'Teen Mom' Amber Portwood Allowed to See Daughter Leah

By Sami K. Martin, Christian Post Reporter Monday, October 15, 2012

After being in prison for close to six months, Amber Portwood may be receiving a bit of good news. Her daughter's father, Gary Shirley, will allow 3-year-old Leah to visit her mother for the first time since she's been away.

"Just to clear up confusion, I had to find out for my daughter, Amber, and myself if it was best for Leah to go where her mommy is and visit. I learned that it is the best thing for Leah and Amber. All the paperwork is finally in order so yes, soon we will be visiting her," Shirley posted on his Facebook page.

There had been some uncertainty on Shirley's part as to how to handle the situation with Leah. He didn't want to make her upset by telling her that Portwood would be behind bars for the next five years, or that she went there voluntarily. Yet, Portwood was incredibly depressed about not being able to see her daughter.

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"He has my daughter-and anytime I get mad at him on the phone, he hangs up on me!" Portwood told Dr. Drew Pinsky in a televised interview. "Leah can be brought in, but it all boils down to Gary, as the guardian, to sign the papers. I've sent him visitation papers twice. I think he's trying to protect Leah, too."

Fans of the "Teen Mom" series watched as Portwood handed over custody of Leah to Shirley in order to avoid further contact with Child Protective Services. After Portwood was sent to prison, Shirley became a single parent and faced the difficulty of raising Leah on his own, and struggling to figure out how to tell Leah she couldn't see her mom again.

As usual, Portwood and Shirley bickered back and forth about what the right thing for Leah actually was, but now it seems that Shirley has had time to deal with the scenario, and will allow Leah to see her mom again.

Portwood, he noted, "is doing a lot better. A lot of stuff has been cleared between us; things have settled down … things are headed in the right direction. Thanks for support and in [no way] was me not taking her to see her mom a control thing."