‘Teen Mom’: Maci Bookout’s ‘Sex Talk’ With Bentley Draws Mixed Reactions

On Tuesday night’s episode of Teen Mom OG, Maci Bookout and her husband, Taylor McKinney, had the “bird and the bees” talk with her 12-year-old son Bentley. The scene in question has subsequently caused a stir amongst fans on social media. While some believe that it was great to see Bookout and McKinney have such an open and honest conversation about the topic with their son, others said they believed that the reality stars were “exploiting” the situation by having the discussion filmed.

Bookout and McKinney decided that they need to have the “sex talk” with Bentley after he asked his mother and stepfather why boys and girls take separate Bible classes. Even though Bentley did seem a bit embarrassed to be having the conversation, Bookout and McKinney explained to their son how sex works. The mom-of-three asked her son what boys and girls have, to which the 12-year-old replied that women have vaginas and men have a “pecker.” She then corrected him, saying, “So, a penis goes inside a vagina. Remember when we take about eggs and sperm? So, sperm will come out of a penis, and it will meet a female egg.”

“The sperm will meet with the egg, and that creates an embryo. And it doesn’t always work out, but that’s why you also need to use protection. I was 16 when I got pregnant with you,” she continued. The show then included a flashback to the first episode ever of 16 and Pregnant, during which Bookout gave birth to Bentley. She added that he’ll likely have more questions about the sex topic, but that any further information aside from the basics can wait. Bookout continued, “Girls aren’t gonna be so weird pretty soon. You’re gonna be like, ‘Oh, that’s cute.’ Or boys, whatever you like. It’s okay if you don’t like boys, I’m just saying if you do, I always include that because you can tell us anything. It’s gonna be okay.” Bookout and McKinney ended the conversation by urging Bentley to come directly to them if he has any questions about the topic, as they want him to receive the “right information.”

Fans have had quite a mixed response to Bookout’s conversation with her son. Some individuals on both Twitter and Reddit have accused the reality star of “exploiting” her son by filming the intimate conversation for viewers to see. One Reddit user even wrote, “Who in their right mind would think it was appropriate to not only record but nationally televise their sex talk with their 10 year old son? Can you imagine if your parents had done this to you. Idk about anyone else but I remember the sex talk with my mom being so awkward … Hasn’t Bentley already had to show enough of his life?”

However, many others, particularly on Twitter, have praised both Bookout and McKinney for taking the time to have a “real” conversation with their son in which they were completely honest with him about the serious topic. “the entire point of the show is to see the real lives of the moms..maci has a REAL conversation with her son and y’all say it shouldn’t be filmed,” a Twitter user wrote about the situation. “y’all complain 24/7 that the show isn’t real anymore, and when you get it you complain and say it shouldn’t be filmed.” Disclosure: PopCulture is owned by CBS Interactive, a division of ViacomCBS.