LinkBack URL
About LinkBacks
Ugh, that "reunion" show just irritated the heck out of me. There are so many moments that I was almost yelling at the tv for. Some of the behaviours are inexcusable regardless of upbringing or life or anything the like. I was also wondering what was up with Dr. Drew? It seems like reality tv has gone to his head. Some of his comments were totally based on appealing to the audience rather than anything else.
The best part of the reunion show was seeing Tyler and Catelynn (and on a completely shallow note, I thought Catelynn looked very pretty, and Tyler looks a hundred percent better when he ditches the stupid backwards ballcap look). It's amazing how those two manage to maintain the attitudes they have with almost no support from their families, though I do give credit to Tyler's mom for seeming to be a pretty decent parent. I did wonder why they didn't seem to know what Alanon was, however. Haven't any of the counselors to whom they've spoken mentioned that very well known group (or Alateen, which I believe Tyler and Catelynn are still young enough for)?
I also found myself feeling a bit sorry for Catelynn's mom. Yes, she's said and done truly terrible things, and I don't discount them. But sometimes she seems so much like someone who wants to be a better person/parent but just has no idea how to be one. I hope she takes Dr. Drew's suggestion about looking into a twelve step program for herself. If she had a support system encouraging her to make better choices but still understanding if it's a struggle for her to learn to do that, maybe she could be that better person. At the very least, she'd get to see other people who had similar problems who are struggling to overcome them and succeeding at it. I get the impression that she's just had a terribly hard life that's left her utterly unable to maintain healthy relationships. It really saddens me that both Catelynn and Tyler see that and want so badly to help her but aren't in a position to do so. It would be better for all of them if she could get some help.
On a brighter side, I really loved Tyler and Catelynn's answer to the question about what kind of relationship they expect to have with Carly when she's sixteen. Catelynn said she thought they'd be sort of like an uncle and aunt, and Tyler said that it would be like having a grandmother who lived out of state--Carly might not see them all that often, but she'd always know they loved her. I hope that's exactly what happens, though I sort of wish that they could see not just Carly but Brandon and Theresa more often. Those two are so supportive of Tyler and Catelynn and provide such good examples of how mature adults/parents behave that it clearly gives Tyler and Catelynn a boost just to be around them. Those four are a great example of how an open adoption should work. All of them obviously want to create the best situation they can for Carly, and that little girl is going to grow up knowing just how loved she is by all four of them.
Possible, but it's also a normal thing for small children. Feeling possessive over one parent and feeling jealousy when the other parent shows affection to THEIR mommy, or THEIR daddy. Both of my children have done it, in fact my 2-year-old is in the middle of the phase now, along with being very vocal about everything being "mine," and I can assure you that my relationship with my husband is a loving one with nothing other than normal and brief disagreements.Originally Posted by Tilden;4088518;
I tend to think Amber gets a little rush from a pregnancy scare. Some women do. There's attention to be had, drama added to a life that may be otherwise boring, or unhappy. It's a type of thrill. But agreed that responsible use of birth control would be a far better option.
Finally - having finally seen the reunion episode - anyone else get the bad feeling from it that Amber has turned into the "star" of Teen Mom? She got the pimp slot - the update we were all dying to see, basically. I didn't like that at all.
I think it would have been appropiate to not do an update on Amber for the reunion. They should have announced that due to the recent investgation into Amber and Gary, it was not appropiate to air an update on them. Maybe next year or something. They should not be rewarded for the bad behavior.
And while Gary is a much better parent than Amber, he is NOT doing his job by allowing Leah to stay in Amber's care. THAT in itself is abuse. If you as a parent are negligent enough to leave your child in the care of a violent and irrepsonsible person, then you have neglected your child. He owes Leah better than that. And if Leah is harmed while with Amber, Gary will also be held responsible. He knows. It's obvious he would rather kiss Amber's feet that protect Leah from harm. That's not good.
I think Farrah and April have some similar personalitites traits. I suspect both of them have narcissistic personalities. I have done some research on it and it's not really something that can be changed. You have it or you don't. It can cause a lot of havoc in your life because you never really can deal with people. Children are like possessions or objects for people like this. I can't see April or Farrah changing because they just can't. Sad but IMO that's just how they are. Also, April appears to need detoxing before she joins a 12 step program.
Link for the narcissism:
Narcissistic Personality Disorder - Psych Central
--Hadn't thought about it before, but that could be true. I'm not sure if she can parlay that "star" status into much of anything, however, because unlike other reality sjow villains, she's now famous for being someone who physically assaults her baby daddy in front of their child, whines constantly, and can't seem to make an appropriate decision and follow through on it to save her life. I can't see her getting endorsement deals, and if she doesn't clean up her act soon, people are just going to become more and more appalled, because a child is involved. Any sympathy she gets for being a young, overwhelmed mother is going to pale as she becomes older and people start thinking, "Why hasn't she wised up yet?" I mean, look at how April is generally viewed. About the only further reality show deal I could see her getting would be on something like Celebrity Rehab, if they ever had one for people who are unable to control violent impulses, which might be too dangerous, even for VH1.Possible, but it's also a normal thing for small children. Feeling possessive over one parent and feeling jealousy when the other parent shows affection to THEIR mommy, or THEIR daddy. Both of my children have done it, in fact my 2-year-old is in the middle of the phase now, along with being very vocal about everything being "mine," and I can assure you that my relationship with my husband is a loving one with nothing other than normal and brief disagreements.
---Oh, I know. I was being sarcastic when I suggested that Leah was afraid they were reconciling. Unfortunately, it's hard to get across "tone" on-line.
I tend to think Amber gets a little rush from a pregnancy scare. Some women do. There's attention to be had, drama added to a life that may be otherwise boring, or unhappy. It's a type of thrill. But agreed that responsible use of birth control would be a far better option.
---In the on-line Life and Style article that was reporting Amber was pregnant, a friend of Gary's suggested that she might just be manipulating him, as opposed to being really pregnant, because she's awfully good at that. According to the article, Gary has been telling people that Amber's pregnant, but Amber hasn't confirmed or denied it. E! News is also saying that Amber is under police investigation because of the incident where she punched and kicked Gary on-camera in front of Leah.
Finally - having finally seen the reunion episode - anyone else get the bad feeling from it that Amber has turned into the "star" of Teen Mom? She got the pimp slot - the update we were all dying to see, basically. I didn't like that at all.
I have my concerns for Tyler and Catelynn getting pregnant again. They are seriously bonded at this point in time, and they are very demonstrative. And they are seriously missing their adorable daughter. Yes, they have goals, but common sense does not always come into play when your strong emotions come into play. I'm hoping that she is using a very reliable form of birth control because "$*#t happens".
And, is it possible that Amber does not know about the existance of waterproof mascara? As much as she cries, you'd think she'd be an expert on what's out there by now!
And it was very disappointing to hear Amber say that she wasn't even interested in completing her high school education now. This is one messed up young lady.
Last edited by prhoshay; 10-21-2010 at 11:55 AM.
"...each affects the other, and the other affects the next, and the world is full of stories, but the stories are all one." - Mitch Albom, one helluva writer
When you throw a rock into a pack of dogs, you know which one you hit by the one that yelps!
---What is she interested in, other than martial arts? I was glad Dr. Drew pointed out that martial arts may not be the best stress reliever for someone who has anger management issue. Someone else here mentioned yoga, but really, there are lots of additional possibilities--running, biking, swimming etc.--that would provide her with exercise and a stress release that wouldn't better equip her to slap people around.I have my concerns for Tyler and Catelynn getting pregnant again. They are seriously bonded at this point in time, and they are very demonstrative. And they are seriously missing their adorable daughter. Yes, they have goals, but common sense does not always come into play when your strong emotions come into play. I'm hoping that she is using a very reliable form of birth control because "$*#t happens".
---I believe some time ago--maybe the last reunion show?--they admitted that they'd had sex without using protection, and they caught holy hell for it, which they should have. They appeared, however, to understand that what they had done was really stupid and that they were just plain lucky that they'd avoided another pregnancy. Let's hope so. By the way, I wish they'd stop running that announcement that teen pregnancy is 100% preventable, because it's not. Even if a teenager is abstaining, that doesn't rule out the possibility of date rape etc. Frankly, nothing is 100% preventable, but perhaps they just think that sounds good.
And, is it possible that Amber does not know about the existance of waterproof mascara? As much as she cries, you'd think she'd be an expert on what's out there by now!
--I keep thinking that myself. Didn't she have a job at a beauty salon and then a tanning salon? Wouldn't you think she'd have figured out something about make-up and hair from that? I'm about as unconcerned about hair and make-up as you can get, and even I know better. I also realize that she's probably proud of her weight loss, but that dress she was wearing on the reunion show was way too short. It hiked up practically to her panty line. I don't understand why people don't sit down in outfits they know they're going to be seen in sitting down prior to choosing to wear them.
And it was very disappointing to hear Amber say that she wasn't even interested in completing her high school education now. This is one messed up young lady.
[QUOTE=Debb70;4088663;]I think it would have been appropiate to not do an update on Amber for the reunion. They should have announced that due to the recent investgation into Amber and Gary, it was not appropiate to air an update on them. Maybe next year or something. They should not be rewarded for the bad behavior.
And while Gary is a much better parent than Amber, he is NOT doing his job by allowing Leah to stay in Amber's care. THAT in itself is abuse. If you as a parent are negligent enough to leave your child in the care of a violent and irrepsonsible person, then you have neglected your child. He owes Leah better than that. And if Leah is harmed while with Amber, Gary will also be held responsible. He knows. It's obvious he would rather kiss Amber's feet that protect Leah from harm. That's not good.
When was the reunion show taped? Was the investigation pending at that point or not? Obviously they tape the season well in advance of it airing, since we were watching an Easter episode in the fall. I agree they should not be rewarded for bad behavior, but I'm not sure they could have used the investigation as an excuse.
Also, do Gary and Amber even have a custody arrangement? It could be that Gary doesn't have the legal right to remove Leah from Amber's care even if he wanted to without the domestic abuse charges sticking. However, it could also easily be that Gary just is completely and unfortunately blind about Amber and that Amber uses that. She strikes me as someone who's very good at passive-aggressive manipulation. In addition, Gary strikes me as someone whose own self-esteem is about as low as it can get, though I do give him credit for being able to stand up for Leah when he sees Amber as an immediate threat to her. Too bad he can't seem to see the long term damage being done by Amber to both of them. Both Amber and Gary need help, and Leah needs safety and security, before she ends up needing help too.
Tilden,
I think the show was filmed after the investigation was announced, even though they did not mention it. The reason why is that Dr. Drew showed footage of scenes to audience they had already seen. (Those of the last fight.) The police investigation of Amber went viral the day after that episode aired, so they all knew of the invetigation.
I also think the fact they set up Amber and Gary's interview so that there was no audience applause, was indicative of the the fact the matter was under investigation. That showed that everything was not business as usual.
If Amber was not under investigation, I don't think she would have been nearly as tearful. That's just part of the old domestic abuser technique. It's classic. It's normally used by men. They beat their loved one black and blue and then go into the honeymoon phase where they profess their remorse nad promise to do better. They pour on the tears and swear it will never happen again. Of course, it does happen again and again. Amber obviously watched the abuser from her childhood perform this technique and she has it down pat. I hope LE and social servcies are not as easily fooled by Amber as Gary is.
I really don't think that Amber's behavior is calculated. I think it's more like a flow chart: A leads to B; B leads to C; C leads to D...and so on. There is a reason why we see many abusers follow the same patterns to the point where we know what tends to come next.
Posting Permissions
3Likes
Reply With Quote
_(Moo!)