Maci Bookout may have had a less-than-easy adolescence, but she’s really come into her own as an adult, as a wife, as a mother, and as a reality TV personality.
But fans of Maci and of the show worry that her life is too good now, and are terrified that she might leave Teen Mom OG.
Maci’s speaking out about the factors that impact her decision to leave or stay, and even fans who want to keep her on the show into perpetuity have to admit that she makes a lot of sense. …
“25-year-old teen mom” might sound like a weird thing to call someone.
But it’s an accurate description of Maci Bookout.
Once you become a mother as a teenager, you’re a teen mom for life.
Especially when you’re part of the Teen Mom franchise, but that’s a whole other layer.
But what she’s known for, by fans of the show and of her personally, is for having an endearingly sarcastic wit while somehow also coming across as fairly grounded.
Some Teen Mom cast members don’t manage to be charming or down-to-earth.
As if we needed Farrah Abraham’s coming under fire for racism as to remind us.
While Maci Bookout’s ex Ryan Edwards isn’t crazy about her these days, a lot of fans adore her and don’t think that Teen Mom OG would be the same without her.
So Maci leaving would be a real loss for the show and for the viewers.
But, in a way, it might make sense for Maci.
Her net worth is estimated to be somewhere around $ 2 million, which isn’t necessarily nobody-has-to-work money these days.
Especially when three children are involved.
Maci and Taylor decide on a “season by season” basis whether to stay on the show or leave, she says, doing little to reassure fans that she’s in for the long haul.
And that’s not all that she had to say.
And at least what she says next will reassure fans … mostly.
“From our standpoint, and definitely mine, I feel like, just because the girls are getting older it doesn’t necessarily mean the struggles of being a teen mom at one point go away.”
That absolutely makes sense. Having a kid when you’re a teen means having a child who enters puberty when most of your peers are only just giving birth.
Actually, for Millennials, that means when only a minority of your peers have given birth and most haven’t had kids yet.
That’s so different, and you’re going to be a good decade younger than most of your oldest child’s friends’ parents.
And that’s only one of the problems. You also didn’t get to have a complete childhood and so much more.
Eventually, her relative youth might feel like an advantage, and could make for some fantastic mother-child photos for prom and stuff.
But right now, Maci’s challenges should still appeal to audiences.
Almost as much as she herself does.
Then she speaks about her plans for the near future.
“As long as we can keep relating to [viewers] and give them something to learn from, then I definitely want to do that.”
That’s great news for the show and for fans.
But she cautions that this won’t last forever, but for the best of reasons.
“There will come a time when the kids are just too old and not really into being on TV because they want to have a normal life.”
Translation?
Bentley turns 9 this year, but he’s probably not going to want cameras to follow him around in a few years when he starts dating.
That means cameras for the show but also cameras from people who watch the show.
Honestly, there’s always a risk that the they-will-want-a-normal-life ship has sailed.
But there’s a difference between “my fender-bender made the news” and “every single detail of my life is documented for a massive audience.”
We hate to remind people of Jim Carrey movies, but watching The Truman Show must be extra weird for kids who grow up on reality shows.
Just because they know where the cameras are doesn’t mean that they didn’t have their childhoods broadcast to the world.
But, overall, this is good news for fans.
Maci’s being realistic about her plans to leave one day for the sake of her children.
But it looks like she sees that departure as being years away.
Though, as she says, she and Taylor make that decision every single year.
And we never know what’s on the horizon for her family or for the show.