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We all want better things for Jace.
Barbara Evans says that she has lost all access to her institutionalized grandson.
Jenelle has blocked her from visiting him or even speaking with him on the phone.
Everyone wants to help Jace. Well, almost everyone.
Barbara is not allowed to visit or speak to Jace
Speaking to TMZ, Barbara explains that Jenelle has cut off her access to Jace, in person and over the phone.
She does, she says, continue to call the facility where Jenelle has placed her son.
Barbara makes these calls every morning and every night.
She is not permitted to speak to Jace. But she does ask the staff to pass along messages.
According to Barbara, her messages are a reminder that she loves him, and encouragement for him to “hang on.”
Without being able to actually speak to him, it is of course not possible to assess Jace’s mental and emotional state.
But we can all guess. And Barbara can guess better than most.
She believes that her grandson is struggling because he is unable to communicate with her — or with almost anyone else from beyond the institution.
This, Barbara says, is why she continues to call and check in, asking staff if he’s okay.
If you’ve ever known someone who spent time in an institution, you know how much these indirect calls can mean to them.
Mommy Dearest can see him whenever she wants
Unfortunately, one of the few people with whom Jace is able to speak is possibly the least advisable point of contact: his mother, Jenelle.
Apparently, she has been in touch with her teenage son.
She even reportedly visited him last week, as if he’s not having a hard enough time!
Last week, the court denied Barbara’s request for emergency custody. That is pretty normal.
There is a temporary custody hearing next week. Barbara told TMZ that she and Andrew Lewis — Jace’s father — will both present evidence.
As we previously reported, all of this stems from an incident from last month.
At the time, Jace was clearly having a mental and emotional crisis.
Barbara called 911 seeking help, claiming that Jace had a gun to his head.
That is a genuine crisis. We don’t know much more about what prompted it.
Many believe that Jenelle’s reconciliation with her universally reviled ex-husband, David Eason, was an inciting point for Jace. But that is, at this point, speculation.
Jace deserves better (and so do his siblings)
We don’t know the inciting incident, but we do know his overall history.
Jace got whatever the opposite of winning the lottery is when Jenelle gave birth to her.
Then, in addition to having her as a mother, he ended up with a notorious monster like David Eason as his stepfather.
It seems very likely that Jace will spend decades, if not the rest of his life, attempting to cope with and recover from a miserable, traumatic childhood.
We all hope that Jace survives that long. First, he has to make it to adulthood — to the end of Jenelle’s legal power over him.
