Teen Mom OG star Amber Portwood got candid about the relationship between herself and her daughter, Leah Shirley.
Amber opened up and revealed that things are “so much better” these days in her relationship with Leah.
Teen Mom OG star Amber Portwood opens up about relationship with daughter Leah
In a recent interview with Page Six, Amber said, “I don’t want to mess anything up, but [things are] good.”
“She’s reaching [out] and I am [so excited],” Amber continued. “My arms are up and open.”
Now that Leah is 13 years old, she’s starting to realize more about her mother’s past and is becoming more curious.
“She’s been asking questions,” Amber said. “I’ve always told her the truth, as much as I could for her age.”
Although Leah is asking a lot of questions about her mom these days, Amber feels that it’s completely warranted.
“As she’s gotten older, she’s learned more. With her age right now, she’s kind of like, ‘Well, I don’t like that attitude or behavior. I’m not like that.'”
Amber Portwood says Leah has ‘every right to be mad’ at her
Amber added, “I think she has every right to be mad at me for a lot of things. I let her feel her emotions and I understand that.”
The Teen Mom OG star also revealed that her time away from Leah was partially a choice, as Amber felt her daughter needed her space.
“I [needed] to give her her space because I know what my past was,” Amber said and added that she’s confident they’ll reconnect someday.
“And one day, she’ll come back, and [we’ll] move forward.”
Amber had a blowup with her baby daddy Gary Shirley and insulted his wife Kristina on the Teen Mom OG reunion, but she is still thankful for Gary and Kristina’s involvement in Leah’s life.
“Gary and Kristina have been a big help,” Amber divulged. “We try to be one big, blended family, which is so hard to do – and I’m sure a lot of people know this – but we still try.”
Amber Portwood says she’s setting herself up for a ‘good future’
Aside from working on mending her relationship with Leah, Amber described how she’s made changes in other areas of her life.
“What you’re seeing is a woman who is literally trying to live a new life, trying to experience all of these new feelings at the same time — right in front of your face — in a very vulnerable situation and in a very vulnerable light,” Amber revealed.
“I’m opening [up] a lot to people today because I feel that’s my path in life right now,” Amber continued.
Amber is also attending Purdue University online where she is aiming to obtain a bachelor’s degree in psychology in applied behavior analysis and she’s considering going after her doctorate degree.
“I am setting myself up for a good future,” Amber shared.
The mom of two’s passion, she says, is connecting with others through her books. Amber recently began promoting her new book, So, You’re Crazy Too?, which is available in February 2022.
“The one thing that I am most passionate about is to keep encouraging people through my books.”
Since Amber opened up about being bisexual this season on Teen Mom OG, she says that she’s received more attention from the community and she hopes to be able to connect with them as well.
“People have been open to me in the [LGBTQIA+] community and it’s been really nice. I see a lot of rainbows now, more than I did before, which is really cute,” Amber said. “And I’ve actually had some girls ask me out.”
You can catch more of Amber next month in both Teen Mom: Family Reunion and Teen Mom: Girls’ Night In, premiering in back-to-back episodes beginning on Tuesday, Jan. 11 at 8/7c on MTV.
Part two of the Teen Mom OG reunion special airs next Tuesday, December 7 at 8/7c on MTV.