Getting to a good place! Jenelle Evans shared an update on her relationship with her 13-year-old son, Jace, after she was awarded full custody.
“My relationship with Jace is closer than ever and doing much better,” the Teen Mom alum, 31, said to E! News on Thursday, March 30. “I feel like being with his family makes him much happier. Our family wasn’t complete without him.”
Jenelle’s mother, Barbara Evans, had been the legal guardian of Jace since he was an infant. (Jenelle was 18 years old when she welcomed Jace with ex Andrew Lewis in 2009.) While the MTV personality and her mom, 65, have had their fair share of ups and downs over the years, Jenelle revealed that the twosome are working on improving their relationship as well.
“My relationship with my mother has got a little better, but truthfully she is still a little controlling,” she said on Thursday. “I think it’s going to take time for her to get use to this change.”
Us Weekly broke the news on March 18 that the Teen Mom 2 star was awarded full custody of Jace after more than a decade in Barbara’s care.
“My mom and I decided together to grant full custody back to me because we want to build our relationship back as mother and daughter,” Jenelle exclusively told Us in a statement at the time. “Also, my mother agrees it’s time for Jace to be back with his siblings and living with a mother and father.”
Jace will live with his mom and her husband, David Eason. The 16 and Pregnant alum and Eason, 34, tied the knot in September 2017 and share 6-year-old daughter Ensley. (Jenelle is also the mother of son Kaiser, 8, whom she shares with ex Nathan Griffith.)
The North Carolina native told Us that Barbara approved of Jace’s new living arrangement. “She also thinks it’s important for Jace to be around a father figure to learn ‘boy things’ and have ‘men talk.’ She has seen the way David parents my children and she knows we’re able to handle it,” she explained of the decision. “We want to all get along for the sake of the children and like I said before, building back our relationship as mother and daughter. We have officially signed the papers on Thursday, March 16th at the courthouse, it’s a done deal!”
Following the news of her legal win, Jenelle uploaded an emotional video via Instagram and couldn’t hold back her excitement as she expressed her gratitude.
“#MyHappyEnding, ITS OFFICIAL!” she wrote earlier this month. “Thanks everyone for the support! Words cant describe how happy i truly am. Our family is complete now! Thank you mom. .”