‘Teen Mom’s Jenelle Evans Sends 15-Year-Old Son Jace to Live With Father Andrew Lewis

Jenelle Evans is defending her decision to send her 15-year-old son Jace to live with his father in Florida.

The Teen Mom 2 alum, 33, took to TikTok this week to explain why she decided to send her son to live with his dad, Andrew Lewis, just two years after being granted full custody of the teen.

“Jace is now staying with his father but also his grandmother on his other side, whom he has not seen since he was a baby,” said Evans, who currently lives in Las Vegas. “You guys are looking at it as a negative situation, but everyone behind closed doors is looking at it as a positive thing for him.”

“So, you guys can say all you want,” she continued. “You can say I’m not taking care of my kids. Being a mother is doing the best interest for your child, and I am going the best interest for my child. Thank you.”

@jenellelevans

Maybe some of you moms out there can relate to my story ❤️ #ADHD #ODD #MentalHealthAwareness

♬ original sound – Jenelle Evans

Evans then said that Jace had been struggling with his mental health since he was 10 years old and in the custody of her mother, Barbara Evans. “We never wanted to put it in front of the media and explain it because it was Jace’s privacy,” the MTV alum said. “Now we get to the point where it’s happened too many times, multiple incidents for years and years and years. Something had to be done.”

Evans, who is also mom to son Kaiser, 10, with ex-boyfriend Nathan Griffith, and daughter Ensley, 8, with estranged husband David Eason, said she called Lewis amid a “panic attack,” asking him to take Jace.

“I said, ‘Hey, I need help,’” she said. “I was in a panic attack. I was crying my eyes out, and I was like, ‘For once, I need your help. I need you to take over this situation because all of us have put forth effort into as much as we can give.’”

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Jenelle Evans (@j_evans1219)

“Separating the chaos from the situation right now to protect my two younger kids is very important, and also for him to protect himself,” she went on. “When you’re co-parenting, if both sides of the family can come together to help solve these issues before they turn into adults and really get themselves in trouble, it’s just really important.”

Evans’ pregnancy with Jace appeared on MTV’s 16 and Pregnant back in 2010. Not long after Jace was born, the teenager signed over custody of her son to her mom, which would lead to a years-long custody battle until 2023, when Barbara agreed to step back from her role as guardian.