Teen Mom's Amber Portwood Details "Awkward" Reunion With Daughter Leah at Gary Shirley's House

After months of being apart, Amber Portwood and her 12-year-old daughter came together for a moment caught off camera. “If we stay on track, it will be fine,” Amber shared.

By Mike Vulpo Oct 06, 2021 1:00 AMTags
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Amber Portwood is taking baby steps.

After months of being physically apart, the MTV reality star was able to reunite with her 12-year-old daughter, Leah, off camera on the Oct. 5 episode of Teen Mom OG

It all began when Gary Shirley and his wife Kristina Shirley invited Amber and her 3-year-old son, James, over to their home for a friendly gathering. Without any hesitation, Amber accepted the offer in hopes that she could finally see her daughter in person.

"I've been waiting for this. This is what I wanted," Amber told her producer Dave. "I can't wait to see Leah. I don't care if she looks at me and rolls her eyes and goes upstairs. I don't give a f--k. As long as I see her and say, ‘I love you, bye.' We're still moving somewhere. She's not going to hate me forever."

So how did the family gathering go? According to Amber, she's satisfied with how things went.

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"I really felt kind of fine. I think with Leah, it was a little awkward for her with me being there. But I think with time, it will be a little better," Amber told her mom, Tonya. "I just try to explain to her I've been there before, but today my mom is my best friend. You can hate me right now. That's okay. I understand."

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The Never Too Late author added, "I said, ‘I still love you. I think about you all the time.'"

In previous episodes, Amber taped a video message to her daughter in hopes that she would agree to meet in person. While Leah declined to reply to her mom's video, her dad thought it would be a good idea to come together as a family. 

"For me, it's a start. At some point, I want Leah to see James. I want to be able to see James," Gary told his wife. "Just because we apologized to each other doesn't mean that Leah's relationship is going to be ultimately fixed. Leah still may need time, I don't know."

Gary added, "If we're all getting along, it will make it easier for Leah."

As Leah entered her pre-teen years and began spending more time with Gary and Kristina, Amber noticed a change in her daughter. From the MTV star's perspective, Leah started asking questions about her mom's past and wanted to keep her distance. 

"We don't really have, like, a bond like that," Leah previously shared on a Teen Mom OG episode. "Twelve years and she hasn't really done anything. That's kind of been, like, Kristina's spot."

Teen Mom OG airs Tuesday nights at 8 p.m. on MTV.

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