Mama Grizzly Not Happy About Bristol and Levi's Plans

"She doesn't want me to get hurt," says daughter

Mama Grizzly does not approve.

Sara Palin is not exactly giddy about daughter Bristol's engagement to one-time family nemesis Levi Johnston, the ex-governor's daughter told Us Weekly. The young couple, who called off a prior engagement last year, have a toddler son named Tripp.

 “She knew Levi and I had been talking, but she wanted to know if Levi was really sincere about this," the former first daughter of Alaska said. “I told her we were working on our relationship for Tripp, and she told me, 'Actions speak louder than words.'

"She's going to wait to see if he changes... But she's just glad he is getting on the right path. She knows how much Tripp means to me, and she wants Tripp to have a father figure.”

Bristol Palin said she told her mom about her plans after divulging the news to Us Weekly. Johnston has fun afoul of the family, telling damaging personal stories he later recanted.

"What I've done is starting to sink in, and every family member of mine has some concerns — and that is scaring me," Bristol Palin told the magazine. "My dad is on the same page as my mom: they don't want to see me get hurt. They don't want to see again what I already went through with Levi.”

The pair began dating as high school freshmen, and were previously engaged. They broke it off in March 2009, enduring a bitter public breakup in which Johnston trashed the Palin family in tabloids and went on to pose in Playgirl, which drew the scorn of his future in-laws. But in recent weeks, the pair were known to be warming up to each other for the sake of their son.

Johnston, 20, has apologized for disparaging comments about the Palin family and said he was lying when he characterized Sarah Palin, who has taken to calling herself "Mama Grizzly" on the political trail, as a phony and a lousy mom after he and Bristol broke up last year. He says he has apologized to them.

Since her pregnancy was made public during the 2008 presidential campaign of John McCain and her mom, Bristol Palin has become a public speaker and advocate for teen abstinence. Earlier this month, she played herself in a guest appearance on ABC Family's teenage drama, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager," a series which focuses on a family dealing with a 15-year-old's unexpected pregnancy.

Johnston, a high school dropout who has worked as an apprentice electrician, has been trying to launch an acting career.

 “People are more worried for me than excited for me,” she tells Us.

Contact Us