Ryan Edwards has been pretty busy this year, huh?
He kicked it off by impregnating Mackenzie Standifer, then proceeded to get arrested once or twice before going off to rehab.
Throw in all the smaller scandals that have happened, like that time he threatened to murder Maci Bookout’s husband …
Yeah, there’s been a lot going on for him.
But through it all, for better or worse (mostly worse), Mackenzie has stood by his side.
And now she’s ready to tell us all about it.
Awww (???)
So here’s the happy couple, Ryan and Mackenzie Edwards.
Hmmm …
Except how happy could they possibly be right now?
A Great Big Downward Spiral
After all, Ryan isn’t doing so great these days.
What a Nightmare
Like, he’s been in rehab for at least a month now, and he’s supposed to stay there until February or March.
Bittersweet
Which is actually a great thing, because maybe such a long stay in rehab can help him finally kick his heroin addiction for good.
Poor Mack
But on the other hand, Ryan’s absence has to be hard on Mackenzie.
Well …
Is Ryan being gone for six months harder than him being arrested for violating probation by failing a drug test, which he did earlier this year?
Also …
Is it harder than him spending a week in jail after getting busted with a controlled substance, which also happened earlier this year?
SAD
It’s hard to say, honestly. Addiction can be tough like that.
Sadder Still
It was especially tough, we imagine, when Mackenzie gave birth to her first child with Ryan last month … without him.
Get It, Girl
But she did it — she has a little bitty baby boy now, Ryan has never met him, and she’s moved back in with her parents, probably to get some help and support during this wild time.
For Better or Worse
But despite everything, it looks like Mackenzie is really taking her wedding vows seriously — she’s sticking with Ryan, no matter what.
The Real Story
She explained everything in a series of videos she shared on her Instagram story over the weekend, and in the videos, she was more open than she’s been in a long time.
Compassion
“Over the past year, I have learned so much about compassion,” she began.
What an Understatement
“And I had to learn the hard way and it wasn’t fun,” she added, which, yeah, obviously it wasn’t fun.
A Real Conundrum
Mackenzie said that she’s “just always wondered why I’ve been kind of tough and not really seeing anyone else’s perspective or understood or had any empathy.â€Â
A Possibility
We don’t know her personally, of course, but this really doesn’t seem like too much of a mystery — we always assumed she was like this because she had so many major life experiences at such a young age.
Wow
Think about it: the girl is only 21 years old and she has a four-year-old son and a newborn, an ex-husband, and a new husband who’s been a heroin addict for most, if not all, of their relationship.
Dang
Any of those things individually can be difficult — divorce, having children, dealing with a spouse with an addiction — but adding them all up together and throwing them at a 21-year-old?
Yikes
Yeah, all that might make a person a little cold.
Real Talk
She called her little rant “your daily dose of real talk,” but said that she “figured it was something that I needed to share because it is important and it is important to have an open heart and to care about people.”
But Wait
“But don’t let it fool you,” she continued. “Just because my heart is open and I actually have compassion these days, I am still tough as nails.”
100% Real
“So here’s you an unedited take on my life,” she told her followers. “It’s just how it goes.”
So Tough
But how is it going to go for anyone who talks trash about Ryan? Is she going to have compassion for them?
Answer:
NOPE.
No Sympathy
“What I don’t have sympathy for is when you say stupid s–t about my family and my husband and my kids,” she explained.
Fair
And honestly, that’s fair enough, right?
We Got You, Mackenzie
Like we said, she is so young and dealing with so much, so feeling defensive about Ryan and all the criticism makes sense.
Them Hormones Though
And also she just had a baby last month, and if you’ve ever had a baby or been close to someone who’s had a baby, you probably know that those hormones are no joke.
Easy, OK?
So while we haven’t always been Mackenzie fans, and while we still may not be fans now, that doesn’t mean that we can’t see she could use some support during what has to be an emotional time for her.
Best Wishes
Here’s hoping that she continues evolving emotionally, and that she gets through this rough patch with Ryan the best she can.