It's important to view this show through a different scope than one you'd use while watching The Hills or (gulp) My Life as Liz, because the issues that the girls of Teen Mom face are deeper than those of the social variety. Instead, Maci, Farrah, Amber, and Catelynn are real mothers making difficult decisions for themselves and their children. While Liz Lee and Kristin Cavallari have some redeeming characteristics, the girls on this show are unscripted and, simply put, tired. Unfortunately for the casual viewer, the Moms can't be happy all the time, nor can they smile for the cameras and hold in their feelings in order to make themselves more likable.

Leading up to tonight's season finale, each girl is in a very difference place than the next:

Maci Bookout was forced to drop her online college classes and put her son Bentley in daycare. She is a sweet girl desperately trying to keep her relationship with Ryan, her fiancé and Bentley's father, afloat, but he's demonstrated to us over and over again this season that he's generally a prick. Though the two have gone to couples counseling, they still battle with major communication problems. I hope for her sake she dumps him and tries to move on with her life.

Farrah Abraham wants to live the life of a normal teenager, thinking she can still go out with her friends and meet boys. Her parents take the crux of the responsibility of raising her daughter Sophia, constantly trying to teach Farrah that motherhood requires a new lifestyle. We see Farrah trying to apartment hunt, but she quickly learns that living at home is not just her best option, but realistically her only. Farrah is financially the most well-off of the girls and has the biggest support system. In spite of (or maybe because of) this, she is the brattiest of the Moms. In every episode, she makes choices so self-centered and ridiculously immature that I feel like I'm watching some sort of sad audition tape for The Hills. I'd say I want to punch her, but after the recent news story of Farrah's mother actually assaulting her, I'm reminded of just how real things are in this show.

Amber Portwood has very serious anxiety issues in which she takes out on Gary, her fiancé and father of their daughter, Leah. While Gary himself may look like a giant baby, he's thoughtful and responsible, working full-time and pays for all of Amber's expenses. Life isn't exactly easy for Amber because with Gary at work, she's stranded at home without a mode of transportation, taking care of Leah, and unable to attend GED classes. Her nagging is sometimes unbearable to watch and she could easily be cast in a remake Roseanne, but again, this is her real life. She is so frustrated that she finally goes on welfare, moves into her own apartment, and puts Leah in daycare. In the last episode, Amber was hired for a job as a receptionist at a salon. I hope things work out with her and Gary, because he's genuinely a good person who cares about his family.

Catelynn Lowell, my personal favorite, gave her daughter Carly up for adoption. The maternal instinct inside of Catelynn is very strong and she struggles with her decision of giving her baby to adoptive parents. Her boyfriend, Tyler, is extremely supportive and also misses their daughter very much. He encourages her to go to counseling and, in a very touching episode, Catelynn spends a weekend at a group retreat for other girls who gave their children up for adoption. At the beginning of the season, we had to watch Tyler's crappy dad yell at the kids for giving up Carly, saying that love is the only thing needed for raising a kid, but Catelynn and Tyler have a stronger grasp on reality than him and even most people their own age. They are so sweet and very much in love. The promos for Teen Mom have been advertising their engagement all season and I've been waiting with bated breath to see him pop the question. Last week, Tyler talked with an Air Force recruiter from who we found out that in order to have someone live on-base with you, you must be married to them. Later, he went with his mom to buy an engagement ring for Catelynn, which means this season finale will definitely have me in tears.

Tonight at 10 on MTV is the 90-minute season finale of Teen Mom and next week is a 90-minute follow-up episode with Dr. Drew.