Many of the girls from the Teen Mom series have written books about their lives that are interesting, but for one Teen Mom star, the fans just can’t stop talking about the bombshell revelations that are revealed.
Teen Mom star Leah Messer had her book debut in May of 2020, and more than two years later fans are still talking about one specific excerpt from her book.
The book is titled, Hope, Grace, and Faith and is dedicated to her three daughters.
The specific excerpt that fans are freaking out about still happens to be about something her beloved mother, Mama Dawn, did to her when she was only 15.
In the book, Leah describes how her mother pressured her in to having sex with a guy that she barely knew.
Apparently, her mother would often hang out with her and her teenage friends when her husband, Lee was out of town for work, or working the night shift. It sounds like there was a lot of freedom and Leah’s house was the place to hang out.
Leah said:
“She would let us have friends over and she’d hang out with all of us.”
“I think because she never went to high school, or even got to be a normal teenager, there was a part of her that felt like she had missed out on something. She wasn’t even allowed to talk to boys before she met my dad and got pregnant with me, so she liked hanging out with our friends and being around that energy.”
Leah also shared in the book that during that time, her mother was going through a difficult time with her husband and was dealing with some mental health issues.
“Around that time, she and Lee were going through a rough patch.”
“She had started seeing a therapist who diagnosed her as bipolar (with depression and anxiety), but she wouldn’t take her meds so she was totally unpredictable. One second she’d be flying high and the next she’d spiral into a dark place. I think she also just didn’t know how to handle having teenage daughters, so she’d either be so strict it was embarrassing or she’d want to hang out and act like she was the young cool mom— which was also embarrassing. There was no middle ground; it was always one extreme or the other.”
On one of those nights, Leah’s mother suggested that Leah and her friends (male and female) play a game of spin the bottle.
At first it was funny and light spirited, but then things changed. The bottle landed in an empty spot next to Leah after her friend Mike spun it. That’s when Leah’s mother came over and turned the bottle so that it was pointing directly at Leah.
Leah said “No way” and then her mom started wrestling with her and telling her she had to do it because it had landed on her.
At first Leah thought Mama Dawn was just being funny and playful but then things got weird. Leah’s mother then pushed her and Mike toward the bedroom and insisted they go in.
Leah said:
“I was laughing, because I thought she was just teasing me, but then she started pushing both of us towards the bedroom.”
Leah went on to say something even crazier:
“The next thing I knew I was in the room with Mike and my mom was holding the door shut from the other side so I couldn’t get out. I remember feeling cornered, like a trapped animal.”
Her mother literally locked her in a bedroom with a guy and insisted they have sex.
Leah said that she and Mike both felt pressured by Mama Dawn to have sex, so that’s what they did.
“I didn’t want to kiss Mike, much less have sex with him, but that’s exactly what happened.”
Leah added that the she felt like the sex was consensual, but that didn’t make it any less awkward.
“He didn’t force himself on me. I think he was actually as nervous and uncomfortable as I was. At one point he even asked me, ‘Are you sure, Leah? Because this is weird.’ I wasn’t sure (and it was definitely weird), but I still hadn’t learned how to say no. So I just shrugged and said, ‘I guess.’ It was easier to just let it happen than to think about why my mom had pushed me into that room in the first place.”
Leah wrote that the sex was short lived and gross.
“We were in there for maybe 10 minutes and it was the grossest sex I’ve ever had. He was all sweaty and grunting… When it was over, I felt totally ashamed of myself, but I knew there was no way I could take back what I had just done. Coming out of that room was the most humiliating walk of shame.”
Her mother seemed pleased with what had happened and she was still laughing about it when the two re-emerged from the bedroom. She then went to bed for the night.
“I remember my mom laughing as we walked out. Then I think she just lost interest because she went to bed shortly after.”
Fans were shocked at this revelation about Leah’s past and her mother’s abuse. No one thought that sweet and supportive Mama Dawn would ever do something like this or cause this type of trauma to her daughter.
“It’s a shame that so many predators (Dawn in this instance) get away with abuse.”
“That is child sex abuse. What the actual f*ck.”
“She’s not a mother. She’s a predator.”
When asked about the book, Leah’s mom said that she is trying to be break the cycle and that she has apologized to her children and her husband.
“You learn that behavior, that cycle, and then you find yourself doing that with your own children. And I still have a hard time.”
“I had to apologize, this year, to each one of my children and my husband because I was wrong to them and my husband.”
She is also very supportive of Leah and the book and hopes it helps other families.
“I was acting out my cycle, and all the hurt I had been through…I have no objections against writing the book. Everyone is going to have something to learn from it, and if it takes our lives for other people’s eyes to be open with their families then I’m all for it.”
The book in entirety is an awesome and interesting read. Whether you are a fan of Leah’s or not, you just might get some insight and learn a thing or two.