When it comes to her ex Ryan Edwards, Maci Bookout is explaining the messy, restraining order-filled situation to their son openly and honestly.
The Teen Mom OG star revealed that her nine-year-old Bentley still has a relationship with his father after Edwards’ multiple arrests in connection to a previous heroin charge.
Earlier this year, Bookout and her new husband Taylor McKinney — as well as their two children, Jayde, 3, and Maverick, 2 — were granted a two-year restraining order against Edwards.
Photo: Catelynn Lowell Shares Sonogram
In an interview with Us Weekly, Bookout said that being honest about the family drama with Bentley was actually the best thing for both him and his father, and has even made their relationship “healthier.” She explained:
“Bentley has gotten older and is kind of understanding a little bit more about what’s going on. I don’t want to say they’ve gotten closer, but I think that it’s gotten healthier only because I think it relieves some of the pressure from each of them. Bentley was a child, like, wondering what’s really going on. I think if the right steps are taken from here, then it will end up good.”
Honesty is the key to any healthy relationship!
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The 27-year-old momma explained that she wanted to be honest with her son because she wants him to feel comfortable doing the same, continuing:
“You don’t want to smother them, but you also want to make sure that they come to you with anything that they’re thinking or feeling or any questions that they may want answers to. It’s really just a matter of keeping the line of communication open and also making sure that we aren’t telling too much or giving too much of our feelings or opinions. It’s more about information, rather than speaking about his dad because at the end of the day, Ryan is still his dad. Neither one of us want to ever put some sort of barrier between the possibility of a better relationship when it comes to Ryan and Bentley.”
After all, it all comes back to the health of the children. She added:
“We’ve all been through the ringer in the last couple years, but we’re still coparenting with them. Sometimes we don’t always agree, and we may not be very happy with each other, but at the same time we all respect each other and appreciate our goal… we don’t let our feelings get in the way of what’s important and the relationships that are necessary for Bentley to have.”
See how Bookout’s parenting tactics unfold when season 8 of Teen Mom OG premieres on MTV October 1, at 9 p.m. EST.
[Image via Instagram]
