Ryan Edwards has had a difficult relationship with son Bentley for years — but they are slowly working to rebuild their bond.
On the Wednesday, October 4, episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, Bentley, 14, spoke candidly with mom Maci Bookout about where his relationship with his dad stands. (At the time the episode was filmed, Ryan was in jail for harassing wife Mackenzie Edwards and was waiting to see if he would be furloughed to attend rehab, which was ultimately granted.)
“Do you think there’s more access to a relationship now than there was before?” Maci asked Bentley.
“Less complicated, I guess, I don’t know,” the teen replied.
“Less of a chore? Less heavy?” Maci questioned, to which Bentley nodded.
“Feels that way for me too,” she replied.
In July, Maci exclusively told Us Weekly that Ryan — then in jail — still “shows up and communicates with Bentley … more consistently now than he ever has, which is mind-blowing.”
While the mother-son conversation on Wednesday’s episode was a tough one, Bentley infused the discussion with a little humor.
“Proud of you, buddy. You’re doin’ good,” Maci, who also shares daughter Jayde, 7, and son Maverick, 6, with husband Taylor McKinney, told her eldest son.
“Yeah, you did a really good job [raising me],” Bentley quipped as Maci laughed and he winked at the camera.
Maci later sat down with Taylor to discuss the idea of attending Ryan’s court hearing.
“I regret how I treated him as an addict. Like, I felt like I couldn’t see the person. I just felt poorly about it,” she explained, revealing that while she “by no means agree[s] with all the decisions he’s made,” she’s still going to show up for Ryan to provide him with moral support.
“By being there for him, it shows him that [I support him] No. 1, and No. 2, I think it shows Bentley that I’m still recognizing the role that I play in the relationship that Bentley and Ryan have,” Maci continued.
Ryan began his jail sentence in April after he was arrested for a DUI and simple possession of a controlled substance — his third booking this year. He was released to rehab in July. One month later, Bentley shared a photo of himself with Ryan, Taylor and Ryan’s dad, Larry Edwards, all playing golf together. “Family,” Bentley captioned the Instagram photo.
