Let's talk about sex, baby. No, really, Teen Mom stars Maci Bookout McKinney and Leah Messer are talking to their babies about sex.
With eldest son Bentley set to turn 16 this fall, "I just do it point blank," 16 and Pregnant alum Maci told E! News in an exclusive interview. As in, forget the birds and the bees and get real about birth control. "I feel like honesty is the best policy when it comes to that. You want them to be as prepared to make smart decisions as possible. And you also want them to feel confident in what they know so that they can advocate for themselves."
Having literally written the book on the topic—touching on everything from from sexual abuse to suicidal thoughts in her unflinching 2020 memoir Hope, Grace, & Faith—Leah is just as frank with her and ex-husband Corey Simms' 14-year-old twins Ali and Aleeah. "If they ask a question," the 32-year-old explained to E! News, "they're old enough to know the answer."
When it comes to getting behind the wheel, however...
"I mean, driving?" remarked Leah, also mom to 11-year-old Addie with former spouse Jeremy Calvert. Referencing the clip of Maci's teen learning the rules of the road in the current second season of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter (Thursdays, 8 p.m.), she continued, "Bentley was driving and I was like, 'Oh my God, that's really this year.' That's scary."
Leah Messer/Instagram
Not that she's longing for the days of juggling two newborns and her senior year studies, but, "I'm learning a lot about how my mom was trying to balance teenagers," Leah admitted. "I thought, 'Teenagers are going to be easy.' Pssh."
Though her high schoolers are "great kids," swore Leah, "I don't know, I thought it was going to be a little bit easier than what it is."
Maci agrees that raising teenagers requires more than just a little faith.
"It's been one of those times in parenting when you have to let go a little bit and really trust that you've done everything you can and hope that they make the right decisions," she said of Bentley, her son with former high school boyfriend Ryan Edwards. "But you know damn good and well that they're going to screw up and you just have to let them deal with it. And just support them in the consequences of it."
It's definitely an easier-said-than-done situation, The Expired Podcast host acknowledged.
"I just said that like it's easy, it's not," noted Maci, also mom to Jayde, 9, and Maverick, 8, with husband Taylor McKinney. "It's terrifying and it's very difficult."
Almost on par with the challenge of tending to both a marriage and three very active children.
Having committed to more date nights during their time on Teen Mom: Family Reunion, "It helped us make the shift into like, 'OK, now we do need to prioritize more time together without the kids and without talking about the kids,'" Maci said of her husband of seven years. "At the same time, we're still parents of three kids and life is life. But we're better at prioritizing time. For sure."
Instagram / Maci Bookout
These days, the Things That Matter co-founders are more apt to take note if a few weeks go by without any one-on-one time. "Then we're like, 'Let's set something for this week,'" Maci said. "Whereas in the past we wouldn't even think about it. So, it's definitely gotten better."
