Jean says that she had to step in
and help raise baby Harlan, really primarily,
because her son, Wade, and his ex-girlfriend, Margaret,
well, she said they just hate each other,
and that they hate each other more
than they love their baby.
I don't know who said that.
I said that. Yeah, I know you said that.
I said that.
And I'm repeating her.
And I've said it to both of y'all.
That's your opinion right there.
And I'm talking to Jean right now about you.
Let's be selfish on your behalf for a minute, okay?
We'll come back to
the other stuff. That'll be a first.
Yeah, seriously. Seriously.
It will be a first.
But you can't do this forever.
No.
And you do agree that you enable here.
I do, yeah.
And that that's not good.
I let 'em walk all over me.
And this is a simple fact, look,
I'm just an old country boy
and I look at just really basic fundamental results
and the two of you do not seem to me
to be emotionally equipped or mature enough
to handle this baby.
Not at this time, no.
So my recommendation truly is
that you need to look for an alternative here
and that alternative, I'm looking at it purely
from the baby's best interests,
you need to consider placing this child for adoption.
(audience applauding)
Nope, not happening, not happening.
I'll quit school, I won't ever go to school again.
I'm not giving him up for adoption.
Are you kidding me, are you kidding me?
Hear what I'm saying.
Are you gonna be his father?
Are you gonna adopt him?
If you adopt him, maybe,
but I'm not gonna let some random, screw that, no.
Hear what I'm saying.
You need to take a step back
and when you take a step back,
then that child is going to be neglected.
When that child is neglected,
then the Department of Child and Family Services
is gonna get involved.
They're gonna take the child, put the child in foster care,
and that is a broken system.
Whereas if you place the child for adoption,
you can negotiate adoptions where you can continue
to be the child's grandmother.
You can continue to have a relationship with the child.
It gives both of you an opportunity
to restart and grow up and mature
and start a family when you're ready to start a family.
Well I want to give him the family right now
and I want to be a part of his life everyday.
Well, what you would have to do
would be grow up and I am prepared
to get a family counselor involved here
to facilitate and expedite the kind
of training experiences that I'm talking
about for each of you.
And you will either do it or you won't.
There are healthy alternatives here.
So tell him I'm not gonna watch him
while he's going to school.
He'll have to figure out something else.
Don't say, "Oh Wade it's fine, I'll watch him
"any night you go to school".
Four nights a week though.
It's three nights a week that I go to school.
I've been watching him on Sundays.
You should not be doing that at this point.
You need to stop doing that.
You need to stop doing that, you need to say no.
There's power in no, you need to say no.
Then I'm afraid Harlan is going to suffer.
But it's terrifying because I don't have a car,
I can't go get Harlan from Wade.
You could have got a car.
You got $10,000 to get a vehicle
and you spent it on nothing.
Wade, I paid all of the.
I really hope you take my advice
and I hope the two of you take my advice
because if you don't, you're going to lose control.
And I do thank you very much
for the opportunity for us to have counseling.
You're going to lose control if you do not
become active in changing your position
in this child's life.
Control will be taken away and you do not
want the court system in your family.