Why Teen Mom 2 still has it's spot on TV

Why Teen Mom 2 still has it's spot on TV

The Cast of Teen Mom 2

Reality television programming has been defined "as a distinct genre made up of entertainment-oriented programs that feature nonprofessional actors playing themselves whose words and behaviors are presented as being unscripted"(Hall,2009, p. 431)(as cited in Jensen,2014, p.831). The show Teen Mom 2 is a MTV reality TV show that follows the lives of Jenelle Evans, Chelsea DeBoer, Kaiyln Lowry, and Leah Messer from season 2 of 16 and Pregnant (Wikimedia Foundation). During the show they portray the good, bad and the ugly thing a teen mom has to deal with. Also during the show it shows us how the co-parenting relationships work with the fathers. 

The Dads 

There are many reasons that this show is worth its spot on television, one of those reasons is because it shows every day teens how hard it is to be pregnant at 16. One of the ways it shows this is when Leah Messer became pregnant she had to give up her senior year of high school to get ready for her twin girls who were on the way soon.  Another good example of this is when Chelsea Houska had her daughter Aubree at the age 16. This really showed Chelsea that she needed to step up because the father of her child, Adam didn't want anything to do with their daughter and still doesn't to this day. Chelsea had to quit school and go back for her GED just so she could be a mom to Aubree and give her everything she needed. Another example although it is not the best situation would be Jennelle Evens and her son Jace. In this situation Jenelle did not want to give up being a teenager to become a mother so she signed custody of her son over to her mother Barbra. This still is not the most pleasant situation on the show because now Jenelle is fighting her mother in court for her oldest son back. 

Another reason this show is a good thing for its viewers is because you get to see what being a teenage mother is all about. One great example of this is Kaylin Lewry and both her baby daddy's Joe and Javi. Joe is the father of Kaylin's first son Isaac. When their son was born, Kaylin and Joe were living together. Soon after Isaac came along they began to fight constantly and Joe kicked Kaylin and Isaac out of his parents house. As far as her relationship with Javi they were married for three years and had one son together. Their son Lincoln was their world, but soon after their son was born Javi was deployed for work and was gone for 6 months. Right before Javi left Kaylin, she had a miscarriage of what would have been their second child together. This really put a huge strain on their relationship and ultimately ended in them getting a divorce.

Kaylin, Isaac and Lincoln 

Another reason this show is helpful to teens is because it shows the risks of having sex at such a young age, All of the mothers are really good example of this. Whether the pregnancy was planned or accidental it completely changed their lives. Another way that MTV is really good at educating teens about sex is during the show they direct teens to go to a website called "Its Your Sex Life". Teens can go there if they have any questions about sex or about preventing pregnancy. This website was created by MTV to help teens answer the questions they may be afraid to ask their parents.

Jace(Top Left), Ali and Aleeah(Top Right),  Aubree(Bottom left), and Isaac(Bottom Right)

Although there are many other reasons Teen Mom 2 is a great realty televisions show, the last reason I have for you is that the show gives viewers a look into the  struggles a teen parent can have. The way MTV shows us this is by not only showing the good moment but also the ugly moments. For example if the parents get into an argument the program will show the fight and then they will also show how they go about resolving the issue in an adult manner. Another thing the show does to show the ugly moments is if the children are having a bad day they will usually show you how the parents go about resolving the tantrum or issue they are having. In the video below is an example of how it can be hard to explain something to a child that they really do not want to hear. 

In conclusion the show Teen Mom 2 is a really good show for teens to watch to learn a lot of valuable lessons. This show is not just for entertainment it has many good lessons embedded in the plot. It is also one of the top shows for its age group.  Not only do we watch the show to follow the lives of these four lovely ladies but we watch to connect with their stories and learn what they have to teach us.

Works Cited

Jensen,Robin E. "The Relationship Between ‘‘Teen Mom’’ Reality Programming and Teenagers’ Beliefs About Teen Parenthood" Mass Communication and Society, vol. 17, 2014, pp. 830-852

Henson, Melissa. “MTV's 'Teen Mom' Glamorizes Getting Pregnant.” CNN, Cable News Network, 4 May 2011, www.cnn.com/2011/OPINION/05/04/henson.teen.mom.show/index.html.

Gonchar, Michael, and Katherine Schulten. “Does 16 and Pregnant Prevent or Promote Teen Pregnancy?” Time, Time, 14 Jan. 2014, time.com/825/does-16-and-pregnant-prevent-or-promote-teen-pregnancy/.

“Teen Mom 2.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Feb. 2017, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teen_Mom_2.