Teen Mom star, Maci Bookout has had a tough bout with PTSD since a gas station shooting she was involved in last year. She has been working hard to overcome her struggles, but she still worries that it may be affecting her relationship with her son, Bentley.
Maci opened up about her feelings and concerns in the most recent episode of Teen Mom OG.
She said:
“A lot of the time me and Bentley used to spend together was in the car, but I haven’t been going to pick him up from school and I don’t want him thinking that I’m not interested or I don’t want to or that I don’t care.”
Maci added:
“I want to be able to bring it up and talk to him about it without seeming like it’s something he needs to be concerned about or worried about.
“Cause that’s not the case at all. It’s just tough because if I expect him to be open and transparent and straightforward about how he’s feeling or what he’s going through, then I have to lead by example.”
“Especially when it comes to mental health. It’s nothing to be ashamed of.”
She ended the conversation by concluding that she needs to be “human” and show her vulnerabilities to her son.
She said:
“If I don’t show him that I’m human, then he’s gonna expect from himself to not be human.”
In the episode, Maci sat down with Bentley and had a frank discussion.
Maci shared with Bentley that she feels scared to drive and has been avoiding it after the shooting. Bentley was very understanding and told his mom:
“I hope that you feel better soon.”
Maci has been struggling with PTSD for awhile now and has discussed what its like in previous episodes.
She said:
“I can’t do sounds. Anything that is remotely related to sounding like a gunshot or a pop or anything is not good whatsoever,”
“That’s like true PTSD. Your body and your mind will go back exactly to where you were. Your psyche can take you there so quick.
“Y’all know me. There ain’t s**t that scares me. I legitimately thought I was going to f**king die. I thought this is how is f**king ends.”
“I just want to be able to handle it.”
“The nightmares are bad. They’re really bad.”
“It was awful. Like full f**king blown, woke up like couldn’t breathe, panic attack, legit.”
“I’m not sure when I’ll ever be able to go into a gas station. It’s hard.”
Poor Maci! At least she has the support of her family during these tough times.