Bristol Palin: Sarah ‘doesn’t approve’ of engagement to Levi

Video: Bristol Palin to delay wedding

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2. Transcript of: Bristol Palin to delay wedding

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   HALL: All right, Norah , thank you. Caroline Schaefer is the executive editor of Us Weekly magazine. Caroline , good morning.

   Ms. CAROLINE SCHAEFER: Good morning.

   HALL: That's a lot of pressure for a young girl. She's a new mom trying to adjust to that is difficult enough, but I said earlier it's like a Romeo and Juliet when I was reading this article. She's so torn. You can read it.

   Ms. SCHAEFER: It really is like Romeo and Juliet . You know, last week she talked about how she was so excited to be engaged and now her tone is definitely changed. She's much more tentative. She realizes that her family and friends are not really on board.

   HALL: Is she regretting her decision, A, to come out so publicly; B, to secretly be engaged to Levi ?

   Ms. SCHAEFER: I don't think she regrets it. I just think she -- it's given her pause. I think she now wants to wait a litter bit before they actually get married, she wants to get marriage counseling, she really wants to be sure that this is right for her and for her son.

   HALL: I know she was asked to give some examples how Levi was changing and she said, well, he's trying -- he's studying to get his GED .

   Ms. SCHAEFER: Absolutely. She said, you know, he's starting to study for his GED ; hopefully he'll pass, and then...

   HALL: But she didn't sound confident when she answered that question, and again, just reading the interview.

   Ms. SCHAEFER: I don't think she really has reason to be confident yet, because right now it's been all talk and not necessarily action.

   HALL: Hm.

   Ms. SCHAEFER: So she's really waiting for him to step up to the plate.

   HALL: And she revealed that her mother did not learn live on television that she was engaged, that she actually had a conversation with her before the news broke.

   Ms. SCHAEFER: Yes. Right before the news broke, Bristol sort of had cold feet, if you will, and she called her mom, had a heart-to-heart, and said, `You know what, we're engaged. We're actually going to get married.'

   HALL: Is she struggling, I mean, with this family? There was a quote that her brother reportedly called her a swear word.

   Ms. SCHAEFER: Right.

   HALL: Her father's angry. Is she buckling to this pressure, this family pressure?

   Ms. SCHAEFER: I'm not sure she's necessarily buckling, but she's definitely taking it into account. You know, she's saying, it's really hard to have all these people react this way and it's really giving her pause, she says. You know, `Maybe I'm going to take a little bit of time, I'm going to see how it goes, and I hope that this works out.'

   HALL: What does he say?

   Ms. SCHAEFER: Levi ?

   HALL: Levi .

   Ms. SCHAEFER: I mean, he says, `I love Bristol , I'm going to be there for my son, I'm going to make this work and all I can do is show.' But it's going to take time.

   HALL: Now is there -- you ask her in the interview is there any chance that this was a publicity stunt or was this some kind of a thing to help her mother's career, and she shot that down.

   Ms. SCHAEFER: Bristol absolutely shot that down. She said, ` How could it be a publicity stunt for my mom? She doesn't even approve of this.' You know, she doesn't want a reality show , she doesn't want to be followed by cameras, she really just wants to get married and be happy with her family.

   HALL: Yeah, and she said no reality show , and there was a report...

   Ms. SCHAEFER: Yeah.

   HALL: ...at least online that she was shopping a full, you know, year series.

   Ms. SCHAEFER: Yes.

   HALL: And she's like, that's not for me.

   Ms. SCHAEFER: She said, `That's absolutely not for me. You know, I don't want to have cameras following me around. I want to have a life with my 18-month-old son and my husband-to-be.' She really wants to just have a normal life in Alaska .

   HALL: What is she doing to smooth things over with her mother?

   Ms. SCHAEFER: I think she's reaching out to her mom. She says it's very hard because her mom travels a lot, there's not good cell service, so she's doing the best she can and she's sort of hoping that Levi 's going to step up to the plate. But she's saying, you know, we're going to get marriage counseling and we're going to take it day by day.

   HALL: And just again, your gut reaction to her words. Do you think they're going to get married any time soon?

   Ms. SCHAEFER: I'm not -- definitely not soon. I think it's going to be a couple of months. Originally it was a couple of weeks, she was so giddy, and now she's much more tentative. I think it's going to be a few months if at all.

   HALL: And she says they're not living together, they are abstaining, and have to promise that they made to the relationship and to themselves.

   Ms. SCHAEFER: Yes. Yes. Bristol was very clear about that. She said that they're going to abstain until they get married this time and they're not living together. He's still living in Wasilla and she's in Anchorage .

   HALL: Wow. Well, it is a family drama ...

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