Ashley Jones is keeping what's best for her daughter at the forefront of her parenting priorities.
On the Thursday, March 20 episode of Teen Mom: The Next Chapter , Ashley grapples with her daughter Holly, 7, missing her dad, Bariki "Bar" Smith.
In a conversation with her friend, Ashley explains that Holly wants to visit Bar in jail and she's torn over whether that would be appropriate and beneficial for the little girl.
"It's like traumatizing to have see her dad there, but it's also traumatizing for her to not see her dad anyway. She hasn't spoken to him in three months," the concerned mom explains.
The former couple had no contact between them from the time of his arrest in July 2024 to the time of filming. Bar was arrested after entering Ashley's Las Vegas home and waiting for her to arrive home, unaware he'd be there. What followed was an argument that escalated into a physical altercation.
Bar ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of battery constituting domestic violence. He was sentenced to six months in the Clark County Detention Center and one year of probation. He was released in March 2025.
Ashley tells her friend she's open to facilitating contact between Bar and Holly as long as it's what's best for Holly.
"She knows he's in jail. She just knows it's because he's made some bad decisions. I think it'll clear up some things in her mind. The idea of him being in one place is one thing, but now you see it and you understand for your own self why Daddy can't call, why Daddy can't come over. I know she wants to see her dad and I know her dad wants to see her.
Of Bar, she adds, "He's a good dad who cares about his daughter, but just not at the forefront to be able to make the right decisions."
In a confessional, Ashley says that it's important to her to separate her relationship and problems with Bar from his relationship with Holly.
"As a mom, there's literally no worse feeling than not being able to give your kid what they need. And she is sometimes too aware of my emotions. She knows I'm going through something. I know it affected her, not being able to see her dad," she admits.
"I just saw the sadness and I'm not even sure I saw the total capacity for what she was going through."
Ashley later explains that she called the DA to find out what she can "safely and lawfully facilitate a visit with Bar."
She gets to tell Holly she'll be allowed a video call with Bar. She explains that while they aren't allowed to see him in person right now, it's good they're able to have the call.
"I'm also very grateful that you did this because if you didn't do it, I wouldn't be able to see him," Holly sweetly tells her mom.
When the time comes, Ashley makes the call and hands the phone to Holly, allowing her to speak privately with Bar in her bedroom while she waits in another room. Holly can be heard telling her dad she misses him. Later, she joins Ashley to color and draw a photo for Bar.
"Well now I talked to daddy and we stopped, I stopped talking to him... it makes me want to talk to him more," Holly says, confirming to Ashley that she'd like more calls.
"I talked to the DA and she told me I can get two calls with Daddy a week. And we'll send these off to Daddy so he can always think about his family," she says of their drawings.
Teen Mom: The Next Chapter airs on Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
