The new season of Teen Mom premiers tonight at 10 PM on MTV and this CollegeCandy intern couldn’t be more excited. Not only do we get to find out if Amber’s havin’ another baby, but I had the chance to chat with everyone’s favorite mama, Maci. She filled me in on how her life has changed since she moved from Chattanooga, Bentley started talking up a storm, and even gave the CollegeCandy readers some invaluable dating advice. Oh, and she’s got a new man (who seems like a much better fit than her ex-fiance, Ryan). Yay, Maci!
Our convo is below, but if you want the really juicy deetz, you’ll just have to tune in tonight and find out for yourself!
CC: So, season 2! So exciting! What are you looking forward to most this season?
Maci: Honestly, to just kind of see and backtrack. After watching the first two seasons and reliving it I’ve learned a lot about myself and I’ve seen how I can do better… things that I’ve done wrong and things that I’ve done right. I’m interested in seeing what the other girls are up to because we don’t get to talk as much as normal friends! I want to see what’s going on in their lives too.
Do you guys keep in touch outside of the show or just at things like the reunion episodes?
No, I do talk to the girls on, like, a regular basis. A couple of times a month we check in with each other and see how things are going.
Which Teen Mom are you closest with?
Caitlin, probably.
How is your life different now that you’ve been a mom for over a year?
Oh my god, so different. Bentley’s big now so we can go play. Go to different parks and stuff. When he was little he really didn’t do anything but sleep but it’s been crazy. There’s something new every day.
What do you want others – other teen moms, teens in general, college students – to get out of the show? Specifically, the upcoming season?
I want people that aren’t pregnant to really see the struggles that we go through. I want the show to be pretty much like birth control, kind of. I want them to see what happens when you do get pregnant at a young age. I want grown-ups to see that talking to your kids about sex is a good thing and it can prevent their children from going through what we’re going through. So, I just want it to be educational and I feel like it’s doing a very good job so far.
What is the biggest sacrifice you had to make because you got pregnant when you were so young?
My youth. Being a teenager and having a college life. Being able to hang out with my friends every day. Having responsibility but not having the normal responsibilities of a teenager. Really just my youth. Being a kid, I guess.
Was it worth it?
Yeah, it’s definitely been worth it. I would never trade… as bad as it sounds, I love my friends (laughing), [but] I would never trade a night with Bentley for a night with them.
Have you had a favorite moment or thing that Bentley’s done so far?
Um, probably just talking. He has his own little personality. He talks now and he’s just a little person that’s with me all the time. That’s fun.
How do you balance out being a teenager with being a parent?
I really just have to keep my priorities in line. I’m still friends with all the people I was friends with before I got pregnant but I have to know that Bentley comes first and then school and then work and then doing stuff with my friends. It’s easy, well it’s not easy, but it’s easier to do it if you know what priorities are more important than other ones. That’s what I have to keep in mind… what’s important.
Previews for this season have shown that you have started dating again, how has that been going?
It’s good! I’m happier now and he’s good with Bentley.
Oh… so there’s one guy!
Yes, there’s one guy. I really didn’t date much after Ryan. He’s the first guy that I’ve been dating since. It’s a lot easier now to have the support of him rather than kind of the stressful relationship that I had with Ryan.
Did he know right away that you had Bentley? How did you address that?
Yeah, he knew. We’ve been friends for a really, really long time. So he knew what was all going on and he knew about the baby and stuff like that so that made it easy too that he already knew.
Do you have any advice for teen moms that are trying to date?
Just really make sure to pick someone that’s worth being around you and your baby, and someone that knows the responsibility you have. Really just somebody who is going to support you and help you rather than bring things into your life that you don’t need to deal with. And you don’t NEED to date. I don’t think if I hadn’t found Kyle I would be dating. It’s not something that should really be important right now. If you find somebody, that’s great but I really don’t think it’s something single moms really need to be looking for, especially because it takes away your time from being a mom.
What is the best dating advice that you’ve received?
That I need to find somebody who is my best friend before someone that I am just physically attracted to. Things work out a lot better when you are friends before a boyfriend that you just think is cute.
I know you said before that you watch the show. Has it been weird for you to look back and see yourself?
It is weird to see things that you forget that happened or, at the time, you didn’t think they were that important. When I watch the show I see things that I would have forgotten. And it brings me back into that time.
Do you have any advice for the other moms after watching their scenes with their baby?
Not really. We’ve kind of been really good at what their problems are. Because in the show we all have different struggles and we’re all dealing with different things. I think everybody is doing well with dealing with what their struggles are.
A lot of people think that out of all the teen moms you have the best head on your shoulders. Do you have anyone to thank for that? Does that have to do with how you were raised or that you were okay with putting aside your friends and just really focusing on Bentley?
I think it was honestly just because of the way that I was raised. I guess if I had to thank anybody it would have to be my parents just because my whole life they taught me that if I get in a situation or if I get in trouble that it’s my responsibility and I have to deal with it. And if I need them, they will be there as much as I need them but it is my responsibility and I have to do what is right. And since I was raised that way, as soon as I found out I was pregnant I knew instantly that it was my responsibility that I was gonna have to do the right thing and do the best I could. Even though I knew my parents would be there to help me, they weren’t going to be there to take the responsibility for me. And I’m glad they raised me that way.
What would you tell girls who are in situation like you were?
To really think about how their life has been and what they want to do for their child. For me, I never had to think about adoption. But there are some people, like Caitlin and Tyler, who don’t have this ability to have a baby. And they made an amazing choice for adoption and I think girls really need to look at all the options and know what they have in their lives so that they can give the same thing to their baby.
This is a question that I have to ask… do you now practice safe sex and use birth control?
Do I now? Yes I do.
