Tyler Baltierra opened up about the pain of missing out on visits with his oldest child, whom he and his wife, Catelynn Lowell, had placed for adoption back in 2009. In a TikTok clip shared by Teen Mom, the 32-year-old reality star discussed how Lowell, also 32, had shared her frustrations on social media in May, expressing how much they miss their daughter Carly. The post shed light on the emotional challenges they face as biological parents.
Their bond with Carly, whom they placed for adoption during the early days of 16 & Pregnant, has been a journey full of ups and downs. Baltierra and Lowell have been together since 2005, after meeting in high school, and have maintained an open conversation about their adoption experience.
Tyler Baltierra becomes emotional as he discusses the pain of missed visits with Carly, emphasizing the challenges of open adoption
Lowell acknowledged that her post came from a place of anger, explaining, “I don’t care about the opinions of strangers online, but it’s when my kids ask me about seeing Carly that it hits hard. ‘Are we going to see her this year? I miss her,’ they ask, and it’s heartbreaking.”
Tyler emphasized that his priority is not to protect Carly’s adoptive parents but to share his own truth. “I have every right to speak about my experience,” he said, suggesting that this year’s missed visit may have been influenced by Lowell’s social media post. Tyler then shared his own response, having defended his wife on Instagram, explaining, “I didn’t feel she needed defending, but I wanted to show my support.”
Becoming emotional as he read from his phone, Tyler reflected on how Carly’s adoptive parents, Brandon and Teresa, had canceled multiple agreed-upon visits over the years. “It’s always painful when that happens, but we respect that they are her parents, and they have the final say,” he said, acknowledging the difficult reality of the adoption arrangement.
Baltierra continued, noting the emotional cost that comes with their decision to allow Brandon and Teresa to raise Carly. He emphasized that Lowell’s feelings of hurt are valid and should not be dismissed. After reading his statement, Tyler broke down, covering his face, and admitted, “I’m about to cry.”
In a tender moment, Baltierra and Lowell sat down with their 9-year-old daughter Novalee to explain that they wouldn’t be seeing Carly this summer. Baltierra gently explained, “Her parents decided not to allow the visit,” which led Novalee to ask, “But why did they say no?”
Without a clear answer, Tyler responded, “We don’t know why; they just said no. Do you think we deserve to know why?” Novalee, sensing the unfairness of the situation, simply replied, “We deserve to meet Carly, that’s what matters.”
During a confessional, Lowell reflected on the problem of adoption, explaining that while adoption can be a beautiful experience, it’s often more difficult than people realize. She said, “What’s hard is when adoptive parents change the plan or cut off contact without any explanation.” Baltierra and Lowell, aside from Carly and Novalee, are parents to two more daughters—Vaeda, 5, and Rya, who is 2½.
