Teen Mom's Gary Shirley Says Daughter Leah Wants His Wife to Adopt Her Following Birthday Blowup With Mom Amber Portwood

"If she's not coming around, or putting forth that effort, it's just going to make it much harder. She wants to have a mom that's here that you can depend on," Shirley said during Thursday night's episode. "Somebody that doesn't always make it about herself."

Amber Portwood 's relationship with daughter Leah continues to be rocky.

On this week's all new Teen Mom: The Next Chapter , Portwood's ex, Gary Shirley , spoke to his wife, Kristina, about where things stand between Leah and Amber after a birthday dinner for the 15-year-old left things between the blended family more tense than ever.

"I messaged Amber recently," Gary shared before reading off the text. "'You need to reach out to Leah. You need to say hi or something. A text or something.'"

"She messaged me back: 'I've texted and called Leah a million times! No answer, nothing ever back. I've done everything to be in her life, I've gotten crapped on. I never get to spend time with her. I'm tired of being unhappy and fighting for attention from everyone. I'm not a horrible person, I'm a loving mother. I refuse to live a miserable life anymore.'"

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Kristina seemed shocked by Amber's response, and Gary agreed.

"That's what I'm saying and I haven't even told Leah about this. I don't want to," he said. "Because that right there, if I say, 'Hey by the way…'"

"That's her giving confirmation that her mom's just not wanting to be there," Kristina said.

"She's already at that point and I know what Leah needs. She needs her mom," Gary explained. "Even if your kid is pushing you away, you have to show the interest. And if she's not coming around, or putting forth that effort, it's just going to make it much harder. She wants to have a mom that's there that you can depend on. Somebody that doesn't always make it about herself."

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Kristina went on to explain that she does a lot of the parenting for Leah, from attending her cross-country meets to helping her with her school work, but still feels like she can't fill that void that Amber left behind.

The conversation got both Gary and Kristina thinking, with the father of two contemplating a shift in their family dynamic. So much so, that later on in the episode when he's seen on a boys' trip with the other dads, he reveals that Leah wants Kristina to adopt her.

"Leah hasn't seen Amber since her birthday," Gary tells the guys when asked how it's going with Amber.

"Oh that's crazy," castmate Cory Wharton says in response. "Is that Leah's choice?"

"No. So Leah is kind of like, the damage is all done," Gary explained. "I think it's salvageable but what Leah would need is her mom to be there all the time."

"As a mother, Amber has to try. No matter what. It's never going to be Leah's fault if she's not talking to you, because Amber, you're the reason why it's this way in the first place," he continued. "I didn't want to throw Amber under the bus for so many times.”

"And she has other people that are there for her," Gary added, prompting Cory to respond, "Your wife!"

"Trust me, the best thing that ever happened to Leah was Kristina. Kristina is a loving parent," Gary maintained. "And Leah's wanting to be adopted by Kristina."

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And Kristina would in a heartbeat, Gary revealed, but it's not exactly something Amber's been informed about.

"Are you going to fill Amber in on the situation?" Gary is asked.

"So as far as that goes, it's kind of letting Leah stew and think about what she wants to do," he explained, noting that he wants to make sure his daughter thinks it through first before making any decisions.

Teen Mom: The Next Chapter, airs Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on MTV.

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