kid and then get with Leah, but I just feel like someone around 40 should be wise enough to avoid this kind of thing. Something in there indicates a huge lack of judgment. This is total speculation, but i could see him as someone who is drawn to the trashy, hot mess type, and took a break from that for 1.5 seconds just to settle down and have a kid when he realized he was getting too old to regularly bed hotties anymore. It seems like a stable man in his late thirties would choose a wife well, and realize the gift marriage was, and not be divorced immediately after having the kid. While I see the 20-year-old father bedhopping and eventually choosing Leah, despite he really bad qualities, because she's "hot," you would think the 40-year-old would stay single a while to work on himself, and then look for a quality life partner. His choices make me think he values trashy over quality, and wishes to get started on bio child #2 asap. Honestly, if I saw him on a dating site, I would run, even though I would love to be a mother soon. I would think this guy reeked of bad decisions, was looking for a baby Factory, and would not be over his ex, with a child so young. If I knew he was hitting on trashy girls in their twenties, that would turn me off more. I would have a lot more respect for him if his child were five, and I hope I watch the show and he proves me wrong. Maybe his ex was Jenelle like, and he was mentally checked out for years. Maybe she had a trap baby. Maybe he and his female BFF thought they would never be parents, and did IVF together. Who knows?

I know I really may be unfairly judging him, and I may not judge someone as harshly if they were dating Vee, or one of the other sensible females on the show. That would at least show a modicum of good judgment. I mean, no judgment for older parents; I will be one of I'm lucky, but my perspective makes his trajectory even more appalling. He traded the baby's mother in, only to (presumably) move in with a ditzy, work averse, known cheater, much younger mother of three, and it is not a good look. At the very least, if he is sensible, he will look back on this phase of life and think, "damn! What HAPPENED?"

Edited December 27, 2018 by Christina87

[Rebecca]

Again, we have no clue why his last relationship ended, how do we know he left his wife and it wasn’t the other way around? He could’ve been ready for a family and SHE wasn’t and cheated on him or left him and the kid. We have no clue if he’s made “bad decisions” other than dating Leah, if you find that in and of itself a “bad decision” because she’s a “known procreator” (what? Everyone who has a kid is a known procreator...) or whatever. What indicates he even wants more kids? All the assumptions otherwise are just wild to me and Leah is far from my favorite. There just has been so little information put out about this guy to judge him on without assuming a ton of things with little to no basis.

Edited December 27, 2018 by Rebecca

[Tatum]

But it's so fun to speculate! :).

 

My thing is, if he wants to date Leah, he's probably got some issues. Like attracts like. I don't necessarily think he's anything really bad, just not someone that any woman that has her shit together would want to be with.

[Rebecca]

18 minutes ago, Tatum said:

My thing is, if he wants to date Leah, he's probably got some issues. Like attracts like. I don't necessarily think he's anything really bad, just not someone that any woman that has her shit together would want to be with.

I do agree with that but everyone has issues and baggage, it would be weirder to be 39 and have none, right? And like I said, I wouldn’t necessarily want to date him (I need to see some footage before having a real opinion on that, though) but I think that holds true for any guy Leah would like. I feel the same way about Cole, I definitely wouldn’t want to be married to him but I can see how he’s a great fit for Chelsea. Maybe this guy is Leah’s Cole. Sometimes people get lucky and get someone really amazing interested in them that they might not seemingly deserve and it can change their whole life and outlook. Maybe he sees some kind of potential in Leah and thinks it’s worth dealing with her rough edges. She seems to attract that type of guy. The only thing I don’t like about what I know of him is that he’s going to be on the show, but one could argue that being on it is supporting Leah and her “career.”

The smartest thing about that TR Dues guy Leah dated and lived with was him not being on the show and therefore we have almost nothing to judge him on and he’s mostly forgotten. 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Rebecca

[Christina87]

56 minutes ago, Rebecca said:

Again, we have no clue why his last relationship ended, how do we know he left his wife and it wasn’t the other way around? He could’ve been ready for a family and SHE wasn’t and cheated on him or left him and the kid. We have no clue if he’s made “bad decisions” other than dating Leah, if you find that in and of itself a “bad decision” because she’s a “known procreator” (what? Everyone who has a kid is a known procreator...) or whatever. What indicates he even wants more kids? All the assumptions otherwise are just wild to me and Leah is far from my favorite. There just has been so little information put out about this guy to judge him on without assuming a ton of things with little to no basis.

 

I definitely said I could be wrong (and listed several scenarios where he could have been the victim, or neutral), and he could have a good reason for making the decisions he does. I just think no one who has it all together and makes great decisions would date someone literally featured on teen mom, who got pregnant immediately with both of her exes. He's dating someone who is literally famous for having kids without thinking it through. Plus, aside from having so many kids so quickly, obviously there are a LOT of other negatives to being with her, which I listed. Even if this guy's wife left him, moving onto Leah so quickly probably wasn't the best decision. I mean...the child is a toddler. What I said is pure speculation, and I said I hope the show proves me wrong. I just think there is a huge difference between an ignorant 20-year-old who doesn't know better making these types of decisions, and a 40-year-old who should have it more together. Again, we'll see on the show. I actually do like Leah, though! I think she has a good heart. I'm not bashing just to bash, but my immediate gut reaction is that I'm suspicious of this guy's possible motives. She is too dim to necessarily think things through, so I hope she isn't put into a situation that she might regret later. 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Christina87

[Calm81]

I just don’t see how Leah doesn’t deserve to find herself a “Cole”. The last couple of years we’ve witnessed a lot of positive changes from her (she may just be better at hiding it) and would like to see her with someone that can keep her in that positive trajectory.

She is a young mom of three kids and one being special needs, that is a full time job so I don’t see her being adverse to “work” as aforementioned. I know Corey has the twins 50/50 but Jeremy is hardly around for  Addy so Leah has her full time. I could never imagine the pain Leah is going through having to watch her young daughter deteriorate before her eyes at a young age, so hopefully she did get “lucky” in finding a “Cole” that saw past her flaws and saw something more potential in her. I don’t see why she only deserves the losers of the lot. Amber and Jenelle deserve the losers - Leah has always been sweet but misguided. Ditzy with no head on her shoulders, but still kindhearted.

We’ve watched her make a lot of mistakes, mistakes that many others have made but weren’t filmed. Many early twenties people become addicted to pillses or cheat on their significant others but isn’t stored on the internet for people to judge and remember.

I forgive her for that because regardless of her being a mom, she was still young and growing mentally and emotionally and didn’t know what she wanted (she thought she wanted to be a housewife because getting pregnant so young forced that on her since she needed to care for her kids might as well be a wifey while she was at it and got married to men she hardly knew).

 

So we can sit here and say “there’s got to be something wrong with him for him to like a girl like Leah” but it could be Leah is sweet and is finally maturing and this dude came into her life in the right time when she was emotionally and mentally ready to be a faithful, lifelong partner to someone and not just for the dickses.

I knew a girl 10 years ago who dropped out of high school and got pregnant at 19. She married her child’s father but not because of love but because she didn’t want people judging her for being a young mom with no father for her kid (she feared being called slutty for being a young mom because at that time society deemed you that) so due to being with someone she didn’t love she would be unfaithful and got mixed with the wrong crowd that liked to drink a lot and take prescription pills. 

After a few years she matured (like many young people between 18 - 24 without kids) and mentally and emotionally was ready for fixing her life. She got her GED and went to a community college where she got her associates degree. During her last semester of college she met a man that was WAY ABOVE HER LEVEL, people would say. She was working retail while finishing her degree and raising a child in her mid twenties after a divorce and he was 12 years older with a successful career and a stable life. 

People kept saying behind her back (I defended her) how the hell she get a guy like him he's out of her league. They were basically saying she only deserves another retail employee because she was “trash” just a retail employee who got knocked up young. 

Meeting this man changed her entire LIFE!!!! She’s been with him ever since (I think 10 years now) and she’s in a successful career thanks to her going back to school, and had another child with this man with a beautiful home with the picket fence. She volunteers at her children’s schools and goes to fundraisers and Is often seen at local charities to donate her children’s stuff before Xmas delivers new toys and clothes.

Had this man not enter her life and given her a chance of stability I don’t know how far she would have gone with her two year degree because she would have had to work two jobs to even afford a mortgage and daycare, but since she met this stable man, she didn’t have to do it all alone. This man was her Cole, her life changer and she deserved him because she was so sweet and caring but because she got pregnant young and acted like other people her age but without the stigma of being a young mom was told she doesn't deserve anyone that will be worthy of having; which is bullshit.

I see that same girl in Leah minus the money and tv show. All types of people come into our lives for many reasons, some to teach us about ourselves or to put us in a situation that will force us to grow. Life lessons. Then there are people that are suppose to come into your life to change you for the better after the hard lessons. This dude might be him. Corey came into her life to show her the struggles of being a young mother, Jeremy was put into her life to teach her how to cope with being alone and this new dude was put into her life to experience real love and companionship; at least that is my theory. Lol.

 

Whoooooah I wrote a book. 

TL; DR 

Even though Leah has made tons of mistakes I believe she deserves a good guy and this new dude deserves a benefit of the doubt not “he likes Leah so there’s got to be something wrong with him” lol. Normally I would agree if it was Jenelle or Amber but there is something genuinely sweet about Leah and I hope this guy is her Cole that offers her stability.

[Tatum]

50 minutes ago, Calm81 said:

...

But what would you TALK about with Leah? How pretty she is? That seems to be about all she ever wants to talk about. Her shameless fishing for compliments and her quitting everything at the first sign of inconvenience (driving to class is too cumbersome?) would be enough for me to run away.

 

Sure, she's better than Amber or Jenelle. That's like, a super low baseline.

[Christina87]

@Calm81 I agree with you that I want Leah to have a good guy!!! I just hope this is the guy for her, and not someone with questionable motives. Time will tell, but his track record leaves a lot to be desired IMO (though again, it is TOTALLY possible that I'm wrong, and he has an awesome reason for moving on so quickly from a marriage with a baby to someone who has had so many terrible decisions documented; that was the main reason I brought up her bad points. I'd hope most forty-year-olds would take time after these huge events instead of immediately boomeranging to someone in their twenties that has a reputation for awful choices). It's not enough for Leah to improve her decision making skills; she needs to be with someone who also makes good decisions, or she'll be right back where she started, or worse. I do think time single has done Leah some good, and I would love to see her with someone who is laid back, patient with her, encourages her to reach her potential, praises her looks but also her personality, and is great with the kids without necessarily pushing for more. I always joke that she needs the mid-twenties guy who has a genetic condition he doesn't want to pass down, but loves kids. I really, really hope it is this guy for her! It scares me though, because a lot of people (not necessarily on this board, but elsewhere) have gotten bad vibes from him. In fact, a poster on Reddit today said something like, "I have dated enough sleazy men to be able to spot one!" And I have heard that sentiment a lot. No one knows for sure at this point, but I honestly WANT this for Leah badly enough that I'd hate to see her think this is going to be so great, while being too dim to see the red flags. Every guy she has been with has had her best interests in mind (at least initially; Jeremy didn't seem to at the end) and has been the committing type, so she doesn't know how to look for red flags in the same way that someone who has dated a ton of crappy men would. I wish this guy seemed like a Cole from the outside; there wasn't all this mass speculation that his vibe was "off" when we only knew him from Instagram. I would hate to see her get hurt again, and possibly end up being a single mom to even more kids in the near future! She is also more vulnerable than most during hard times, due to the fact she has been addicted before. A broken Leah with even more kids is a recipe for reverting back to pillses and squalor, and I don't wish that on her. I hope she is as careful with her heart as I want her to be!

[druzy]

It's nice to see Leah happy.

[DangerousMinds]

2 hours ago, Tatum said:

But what would you TALK about with Leah? How pretty she is? That seems to be about all she ever wants to talk about. Her shameless fishing for compliments and her quitting everything at the first sign of inconvenience (driving to class is too cumbersome?) would be enough for me to run away.

 

Sure, she's better than Amber or Jenelle. That's like, a super low baseline.

I’d rather try to talk to Leah than Chelsea.

[Talky Tina]

"Timeeeeee" drives me nuts.  Only an idiot would do that with a silent letter. 

[Calm81]

6 hours ago, druzy said:

It's nice to see Leah happy.

If this is them being candid, then I think it’s adorable. That’s natural giggle done by Leah playing around with someone she genuinely loves. 😆

I hope they air more of their silliness. Sometimes MTV never airs the parts that show us a couple having chemistry. I think I’ve only witnessed her like this during the scene where she peed her pants while Corey was looking at a new place/new truck, can’t remember which.

Gosh, I really hope I’m not wrong. I want to believe that Leah will bring a good guy around her daughters. She doesn’t have a terrible track record or dipshit men like Jenelle so I’m realllllly hoping she got lucky. 

[Calm81]

7 hours ago, Tatum said:

But what would you TALK about with Leah? How pretty she is? That seems to be about all she ever wants to talk about. Her shameless fishing for compliments and her quitting everything at the first sign of inconvenience (driving to class is too cumbersome?) would be enough for me to run away.

 

Sure, she's better than Amber or Jenelle. That's like, a super low baseline.

I always felt like Leah was desperate to finish College but wasn’t smart enough and that’s why she kept dropping out. She idolized the idea of being in a college dorm with her peers like a “normal” girl her age but she couldn’t keep up with the demands of her classes along with having three kids.

I know she passed her entrance exam to get into the first university she enrolled to (when she met Jeremy) but was incapable of keeping up with even the prerequisite classes so dropped out due to fear of failing infront of the world “better to quit than to fail”.

I kind of think she is a tiny bit “slow” and covers it up with ditziness. She struggles to formulate her thoughts at times and gets super anxious and shuts down. I witnessed it when she did her first public speaking assignment when she was trying to be a positivity life coach. 

Lol, I see her so desperate with wanting to be a “career woman” and that’s why we keep seeing her start something to quit, quickly. Not because she losss motivation but because she realizes she can’t handle it. 

[lilmarysunshine]

On 12/27/2018 at 8:32 AM, Rebecca said:

True but she’s “pretty” and thin, has money, is still young-ish and she’s in West Virginia so I’m inclined to think that those things do make her a catch probably to a lot of guys, as mind blowing as that might be to us!

I'm not sure that's limited to West Virginia or the South or even the "backwoods," more generally. I think "attractive and with money" would attract many men in all zip codes.

[Scarlett45]

10 hours ago, lilmarysunshine said:

I'm not sure that's limited to West Virginia or the South or even the "backwoods," more generally. I think "attractive and with money" would attract many men in all zip codes.

I think @Rebeccawas pointing out that such things (being thin with money) are more rare in West Virginia so the “capital” goes farther. Leah is a pretty woman, but she may be a socially approved 9 in West Virginia, in a big city like LA or NYC there are tons of attractive, thin, women with money (who don’t have kids) and she would be a 5/6. 

 

For the record Leah is a human being not a number, and in no way am I insinuating that someone’s attractiveness determines their worth has a human being or a partner. 

[Scarlett45]

@Calm81 I don’t think Leah is a morally corrupt human being (like a Jenelle or Amber), and thus incapable of having an emotionally intimate relationship with another person. I’m sure Leah will eventually settle down with someone decent and have something real (she’s only in her mid 20s at this point). However I think Leah gets a bad rap more than Chelsea (or a Chelsea type) is because Leah was so disrespectful to her previous partners, emotionally manipulative and acted entitled because she used to be the “queen of the holla”. I honestly think that Corey not leaving Miranda despite being given access to Leah’s magical vagina took her down a peg, and she realized that sex won’t secure a relationship if you are not the person they want! (Not blaming Leah for Corey’s cheating- that was on COREY)

Chelsea isn’t a Rhodes scholar by any means BUT she’s always been attentive to her child, never had a drug problem, and despite her tremendous amount of support or “spoiled ness” by Randy she NEVER had the entitled attitude Leah used to have. I also think Chelsea is probably a more fun/pleasant person to be around.

 

If Leah doesn’t have any more kids, gets some therapy to help deal with Ali’s disability (for the entire family, I want Gracie in a Sib Shop so badly- and Addy in a few years) she will be fine. She has a LOT of emotional growth to due as the years venture on given Ali’s prognosis. If she isn’t careful she will fall into the “mommy Martyr complex”, she needs something for herself to be a fulfilled human being. 

 

Nothing wrong with her having a boyfriend or a male companion, she’s a young woman with adult needs (sex and adult companionship) and thats nothing to be ashamed about. I don’t fault any of these women for wanting adult companionship and partnered sex, what I don’t understand is why they let their need for that disrupt their ENTIRE LIFE and have the most losers guys spend their money and cause a tornado. 

[HeySandyStrange]

I don't think Leah is all that pretty. She has a nice body and some attractive features (her eyes are beautiful) but she seems rather average. Hell, some of her friends, especially some of her old HS friends were way prettier the her. They were smart and left the Hollar, for the most part. Leah is probably the best of what stayed behind in attractiveness.

I'm not trying to imply that attractiveness is all important, either. But imo Leah doesn't really bring that much regarding her looks to the table, considering how much she banks on her looks. I think her thin body, money, traditionalist nature attract the Hollar dudes.

Quote

@CALM81 I don’t think Leah is a morally corrupt human being (like a Jenelle or Amber), and thus incapable of having an emotionally intimate relationship with another person. I’m sure Leah will eventually settle down with someone decent and have something real (she’s only in her mid 20s at this point). However I think Leah gets a bad rap more than Chelsea (or a Chelsea type) is because Leah was so disrespectful to her previous partners, emotionally manipulative and acted entitled because she used to be the “queen of the holla”. I honestly think that Corey not leaving Miranda despite being given access to Leah’s magical vagina took her down a peg, and she realized that sex won’t secure a relationship if you are not the person they want! (Not blaming Leah for Corey’s cheating- that was on COREY)

I agree, Leah comes off as sweet NOW, but she was quite the passive aggressive, conniving asshole in past. Which is why I will never see her as fully sweet or kind. I think Leah is fairly harmless, but she has it in her to get down and dirty. Leah, for all that she isn't very smart, she sure can be a back stabber.

Edited December 29, 2018 by HeySandyStrange

[Christina87]

8 minutes ago, HeySandyStrange said:

I don't think Leah is all that pretty. She has a nice body and some attractive features (her eyes are beautiful) but she seems rather average. Hell, some of her friends, especially some of her old HS friends were way prettier the her. They were smart and left the Hollar, for the most part. Leah is probably the best of what stayed behind in attractiveness.

I'm not trying to imply that attractiveness is all important, either. But imo Leah doesn't really bring that much regarding her looks to the table, considering how much she banks on her looks. I think her thin body, money, traditionalist nature attract the Hollar dudes.

I agree, Leah comes off as sweet NOW, but she was quite the passive aggressive, conniving asshole in past. Which is why I will never see her as fully sweet or kind. I think Leah is fairly harmless, but she has it in her to get down and dirty. Leah, for all that she isn't very smart, she sure can be a back stabber.

You're so right! She comes off as sweet NOW, having been taken down a few pegs, but the test will be if she seems sweet while dating this new dude. There are some people that I have this weird cycle with; when they're single, they're soooo sweet to everyone, and I think, "why is she single? She deserves a great guy!" Then, the second they have a relationship, they treat the guy soooo badly, and I begin to question what he sees in her. Some people are likable only while single, and Leah is a good example. It's like, when they are single, they have been taken down a peg, so they can be kind to us peasants, but when they're in a relationship, they're reminded that they're hot and superior to us normal people! I think this personality type thrives on validation, like Leah obviously does, with her fishing for compliments selfies. It will show me that she has grown up if she is kind and sweet in this new footage, to the new guy. I remember how quickly she acted disrespectful to Jeremy, shushing him rudely when he even attempted to defend himself, and yelling at him the second he walked through the door! I actually think Leah is the sweetest one of the bunch deep down, but lets validation go to her head. I hope she has matured enough this time around!

[lilmarysunshine]

1 hour ago, Scarlett45 said:

I think @Rebeccawas pointing out that such things (being thin with money) are more rare in West Virginia so the “capital” goes farther. Leah is a pretty woman, but she may be a socially approved 9 in West Virginia, in a big city like LA or NYC there are tons of attractive, thin, women with money (who don’t have kids) and she would be a 5/6. 

 

For the record Leah is a human being not a number, and in no way am I insinuating that someone’s attractiveness determines their worth has a human being or a partner. 

I don't think Leah is all that pretty myself. I just kind of bristle at this idea that people in WV (or the South, more generally) are so backwards and unsophisticated that their standards are so much lower than anywhere else, particularly compared to the more "cosmopolitan" places. 

[geauxaway]

25 minutes ago, HeySandyStrange said:

 

I agree, Leah comes off as sweet NOW, but she was quite the passive aggressive, conniving asshole in past. Which is why I will never see her as fully sweet or kind. I think Leah is fairly harmless, but she has it in her to get down and dirty. Leah, for all that she isn't very smart, she sure can be a back stabber.

MONKEY!!!  

[Scarlett45]

14 minutes ago, lilmarysunshine said:

I don't think Leah is all that pretty myself. I just kind of bristle at this idea that people in WV (or the South, more generally) are so backwards and unsophisticated that their standards are so much lower than anywhere else, particularly compared to the more "cosmopolitan" places. 

I don’t think West Virginia or the south is so backwards and unsophisticated they have lower standards, but I think the USA is so vast and geographically, culturally and ethnicly diverse that “the standard of beauty” is different in different parts of the country, despite what the media tells us is the only ideal. If you grow up in a culture inwhich most people are overweight or obese, and you are thin in a culture that values thinness you will be deemed more attractive. If MOST women are thin it’s not rare.

 

Unrelated to Leah- I think of the lessons my father taught me about how the world treats fat people- but he had no way of knowing in the last 30yrs most of the country would gain weight and I would fall in the “normal” range of what women would look like. I also think the Kardashian women, growing up in Southern California where the “ideal” woman was very pale, thin, blonde they stood out in a way they wouldn’t in another part of the country (one of the reasons why I think they are attracted to men of color, who traditionally have rejected that ideal of beauty as the only model). Or we could compare it to colorism in the black community- where being the “right” skin tone makes you more attractive (BARF)......

 

I wasn’t insinuating that the culture of West Virginia was “less than”. I am sorry if it came off that way. 

[Christina87]

18 minutes ago, Scarlett45 said:

I don’t think West Virginia or the south is so backwards and unsophisticated they have lower standards, but I think the USA is so vast and geographically, culturally and ethnicly diverse that “the standard of beauty” is different in different parts of the country, despite what the media tells us is the only ideal. If you grow up in a culture inwhich most people are overweight or obese, and you are thin in a culture that values thinness you will be deemed more attractive. If MOST women are thin it’s not rare.

 

Unrelated to Leah- I think of the lessons my father taught me about how the world treats fat people- but he had no way of knowing in the last 30yrs most of the country would gain weight and I would fall in the “normal” range of what women would look like. I also think the Kardashian women, growing up in Southern California where the “ideal” woman was very pale, thin, blonde they stood out in a way they wouldn’t in another part of the country (one of the reasons why I think they are attracted to men of color, who traditionally have rejected that ideal of beauty as the only model). Or we could compare it to colorism in the black community- where being the “right” skin tone makes you more attractive (BARF)......

 

I wasn’t insinuating that the culture of West Virginia was “less than”. I am sorry if it came off that way. 

That is so interesting about what your dad told you vs what actually happened. I feel the same way (though it's a little different) when I see friends from high school. Back then, I felt huge, even though I wasn't even technically overweight, because I was tall and not a string bean. Seems like everyone else I knew in high school was a tiny little girl, short and thin, with no curves, and I looked like an adult, which was embarrassing. I was always so jealous of them, and wished I was cute and childlike. I hated always having to be in the back at dance, because I was a million inches taller than everyone else, and didn't "look" as much like a dancer. I also hated having to play forward in basketball because of my height, or even worse, center. I spent a huge amount of time as a teenager thinking about how dramatically better my life would be if I was short and skinny.

Now, my stature hasn't changed much, but most of them have gained a ton of weight! When I see them out, so many of these former waifs are chubby and still short. Now, there aren't many advantages to being short, with dance and basketball out of the picture. I guess they can date more guys who are taller than them, but most guys are taller than me, or at least my height or right under it, anyway. Now I really appreciate my body type, because though i felt awkward in high school, I would rather be considered decent looking as an adult than a teen! I feel bad for so many of these girls who peaked at sixteen in every possible way. Plus, some of them have gained baby weight (and so did I in a weird way, with my 50 pound out of nowhere gain, but at least I'm tall and it's not as noticeable), and some never learned to eat healthy and it's catching up to them (in a weird way, this makes me thankful for my migraines). Also, now the "cool" girls follow me on social media and like / comment on my posts religiously! It's like an alternate universe, as they never paid me attention when we were younger, and I wish I could go back and tell my high school self that one day, things would be different. I guess since I'm one of the few single people, my life looks more glamorous, though I would trade it in tomorrow for what they have! It seems crazy to me that my life could look so perfect from the outside, like I think their family life does. 

Just goes to show, you never know! I always pictured being thirty and awkward while these more glamorous acquaintances looked like movie stars, but it has turned out the exact opposite! Life has ways of making everybody change in ways you'd never expect. 

[Scarlett45]

@Christina87 I’m sure you are beautiful and lovely in high school and you are beautiful and lovely now. Yeah my father was the token fat kid in the 1950s (back when there were 1-2 fat kids in a class rather than 2/3rds of kids being heavy now) and he was teased and bullied A LOT. It affected his self esteem, and when I showed up as a brown round bundle of love from DAY 1, his stance was that he refused to have me hate myself, and things were going to be far harder for me as a girl than they were for him (double standards and all) so acceptance of myself was his number 1 goal. 

I think it’s human nature to look at other people and think “the grass is greener” on the other side of the fence but HUMANS are humans no matter how great things look on the outside. Maybe I’ve always known that because I grew up as a Sib which a lot of people just don’t get- I’m a statistical outlier in a LOT of ways (30 years old toddlers aren’t common even in the disability space!).

 

Taking it back to Leah to be on topic- I do think Leah bought into a narrative that her life was going to turn out a certain way and when it didn’t she was thrown for a loop (especially with Ali’s diagnosis). Had she been a more mature person with a higher IQ she would’ve recovered better from the shock but she is who she is. She has matured a lot and is a decent person who will be fine- again she’s still very young! But she’s young with three kids to raise (although Corey and Miranda are there for the twins) and dealing with all this in the interim.

Another reason I think having kids before you’ve lived as an adult for a while is a BAD idea (of course there are exceptions to everything)- you need to figure yourself out before you add other humans and their physical/mental/emotional needs into the equation. 

I do think that people are hyper critical of her choices in men because she’s demonstrated that she needs male validation to be complete (cough affairs with Robbie cough), that makes her extra vulnerable to scum bags. I would never think she would let a man HURT her children or anything like that, but every single parent has to be hyper aware about things like that. 

[BitterApple]

22 hours ago, Calm81 said:

I just don’t see how Leah doesn’t deserve to find herself a “Cole”. 

Me neither. Cole could've done a lot better than Chelsea, but nobody says she isn't worthy of a good guy. Leah's main issue is her prior addiction. As far as her kids go, both fathers are stand-up guys who share custody and pay support. It's not like Leah's boyfriend has to come in and shoulder the entire responsibility the way Cole's had to do for Aubree. 

I think aside from Chelsea, Leah is the only one on the show who has a chance of settling down with a decent guy. She's made a lot of dumb choices, but unlike Kail, Briana and Jenelle, she's not a mean-spirited, nasty person at heart. If she can keep her shit together, she'll be alright.

[Scarlett45]

20 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Me neither. Cole could've done a lot better than Chelsea, but nobody says she isn't worthy of a good guy. Leah's main issue is her prior addiction. As far as her kids go, both fathers are stand-up guys who share custody and pay support. It's not like Leah's boyfriend has to come in and shoulder the entire responsibility the way Cole's had to do for Aubree. 

I think aside from Chelsea, Leah is the only one on the show who has a chance of settling down with a decent guy. She's made a lot of dumb choices, but unlike Kail, Briana and Jenelle, she's not a mean-spirited, nasty person at heart. If she can keep her shit together, she'll be alright.

Ditto. 

[Scarlett45]

20 minutes ago, BitterApple said:

Me neither. Cole could've done a lot better than Chelsea, but nobody says she isn't worthy of a good guy. Leah's main issue is her prior addiction. As far as her kids go, both fathers are stand-up guys who share custody and pay support. It's not like Leah's boyfriend has to come in and shoulder the entire responsibility the way Cole's had to do for Aubree. 

I think aside from Chelsea, Leah is the only one on the show who has a chance of settling down with a decent guy. She's made a lot of dumb choices, but unlike Kail, Briana and Jenelle, she's not a mean-spirited, nasty person at heart. If she can keep her shit together, she'll be alright.

Ditto. 

[Christina87]

2 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

@Christina87 I’m sure you are beautiful and lovely in high school and you are beautiful and lovely now. Yeah my father was the token fat kid in the 1950s (back when there were 1-2 fat kids in a class rather than 2/3rds of kids being heavy now) and he was teased and bullied A LOT. It affected his self esteem, and when I showed up as a brown round bundle of love from DAY 1, his stance was that he refused to have me hate myself, and things were going to be far harder for me as a girl than they were for him (double standards and all) so acceptance of myself was his number 1 goal. 

I think it’s human nature to look at other people and think “the grass is greener” on the other side of the fence but HUMANS are humans no matter how great things look on the outside. Maybe I’ve always known that because I grew up as a Sib which a lot of people just don’t get- I’m a statistical outlier in a LOT of ways (30 years old toddlers aren’t common even in the disability space!).

 

Taking it back to Leah to be on topic- I do think Leah bought into a narrative that her life was going to turn out a certain way and when it didn’t she was thrown for a loop (especially with Ali’s diagnosis). Had she been a more mature person with a higher IQ she would’ve recovered better from the shock but she is who she is. She has matured a lot and is a decent person who will be fine- again she’s still very young! But she’s young with three kids to raise (although Corey and Miranda are there for the twins) and dealing with all this in the interim.

Another reason I think having kids before you’ve lived as an adult for a while is a BAD idea (of course there are exceptions to everything)- you need to figure yourself out before you add other humans and their physical/mental/emotional needs into the equation. 

I do think that people are hyper critical of her choices in men because she’s demonstrated that she needs male validation to be complete (cough affairs with Robbie cough), that makes her extra vulnerable to scum bags. I would never think she would let a man HURT her children or anything like that, but every single parent has to be hyper aware about things like that. 

Awwwwww, from everything you've said about your parents, they sound like such great people!!! I'm really glad that so much emphasis was put on self-acceptance in your home. If somebody like Leah had had a parent that didn't stress looks, maybe Leah would have found more about herself to be proud of. 

I agree so much that while Leah can be oblivious sometimes, she absolutely would not let anyone hurt her kids. She could never tolerate a david, thank god!!! I hope she is clever enough to catch red flags, but I think the second a child was harmed, she would have no problem saying goodbye. she seems like she has zero tolerance for some things, and would never spend days crying over some loser like Jenelle!