Leah Messer is having a hard time navigating independence with one of her twins.
In an exclusive clip from a new episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, the mom of three, 32, sits down with daughter Aliannah, 15, to discuss how little the teenager has been using her wheelchair. Ali, who lives with muscular dystrophy, tells her mom that she understands her own body's needs.
"I don't need to [use the wheelchair.] If I don't need to, then I'm not going to," the teen says. "It's not as far as you think. It's really not.
Leah urges her daughter to "think about her future too," to which the teen responds she is with an attitude. As Leah takes a deep breath and tries to keep calm, Ali's twin Aleeah joins the conversation.
"I'm telling you I don't need it all the time," Ali tells them. "I told you I didn't need it at the football game and you're like, 'Yeah, you do.'"
Leah starts to explain the danger of overexerting herself, which Ali maintains she isn't doing. Aleeah then says, "Your doctor even said you're not supposed to because it can ruin your muscles."
"What you do need to realize is that you do have muscular dystrophy," Aleeah continues. "And if you do too much, it can be life-threatening. You know that you weren't supposed to live to the age of 16 at first, right? And after our parents have followed the rules and have helped you, you are able to. If you continue to know what's better for you, you'll be able to live a healthy normal life."
Ali starts to get upset and says she's not able to do what she feels she's able to and asserts Leah doesn't know more about her body than Ali herself does. Aleeah brings up a recent fall Ali had, though Ali blames water for the slip. Frustrated, she points out she's seen both her sister and her mom slip on water before.
"Here's the difference between having muscular dystrophy and not. When you hit that water, you immediately wiped out," Aleeah says.
"Like you can't catch yourself. You don't have the reflexes," Leah adds.
In a confessional, Leah explains that it isn't just her opinion. The twins' dad, ex Corey Simms, has also expressed concerns about Ali.
"Ali has covered up anger for a while, not being able to do certain things and now she's in the mindset of 'I'm going to do this whether you like it or not,'" Leah explains.
"Corey and I have conversations all the time about this. If me and her dad could have this conversation with her, it just shows that even though we're in separate homes, we come together. We're a united front. I just think as her mom, I want to keep her safe."
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
