Viewers of Teen Mom are well aware that Tyler Baltierra had a difficult childhood. Although his mother was stable, his dad was constantly in and out of jail — and, when he was out, he dealt with drug addiction. Tyler admitted this negatively affected him and caused him some serious anger issues.
Still, we were all unaware just how extensive Tyler’s suffering really was…
The ultra-mature birth father opened up about his childhood struggles like never before in a post on Twitter yesterday. In the message, Tyler revealed he was molested when he was 8 years old. That began a downward spiral for Tyler, who began experimenting with drugs and alcohol the following year.
Keep your heart & mind open…you don't REALLY know anyone unless you have walked in their shoes ✌&❤ pic.twitter.com/eEiNboFedX
— Tyler BaltierraMTV (@TylerBaltierra) September 4, 2013
Tyler’s reluctance to come forward with this information is understandable. Survivors of sexual abuse deal with the trauma in their own ways and Tyler’s desire to keep that part of his life to himself is reasonable.
But, now that Tyler’s come forward with his experience, he is also eager to help others with similar experiences.
“I have never told that to anyone. So I thought I might as well share it with the ones who love & support me 🙂 You guys are the best!,” Tyler tweeted shortly after the original message.
He also retweeted a message from his former adoption counselor, Dawn Baker: “You are incredibly brave & strong. We are ALL broken but when we share our brokenness, healing begins.”
As fans were often reminded throughout Teen Mom and Couples Therapy, Tyler (and Catelynn) is an exceptional young person. We applaud his bravery and determination to help others!
