MTV’s Teen Mom is supposed to document the real life struggle of normal teen moms in different parts of the United States. The show is supposed to show other teenagers just how difficult raising a child is, in the hopes of encouraging them to ‘be safe’ when they decide to have sex.

In many ways, Teen Mom is successful with this goal. Pretty much every week we watch the girls struggle to balance school, jobs, and child-rearing all while attempting to maintain some sort of social life. But the problem with the show is that as they continue to follow these girls, the further and further they get from what normal teen mothers go through.

This issue has been prevalent in the original Teen Mom group for a while. Maci was able to get her own apartment, even without a job, as were Amber and Caitlynn. Farrah got breast implants (as did Maci, though hers was off-camera), and both Maci and Farrah have much nicer cars than they did when the show first began. They still have struggles, but it all becomes a bit different when they are making $65,000 a season (plus any appearance fees they might pull in).

And now, the same issue seems to be infiltrating the Teen Mom 2 cast.

Chelsea: Chelsea is currently studying for her GED while she raises her daughter Aubree. It does not appear that she has any sort of full- or part-time job, yet she has her own house that she lives in by herself with Aubree.

I think it has been established in a previous episode that the house is owned by her dad, and Chelsea has always been one of the more well-off and spoiled teen moms, but still, she does not appear to be in any hurry to take her GED or find some sort of employment. And the money she gets from MTV combined with the financial support she gets from her family probably has a significant role in that.

Leah: Sometimes, it is harder to see the effects of money on Leah’s life with her husband Corey and their twin daughters. They still live rather modestly in their small home/trailer(?) and they mostly depend on family to help them watch and raise their daughters.  But then I remember all the health problems that their daughter Ali has had, and it seems like that money is going to a good cause. Although they constantly express their concern for Ali’s health, they never seemed worried about the cost of all the doctors and tests, which is something you would think teenage parents would have to deal with.

I would hope that Leah and Corey have some sort of health insurance through one of their jobs, but Ali has had to visit quite a few expensive specialists that might not be fully covered under some plans, so I’m sure that money from MTV has been helpful as they try to figure out what exactly is preventing Ali from developing normally.

Kailyn: This week, Kailyn wanted to move out of her mom’s house and live on her own, but she didn’t think she had the money to afford her own place.  Her boyfriend and a counselor that she met with both discussed going on welfare, but Kail dismissed it, saying it was a pride thing and that “people who abuse the system make it look bad for those who really need it”.  Both her boyfriend and the counselor said she was one of the people who really did need it, but as I was watching I couldn’t help but think ‘No she isn’t’.  Someone who makes $60,000 a season (or roughly $60,000 over 12-18 months), along with other income from the two jobs she says she works and any appearances she might do in relation to the show, is probably not someone who qualifies for welfare. I think Kail realized that, which is why she refused to apply.

Jenelle:  Oh, Jenelle. Her life is really a mess. At the start of this latest episode Jenelle had been kicked out by her mom and was living in her car with her boyfriend.  As someone on my Facebook pointed out, couldn’t she at least afford a hotel room or something instead of staying in her car? And I wondered the same thing. I mean, I know she doesn’t have any other job, but she doesn’t even have to support her son, since he is in her mom’s custody.

But then I remembered, she does have to support her drug habit. I know that seems harsh, but before this season started airing Jenelle was arrested for assault after a video of her fighting a girl surfaced on the internet, and she ended up going to rehab in California.  And in this episode she mentioned how all she and her boyfriend talk about are alcohol, pot, and drugs. Obviously, this is something that was/is a problem for her (and her boyfriend, who she seems to be supporting) and it probably eats up a good amount of her money.

This week’s episode of Teen Mom 2 illustrated the growing problem with the Teen Mom series: the money the show pays the girls causes their experiences and struggles to move away from those of the typical teenage mother.  Even if the show is not completely authentic many people are still going to tune in (I know I will), but as the girls on this show get richer and more famous, it takes the show further and further away from its original intention, which was to show young people just how difficult it is to raise a child while still in your teen years.