Amber Portwood’s relationship with her daughter Leah Shirley remains rocky, despite the former ‘Teen Mom’ star’s alleged efforts to mend their historically difficult dynamic.
In the latest video posted to her YouTube channel, Amber– who shares Leah with ex-fiancé Gary Shirley– answered a series of fan questions, including a few inquiries pertaining to her parenting. While Amber insisted recently that she’s “doing a million times better” than the last time fans saw her, she revealed this week that the same cannot be said for her relationship with Leah.
“I don’t see my daughter often, sadly,” Amber told fans in part 1 of her YouTube Q&A. “My daughter will be 18 in November. [I] tried, tried, tried, guys. [I] really did … I’m praying to God all the time that one day, she will be able to understand and see her mother loves her. It’s hard, it’s really hard.”
As fans of ‘Teen Mom’ know, Amber’s relationship with Leah has been on shaky ground for years, with the mother-daughter issues only mounting as Leah has gotten older.
The situation grew particularly toxic on the last season of ‘Teen Mom: The Next Chapter,’ where viewers watched as some of Amber’s own co-stars criticized her treatment of Leah, only to be followed up with a series? season finale in which Amber fired off a vicious rant in response to Leah’s allegedly “rude” and disrespectful behavior.
While Amber is also a mom to son James, whom she shares with ex Andrew Glennon, she revealed this week that their relationship continues to be much better than the one she has– or rather doesn’t have– with Leah. Amber went on to suggest that being able to maintain a close relationship with James– who lives in California with his dad– actually makes her situation with Leah more painful, as they happen to live in the same town.
“I talk to my son [and] he’s in California, but [Leah’s] here, so that’s what makes that hard,” she explained. “But I love her.”
Although she doesn’t speak to her daughter often, Amber assured fans that Leah is doing well and, according to her, the two even share some of the same personality traits.
“She is very intelligent,” Amber said. “She literally acts like me a lot, with the way that she speaks and just how she moves, honestly. Like, she is not afraid.
“So, at least I presented to the world a very beautiful young woman,” she oddly added.
While Amber and Leah remain on the outs, Amber told fans this week that one of her goals is to strengthen their fractured connection; however, she also claimed that it’s up to Leah at this point to actually make it happen.
“She’s an adult now,” Amber said. “I’m here, willing and, like, there’s sincerely nothing else I can do. I’ve done everything.
“ … it’s like a waiting game now, you know what I mean?” she continued. “It’s crazy. I hope one day she can understand a few things, like I said, and we can move forward from everything.”
Watch a clip from Amber’s latest YouTube video below.
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(Photos: YouTube; MTV; Instagram)
It’s your daughter. And your fucked up actions caused the fractured relationship. You are never supposed to stop trying, trying, trying…guys.