Trending:
Tyler Baltierra’s childhood trauma has carried throughout his life.
In the latest episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Tyler decides to reach out to his dad, Butch, after five years of not seeing each other. The episode begins with Tyler talking to his mom, Kim, about how his dad was in and out of his life growing up, in part because of his time in jail.
Tyler talks about his own approach to being a dad, noting, “I knew the huge amount of importance that this role has and I was just so scared to screw it up because I knew I wasn’t in a position to change too much stuff because I was so young.”
As the two talk, Tyler’s mom realizes it’s been a long time since he’s seen his dad. “About five years,” he confirms.
“So he hasn’t even met [your daughter] Rya?” she asks, which he confirms. She encourages him to reach out and try to re-establish a connection.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Later on, Tyler and wife Catelynn Lowell Baltierra drop their youngest, Rya, off at her first day of school. Tyler is emotional as they walk out of the school.
“If I could pause life right now and just stay here for as long as I can, I would do it. Not having my dad around has a lot to do with why I even placed Carly in the first place,” Tyler admits in a confessional.
“I was just so scared to screw it up and I think that was a catalyst for me and Cate wanting to heal our stuff before we brought more kids into the world.”
Later, he adds, “The older I get, the more love I actually have for my dad and I just know that he was younger than me and he didn’t have half of the resources that I had, so you can’t hold too much against him.”
Later, the family of five is spending time together when Tyler fills Catelynn in on the idea of reaching out to his dad. She’s supportive but admits she’s hesitant for the kids to get attached to someone who may not stick around.
“I understand what you’re saying but at the same time, I didn’t have [a dad like] me when I was their age. I’m not worried about having to tell my children the truth of life and that this is what it is,” Tyler says.
When they enjoy ice cream together, Tyler asks Novalee, 9½, if she remembers her grandfather. She doesn’t and asks what he’s like. Tyler is honest about the fact that he’s an addict who has been in prison a lot.
“Well you know that it’s not really his fault. I bet if he didn’t have the disease, he wouldn’t do it again,” she tells Tyler.
Nova asks if they could send a family picture to him and invite him to visit, to which Tyler agrees. Along with the photo, he reaches out, hoping for the best.
Catch new episodes of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
Read the full article here
