Gary Shirley Defends His Decision To Let Leah Visit Amber Portwood In Prison

Teen Mom's Amber Portwood was released from jail back in November 2013 after serving a whopping 17 months of her five-year prison sentence, and we're so happy she's a free woman! Life behind bars was hard for Amber, but she made the most out of the experience, sobered up, and even got her GED. That being said, Amber wasn't able to work on her parenting skills, largely because she hardly ever got to see her daughter, Leah.

This little lady lives with her father, Gary Shirley (who has full custody), and Amber was disappointed that Gary only brought Leah to visit a handful of times. Turns out Leah only saw her mom three times in 17 months, which Amber was less than thrilled about.

So, what does Gary have to say about the situation? Ironically, this dude had to defend himself to fans who thought he shouldn't have even told Leah that Amber was in prison, let alone taken her for visits. "Amber was to be in prison for 5 years so you mean I shouldn't of taken Leah to see her mom at all?" Gary tweeted in disbelief, adding, "If Leah wouldn't of known where her mom was she would of felt abandoned and when I took Leah to visit she knew anyways."

Leah's definitely a bit young to understand the concept of jail, but honesty is the best policy when it comes to parenting. Leah would only grow resentful of both of her parents if she was lied to, and this sweetheart got a chance to see her mommy because Gary chose to be forthcoming!

Plus, Gary says it would have been impossible to lie to Leah — even if he had wanted to.

"Not all but some are just plain idiots!" he tweeted. "If u think it's possible to lie about why mommy isn't around for a year and a half!"

Do you agree with Gary's decision to tell Leah the truth? And are you surprised he only took this gal to see her mom three times in the space of a year and a half? Hit the comments and let us know.

Amber Portwood Makes a Pit Stop on Her Way Home From Jail

Amber Portwood is free, free as a bird now! This gal was sentenced to five years in jail after opting out of her drug court rehab program, and after 17 months behind bars she's a free woman. So much has happened to Amber since her stint in jail — not only did she develop a love for gray sweatsuits, she may or may not have befriended a feisty broad named Sugarfoot, and — oh, yeah — she beat her drug addiction and is now 100 percent sober!

Amber has a lot of catching up to do now that she's out of jail, but first on her list? Getting some decent noms. When TMZ's camera crew asked Amber about her immediate plans, she revealed that she wanted to "get something good to eat," and did just that! Amber and her family (who were there to greet her upon her release) hit up Frisch's Big Boy in Anderson, Indiana, where they enjoyed a hamburger to go. Blessed, guys! Blessed.

Check out these pictures of Amber and her mom grabbing a bite to eat.

You might think Amber would immediately rush home to visit her baby daddy, Gary Shirley, and her daughter, Leah, but please. Burgers come first, and Amber told reporters that she'd be spending her first evening out of jail with Leah, so no harm done!

Amber also changed out of her prison garb and into a bright pink hoodie and jeans. We suspect that it's only a matter of time before she rolls out the thumb dermals, hair feathers, and off-brand Uggs. Sigh, she's baaaaaack!

Are you surprised that Amber hit up a burger joint during her first post-jail outing? Girl's gotta eat!

Source: TMZ, RumorFix

Amber Portwood Plans to Fight For Joint Custody of Daughter Leah

Have y'all heard the fantastic news? Teen Mom's Amber Portwood is a free woman! After serving less than two years of her five-year prison sentence at the Rockville Correctional Facility in Indiana, the 23-year-old reality star was reunited with her mom and brother on November 4 — and TMZ cameras were waiting to capture the emotional moment.

When approached by reporters, Amber remained cool, calm, and collected, revealing that her first order of business is getting a warm, home-cooked meal. "I'm gonna go get something good to eat," she said with a laugh. But that's not Amber's only post-prison plan…

When TMZ asked about 5-year-old Leah and whether she plans to fight for joint custody with baby daddy Gary Shirley, Amber replied confidently, "That's the goal. That's what's going to happen."

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like Gary's too eager to start co-parenting. Prior to Amber's release he tweeted, "God I love not having diverse parenting issues. All will soon end, soon. Boo! Oh well I'm a good daddy!"

While Gary has been doing a phenomenal job raising Leah as a single dad, we can't fail to mention Amber's immense progress during her year-and-a-half long prison stint. Not only did she complete her GED, but she took anger management training and even taught her own anger management class!

It's clear that Amber's serious about staying clean and getting her life back on track. In fact, when asked about future plans she revealed, "I'm going to college!"

Though it might take a while for Amber to get joint custody of Leah, it won't be long before she can at least give her baby girl a hug. "Yes," she told reporters when they asked if she'll be seeing her daughter soon. "I'm going to have her tonight."

As far as we know, Amber was only able to see Leah once during her sentence (Gary drove Leah to visit Amber in prison back in May), so this reunion is bound to be an emotional one!

Do you think Amber will be granted joint custody of Leah? Tell us your thoughts below!