I know I can be overly snarky, and I realize that sometimes my sarcasm is too much. However, I am being dead serious when I say that someone needs to intervene with poor Leah Shirley. The precious toddler has been the rope that Teen Mom's Amber Portwood and Gary Shirley use to play their crazy game of tug-of-war, and it's so depressing. I don't doubt they both love their daughter with everything they have, but seriously, this is just too much.
The newest news from this pair stems from a "behind bars" interview that Amber gave to Dr. Drew Pinsky as she serves time for parole violations in an Indiana penitentiary. I mean, is this man even a real doctor? I saw a few episodes of "Loveline" back in the day, but should someone who used to pal around with Adam Corolla really be giving advice to incarcerated teenage mothers? What genius at MTV thought this was a good idea? These sad people aren't characters or cash cows, but yet…Sorry. I will step down from my soapbox now.
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Radar Online has the details from the interview, which will air as a "special episode" on MTV Tuesday October 9. In it, Amber discusses how hard it is to be away from her daughter Leah, and from the sound of things, she and Gary are still as immature as ever when dealing with one another. Having not seen her daughter in months, Amber vents, "He has my daughter — and anytime I get mad at him on the phone, he hangs up on me! Leah can be brought in, but it all boils down to Gary, as the guardian, to sign the papers … I’ve sent him visitation papers twice. I think he’s trying to protect Leah, too.” So, I see they're still in that whole "let's scream at each other and hang up" phase. Healthy.
Amber admits that Leah doesn't know that she's in jail, and she doesn't think Leah understands why she isn't around. Well, she is only three, and her dad has been asked not to wear certain clothing brands by the designer, so she's dealing with that. Bless that poor beautiful child's heart.
The same site also has some deets from Gary Shirley. Color me shocked that he's talking to the press. He reveals, “I haven’t been able to say to her, that her ‘Mommy’s in jail.’ When I tried to tell her, ‘Mommy’s in trouble,’ she got upset. So, I’ve said, ‘Mommy’s at work,’ or ‘Mommy’s on vacation.’” Let's hope she doesn't remember that "vacation" the trio took to some motel when her mom tried to call a cab to come get her the first night!
While Leah does get to speak with Amber on the phone, Gary admits it's hard to hear her ask to see her mom. He says, "Leah will say, ‘I miss you. When can I see you?’ She actually said, ‘Can I come over to your house?’ I don’t really think Leah understands at all.”
Despite all of the hardships, Gary shares that his daughter is fun-loving and intelligent with a penchant for Sponge Bob. I'm sorry, but no three-year-old needs to be watching Sponge Bob. No, I don't have kids, and yes, I am judging. Someone really needs to cut this sweet little girl a break! Gary also explains that life as an unemployed single parent is hard, but he's making do, stating, “I’m doing the best I can. The last time I cried was two weeks ago. It’s so important to have help with Leah, and people aren’t always there. It’s very frustrating.” Just so y'all don't think I'm the meanest person on the planet, I'll refrain from commenting on that statement, but please feel free to guess what I want to say!
Of Leah one day watching her parents embarrass themselves on a worldwide stage, Gary opines, “I’m sure one day Leah will see the show, or the kids at school will say stuff about us and she’ll find out everything that happened. I hope she’ll see that when people are young, they make mistakes. I hope she can learn from ours.” Perhaps Gary should hone his job search in on "philosopher."
Watch a preview clip of Leah's interview with Dr. Drew below.
TELL US-WILL YOU BE WATCHING AMBER'S BEHIND BARS INTERVIEW WITH DR. DREW? HOW BADLY DO YOU FEEL FOR PRECIOUS LEAH?
[Photo Credit: Madison County Sheriff’s Department]
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