The majority of the young fathers featured on this show are not only horrible partners but horrible people. So it was sad that the pregnant teen on last night’s episode thought her boyfriend was a catch because he’s not mean.
Don’t get me wrong—I think that “not mean” is good. But it’s barely better when “not mean” is the best he has to offer. Nicole—the pregnant high school sophomore on last night’s episode—said that she was really happy that her boyfriend Tyler decided to “stick around” when she told him she was pregnant. And she also likes that he is nice, and “protects” her (except for using protection). For what it’s worth, Tyler does seem sweet, but he’s also younger than Nicole, doesn’t have a job, and dropped out of school when he was just 13. His ambition in life is to be either a mixed martial arts fighter or a professional skateboarder. I know Nicole is really young, but it’s just a sad state of affairs when girls think they’ve found the perfect guy based solely on the fact that they “stick around” and “protect.” You know what else sticks around and protects? Diapers. And they’re usually full of shit. But being young mother to an infant, Nicole will learn all about the dependability of diapers and dudes soon enough.
What’s weird is that Nicole’s mother said she was happy when she found out her daughter was pregnant. However, Nicole’s mother’s home decor—which consists of a vast collection of dream catchers hanging in the living room—is not only an example of her questionable ability to recognize the difference between good and bad ideas, but also an indication that she has no concept of how to properly promote her daughter’s dreams, and protect her from nightmares. (Dream catchers are supposed to be hung over beds, not couches, for this purpose.)
Tyler’s mom, at least, was talking a little bit more sense, but was kind of vilified for it. She had Tyler when she was a teenager, meaning that she can’t possibly be more than 33 or 34 years old, and is already a grandmother. I’d be salty at the celebration of that if I were her, too.
The teen couple can’t afford a place of their own, so they alternate between living at Tyler’s mom’s, Tyler’s grandmom’s, and Nicole’s mom’s, which upsets Tyler’s mom. Tyler entered a GED program and got a job as a janitor, while Nicole stays home alone with the baby, hardly sleeping. Their lives sound like a Bruce Springsteen song.