Okay. 16 &Pregnant!
This week we meet Lindsey from Reno. She lives with her mom and younger sister in a house so small that she and her sister don't just share a room: they also share a bed! Yikes! She and boyfriend Forest are a rarity on 16 & Pregnant since they've been together longer than four or five months. They've been "on again, off again" for three years. I'm not sure that's any better than being 16 and only having a boyfriend for three months before you have a bun in the oven . . .
Lindsey has big plans. She wants to go to college and become a police detective. And, oh yeah, she wants to be a professional cage fighter and a model. (Um, okay). I'll give homegirl props on this one: it's summertime so she's out of school and she's working long hours in fast food to raise money. You go girl, Lindsey. You go. Good for you.
By the way. The boyfriend? Run Forest Run? No job. OF COURSE. He also wanted her to get an abortion and even broke up with her when she refused. They're back together now so it's all good. :/
MTV wants us all to know how she got pregnant and, ya'll, this one . . . I'm still shaking my head. You see, Lindz and Run Forest Run had sex one time without a condom and she didn't get pregnant. So, based on that one time, she figured she couldn't get pregnant and RFR didn't wrap it up. Um. Top Ten Reasons you are Too Young for Sex.
Oh! This little "how she got knocked up" conversation brings us one of the best gems I've ever heard from the mouth of a teenager on 16&P. When discussing whether or not RFR will step up and be a man, one of Lindsey's friends says, "if you're old enough to stick it in then you're old enough to stick it out!" I DIE.
Lindz has major attitude in pretty much any scene involving her mom. This girl. I don't know. Her mom also wanted her to get an abortion. I'm not a big fan of this sort of thing even being discussed on the show -- mainly because the baby could very well grow up and see it one day and, really, does she need to know that her grandmother wanted her aborted? But, that aside, Lindsey's mom is tryng to prepare her for the realities of motherhood. Lindsey, though, is too busy being a teenage assface. Attitude. Major.
Obviously, Lindsey had to give up training for cage fighting because it was too big of a risk with her pregnancy. She has to put off turning pro by at least a year. Also? She never told her trainer, who was like a father figure to her, that she's been sperminated. She cops an attitude when her mom and friend bring up telling him. I really don't like this girl, ya'll. I just don't. I realize most 16-year-olds are know-it-alls but she's like . . . I don't know . . . a gold medalist in the Know-It-All Olympics. Plus, she seems so . . . flat and emotionless.
We pretty much know that any 16&P episode is going to include the "let's move in together" talk. (Sidenote: where are the baby showers this season? MTV! You're letting me down! I expect to see a fully scripted baby shower scene with plenty of acne and braces on the guests). This one is no different. Lindz tells RFR that she has a picture of them being a happy little family. OF COURSE she does! They start the Moving In Talk and decide it would make the most financial sense. And they don't want the baby going back and forth between them.
Lindsey goes to check out baby supplies -- with an idea in her head that she'll be dropping around $200. Ha! Shefinds out that, on the low end, they'll need to shell out $500 to get ready for the babes. She lets Forest know he'll have to get a job and he agrees, rather unethusiastically, to start looking.
But guess what! It's been a week and RFR still hasn't began looking for a job. Who is suprised? Who? Bueller? Bueller?
Lindz has dinner with RFR's family. And - bombshell! - Forest's mom has no problem with Lindsey moving in with them. But she does have a problem with Forest getting a job. Are you FREAKING kidding me? She doesn't want Forest to have to juggle school and fatherhood and a job. I'm just like . . . I don't . . . nuh uh. SERIOUSLY? Forest is all about this idea and pipes in that if they wait till he graduates he'll have a diploma and can get a real job and not just have to flip burgers or something "stupid". Yeah, budy, good luck with finding something that pays more than eight bucks an hour with that diploma.
After Lindsey leaves, they fight on the phone and it ends with RFR hanging up on her. And then -- DRAMA! "Something felt weird." She's two months from her due date but is having contractions. She heads to the hospital. They admit her to be monitored and she's kept overnight. She tries to let Forest know but he doesn't call, text, or show up at the hospital.
Side note: Why does a 16-year-old have a huge tatoo on her stomach?
By the next morning, her contractions have stopped. She is at risk for pre-term labor so she's given a steroid shot to help the baby's lungs develop in case the Babes decides to come before 36 weeks. She is given a steroid shot . . . with a friend in the room! That's what every 16-year-old girl wants to see . . . her bestie getting a shot in the ass.
She is put on bedrest which means no school, no work. Pretty much nothing but lying around the couch. I was on bedrest once for, like, a weekend. Gawww. I miss bedrest.
Anyway. We're not exactly sure how much time has gone by but she "still" hasn't heard from RFR. She leaves him a voice mail letting him know that he needs to get his shit together and tell him that she's done and out of his life. Yeah. We'll see how long this lasts.
Aaaaaand . . . it's aproxomately 5.2 seconds! Forest texts (he doesn't stop by her house or even call) to apologize. She goes to his house - what happened to bedrest? - so they can talk things out. He tells her he didn't ditch her at the hospital because he's mean. Ya'll, he totes did it because he needs time to grow up. Yeah, Forest? THAT IS WHY YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN PLAYING HIDE THE WEENIE.
Slight tangent here: it's inevitible that, over the course of the season, I'll get a couple comments telling me not to "judge" these kids so harshly or expect them to be able to grow up over night. And, for some reason, this is centered more about the boys who helped make the babies. Ya'll, I'm calling bullshit right now. I hate this! Time after time after time we see girls step up because they have to. Why do people not hold boys more accountable? Why do we seem to give them a "pass" because they are not the ones carrying the baby? If they're grown enough to do what it takes to make a baby then they should be grown enough to a) protect their partner from pregnancy and themselves from disease (i.e. wear a condom -- when you're 16 and having sex, male or female, YOU need to worry about protecting YOU and not depend on your partner to do so) and b) accept the responsibilty that comes along with any result of this action. Seriously.
Forest wants Lindsey to move in so they can be a family together. She says yes and -- even though I think she's practically an emotionless zombie -- this makes me sad. I don't think these two even like each other all that much, let alone love each other. And it's pretty obvious they're only moving in together because they're having a baby together. This whole thing just has Disaster written all over it.
Lindz has to tell her mom that she's moving in with Forest. Her mom asks if she really thinks RFR is going to help and be responsible. She doesn't think it's a good idea at all. Lindz is still her baby and it's very hard for her. Awww, Mom.
We have water breakage! Linz goes into labor at 36 weeks. Aniyah Monroe (totally kinda love that name!) is born - perfectly healthy! - after five hours of labor.
Forest was at the birth but, umm, his mom doesn't want him to miss too much school so he can't stick around for their second day in the hospital. Yeah. Another sign you're probably too young to be knockin' the boots. Also, I'm a little torn here. Part of me wants to tell RFR and his mom that it's time to cut the cord. I mean, HELLO, he is already a father himself. Another part of me thinks this kid is 17 and, therefore, his mom totally has the right to tell him when his ass should be in class.
Lindsey's mom has to fill out some of the baby's paperwork because Lindz is still a minor. This somehow turns into a fight and ends with L's mom storming out of the room. The main issue is that her mom isn't handling Lindsey moving out.
Lindz is home (Forest's house) with the baby and, of course, she's lonely and bored. She's half an hour away from any of her friends and none of them wanat to take the drive to see her and the baby. Yeah. Haven't we heard this before? Like on EVERY SINGLE episode of this show?
She wants to make things better with her mom. They meet at a restaurant. Mmm. Sushi. Her mom apologizes for what happened at the hospital and says she wants to be a part of both their lives. They kiss and make up.
They decide to go see her trainer. Ya'll. This girl is letting her trainer know why she wasn't training by INTRODUCING HIM TO THE BABY. Like, who does that? Good lard. The visit reduces her to tears and she realizes how much she misses training and she wants to get back into it asap.
She talks to RFR about the cage fighting and it evolves into a discussion about him getting a job. But, maybe, Forest just like doesn't think he juggle a job and school. Meanwhile, Lindz is about to embark on juggling work, school, motherhood, and cage fighting. Dude, Forest. GROW A PAIR. And, Lindsey, really. I am totally judging you right now for staying with this asshole.
The episode ends - surprisingly - with Lindz still living at Forest's house. She says him not wanting to get a job is "not okay but he's stuck by her side." WTF? Lindsey! He did NOT stick by your side! Remember when you were in the hospital the first time? Take your blinders off! She voices over with the same old, same old -- would do anything to be out of school already and have a career and her own home. She wishes she would've waited.
In the grand scheme, Forest isn't the worst of the Babydaddies we've seen on 16&Pregnant but he is . . . rather unethusiastic about the whole fatherhood thing. The fact that he won't work - and that his mother supports that - pisses me off. Lindsey is thoroughly unlikeable and seems more taken by the whole cage fighting than her baby. I give her mad props for working to support her child and mad "wtf" glares for sticking with a spineless, lazy boyfriend.
