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'Teen Mom' Premiere Recap: Amber Portwood Is No Slacker Mom

by Sasha Brown-Worsham on June 13, 2012 at 12:08 AM

Amber PortwoodMTV's Teen Mom returned to the air Tuesday night with two explosive episodes. After three seasons with the girls (now women), it's easy to start to feel like they are part of a family. Unlike the girls on Teen Mom 2 or the girls who were recently on 16 & Pregnant, the women of Teen Mom have grown up significantly and they can still just break our hearts.

As much as Catelynn, Farrah, and Maci have grown up and all have their own stories to tell -- Farrah is moving to Fort Lauderdale, Catelynn and Tyler got to see Carly in New York City, and Maci put Bentley in daycare -- it was all about Amber Portwood on the premiere episode.

Her story just breaks my heart. I don't care what you think about her as a mom, she isn't a bad person. She just has so many problems.

Tonight we saw what we already knew would happen. Amber tried to kill herself and she was sent to rehab in California. As much as she seemed to improve in California, we also all know the sad truth about how all it ends up.

More from The Stir: 'Teen Mom' Amber Portwood's Prison Time Could Save Her Family (VIDEO)

Poor Amber. She misses her daughter and she is angry and confused as to why she was taken away from her.

It's so easy to say she is a bad mom or judge her decisions and the way she is. But it isn't our place to judge. She alluded in this episode to many problems with her parents and experiencing a lot of pain. This isn't really a surprise.

Girls don't really get pregnant at 16 and become drug addicts as young teenagers when they come from perfect, happy homes. Sure, it's possible, but for the most part, her pain was obvious.

This doesn't make it less heartbreaking. Maybe none of us have been in Amber's shoes, but as a mom, I can say I have experienced some of her feelings. I have felt incredible guilt, like I was failing at the most important job I am doing. I have felt confused about what matters and deeply sad.

Amber is doing her best just like all the rest of us. I hope people will watch her and try to find some space in their hearts for compassion for Amber. It's so easy to judge in your armchair from your house, but it's much harder to live a life and try to make things better. That is what Amber has the courage to do. Good on her.

This season is going to be a heartbreaker.

Do you feel for Amber?

 

Image via MTV

Filed Under: teen mom

Comments

29
  • Kim...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Kim Mccormick

    June 13, 2012 at 12:16 AM
    I feel that her and Gary do not have a healthy relationship. She needs to focus on herself and her child and let her relationship with Gary fade out. Yes he is the father of her child, but millions of women and men as well as myself( mom of 3 boys) are single parents. Amber has a better chance of getting healthy if she weens out the negative to make room for the positive. I see her focusing to much on her past, and it really brings her down. There is no way to go back and fix the past, so you have to move forward for today and the next day.
  • mamab...
    --

    mamabear1020

    June 13, 2012 at 12:40 AM

    I felt that the emotions she shared on screen tonight were totally fake! She "cried" over her not seeing leah for 30 days while in treatment but then asks a judge to lock her up for 5 years? I have no compassion for someone who can be so self centered and selfish! 


  • Leon
    -- Nonmember comment from

    Leon

    June 13, 2012 at 12:42 AM
    I feel sorry for her. I think Gary eggs her on. I feel like he uses the baby too trap her in a relationship with him. I hope she can get herself together. Her baby is too precious for her not to be in her life.
  • Leon
    -- Nonmember comment from

    Leon

    June 13, 2012 at 12:44 AM
    I feel sorry for her. I think Gary eggs her on. I feel like he uses the baby too trap her in a relationship with him. I hope she can get herself together. Her baby is too precious for her not to be in her life.
  • SaraJ...
    --

    SaraJamesHigh

    June 13, 2012 at 12:47 AM
    Nope. She has the resources and money to get better its noones fault but her own for not taking advantage of it and taking it more seriously.

    Btw this is the first article you have written where you didn't talk about how great you are sasha good job finally losing some of that big head of yours!
  • Emma
    -- Nonmember comment from

    Emma

    June 13, 2012 at 12:49 AM
    Wow Mamabear, that was harsh! How do you know what she truly feels? Maybe she asked the judge to lock her up bc deep down she knew that if her rehab and probation was left up to her, she would just keep screwing up. Obviously the 30 days in treatment didn't help her. Some people have to hit true rock bottom before they can pick themselves up. Hopefully a few years behind bars will do it for her. Think about it, how far gone would you have to be, how much pain and emptiness would you have to feel to ASK for your freedom to be taken away for five years? It's not like she is going to summer camp. Let's try to have some compassion. I am getting really tired of all the callous, mean, judgy comments toward this poor young woman. And btw, where the hell is her mom?!
  • Venae
    --

    Venae

    June 13, 2012 at 12:51 AM

    I'm confused - asking to be locked up in jail is "self centered and selfish"?  I would think quite the opposite - wanting to stay a drug addict and have your daughter watch your eventual self-destruction is self centered and selfish.  Good for her for putting her child first and trying to get some help.


  • Anon....
    -- Nonmember comment from

    Anon.Lilly

    June 13, 2012 at 1:03 AM
    I wonder if you would be as forgiving to a man who hits the mother of his child then tells her, "And people wonder why I hit you." So, no, I don't feel sorry for people who abuse others.
  • Emma
    -- Nonmember comment from

    Emma

    June 13, 2012 at 1:06 AM
    "Amber is a dumb b****", "She is f-ing crazy","What a disgusting b****","Too bad she didn't off herself" ~ just a sampling of the things said on Twitter tonight about Amber. Is this really what we have become? A society of heartless women who hide behind our computer screens and say horrible things and make snap judgements about a young girl who is obviously hurting and crying out for love? Just because we see the 1/82nd of her life that is televised and edited and read about her in tabloids that claim also that Angelina is leaving Brad for Jennifer's new man? Really?
  • linzemae
    --

    linzemae

    June 13, 2012 at 1:39 AM
    Oh emma, you are my soul sister! I never understand how we can expect kids not to bully when their parents do it on the internet.
1-10 of 29 comments

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