
Excuses, excuses! Why can’t Amber’s mom just admit her daughter has a problem and deal with it?
We’re not the only people worried about 20-year-old Amber Portwood. Her mother, Tonya, tells Life & Style that Amber’s anger and violence problems have gotten worse ever since the Teen Mom cameras started rolling. “They film 12 hours a day for seven months at a time,” she points out. “I think she should quit now. … There’s been way too much drama.
And Tonya, 43, says a large part of that drama has to do with Amber’s on-again-off-again fiancé, Gary Shirley, who we saw Amber attack on the Sept. 28 episode of Teen Mom. She argues that her daughter is being misrepresented as the villain of the relationship, and that Gary is actually party to blame for his daughter flying off the handle.
“Amber was just 15 when she met Gary,” Tonya says. “He was 19. And he was controlling. He had to know every place she was and every person she was with. That’s where the violence may have come in. She wasn’t raised to behave that way. Gary did that to her, by doing things to make her upset. He has control issues. I think he trapped her by getting her pregnant. He didn’t wear a condom.”
She also addresses Amber’s rumored drug abuse, specifically the prescription drug Klonopin. ”Yes, she’s on medication for anxiety, but she only takes the amount she’s been prescribed,” Tonya swears. “Her relationship with Gary have her self-esteem problems. She just wasn’t happy.”
To be perfectly honest, it sounds like Amber’s mom is making a whole lot of excuses. Saying Amber “wasn’t raised” to be violent or abuse prescription drugs immediately takes the blame off her, at least in her mind. It’s time she steps in and takes responsibility for her daughter. She might be the only person who can.

Mismer
Posted at 1:26 AM on January 14, 2011
This lady is unreal. I have watched this show from the beginning(16 and pregnant)and I have only seen her (Amber’s mom) on the show once. I wonder how she could know so much about the story, when obviously she is not involved with her daughter Amber. You should blame yourself for the way your daughter is behaving, not Gary. And what kind of mother lets her 15 year old daughter hook up with a 19 year old? Better yet, why would you let her continue to see him when you claim he was controlling? Reality check, Amber should own responsibility for her current situation and make a change for the better, so her daughter Leah can have a chance.