Teen Mom 2‘s Leah Messer has long been open about her daughter Ali’s struggle with muscular dystrophy, but a question from Ali’s twin sister Aleeah threw her for a loop this week.
“Is it because I crammed her up? Because I squished her?” Aleeah asked her mom during Monday’s episode, implying that she may have had something to do with Ali’s condition before the twins were born.
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Messer, who was visibly upset by the question, answered the 7-year-old’s question in earnest, saying that it wasn’t her fault but that of a mutated gene.
“It had nothing to do with you,” she reassured.
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Muscular dystrophy is a genetic disorder characterized by weakness and loss of muscle mass over time. Over the years, Ali has had problems with her breathing and coordination, requiring the assistance of a full-time aide at school.
Explaining genetic mutations to a child isn’t easy, and Aleeah said she wasn’t quite sure what her mom meant during their chat Monday. Luckily, mom was reassuring nonetheless.
“You’ll learn when you get older, but it’s not your fault,” Messer added.
Hopefully we’ll see more candid conversations like this from Messer as her family grows.
Teen Mom 2 airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.
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