Bristol Palin Talks About Teen Pregnancy in Visit to New York for Abstinence Push

BY Larry Mcshane
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

There's a truce in the land of the moose.

Once-warring teen parents Bristol Palin and Levi Johnston, in separate appearances Wednesday, put the trash-talking between their families to rest. The 18-year-olds said they were determined to jointly raise their Alaskan-born baby boy.

"Things are getting a little better," Johnston said on CBS News' "The Morning Show."

"She seems to trust me a little bit more," Johnston said of Bristol Palin, his ex-fiance. "And, you know, things are going pretty smooth now. So we'll see what happens, and hopefully, you know, she holds to her word on that."

Palin, in New York for her debut as an ambassador for a group campaigning to prevent teen pregnancies, said Johnston was now an active participant in raising their son, Tripp.

The boy was born in December, one month after grandmother Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's GOP bid for the vice residency ended in defeat.

"I'd love for Levi to be a part of his life," the 18-year-old said on NBC's "Today" show. "He's a part of his life, yeah."

The unwed mom was joined by father Todd, who echoed her sentiments about Johnston's role in raising the boy.

"I know that Levi is going to be a part of Tripp's life," he said. "They're working out a schedule. ... I know both of them will love and care for their son together."

Last month, Gov. Palin was upset when Johnston appeared on "The Tyra Banks Show" and spilled some family secrets - including a claim that the Palins were aware of the couple's pre-marital proclivities.

Johnston said at the time that the family feud began  almost immediately after the baby's birth, when the Johnston family was kept from seeing the newborn in the hospital.

Johnston also gave his most explicit answer Wednesday on the safe-sex slipup that led to Bristol's pregnancy.

"I was using condoms, but, you know, there's a few times, you know, we didn't. And that's what happened. We had a kid," the former high school hockey hunk said.

Bristol Palin said earlier this year that while it was unrealistic to expect teens to refrain from sex, they should at least follow careful contraception practices.

Abstinence is "realistic," she said on ABC's "Good Morning America," and "[Not having sex] is the safest choice."

• More coverage from the New York Daily News.