Getty "Teen Mom" star Maci Bookout attends an event.
“Teen Mom” star Maci Bookout took to Instagram on October 27 to praise her oldest son, Bentley Edwards. Fans have watched him go from newborn to teenager, and his birthday gave both his mom and show fans an opportunity to reflect and gush over him.
In the past, Bookout has admitted raising her teenage son is a challenge at times. She told Page Six her son is “mature and he’s wise beyond his years.” At the same time, reflecting on how close he is to the age when she was pregnant herself, she believes there is “no way” he could be a parent now. Bookout first appeared on MTV’s “16 and Pregnant” in June 2009 while she was pregnant with her oldest son. She was still in high school when she and her ex-boyfriend, Ryan Edwards, welcomed Bentley during the series pilot. As “Teen Mom” fans know, Bookout is now married to Taylor McKinney. The couple has added another son, Maverick, and a daughter, Jayde, to the mix. Bookout told People she sees Bentley’s teen years so far as both “an absolute blast” while also being “an absolute struggle.” For this birthday, though, the “Teen Mom” star focused on the positives.
Here’s what you need to know:
Maci Bookout Praised the ‘Young Man’ Her Son Has Become
For Bentley’s 14th birthday, Bookout shared a collage of three photos on her Instagram page. Two of the photos showed Bentley as a little boy, while the third was more recent. All of them showed both Bookout and her son smiling as she held him close to her. In her caption, the “Teen Mom” star wrote, “Happy Birthday Benny! 14 years of life with @bentleycedwards and I couldn’t be more proud of the young man that you are.” She added, “Love you buddy!” along with several celebratory emojis.
During just the first couple of hours after Bookout shared her birthday post for Bentley, more than 50,000 “Teen Mom” fans “liked” the post and over 700 also commented. Many acknowledged they had been watching him grow since he was a baby and were blown away by the fact he is now 14 years old. Several admitted this realization made them feel a little old.
“I’ve watched this little boy grow up on tv for 14 years already?! Now I feel old lol. Happy birthday Benny!” wrote one fan.
“Y’all your internet aunties are so proud of the young man you are becoming I definitely know I am,” added another fan.
Bookout Received Accolades As Well
Many of the comments on Bookout’s Instagram post were directed toward Bentley. However, the “Teen Mom” star herself received a lot of positive feedback from fans too.
“You have done such a great job! Watching ur story helped me through a similar situation! Thank u for being such a warrior I’m sure u have helped many single moms!” gushed one person.
“Happy Birthday, Benny, and congrats to Maci!! You’re a stellar and inspiring mom, and you guys make a wonderful family!” someone else praised.
“You are such an amazing mother but also benny is an unbelievable young man, he is a credit to you and he is going to be an amazing man,” added another fan.