I think she really gets a bad rap when there are situations that do not escalate because of her actions. I am not standing in her corner by any means but I think that she isn't as horrible as everyone seems to make her out to be. I partly blame MTV because they edit the show how they see fit. I understand that there are storyboards and writers, I understand there is editing because clearly they can not show every hour of their lives. An hour of the show is what, a few weeks in real life? It seems obvious that they have to edit which clips they will add into the show to make it flow cohesively, but they also need to have a villain for the show. They only air what they think will bring in more ratings.
This is my real opinion about the girl. She obviously had enough common sense to understand that her mother was more capable of taking care of Jace, especially since it doesn't appear that she is getting any financial help from the biological father. He isn't even in the picture. She did make the conscious decision to sign over temporary custody to her mother. It wasn't a decision that was her own, but in the end she did agree to it. She got a summer job and was getting things for her son. Of course she is going to buy things for herself in the process. Everyone does from time to time, but did anyone pay attention to how much everything cost? I wouldn't pass up a skirt that was $3 as well. She was even in the process of getting financial aid so that she could go to college. Obviously she knows what she has to do.
She does have a bad habit of not keeping promises. She says she will come home when in reality she stays out all night with her friends. She says she doesn't drink or smoke but I've seen pictures of her with what looks like a blunt. Of course it could be photoshopped. It could just be a cigar, a Black and Mild, but these pictures aren't the most flattering of her as a mother. It doesn't look good for a young mother to be smoking anything that could be perceived as a drug. She has a bad habit of fighting with her mother (which I will address separately ) but no one seems to realize that there is more to the story. Her father hasn't been around for a while and apparently there are siblings who don't keep in touch with Jenelle's mother because they never appear on the show.
Did no one stop to think that maybe Jenelle doesn't know how to do certain things? Had her mother played a different role in her life, she would not be the way she is. Jenelle's mother, even during 16 and Pregnant, played such a horrible role. There was so much tension going on in that house that it is a miracle that Jenelle didn't go into premature labor. It doesn't matter what is going on; Jenelle's mother is always screaming about something. Not once in the any episodes do you hear her mother say she loves her, but she sure will go in the recap shows with Dr. Drew and pour tears saying she loves her daughter. It doesn't seem like Jenelle knows how to have financial responsibility, it doesn't seem like she has a lot of knowledge about home economics or life management. I'm sure if she made the effort to be a better mom, herself, that her and Jenelle would have a far better relationship.
Look at the relationships the other girls have. Chelsea is very close with her dad. Leah is close with her mom and step-father. Kailyn's mom isn't in the show much and she doesn't talk to her dad, but she still has a decent relationship with Joe's parents despite the fact that they aren't together. These girls want to live up to the parent's standards and they all made similar mistakes as Jenelle. After all, they are all teen moms. Even Chelsea's dad doesn't yell at her for her not studying the way she should and for having the father come back in the picture (especially when he learned that the boy moved in) . If Jenelle's mother were more supportive of her and wasn't constantly berating her or downgrading her worth, I'm sure Jenelle would step up as well.
Some may argue that Jenelle's mother takes great care of Jace, and I'm not going to disagree with it, but I also see that she uses Jace as a pawn to keep Jenelle where she wants and makes her do what she wants. She controls her daughter with the grandson. You rarely hear her speak in a calm tone of voice, which then ignites the fury that everyone dislikes Jenelle for. Like I said, I don't like the girl, but it seems that all people want to do is have that one person that they can talk shit about because it makes them feel important and right.
Who are we to judge this girl? We are in her shoes. We aren't in the situation. Yes, the other girls are better moms, but they also aren't in the situation Jenelle is in. Most will say they are better parents and I'm not in their situations to say whether they are lying or not. That is the point. They are placing judgment based on what they see on tv----which is constructed the way it is for ratings! I'm sure there isn't nearly as much turmoil in the show as it seems there is.
Jenelle could definitely ditch the guy she is with now. It seems as though she is staying out all night so she can be with the guy and the hickeys on her neck don't help the situation. She could be at home more. The comments of her being a part-time mom or a mom only on Saturdays could easily be fixed if she were to be at home more. However if she were there, then surely each visit will be another battle with her mother. She can't leave the house with her son since she doesn't have custody, but she wasn't able to leave the house with Jace even when she did have custody. She could definitely keep better hours. Being up all night and sleeping most of the day surely isn't helping her situation. She could have been working more often and she could have kept the stuff she bought at a friend's house and brought it over when her mom wasn't home. It would then at least appear that she is more devoted. She could have had more research done as far as the financial aid for college was concerned. If she did wait until the last minute to spring this on her mom, then that is something she could have fixed beforehand.
Trust me, I may not like Jenelle, but I hate her mother with a passion.
Her mother really did not have to have some fight ready for Jenelle when it came to her signing a few sheets of paper. All it took was five minutes to sign her name a few times. It's not like she is going to be paying for her daughter's education. She is just itching to have a fight with Jenelle. Trust me, Mrs. Evans is far from being innocent! She is as much to blame for the fights that are had, for the fact that Jenelle can't do what she needs to do (such as signing the papers so Jenelle could get financial aid for college), and possibly for how Jenelle turned out. Had she been a more peaceful mother and taught her daughter responsibility, half of this wouldn't be an issue.
Of course, this is merely an opinion of mine.
Jenelle has plenty of room for improvement and I think she could be a great mother. Remember Farrah from the first installment? She was the same way. She was partying. She didn't spend time with Sophia. She fought with her mother all the time (who is a lot like Jenelle's mom). She shaped up. She was in culinary school, she had a job, she stopped dating, she even moved out for a while. She was going to therapy because her mother punched her in the mouth. She got the DNA paperwork so her daughter could get her dad's social security benefits (Farrah's boyfriend died in a car accident right after he graduated high school). She became a great mom. She still was whiny but she grew up. Jenelle has the potential to overcome all those obstacles. It's just people need to quit talking smack about her.
She has her flaws, but everyone seems to want to pick her apart because they want to show their dominance. They feel that they are above her. It doesn't matter if they think she is a horrible mom. They aren't in the situation to judge her. They aren't giving her the benefit of the doubt and they aren't even willing to see the steps she is trying to take to make the situations better. She could very well not go to college, but she wants to. They just want someone to complain about. No one sees all the fault that her mother is placing on the situation. No one sees the obstacles that Jenelle has or has had to go through.
Just sit back, shut up and watch to see what happens. I bet everyone will be thoroughly surprised after a little while. It will take some time, but I bet she will change everyone's mind here shortly. And don't pay attention to tabloids! Doesn't everyone know that most of the stories are fiction?
Jenelle will be a big surprise for everyone and she may in fact turn out to be a girl I like.
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