Just this once, I'd like to see one of the Teen Mom stars keep their baby drama and their boy drama separate. And I've got the best of hopes for Maci Bookout. The star of the soon-to-be-ending Teen Mom series has a new boyfriend.
And she's done little Bentley at least one favor. The little boy won't have to wrap his tongue around a new name. Bookout's new moto-cross-driving guy is Kyle Regal ... not to be confused with her now ex-boyfriend Kyle King.
The couple have both confirmed they're exclusive on Twitter, including Regal's direct reference to Bookout as his "very sexy (girl)friend." So ... how long do you give it until she's trying to play happy families and treating this Kyle like an extra daddy to little Bentley?
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Maci has developed a reputation as one of the most "together" and "with it" teens on the MTV series. When she got sick of Bentley's dad, Ryan, playing games, she packed up her car and moved out. She's always on the ball with the little boy, and never in legal trouble like some of her co-stars.
But Maci's downfall has been her constant need to try to make every relationship into "the one." Common for teenage girls, it's true, but not the easiest thing on a kid. Reading Kyle King's mournful messages about how much he missed little Bentley after the couple split earlier this year was painful because I couldn't help wondering how this little boy felt! This guy babysat him so mom could go to school. He helped potty train him. He wasn't just "some guy," he was a consistent presence in the little boy's life, in a very similar way to his real father. A 3-year-old doesn't understand that adults simply grow apart; they just want their buddy back.
Maci deserves to be happy, so I'm glad that she's bouncing back from this breakup. I'm just fearful she's going make a major mothering mistake here and confuse the heck out of her little boy. If you think a 3-year-old gets hooked on someone in their house, imagine a 4- or 5-year-old. This is an age when you start to form lasting memories!
Here's hoping she takes it slow and dates Kyle when Bentley's with Ryan. Maci talks a lot about how she's done Teen Mom because she she wants to make a difference in the lives of other teen girls, and in many ways she's been the closest to a role model the show can give ... but keeping the baby drama and boy drama separate wouldn't just be a gift to her viewers. It would be a big one for Bentley.
How long do you think Maci should wait before introducing her new guy to her little guy?
Image via MTV