Bad news for 'Teen Mom' Amber Portwood is good for baby

The_Stir

It doesn't take much to make my stomach churn when I watch Teen Mom these days. Every time MTV turns the camera on little Leah, the 2-year-old daughter of trainwreck Amber Portwood and ex-boyfriend Gary Shirley, I want to cry. As my husband said during this week's episode of Season 3, "That kid has no chance." Well, maybe. News on the Leah custody front might not be the best for her parents, but it looks like this kid is headed for sweet relief.

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With Amber freshly released from rehab (where she was holed up in the wake of a suicide attempt), Gary's lawyer is telling the press that it's back to court for the couple to work out the custody arrangement. Gary has temporary custody already, but his lawyer sounds confident that he'll get it permanently.

Of course, Gary's lawyer is going to talk up Gary. Nothing's set in stone. But all it takes is one look at an episode of the show to prove that a Gary custody arrangement has some merits for this kid.

I'm not talking about Gary. Not famewhoring, stripper lovin', condom-on-the-floor leaving Gary.

I'm talking about his mom. Because when Gary is hanging with his daughter, Carol (Shirley) Zizak is rarely far behind. When he's struggled with custody issues in the past, friends have made no bones about how much he depends on his mama.

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And this woman seems to be the ONLY stable influence in Leah's life. Carol took her trick or treating. Carol makes sure she's wearing appropriate clothes. Carol prepped for her 2nd birthday party while Gary went out for fast food. Gary himself called her an "amazing woman" on Twitter this week, acknowledging that his mom is a powerful figure in his daughter's life.

If Leah can somehow escape her "blames everyone else for her problems" mother and spend more time with her grandmother, that innocent little girl just MIGHT have a chance at life, don't you think?


Image via MTV


Written by Jeanne Sager for CafeMom's blog, The Stir.

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