One of my TV guilty pleasures starts back up tonight: the new season of Teen Mom, the original group of girls: Farrah, Maci, Catelynn, and Amber.
I have a love-hate relationship with the show and often I do feel really guilty about enjoying it. One on hand, I appreciate that Sixteen and Pregnant and Teen Mom try to show what teen pregnancy and parenthood is like behind the idea of having a cute baby and getting attention and baby showers and all. I like that it shows how hard it is to have a baby, finish school, and make a relationship work with the father of the baby. Most of the girls are SO certain during the early days of their pregnancies that they can handle everything and they’ll easily achieve all their goals for the future. Then the baby comes and everything changes. I like that they show all that and I hope that maybe there are girls out there watching it that really understand the message.
On the other hand, I don’t like that the tabloids and paparazzi are trying to turn the girls into celebrities. (Being on a reality show does not automatically make you a celebrity!) I cringe when I see these girls plastered across the front of tabloid magazines in the grocery store with headlines about the latest supposed drama in their lives. As much as I enjoy the show, there should be a definite stopping point for each group of girls. The longer they appear on the show, the less “average teen moms” they become. I also think for the sake of the babies, they need to come to a stopping point and get the camera crews out of the babies’ lives as they grow older.
Honestly, my favorite part of the show is the relationship of Catelynn and Tyler, the couple who gave their baby up for adoption. I’ve wanted to see them heal and come to terms with their decision, and see them try to make better lives for themselves than the ones their parents have given them. That’s my biggest reason to keep watching the show: I’ve become attached to Catelynn and Tyler and I want to see that they can beat the odds of the environment they’ve grown up in. I want to know that they’re okay.
So my love-hate relationship will continue with the newest season, just so I can watch and keep an eye on Catelynn and Tyler through my TV for as long as I can.