Teen Mom 2: Jenelle Moves, Kailyn is Alone, Leah & Jeremy, Chelsea Moves On

by Amy K. Bredemeyer

Who airs a new episode on Christmas Eve that isn't even a holiday show? Apparently, Teen Mom 2 does. I was a bit surprised to see it show up on my DVR (complete with another edition of "A Closer Look"), but at least it showed progress for the ladies. Chelsea is finally buckling down to start a career, Jenelle has yet again moved out of her mother's house, Leah introduced her new beau to her family, and Kailyn has decided that she needs family, even if that means going to Texas to find it. I'm happy for Chelsea and Leah, but I'm not sure that Jenelle will do well living with Josh and I don't have the best feeling about Kailyn's cousin and half-sister becoming her confidants. But, for now, let's hope for the best!

Teen Mom 2 "A Leap of Faith" (S03E06):
Jenelle: She started her fall semester. She hasn't been taking her medication but isn't smoking, either. [you take the good with the bad.] Her mother tells her that she needs to keep up with her doctor's appointments for her bipolar disorder. Her friend, Marissa, sets her up with Josh, a drinker who has also been on probation in the past. [hahaha, another credit card thief!] She wants to spend a day with Jace at an aquarium, and invites Josh and Marissa as well. [why? her mother never lets her take Jace on an outing and she doesn't want the alone time?]

photo by MTV

It doesn't take Jenelle long to complain about her mom. Josh and Jenelle later go bowling. When Jenelle is in a bad mood, she's afraid that she needs more bipolar medication. [well, yeah.] She is tired and can't decide if she wants to take Jace to a painting place, so she decides not to. [she's kinda all over the place...]

Leah: She's still dating Jeremy and they make their relationship official. She tells him about what happened with Corey and then invites him to meet the girls. Meanwhile, Corey dated a girl for like three days before realizing that he's not ready for a relationship. [totally believable.] His mom tells him to stay away from the skinny, pretty girls so he can find someone with moral standards. [hahahaha!] He doesn't really want to get married again. [poor guy.] Leah tells Corey about Jeremy before someone else does. [probably a good idea.]

Kailyn: She tells Jo about how Jordan is seeing someone else and then decides to officially end things with Jordan. [but why over the phone??] He agrees but asks if Jo has anything to do with it. She cries to Jo about how Isaac will never know what it will be like to have his whole family together, but Jo says that he's reconciled with that. [I agree that must be difficult to come to terms with.]

Chelsea: She's been thinking about therapy, which her friends and mother think is a great idea. She worries about depression, as it runs in her family. We see part of her first session, where she talks about how her parents' divorce has really affected her and how she doesn't want Aubree to have awkward family gatherings throughout her life. [yeah, I often wonder how my skewed view of family relationships will affect my parenting because of my parents' situation.] Her therapist tells her to research "boundaries" and she realizes that part of her doesn't want to be over Adam. [duh.]

Teen Mom 2 "Building Blocks" (S03E07):
Chelsea: She doesn't think she needs to keep going to therapy because she wants to be "normal." [kiddo. there's no shame.] She also won't read books and thinks she can get over a guy on her own. [even though she just came to the realization that she doesn't want to be over Adam.] She takes Aubree for a manicure. [I'm leaving that alone.] She fails her math practice test but still decides that she needs to tour the beauty school for motivation. She has a friend who went there and he shows her around. He tells her that being on-time is really important, and then they talk to an admissions counselor. [I had a professor in college who locked the door ten seconds after class started every day. I loved it. This is the same professor who would take your phone if it rang and donate it to a battered women's shelter.] She needs to finish her GED, then she can take her entrance exam. [that's a lot to do in a month!] She cooks a meal for some friends. [she's seriously never made a meal before? Does her daughter eat nothing but junk?]  

Jenelle: Her boyfriend, Josh, offers her the chance to move-in with he and his mother. She's never lived with a boyfriend before, so she thinks about it. She figures that, even if they break up, being housemates could work. [I question this mindset. The only significant other I've ever lived with is my husband, but I couldn't imagine living with someone with whom I once had feelings.] She tells her mom about her plan, and she thinks it's a bit soon to move-in with a boyfriend but she feels better after meeting Josh and his mother, as well as seeing the house. Jenelle has been stressed so school isn't going too well. She's also still not back on her medication, but she plans to make an appointment soon. Jenelle thinks that it'll be nice for Jace to have a male figure around when he visits her. [let's see how well that works!]

Kailyn: She's really alone, but because she met some long-distance family when she was pregnant, she's thinking of heading to Texas to find something new. When she calls her cousin, she starts crying. [aww.] She just wants some family around, and she's happy that her cousin will let her visit.

Leah: She's very excited to take Jeremy to meet her family. [I thought it was awkward that she was so very enthusiastic about it!] Everyone kinda grills him, but her stepfather takes him aside and tells him that he better treat Leah right. Corey meets him in a parking lot and gets jealous, later texting Leah that he misses her and their family. [looks like Ali got new glasses.] Corey starts to wonder if they shouldn't have gotten divorced, and Leah isn't really sure what she wants to do. [that scene where Corey texted Leah that he missed her and their family looked extremely staged. why else would the camera be in there as she's laying down in bed?]

Teen Mom 2 "Closer Look" (Special): Jenelle isn't available, but the others talk about how they support her but still don't think she's ready to take custody of Jace. [I wonder where she was?] Chelsea doesn't know when she'll date again, as she's focusing on school, Aubree, and herself. She wants to open a spa with her friends, but not in South Dakota - somewhere else, though she can't imagine moving! [awkward!] Though Chelsea doesn't want to think about guys, Kailyn wants to be with someone patient, very unlike Jordan and Jo. Chelsea talks about how she wished she had finished school faster. [I thought that there was very little focus on Leah this time.]