The young women of MTV's hit docuseries "Teen Mom" may have found fame and (some) fortune on the show, but that's not necessarily what one of the mother's wants for her child.
Well, the fame part, anyway.
In an interview with Life & Style magazine, Maci Bookout said that she's ready to think about retiring her son Bentley from the reality show.
"I don't want to steal his childhood," Bookout told the magazine. "I don't know if being on TV in elementary school would be difficult for him. I want him to have a normal life."
Bookout has been filmed by MTV since before little Bentley, now 2, was even born. The young mother was featured in the debut episode of "16 and Pregnant" in June 2009, and was later selected to be one of the four original "Teen Moms," now in its third season. In other words, MTV has been filming Bentley since the day he was born.
"I think there'll come a time when he'll be like, 'Mom, we're not normal! Why does everyone want to take my picture? Why does everyone know my name, but I don't know them?' " Bookout told Life & Style.
At the same time, she recognizes that the show is a "big blessing" for her and her child. With her $60,000 a season paycheck (that's it?! Co-star Amber Portwood makes $280K a year!), she told the magazine she's able to spend more time with Bentley, rather than having to try to hold down a full-time job and go to school full time.
Though she recognizes that getting her son out of the spotlight will be good for him, she knows it could good for herself, too.
"Certain times I get really, really angry and I need a second to be by myself, but the cameras are there and it makes it weird," Bookout told TODAY.com. "There are days when I’m ready to just get it over with and be done with it. But I know I’m going to miss it a little bit. MTV has become sort of a family for me."
Do you think any of the other "Teen Moms" will consider leaving the show? Tell us on our Facebook page!
Related content: