Teen Mom Confidential: Secrets & Scandals From MTV's Most Controversial Shows (12 page)

anyone see you. After Kassy went on the show the couple of times that Farrah needed her to, we never heard from her again. Kassy felt betrayed and realized she was being used for ratings. Derek's dad called Farrah and asked to see Sophia. I was told by a reliable source that she only agreed to let him see Sophia if it was being filmed. He wasn't happy about that either but again, he did it only to see you.

They had filmed several times and Farrah's mother always had to be there for filming and pictures. Kassy told me that when she told Farrah that I wanted to see you, she said it was mainly her mom not wanting me to see you. There was an episode that Farrah had told her mom that Kassy wanted to start seeing Sophia, and Farrah's mom said that “we just don't have time for that”.

Farrah called me out of the blue and asked me if we could have a talk at a park in Omaha. My first question was if you were going to be there. She said, “No.” I asked her if there were going to be any cameras there. She had a stern voice, which I knew was not sincere. I told her that I would think about it. Moments later, I am getting phone calls from the MTV producers asking me to please talk to Farrah on camera. I haven't heard from Farrah in years and all of a sudden she wants to talk? Something was definitely brewing. A few days went by and I texted Farrah and told her that I would not be talking to her in front of cameras. I asked her to come to my house to talk. She said no.

After Farrah realized that I wasn't going along with whatever she was up to, she then sent me a very long and mean text. She basically told me that I was no longer in her life and that I would never be in your life. And that if anyone in our family tried contacting her, she would call the police and say that we were harassing her. Alissa tried calling her after reading the heartless text that she had sent me, and Farrah called the police.

I then took your mom to court to try and get grandparents' visitation rights. But the judge stated that I had to have had a substantial relationship with you in order to get visitation rights, which was very hard to do because Farrah wouldn't let me see you. Rest assured that I will never stop trying to see you, my sweet, sweet Sophia.

You are all that we have left of Derek. I sent your grandma Debra a certified letter asking her to please let me see you, when your mom went off to school in Florida. If the tables were turned, I could never keep you from them. I asked her grandmother to grandmother, to please understand what it's like not being able to see my only son's daughter. I assured her that it could be strictly by her rules, etc. She did receive that letter. I have her signature on a receipt from the post office saying that she received it. But there was still no response. Your Aunt Alissa saw you at Perkins restaurant several times with your great grandparents and talked to you briefly.

I saw you tonight outside your Grandma Debra's house. You were playing on the sidewalk and she was scooping leaves in the street. I was on my way home from work and something told me to drive by. I believe that it was your daddy telling me to. I pulled up and said: “Hi, Debra, I'm Derek's mom.” The look on Grandma Debra's face instantly turned. I asked if Farrah was home. She said, “No.” [Even though her car was in the driveway] She said, “You don't talk to me. Stay off of my property and get out of my face.” I was in the street and not on her property. I just drove away looking at you.

You were only five feet away from me, and didn't have a clue who I was. Your Aunt Kassy and your two cousins Ali, Peyton and I came to one of Farrah's book signings in Omaha, hoping to see you, and also hoping that I could talk with Farrah.

I asked your Grandma Debra if I could take a picture of you and Ali together and she said ok. I don't really think she knew who I was, but I was so glad that I was able to get a picture.

Farrah looked busy signing her books, so I decided that we should leave and to be thankful that we got to see you, even though it was very brief. Farrah wrote a book called “My Teenage Dream Ended.” There are a lot of things that I don't agree with in that book. For one, she had said that I had never even mailed you a birthday card, or birthday gifts. My thought is why would I if they would all be destroyed, and you would never see them anyway.

I have everything here at my home for when you are able to come and see me on your own, and I know that you will. I pray every day that you and your mother will stop by someday. I have been willing to work through our differences with her, but Farrah never responds.

My sweet Sophia, you have a whole other family that is dying to be a part of your life. It is so heartless of your mom and her family to keep you from us. We all love you so very much, and we will all continue to watch you on television, on whatever show you end up on, because that is the only time that we can see you. We all pray for your well being each and every day. We will be together someday, Sophia. I promise you that. I want you to know that I will never stop trying to see you.

You are and always will be my little angel from God. I love you more than you'll ever know.

- Your Grandma, Stormie

Give Stormie A Break!

I confess: until recently, I believed that Stormie Clark was just as MTV portrayed her - a semi-crazy woman who was just trying to make Farrah's life miserable. But now I've realized she isn't crazy at all. All Stormie wants is to see her granddaughter, the last physical connection to the son she still loves so much.

It must be agonizing to know that the only way to see your grandchild is to watch her be exploited on television. As Sophia has gotten older, she has become the spitting image of her father - which has to only make things harder.

In her book, Farrah points out that Stormie was not awarded visitation because she had never really interacted with Sophia. This is true. But let's be fair: Stormie tried over and over to establish a relationship with her granddaughter, but was blocked every time by Farrah and her mom - something the show conveniently neglected to point out.

It was only when producers realized that a Farrah-Stormie feud made for good TV that they reached out to her. And when she didn't agree to appear on
Teen Mom
, Stormie was once again shunned.

Obviously, there are two sides to every story. Farrah gave her account of what happened on the show and in her book, so I'm glad that we were able to give Stormie a forum to do the same.

The real victim here is not Farrah - or Stormie - it is Sophia. She already lost her father and is now being cut off from the whole other side of her family.

If nothing else comes from this book, hopefully Farrah and her family will realize that Stormie has good intentions and allow her to finally be a part of Sophia's life.

Kailyn Lowry is finally getting her Happily Ever After. On September 1, 2012, the determined young mom - who has overcome bullying, an eating disorder, and abandonment by her own family - arrived at Lake Wallenpaupack, Pennsylvania expecting a low-key celebration of her one-year anniversary with boyfriend Jose “Javi” Marroquin. What she found instead was her son Isaac, 3, holding an armful of flowers and Javi, a retail clothing salesman, waiting on bended knee. As the midday sun reflected off the water, 20 year-old Kail gleefully accepted his proposal. Three days later, she married the love of her life at a small, secret ceremony in nearby Allentown.

Kail's newfound bliss comes after a lifetime of struggle and heartache. “A year after I was born, my dad just disappeared,” the newlywed remembers. “One night he just never came home. I'd ask my mom about him and she would tell me that she didn't know where he was.” Kail, an only child, was born just one year after her mother, Suzi Irwin, married rancher Ray Lowry in Tarrant County, Texas. “My mom said [her pregnancy] was planned,” she says. “My dad said it wasn't.”

No Support From Mom

By the time Kail was out of diapers, her parents' young marriage had fallen apart, and Suzi, a part-time bartender, found herself dependent on booze to get through each day. “Growing up, I never had a real relationship with my mom,” Kail acknowledges. “I'd have to parent her when she was on her binges. She was a binge drinker and you never knew what she was going to do. My mom's best friend was a drinker and a drug user also. She had six daughters, so I'd always be over there with them while our moms went out and did their thing.”

A former high school lacrosse star - who grew up with dreams of becoming a dentist - Kail spent much of her childhood in the vicinity of Honesdale, Pennsylvania, bouncing around from home to home as her mom transitioned from one boyfriend to the next. “I moved four different times [and went to] four different schools,” she recalls. “In elementary school, I had a lot of friends and everyone knew each other. The town that I'm from is really small, like 1,500 people, so everyone knows each other. Then, in fifth grade, I moved again and I had to go to a new school. They weren't really fond of new people. I was bullied a lot. I got picked on a lot.”

Through it all, Kail never let her grades suffer. She participated in numerous after school activities, but even then, received little attention from her mother. “I did cheering for a few years.” she says. “That was probably the most active she ever was with me. She would come to competitions.”

As Kail struggled to gain acceptance in middle school, Suzi checked into an inpatient alcohol treatment center, signing custody of her daughter over to a neighbor. “At the time, I was close to [the family], so that was good,” Kail remembers. “But I don't really think they wanted me there. I think they just felt bad. It wasn't always comfortable; I shared a room with one of their kids. I really just felt like I was wearing out my welcome - and it wasn't my choice.”

Rocky Road With Jo

By the time Suzi returned from the first of her many stints in rehab, Kail had begun to battle demons of her own. “When I was in middle school, I had a really hard time being called the 'chunky girl,'” she revealed to
Wetpaint.com
. “I would go on bouts where I wouldn't eat or try to make myself throw up.” Sadly, her mother never noticed. But after transferring to Nazareth Area High School in the tenth grade, Kail did catch the attention of aspiring Latino rapper Jonathan “Jo” Rivera, while dining at a local McDonalds. Rivera attended rival Easton High School, but football rivalries weren't going to get in the way of raging teenage hormones.