“I think honesty is the best policy”

• Bookout, 32, first appeared on MTV's 16 and Pregnant while expecting her son Bentley, who himself turns 16 this fall.
• Messer, also 32, also appeared in 16 and Pregnant and Teenager 2, and has twin daughters Aliannah Hope and Aleeah ​​Grace, 14, and Adalynn Faith, 11.
• They both spoke with E! News, revealing how they talk to their own teenagers about sex in today's world

While Maci Bookout and Leah Messer rose to fame by having children at a young age, the Teen Mom OG stars don't want their kids to follow in their footsteps.

Bookout, 32, first appeared on MTV's 16 and Pregnant while expecting her son Bentley, who himself turns 16 this fall.

Messer, also 32, has also appeared in 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom 2, and has twin daughters Aliannah Hope and Aleeah ​​Grace, 14, and Adalynn Faith, 11.

They both spoke with E! News, revealing how they talk to their own teenagers about sex in today's world.

“I do it point blank. I feel like honesty is the best policy in this area. You want them to be as prepared as possible to make smart decisions,” Bookout said.

“And you also want them to be confident in what they know so they can advocate for themselves,” she added.

Messer added that she is just as direct with her children, saying, “If they ask a question, they're old enough to know the answer.”

Bookout also joked that her son was getting ready to start driving, which scares her as a parent.

“Bentley was driving and I was like, ‘Oh my God, it’s really this year.’ It’s scary,” Bookout admitted.

Messer added: “I'm learning a lot about how my mother tried to balance teenagers. I thought, “This will be easy for teenagers.” 'Pssh.'

Messer admitted she had “great kids,” although she added, “I don't know, I thought it was going to be a little easier than it is.”

Maci added, “It's one of those times as a parent where you have to let go a little bit and really trust that you've done everything you can and hope that they make the right decisions.”

“But you know damn well they're going to be wrong and you just have to let them deal with it. And just support them through the consequences,” Bookout said.

Maci continued: “I just said it was easy, but it's not. It's terrifying and it's very difficult.

Maci added of Taylor McKinney, her husband of seven years, “It helped us make the change by saying, 'OK, now we need to prioritize more time together without the kids and without talking about the kids.' “'

“At the same time, we are still parents of three children and life is life. But we are better at prioritizing time. Of course,” she added.

“Then we're like, 'Let's make something for this week.' Whereas in the past we didn't even think about it. So, it’s definitely gotten better,” she admitted.

Maci added that she and ex Ryan Edwards “are in a good place,” adding that he introduces himself, “more regularly now than perhaps ever before.