For many Teen Mom fans, Catelynn Lowell and Tyler Baltierra are examples of the perfect teens. Part one of the finale show with Dr. Drew highlighted just how far these kids have come -- and not just in terms of what we have actually seen.
Apparently, Catelynn and Tyler were "bad kids." I know, I know. It's hard to believe, but both told Dr. Drew they were not always so smart, enlightened and emotionally honest.
Both of them came from very difficult families that dealt with addiction and divorce and abandonment. It was not easy and while we see the good at the end, we did not see the past. It is hard to imagine Tyler and Catelynn being less than what they are. It makes me like them even more.
The theme of the evening seemed to be family issues. As it often is with Dr. Drew, he brings out the past in a way that makes the moms face what it is that made them become teen moms and made their childhoods hard.
For Farrah it was a mother who worked too hard and fought too much with her dad. We finally found out why she calls him "Michael" instead of dad (she lost respect for him) and why she and Derek clicked so much -- "two broken kids." But it does not make it any less sad.
The reunion special is the time when we gain a deeper understanding of what makes these women tick. As much as we see them in their daily lives during the show, we also only see what MTV allows. We don't really "know" these women, as much as we may feel otherwise. This is the time we really get to see the truth.
My heart goes out to Farrah who has gone from a petulant, seemingly spoiled teen to a smart, emotionally honest woman who is a great mom to her daughter.
Catelynn and Tyler have also gone through many changes. Though they were amazing from the get-go of the show, it sounds like maybe they struggled in their past as well.
As the show ends, it is sad to know we won't have a window into the daily lives of these men and women anymore. But it has also changed the way I view teen motherhood and possibly stopped some teens from having babies. In that way, this show has been powerful. I look forward to hearing more from them all in the next few years.
Did Catelynn and Tyler's revelations surprise you?
Image via MTV
This Hot Dad Wants to Vacuum Your Rug
This Hot Dad Wants to Do Your Ironing
KStew Refuses to Shower
This Hot Dad Wants to Cook You Dinner
Comments 28
I agree Kelsey, not all kids who get pregnant young are horrible peopleand can turn out to be great parents. As for Farrah, if she really can't respect her parents, she needs to stop asking for assistance from them. Otherwise she needs to learn to be greatful for what they do for her. It doesn't suprise me much that Tyler and Catelynn weren't that smart when they were younger, but it's good that they have made more efforts and accomplishments.
I was a teen mom at 17. I was on the honor roll, played varsity sports and had already been accepted to a few colleges. I grew up with both my parents, my dad was a deacon at our church. I did party some but not near as much as most high school seniors. Not all teen moms are/were horrible people. We are just like the majority of the people our age, having sex. We just so happened to not be as careful.
So Farrah calls her dad Michael because she has lost respect for him? Really. I'veseen her state very clearly that the calling him Michael was her mother's idea. Her sister had an absentee father and the mom didn't want her to feel left out by Farrah calling him dad when the sister didn't have one. I thought that was terrible when I heard it and it was quite a while ago. This gives me even more reason to dislike Farrah, she's a liar and the most selfish, immature, ungrateful girl I have ever seen. She is so hateful and rude to her parents barely tolerating the assistance they constantly offer her, and I would hardly call her a great parent. I know we were supposed to buy her story why she sent Sophia to her mother, but it was pretty obvious that this childish brat was doing it because of the guy who had just come into her life, not because she couldn't study. Her dreamy little stories about Derek are suspect as well since members of his family have come out and called BS on many of the things she has said in the past. I can certainly understand her mother punching her in the mouth, I get that urge everytime I hear her whiny voice.