Here at Stay Teen, we love talking about sex. You think we’re joking? It’s something that everyone has questions about and will probably do at some point in their life, but the questions of when, why, how, and who with always pop up at some point. So it was perfect when we were trolling YouTube and found Laci Green’s videos, more specifically her video Right age to have sex??

Our parents tell us be safe. Our educators tell us not to do it. How do we be safe? What is ‘it’? With the best intentions but nothing actually being said, you’re given the paddles to row and no boat to steer. 

Teen pregnancy is an issue all around the world. It is especially prevalent in cities and other metropolitan areas. Recently Mayor Bloomberg launched a campaign in New York City with the goal of trying to lower teen pregnancy rates. Although teen pregnancy rates in New York City have gone down 27% in the last decade, Mayor Bloomberg spent $400,000 on this new campaign. Now, normally, campaigns promoting proper comprehensive sex education, helping teens have access to birth control, and giving teens the knowledge to avoid becoming pregnant, seem like the appropriate way to approach the issue. However, this new campaign shames teen moms in a public fashion, and to me this is alarming. 

It's the end of an era…the original Teen Moms are now no longer in front of the cameras, as their season has officially wrapped. So what happened in the final hour?  

Maci tweeted that it would be better for Bentley if she and Ryan were together and happy; naturally, Ryan’s girlfriend is furious at the tweet and Ryan isn’t too nice to Maci when he confronts her about it. Although that was the plan back when they were engaged, like most teen mothers, Maci’s relationship with her child’s father fell apart. Ryan and Dalis think that Maci is just trying to stir up drama but research does suggest that children do best when they are raised by two parents who have a stable marriage. Do you think that, even if they had gotten married, Maci and Ryan would’ve been a stable couple? Marriage alone doesn’t create a stable environment for a child…the parents also have to love, trust, and respect each other (among other things) to make things work. Ryan’s parents point out to Ryan that he and Maci have to deal with each other for the rest of their lives because of Bentley. It would be a lot easier for them—and for Bentley—if they could just get along. 

After some persuasion from his mom, Ty agrees to go to Butch’s arraignment with April and his mom. Against the advice of the judge, Butch decides to represent himself, and is promptly sent back to jail. April thinks Butch feels it is her fault that he’s back in jail even though he was the one who was violating his parole. Catelynn is glad that Butch can no longer enable her mom and the two of them go to an alcoholic’s recovery group. Ty decides that Butch is a lost cause and that he doesn’t want anything else to do with his dad. Do you think Ty will come around or is his relationship with Butch ruined forever? 

Ty gets a really disappointing call when Catelynn’s mom tells him that Butch broke the no contact order he had with her, beat her up, and is back in jail. Catelynn and Ty both go over to talk to April and she describes how Butch came over drunk and high, got jealous for no reason, and then hit her so hard that her head made a hole in the wall. Catelynn and Ty are really upset by the situation but are relieved that Carly is somewhere safe and doesn’t have to deal with the chaos involving their parents.

After a somewhat disastrous trip, Farrah and her mom are able to play nice for her mom’s last days in Florida. Possibly a reason for Farrah’s good mood is that she’s started dating again. The last boy in her life wasn’t serious enough for her but when her mom asks her about Daniel, Farrah has “No complaints.” Farrah and Daniel go on a romantic horseback ride and he even encourages her to visit him in Austin. Daniel definitely earns points in Farrah’s book when he says he’s been around kids for all of his life and even has a niece named Sophia. But being around other people’s kids is a lot different than taking care of one full time. Do you think Daniel is ready to handle the responsibility of having a relationship with a young mother? 

Butch has to move out of Catelynn and Ty’s place when the trailer park doesn’t approve him because of his criminal background….and Catelynn seems a little relieved that she doesn’t have to worry about where Butch is or what he’s doing. Ty’s mom also says she’s happy about Butch being out of their lives. Ty, on the other hand, has mixed emotions about his father moving out. Even if Butch no longer lives with them, Ty still worries where his father is and what he’s doing. Tyler’s mom tells him that the situation is out of his hands because Butch will do whatever he wants. Catelynn thinks that it’s good for Butch to be on his own. Do you think Butch can keep himself out of trouble and finish his parole? Do you think it’s odd that the teenage son is behaving in a more adult way than the dad?

Since we were introduced to Maci on 16 &Pregnant, she has always described herself as an overachiever. However, when she registers for classes, she realizes that she might be trying to bite off more than she can chew. Take it from a college kid who’s seen a few too many sunrises from pulling all-nighters in the library; college is a huge time commitment.