Leah Shirley has ‘feelings’ about Amber Portwood’s treatment of her son

MTV

Teen Mom star Amber Portwood has been having a drink with her girlfriend after being released from parole.

Teen Mom star Amber Portwood said her daughter Leah Shirley noticed she treated her son, 4-year-old James Glennon, differently.

Portwood, 32, went for a drink – a vodka with sugar-free Red Bull – with her friend after she was released from parole.

“Leah deserves that Amber,” the Native American native told her friend on the Oct. 4 episode of “Teen Mom: The Next Chapter.”

The Teen Mom star discovered something that pained her while discussing her 13-year-old daughter with ex-boyfriend Gary Shirley.

“She had expressed, after what Gary had said, that she had some feelings about how she saw me treating James versus why I couldn’t treat her that way,” the Indian native said her friend.

“I was like wow, I don’t want her to feel like that,” Portwood continued. “Even though I took responsibility for my actions back then, it’s hard to come to terms with the fact that you weren’t that person for your first child, my girl.”

Portwood lost custody of Leah in 2011 after Child Protection Services became “nervous” about the Teen Mom star’s circumstances. TMZ reported.

In 2012, Portwood went to jail for 17 months after violating probation in her drug case, Us Weekly reported. 2016, Portwood agreed Shirley could have sole custody of Leah and she would pay him child support.

Portwood entered another custody battle – this time for James – after she was arrested in July 2019. She pleaded guilty to domestic battery and intimidation indy star This time she escaped prison but was placed on probation for three and a half years.

In July 2022, a judge ruled that Portwood’s ex – Andrew Glennon – would have primary custody of James.

Portwood said being on 3 years probation is ‘tough’

Portwood was proud that she passed the probationary period, but it wasn’t a walk in the park.

“I’m grateful I fought so hard for it because it was so intense. When you know you’re facing five years in prison,” she told her friend.

In a voiceover, Portwood admitted the time was “really tough, really exhausting.”

“I had to do anger management classes and see a psychiatrist once a week,” she said. “When I went out, I couldn’t be around like a bunch of booze or anything like that. I’m ready to take all the stress off and move on.”

During a family reunion with the Shirleys, Portwood said she “won’t do anything” until 24 hours after her probationary period ended.

“Or just wait until the 25th,” Leah advised her mother. “Or just don’t do it.”

“I’ve had a rocky past and made a lot of mistakes,” Portwood claimed. “I’m in a much better place now.”

Before Portwood walked out the door, Leah ominously told her mother to “make good decisions.”

Portwood felt like she was living a double life

As shown in the episode “The Next Chapter”, Portwood got into her car and called Catelynn Baltierra.

“I feel like I have two lives,” she confessed to her co-star. “Like a great blended family on one side, and then on the other side I feel like I’m completely divided and I just want it all to hold together.”

Though she felt heartbroken, Portwood admitted her relationship with Leah had improved.

“It feels like I’m actually her mother again,” she told Baltierra. “She gives me love again. I want it to stay that way.”

Though her probationary period was ending — and she was allowed to drink alcohol again — Portwood said she wasn’t interested in getting intoxicated.

“I have a rule that I can’t get drunk or anything. I can’t record either,” Portwood told Baltierra. “Although I’ve never had a problem with drinking. I feel like I owe it to myself to make sure I have at least some kind of boundary.”

“I’m proud of myself, but I’m also very sad and heartbroken that I went through all of this,” she said. I don’t think anyone will ever understand how damn hard that was.”

“I couldn’t let Leah down again,” she added.

To find out what happens next, don’t miss “Teen Mom: The Next Chapter” when it airs Tuesdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on MTV.