Teen Mom OG star Maci Bookout says her and Ryan Edwards‘ 9-year-old son Bentley has a “healthier” relationship with his father these days in the wake of his recent arrests.
Edwards was arrested for violating his probation in March and then again in July — each stemming from a previous heroin charge. In May, Bookout and her husband, Taylor McKinney, were granted a two-year restraining order against Edwards. Bookout and McKinney’s children, Jayde, 3, and Maverick, 2, were also protected against Edwards — but Bentley still has a relationship with his father.
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“Bentley has gotten older and is kind of understanding a little bit more about what’s going on. I don’t want to say they’ve gotten closer, but I think that it’s gotten healthier only because I think it relieves some of the pressure from each of them,” Bookout, 27, told Us Weekly on Monday. “Bentley was a child, like, wondering what’s really going on. I think if the right steps are taken from here, then it will end up good.”
She says she and McKnney, 29, have been “open and honest” when speaking to Bentley about Edwards.
“You don’t want to smother them, but you also want to make sure that they come to you with anything that they’re thinking or feeling or any questions that they may want answers to,” she explained. “It’s really just a matter of keeping the line of communication open and also making sure that we aren’t telling too much or giving too much of our feelings or opinions. It’s more about information, rather than speaking about his dad because at the end of the day, Ryan is still his dad. Neither one of us want to ever put some sort of barrier between the possibility of a better relationship when it comes to Ryan and Bentley.”
Meanwhile, Edwards, 30, and wife Mackenzie Standifer are expecting a child of their own, their first together. But following season 7 of Teen Mom OG, the couple revealed they had quit the MTV series. The reality show will continue to document Bookout continuing to co-parent with Edwards’ parents, Jen and Larry Edwards, in the upcoming season 8.
“We’ve all been through the ringer in the last couple years, but we’re still co-parenting with them. Sometimes we don’t always agree, and we may not be very happy with each other, but at the same time we all respect each other and appreciate our goal,” Bookout continued. “I don’t think that there will ever come a time when we’re unable to coparent with Jen and Larry. Mainly because we don’t let our feelings get in the way of what’s important and the relationships that are necessary for Bentley to have.”
Season 8 of Teen Mom OG premieres Monday, Oct. 1 on MTV at 9 p.m. ET.
