Did Amber screw up?
Even for mothers who aren’t reality TV stars, making certain mothering choices can be contentious with friends and family. The Teen Mom cast tends to get the same kind of criticism, only on a massive scale from their millions of viewers. Amber Portwood may have forgotten what it’s like to go through a pregnancy on camera, since it’s been nearly a decade since she was first pregnant with Leah. Now she’s learning the hard way that every choice she makes during this pregnancy could result in thousands of upset viewers.
Many fans think they have every right to be upset with Amber. This time, it’s not about her unborn child, but about the way she’s treated Leah.
Credit: MTV
Happy birthday, Leah!
Credit: MTV
During the most recent episode of Teen Mom OG, there was a very special celebration for a very special little girl: Leah Shirley. Amber’s daughter was turning nine years old! Her birthday celebration looked like something out of any 9-year-old’s dream. Surrounded by family and friends, Leah got to chow down on cake and paint emojis while the day was all about her.
There’s just one thing that went wrong, according to some fans: Amber Portwood stealing the spotlight.
“I’m having hotflashes like I’m going through menopause or something!” Amber exclaims about her pregnancy during the scene. “I’m like sweating and sick. My belly is getting big; it’s poking out and I can’t suck it in anymore. It’s like a big old pooch!”
It’s a boy!
Credit: MTV
Then she turns to address Leah. “Booboo?” she says. “I have something to tell you: I know what I’m having!” Leah asks, “What?!”
“I’m having a boy!” Amber exclaims. “So you’re going to have a little brother, booboo. It’s your first little brother!” Leah says “Yay,” and then goes back to her celebration.
Even though this scene might seem innocuous to some, many fans were upset by Amber’s timing.
“Yay…”
Source: Instagram @realamberportwood1__
“Amber’s choice to announce the baby’s gender AT LEAH’S PARTY was ridiculous and so self centered,” wrote Reddit user justsayinyall11. “Amber just wanted to attention on herself, not her daughter. She can’t be bothered to give her daughter one special day without being like ‘the present that i’m giving you is a random baby with a strange man. how kind of me. isn’t this everything you wanted???’”
Some fans even thought that Amber was somehow bragging about giving Leah a brother instead of a sister. “‘You’ll have you FIRST little brother!’” wrote Juhnelle. “I felt like she really emphasised that, like she was giving Leah something [Gary Shirley] failed to. Girl, no one cares.” User twomangocats pointed out that “Leah’s monotone ‘yay….’ was so telling.”