Amber Portwood isn’t giving up after former Andrew Glennon was awarded custody of his son James Andrew, 4, and was granted permission to transfer the toddler away from Indiana to his home located in Malibu, California.
On Wednesday Wednesday, an Indiana judge decided that James’s son James will relocate to California with his dad following an ongoing custody dispute between Teen Mom star, 32 and Glennon Portwood, a representative of Portwood told PEOPLE.
Portwood directly addressed the decision on Thursday in a post on Instagram. “I’m overwhelmed and saddened by this decision,” the reality star declares. “I’ve spent a lot of time trying to make myself better and enhance my relations with my children.”
Recognizing her own experiences with substance abuse and mental health issues, Portwood notes, “a person should be given the opportunity to be able to recover and not be tied to the problems of the past.”
“People who have gone through therapy and attended classes and tried to make changes shouldn’t be allowed to suffer the consequences of previous mistakes,” she continues. “I’ve spent years repairing my bridges, and I did all that was expected from me, including 21 drug tests that were negative and a variety of psychological assessments.”
Portwood ends with a word of encouragement for others who are struggling. “If your path hasn’t been smooth However, you’ve been working hard to become a stronger steady, stable, and loving person today, you must continue to move ahead,” she urges.
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“[I’llforever fight for my children, whom I cherish more than anything else. I’ve been in a state of denial for a long time trying to prove myself. I wouldn’t want this unimaginable suffering on any father or mother.”
The new arrangement for custody will result in Portwood being allowed to stay overnight at first since the beginning of 2019. To ease the toddler into the new routine, nighttime visits will be incorporated into Portwood’s visitation with James and James, which will be split between Indiana which is where Portwood and Glennon reside in the same state, and California in California, which Glennon will relocate along with James to a home with a family.
A person who is close to Portwood previously informed PEOPLE that Portwood, the MTV celebrity was “shocked by the ruling of a judge.”
“She is more in love with her son than anything else and has always been a great father to his son. She’s not perfect but this was an extremely significant thing that took place.”
The insider also said that Portwood she is “contemplating what options she can take to combat this” and is frustrated with the extent to which she’s come.
“She’s going to therapy to get better and has been doing this regularly for the last three years,” the source said.
Glennon did not respond immediately to PEOPLE’s request for clarification.
As per court records discovered through The Sun, though Glennon is now the sole physical and legal custody of James The judge ordered Glennon to “seek out and take into consideration the mother’s view in making important decisions related regarding the kid’s medical care or education, as well as religion.”
The court case started in the year 2019 when Portwood was arrested for allegedly attacking Glennon when he was holding their son. Following this incident Portwood is charged with domestic violence, negligence made with an explosive weapon, and domestic battery when in the presence of a minor less that 16.
In October, Portwood was sentenced to two and one-half years of probation along with parenting classes that were ordered by the court. In the words of The Sun, Portwood successfully finished her probation which comprised an intensive one-year Batterer’s Intervention Program and over $1,000 in fines and was released from probation at the end of April 2022.
Portwood posted a post on Instagram following the news that the decision was made public on Tuesday. She said she’s committed to remaining positive and exploring possibilities and also highlighted her efforts to improve herself over the past few years. Portwood, the MTV star, who has been open about her battle with BPD and bipolar disorders was also vocal about her belief that her mental condition has been “used to harm her.”
Alongside James, Portwood also has a daughter, aged 13 years old Leah who is with former Gary Shirley.