16 And Pregnant: Good Moms Don't Bring Infants To House Parties

On last night’s season premiere, pregnant teen Jenelle said, “You know what’s so great about me? I feel like I’m gonna be a good mom.” By the end of the episode, she gave her child to her mother to raise.

Jenelle seemed more out of touch with reality than some of the other young mothers the show has featured. For one thing, she thought that being a “good mom” translated into taking her baby to fun places like the beach. Her boyfriend Andrew was once a male model, but is currently unemployed and lives with his parents. Before their baby was even born, he showed no interest in caring for the child, physically or financially, and actually broke up with Jenelle when she was in the last stages of her pregnancy. During the filming of the show, he was arrested for DUI and spent seven days in jail. When he got out, he drunk dialed her, and, thankfully, she realized she needed to break up with him.

In the beginning of the episode, Janelle and her friends said that they believe that “if you’re responsible enough to have sex, then you’re responsible enough to have a baby.” The fact that she was irresponsible enough to have unprotected sex—without even the after-thought of a pullout!—sort of disproves their point.

Jenelle was psyched that her mother sprang for daycare so that she could “make time for herself,” which involved hanging out with her friends every day. While getting ready to go to her friend’s house party, Jenelle threw a fit when her mother said that she wouldn’t babysit, so Jenelle took him with her. The baby—whose name is Jace—is often referred to by Jenelle and her mother as “it” or “this kid.”

Jenelle seems to think that her mother is a nag, because she wants Jenelle to wake up for feedings and stop partying. Their fight—in the clip to the left—is demonstrative of how disrespectful and ill-equipped for motherhood Jenelle is. In the end, Jenelle decided that she “wasn’t ready” for the responsibility of caring for her son and made the brilliant observation of: “When i mature, I’ll finally grow up.” Instead of putting the child up for adoption, she decided that her mother could raise him.