Amber Portwood Arrest, Daughter Leah's Reaction

Moms.com

Amber Portwood's Daughter Leah Had A Heartbreaking Reaction To Her Arrest

By Sa'iyda Shabazz

Published Aug 24, 2019

MTV aired the episode of Teen Mom OG focusing on Amber Portwood's July arrest and Leah's reaction was pretty heartbreaking.

After a lot of speculation, MTV aired the episode of Teen Mom OG focusing on Amber Portwood's July arrest. While the episode didn't show the actual event, we do see how everyone involved was affected. And that includes Portwood's 10-year-old daughter Leah.

In the aftermath, Gary Shirley, father of Leah, sits and talks with his wife Kristina Shirley about the whole thing.

“I wish we could just wake up and say it was a dream,” Kristina says.

“This has an impact on all of us. She didn’t just affect her own self and her own family. It trickles down to us, too,” Gary says.

While Leah wasn't in the house during the incident between Portwood and Glennon, she is still affected by her mom's actions. That's the point Gary is trying to make. Kristina makes her own point about Leah's involvement in the whole incident.

“Ultimately, Leah is almost 11. She knows a lot of what’s going on,” she begins. “I think the only thing she’s said to me is, ‘If Mommy goes back to prison, what happens to James? Will James be taken away from me as well?’ I don’t have those answers.”

James, Portwood and Glennon's 14-month-old son was present during the incident. Glennon was actually holding the little one when Portwood came at him with a machete. One of the charges against her, alongside the domestic battery, was endangering a child under the age of 16.

After Portwood's arrest, Glennon sought full custody of James. In the court documents, he claimed she was "unable to provide a safe, stable, and secure environment" for their son. He also filed a no contact order against her, fearing for his safety. Eventually, the no contact order was lifted. And Portwood was subsequently given supervised visits with James.

The episode revealed a little more insight into what led to Portwood's attack on Glennon. Her mental health struggles were in full force, and as a result was causing friction between the couple.

“He’ll joke when it’s not time to joke,” she said. “I just think that when he jokes when we’re talking about things that bother me, that bothers me. I know it’s hard for people to understand.”