Image Credit: MTVNot to sound like a deranged Care Bear or anything, but teen mom Kailyn really needed a big hug last night. Between her selfish mother, almost completely absent father, and her immature teen boyfriend, she was largely alone in life. But in stepped boyfriend Jo’s mom, Janet, who was basically the nicest woman alive. Am I being dramatic? Maybe a little….
Jo and Kailyn had been together nine months when they conceived, but as we saw in the show, Kailyn was living with Jo and his saintly parents. And largely, his parents were the only ones who gave a crap about her. Kailyn’s mom was busy finding a job, a home, and spending time with her boyfriend. It was as horrible to watch as it sounds. On top of dealing with the normal trials and tribs of pregnancy, Kailyn went to Texas to go meet her father for the first time, with underwhelming results. Let’s just say the father-daughter connection was as weak as a cell phone signal on the subway. But the night still produced some thought-provoking moments:
++ “I just look fat right now… I don’t actually look like I’m pregnant,” Kailyn claimed about the bulging belly she was trying to hide. Her friends disagreed. Reflection: What’s that thing they say about the Nile?
++ “Absence makes the heart grow fonder; so let me leave,” Kailyn’s mom said coldly to her daughter before after dropping the teen off so she could leave and spend time with her boyfriend. In response, Kailyn burst into tears and asked: “Why’s he more important than me?” Reflection: Parental selfishness makes the heart grow angrier. So let us all rant.
++ Jo’s parents giving him the smack down after he said having the baby was solely Kailyn’s decision. Reflection: Jo, your dad is huge and intimidating. Just admit you’re wrong.
++ Jo’s comment after sharing the sonogram photos with his friends: “It don’t got a face.” Reflection: Scariest mental picture ever. Thanks, Jo.
++ “I want you know that regardless of what happens, dad and I are still here for you… This is your bed now,” Jo’s mom Janet said to Kailyn after she and Jo had a giant fight. Reflection: This woman is amazing.
++ Kailyn’s words to her father after meeting him for the first time: “You are short.” Reflection: In the realm of meaningful first lines you could say to make a good first impression…
++ This is where I could make fun of Kailyn’s dad putting a lock on his fridge to keep his $200 worth of meat safe and secure. But as a Texan, all I can say is that’s what we do.
++ Kailyn’s horrifying (yet accurate) observation: “A crying newborn is basically the new soundtrack to our lives.” Reflection: I’ll stick to music from Glee. Thanks.
++ “You don’t pay for anything anyway. Shut the f— up,” Jo said after Kailyn scolded him for leaving the milk out. Reflection: Low blow.
++ “I couldn’t ask for a better mother even thought she’s not blood related,” Kailyn said of Janet. Reflection: I swear this is the last time I say this, but this woman was seriously fantastic.
So what did you think of the season finale of 16 and Pregnant, PopWatchers? Any reflections to share? Did you feel bad for Kailyn, too? And most importantly, did they really leave a hole in the roof of the Dallas Cowboy’s stadium so God could watch his team play on Sundays (wisdom courtesy of Kailyn’s meat-loving father)?
nice blog… you made me go to my ondemand and see if they have it on there. I feel for this girl Kailyn.
I totally agree with you, jo’s mom is the BEST!!!!. wish more moms were like her. GOD BLESS HER. I think Jo was a little jealouse that his parents especially his mom treated Kailyn so well. I have a 9year old daughter and a14 year old son and we watch the shows together then talk about stuff seen on the show. I hope that teen age girls especially realize that most boys want the sex but not the responsibility that goes along with it, so you have to take care of yourself. Never leave birth control up to your partner no matter what age you are because you are the one giving up your life and your friends for this child.
I couldn’t believe Kailyn’s mom. I saw the the after show that Kailyn and Joe are engaged. And that her mother is out of her life. That’s probably for the best.
Janet is awesome!! What a beautiful house too! I got the feeling that Jo resented Kailyn and the love and attention she received from his parents. I didn’t think he was so bad though, compared to some of the other teen dads.
I think the recapper was being too tough on Jo. Yes, he struggled with the pregnancy and at first he was cranky and sleepless when the baby was born…but it looked like he really was wonderful to mom and baby once he accepted his obligations. Did you see him climb into the tub with the baby and massage Kailyn’s shoulders? Amazing.
she should do the right thing doctorsfriends
How could Kailyn’s mother move into a hotel with her boyfriend and leave her own daughter NO place to live? Add a non-existent father to the pile and I just felt awful for Kailyn. Janet is a godsend!
My roommate and I could NOT get over just how AMAZING Janet was. Janet, if you’re out there, the world needs more people like you in it!
I felt so bad for Kailyn. But she has so much spunk and with the amazing Janet in her corner she can hopefully succeed. Her parents were the biggest wastes of space. Her mom made me so angry. I LOVED Janet and she was so terrific to her. We all need a Janet.
I know the mom is a beeyotch but I think she’s more common than you think. She is obviously mentally ill and lacks an empathy gene. She is unable to hold a job/home and her life revolves around a bf she’s had for less than 1 year. That tells you she’s off. I think a lot of mothers act like her and it’s sad. These crazy women put men in front of kids time after time.
Sounds a lot like Aspergers to me.
Oh please, let’s not insult people with Asperger’s syndrome by comparing them to selfish jerks who just don’t care about anybody but themselves. People don’t need to be mentally ill to be that way.
I kept thinking Janet had some diabolical plan to get the baby but really she was just a good mom who realized these two kids did not really have a future with each other, but who wanted to make sure they would be able to parent together without resentment in the future. I hope my son never gets a girl pregnant in high school, but I would hope I could channel a little janet if he did.
I told my son that if he gets a girl pregnant he was leaving school and get a job to take care of her and the baby. More power to him if he can graduate early while holding down a job. That should be good incentive to WAIT. sex is not going any where TRUST ME!!. I WAITED! I was a lot more fun knowing you have a joband can take care of your self and your child with or without a man.
Kailyn’s mother was a poor excuse for a human being. There’s no excuse for her walking out on her daughter. Was happy to see the father’s family involved for once. This family took their responsibility as parents/grandparents very seriously. Kailyn knows how lucky she and the baby are to have them.
while it’s awesome Janet is great, in the long run it is going to hurt the girl so much. The relationship isn’t going to last and then another person abandoning her will send her over the edge. The son saying “Take me to court bitch I’ll win” says a lot. She is giving this family the upper hand if things ever do go wrong.
But what choice does she have? No place to live, abandoned by her mother, 16, pregnant, scared…And there is this family wanting to take her in. Probably the first time she ever felt real love in her life. She didn’t have a choice at that point. Nobody would. That poor girl, no wonder she got pregnant at 16, poor kid. The girl would be stupid to turn it down for fear of losing legal high-ground…without them she would be homeless and with nobody to care about or for her.
he didn’t say bitch he said “betcha”
I don’t think it will hurt her. Honestly, I knew girls who got pregnant in high school who are still close with the grandparents (dad’s parents) even though the relationship didn’t work out. It’s not that far-fetched.
I was just ecstactic to see the fathers side of the family who at least attempted to get their son to understand his part in the situation… Kailyn’s mother is unfortunately like a lot of parents that I work with, their priorities are so scewed and off that even when their children are blatantly asking that they love & care for them they only see their own needs. Considering how hard things are going to be I’m glad that Jo’s parents are so willing to stand by her & that baby…
I am hoping the boyfriend Jo has grown up and turned himself around, since his parents are so solid, I hope it was just the fear of having a baby, plus Kailyn is very very needy since she has been abandoned by both her parents can be hard on a teenage boy to support, but it looks like they both are maturing and I wish them the best.
I found it interesting on the aftershow that Jo thought that his mother was too meddlesome, but Kailyn, who knows what it is like to basically not have a mother immediately expressed that she was just thankful for everything Janet had done for them.
On a lighter note, my father always told me that the hole in Texas Stadium was there so that Tom Landry could talk directly to God, so who knows?
I loved Janet, but I actually felt a bit sorry for Jo. I know I wouldn’t want to be a teenage boy living with my pregnant girlfriend, but he is the one who got himself into such a mess, so…
I cringed at Kailynn’s mom. I had friends in highschool who dealt with that exact kind of mother, and my heart broke for them. It’s been said, but Janet was undoubtedly the best thing in this girl’s life. Hopefully, even if Kailynn and Jo break up, Janet will continue her motherly role. Everyone at least deserves a chance at having a great mother.