Now, I've only watched this season here and there, but every time I see a scene with Nova, it looks as though she is fending for herself because her parents are either so wrapped up in their own emotions or are looking at their phones. I'm not sure if this is an ongoing trend, but I really felt bad for her every time I saw her walking around the house alone getting into things and practically being ignored.
shareI don't necessarily know about neglected. The show is a fake MTV show, you know? But, personally, I don't think they were ready to be parents. And I also don't really think that they like the responsibility of being parents either. But that's just what I take from the show. Doesn't mean that it's right.
shareI'm sorry if this post sounds cruel, but Nova is the most miserable-looking child I've ever witnessed. In every scene she's either whining, sobbing or crying hysterically. She never looks happy. Her hair in messy and she's always wondering around in a diaper and nothing else. I'm wondering if she has some type of mental/behavioral issues, because she never looks happy. Even Sophia at Nova's age looked more well-adjusted.
shareI think that both Tyler and Catelynn are so self absorbed and trailer trash they don't know how to parent.
Given that she gave Carly away she should give every ounce of attention to Nova to make up for that. It would probably give her solace. Instead she sits around bitching, getting high and eating.
I feel sorry for poor little Nova.
It says something when the foster family doesn't want Carly to have contact with them as long as MTV is a part of their lives. They can't seem to stand C&T b/c of their immaturity and using their 15 minutes of fame to get as much money as possible. These are apparently life lessons they don't want Carly to be a part of, so good for them.
shareNova is definitely a weepy little girl. She many times looks completely befuddled as to where she is, which is not that surprising given her circumstances.
shareI don't think Nova is necessarily neglected. It looks like recently Tyler has stepped up and taking care of her more. Also from what we were told April takes her a lot. I do think though that babies can read the emotions around them and if her mom is always crying and depressed then that could be why she is as well. Also kids that age tend to have separation anxiety. If her mom (Caitlyn) isn't around a lot she might be feeling upset from that.
shareNova reminds me of Addy on "Teen Mom 2", with the lost expression and the constant diaper-only outfit.
shareI don't think she is neglected. I just think they aren't the "helicopter parents" you tend to see a lot of people being (not necessarily on this show, just in general). She's what, a year old? Letting her explore and wander around while they film short segments isn't the end of the world. I let my kids have the freedom to explore (within eyeshot) and have times to entertain themselves so they can learn a sense of independence. Of course I spend a lot of time interacting with them and playing with them as well. We only get a small glimpse into their lives, and while they're filming they tend to focus on the lives of the girls rather than the kids, so filming them following the kids around hovering over everything they do would get really boring to watch really fast. We don't really see Maci with her kids either, or Gary / Amber with Leah. We never see Farrah with Sophia but that's a horrible example of parenting anyways.
shareI agree with you. Everyone's parenting style is different. My cousin and his wife are wonderful parents, and great providers. Their children have everything they could possibly need and or want. They are very playful with their children as well but they let them roam around the house on their own a lot. One of their kids just started walking, I would never let my daughter have free reign of the house at that age, it's too risky. I wouldn't ever call them bad parents though.
shareI agree with the other remarks. I was raised by hellicopter parents. I grew up sheltered and afraid of a lot of things. My parents were soo scared I'd get hurt or something. But now that I'm an adult and have friends with kids, I see how they raise them. A broken arm or leg happens here or there because the kids were climbing trees or exploring around and while it's unfortunate that they get hurt, I think allowing them to explore is important. It allows them to think on their own and explore at their own paces and make their own decisions about things. Of course, there's limits to everything. I wouldn't let a toddler off to explore alone outside but allowing a toddler to explore and wander around a room I'm in if I know the room is safe, that's fine.
Remeber that we only see little glimpses into their lives. Just because they might be on their phones that instant doesn't mean they're on their phones all the time.
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"Chaos is what killed the dinosaurs, darling."
"A broken arm or leg happens here or there because the kids were climbing trees or exploring around and while it's unfortunate that they get hurt, I think allowing them to explore is important."
Exactly! Hell my son fell and cut his head when I was sitting less than 10 feet away from him watching him play! Sh!t happens. He was walking (not even running), tripped over his own two feet and hit his head on a metal bench that was beside him. Even if I had been hovering over his every move it still could have happened. He still plays outside pretty much every single day, and has walked past that bench a million times since it's happened. Being a helicopter parent seems like it would cause more harm than good IMO.
Agreed. I would never let my daughter have free reign of the house. She's 18 months and way too mischievous. I let her leave the room but not more than a couple of minutes if there's a door to a room open that I don't want her in. That's the only way she will ever learn boundaries. My son is 4 and although I never would, I could leave him out of my sight for hours and not have to worry about him hurting anything. The worst thing he'd do is get in the candy jar or spill something trying to get a drink.
shareThats kind of what kids do, walk and get into things. I saw about 2 or 3 episodes where Nova, Tyler, Cate and Tyler's mom were all in the living room together. I don't think every parent has to be by their kids side 24/7
shareIt sounds like Nova has spent a LOT of time with April.
shareMy son spent alot of time with his grandparents, but its doesn't mean he was neglected. I didnt think she spent that much time with April to me.
shareWhenever Tyler's mother came to visit her, Nova wasn't there. She did more than one overnight with April during the week. I couldn't bear to be away from my babies, especially at night. I'm glad Catelynn's getting help for her depression.
shareYeah but if Carly was too precious to be around April and Butch, why is it okay that Nova is around April 24/7?
shareYeah but if Carly was too precious to be around April and Butch, why is it okay that Nova is around April 24/7?
Well Carly's B&T's kid, so keeping her away from April and Butch was their choice. They can expose Nova to whoever they want, because it's their kid.
shareNo I meant, one of the reasons they put Carly up for adoption in the first place was so she wouldn't grow up in a toxic environment like Cate did, she said she wanted better for her daughter but Nova is around April so much, why is that OK to Cate? Yeah she's forgiven her, she's sober and all of that but still...
shareBecause April is now sober, her and Butch aren't together which means that they aren't drinking and then fighting with each other or with C or T, its not that hard to understand why its now okay. Since April is sober, her environment isn't toxic like it use to be.
shareLet me clarify: I don't think Nova is neglected because her parents aren't "helpicoptor" parents. I think it's great to let a child explore his or her surroundings, within reason. I think Nova suffers more from emotional/mental neglect. I know children cry and whine, but that is all Nova does. She always has this terrified/horrified look on her face and we rarely ever see her smile. I'm aware that we're only seeing a small glimpse into their lives but even Jace and Sophia occasionally smile and laugh and act normal.
shareerenihan, I've felt the same. If you look at Tyler's and Catelynn's instagrams, however, there are darling videos of Nova in which she's happy, talking, having fun.
shareThis makes me wonder if the cameras and crew and general filming are what gives her the confused and concerned looks and demeanor. And we know they set them up to discuss things, bring people over to have them talk with, etc. Caitlyn seemed very stressed about returning to filming after her treatment stay. If it creates a stressful environment Nova could just be picking up on that and the fact that it's chaotic with all of the people and equipment around.
shareJust curious do you have kids? When my son was Novas age, he ALWAYS whined and cried. From the time he woke up to the time he went down. Some kids are just really whiny no matter how good the parents are. She could also be cranky because there are a bunch of strange people in her house following her around with cameras. The other kids have dealt with that for years, she hasn't. It's possible she is just more shy than the others.
shareI'm aware that we're only seeing a small glimpse into their lives but even Jace and Sophia occasionally smile and laugh and act normal.
I agree with you. It'd possible their real life is more as seen on Instagram, but I'd not use their Instagram as proof they're engaging parents. Jenelle has always known how to do photo-ops.
No, I'm not saying Catelynn and Tyler are like Jenelle at all. Of course, tey're better parents. But that bar is already low. How committed are they really? Is Nova in an enriching environment? I don't know, but being watched by April so much was not a good sign, i really hope that had stopped.
And a 40+-year-old woman smoking weed with her daughter isn't exactly the pinnacle of "sober and together" to me. I'd think Tyler and Catelynn would have better judgement than to have Nova in April's care as much as last season. Of course, they seemed wholly unprepared for parenthood; motivated to do it again because they thought it was some obligation to "get on with it" because Carly was placed.
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I do feel bad for Nova. I don't think Tyler and Caitlin were ready to be parents. I also think Nova has brought up some very intense feelings of loss (re: placing Carly for adoption).
It looks like she's left alone most of the time. There's such a difference between her and Macy's daughter Jade.
She needs more bonding time/physical contact with her parents.