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Teen Mom's Maci Might Use Series as Birth Control for Son Bentley
When MTV first debuted 16 and Pregnant, viewers got a glimpse of different pregnant teenagers and their first few weeks as a mom. Among those girls was Maci who, along with 20-month-old son Bentley and boyfriend Ryan, went on to star in the spinoff series Teen Mom. With Season 2 premiering Tuesday at 10/9c, Maci tells TVGuide.com that she and Ryan have split, but that he's done a better job learning to be a parent on his own. Maci also fills us in on what she's up to now and why her show has become birth control for all of her friends. Plus: Is she practicing safe sex with her new boyfriend?
When MTV first debuted 16 and Pregnant, viewers got a glimpse of different pregnant teenagers and their first few weeks as a mom. Among those girls was Maci who, along with now 20-month-old son Bentley and boyfriend Ryan, went on to star in the spinoff series Teen Mom. With Season 2 premiering Tuesday at 10/9c, Maci tells TVGuide.com that she and Ryan have split, but that he's done a better job learning to be a parent on his own. Maci also fills us in on what she's up to now and why her show has become birth control for all of her friends. Plus: Is she practicing safe sex with her new boyfriend?
TVGuide.com: How are you and Bentley?
Maci: We are wonderful. He's on vacation with his dad right now so I'm alone this week. I'm about to die, I'm so bored.
TVGuide.com: So then I take it Ryan is still in the picture?
Maci: We're not together, but he still sees Bentley and he's still in the picture. I think Ryan did a better job learning by himself how to be a parent rather than having me in his ear the whole time, so it's worked out.
TVGuide.com: Do you think Bentley understands you're separated?
Maci: I think he does understand that we are in separate places, but the good thing about it is I don't think he was old enough to understand that we split up. Ryan and I don't argue in front of him anymore.
Teen Mom's Maci: "I can make it through anything thrown at me"
TVGuide.com: Will you show him Teen Mom when he gets older?
Maci: I don't know for sure yet if I'm going to show him or tell him about the show. I'm sure he'll know, but I haven't really made up my mind yet if it's something that I really want him to see. But then again I might change my mind and use it as birth control for him to see what the struggles are when you do get pregnant at such a young age.
TVGuide.com: Season 1 was about being a new mom, so what's the focus of Season 2?
Maci: You would think the older they get, the easier it gets — that's definitely not the case. So just different struggles.
TVGuide.com: Last season you struggled watching your friends go off to college. Is that still hard for you?
Maci: Honestly, I think the hard part about watching my friends go away was not that I was going to be missing out on what they were doing, but it was easier to have my friends there and have their support and have them come over and play with Bentley. It's easier now to deal with because I've made new friends and I still keep in touch with my other friends that are at college, but it's definitely a struggle. You have to learn that your life is completely different than your friends' lives are and it's hard to maintain a friendship when you can't really do everything they can.
TVGuide.com: Have your friends learned from your experience as a teen mom?
Maci: They definitely have. They all love Bentley and they love being around him, but at the same time I really do think I was their main source of birth control. They practice safe sex now and really look at how my life is different from theirs and I think they've learned a lesson from what I've been through.
TVGuide.com: Do you have a new boyfriend?
Maci: Yes, I'm dating someone and I have been for a few months now. You'll get to see a lot of that this season also.
TVGuide.com: And are you practicing safe sex?
Maci: Yes we are. I learned my lesson the first time.