For the first time in 15 years, teen pregnancy is on the rise. Some people are blaming celebrities such as Jamie Lynn Spears, who became pregnant at age 16. Then there was a lot of publicity with Sarah Palin's daughter Bristol being pregnant. Or how about the pregnancy pact between students at Gloucester high school in Massachusetts? There was a group of up to 18 teenager who made a pact to try to become pregnant.
I always knew I wanted to be a mom. But I know that was in the future. I knew I wanted to accomplish some things first before adding a baby to my life, including getting married. Yesterday on the Tyra Banks show, she had a group of teenagers who were either pregnant, or wanted to be pregnant. I could not believe what some of these girls were saying. One girl, who was 14, I believe, wanted to have a baby because she wanted to have a baby shower. She said that was just one of the reasons, kind of like a nice perk to having a kid. When asked what she would do if she did have a kid, she said she'd still live with her mom, and have her mom help her out. Now her mom didn't even know she was having sex. She said that at 14, she had slept with 3 different guys. When asked how much she thought it would cost to take care of a family, she said about $7000. I wish we only had to pay $7,000 a year for our family!
Another girl wanted to have a baby because she thought it would bring her and her ex-boyfriend closer together. He does not want to have a baby. She had 2 abortions and a miscarriage already. Now, I'm sorry, but I don't believe that having a baby is going to bring you closer to your EX-boyfriend.
Some of the girls on there had already had a baby, and were on number 2 or 3. All still while being a teenager. A lot of them said it was just a mistake, and they should have been on birth control. Some were on birth control.
I was surprised by how many of those teens didn't even think about the other results from having sex, besides pregnancy, such as diseases. When asked if they ever thought about catching something, most of them said no.
I cannot believe how popular teen pregnancy has become. I remember it starting way back when I was in 6th grade (11 and 12 year olds) one girl I knew was going around trying to talk girls into punching her in the stomach because she thought she was pregnant and didn't want to have the baby. Most of these girls said they started having sex because all their friends were. Then they wanted a baby because they were so cute, and they think it would be fun to dress them up. It's like the baby is just an accessory to them. I don't think they realize how much work it is having a kid. I just hope that they will wake up and realized that a baby is a human being. It deserves to have a family who can take care of them. Not a teenager who pawns the kid off to their parents when they don't want to take care of it anymore. I just think it's so sad that babies are having babies.
What do you think about teen pregnancy?
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thats pretty insane. Give them a baby to take care of for a day...they will get over it quick. 7K? It takes more then that to deliver a baby
ReplyDeleteI know. Isn't that insane? One other girl said it might take $12,000. HA!
ReplyDeleteThose are the kids that need to be on the Baby Borrowers. I think all of the people on there ended up not wanting kids (at the moment) after that show.
ReplyDeleteI think these teens need more hand on experience with what it's like to actually have a baby to take care of. They don't have a clue.
ReplyDeleteI had my son when I was 20 and living with my parents. It was not the ideal situation but my parents helped me very much. I don't know where I would have been if I didn't have them.
I literally can't even wrap my brain around it. I mean, I can't even conjure up the words to express how I feel about this. I DO think that pregnancy is everywhere and, to a teenaged brain, there's no difference between her highschool life and hollywood. If a single movie star can handle a baby, why shouldn't everyone? They have no concept of money or responsibility or the permanence of having a child.
ReplyDeleteWhat they really need to do is meet up with some teen mothers that are now 15 years into it and hear what THOSE women have to say about what their 20s and 30s were like. The worst part is that they expect their parents to raise these babies but they don't realize that once they graduate highschool they are going to be expected to start chipping in. And for a lot more than $7,000.
Those girls want affection, most of then didn;t have it from their father and will seek it that way!
ReplyDeleteStory like these are so sad!!!
All i can say is it is sad. It's a big responsibility. Late nights, early mornings and stress on your body. Having kids is for adults. And not even all adults are good parents.
ReplyDeleteWow, that really scares me! I think it would be a great idea for all high schoolers to have to volunteer some hours in a day cary-working with baby's to preschoolers- and get a taste of what a few hours of crying and a checky 3 year old can do to your nerves.
ReplyDeleteIt's really sad.
ReplyDeleteI was a teen mom and did it without the help of my parents, but thank goodness I had a supportive husband and great father. Without him I don't know where we would have been.
Wow... it worries me. Very sad indeed.
ReplyDeleteKids like this (yes teenagers are still children in my opinion) need to spend 2 hours with a colicky baby, then they need to spend 6 hours with a toddler who has just learned the word no. This very deeply worries me, and I drill into my girls head how big of a responsibility it is to have and take care of a child. I think that they believe that they will get more attention because they have babies. Ummm nope, once you have kids things cease to be about you, you, you and becomes baby, baby, baby.
ReplyDeleteIf you can't be trusted to live alone, you cant be trusted to have a baby!
If only they knew, I would suck up my youth for all it was worth!
Teen pregnancy, in my opinion, is a sign of the times and a sign of poor parenting. I come from the state that currently has the highest teen pregnancy rate in the country (Mississippi) and it is horrible. Most of these girls want attention....I had a baby at 16 and all I wanted was attention because my mother was dating a man that I disapproved of, and I went somewhere else looking for love and came back home with a baby. Now that I am an adult, I still put most of the blame on myself, but as a child that came from a fatherless home, and a mother that had no love to give, I think its the trend today....little girls that do not want to be alone.
ReplyDeleteIt also wouldnt hurt to give children sex-ed classes, teach not only abstinence, but protection as well. We live in a day and age where 75% of what a child sees on tv has sexual reference....we cant tell them dont have sex anymore....
These young ladies need to talk to someone who's been there. They could probably learn a lot from my new book The Ministry of Motherhood. It tells my story of what it was like to be a teen/single mom. Thank God I had a supportive family. But, it was not easy. I never had public assistance and worked hard.
ReplyDeleteBoth of my sons are now college educated adults one of whom is teaching in the public school system, but these young ladies need to know that mother is a verb. It's something you do not just who you are.
These shows frustrate the heck out of me! I was a teen mom (accidentally, not on purpose) and can't for the life of me figure out why there are such young girls TRYING to get pregnant... just so they can have an hour long baby shower?! What do they think is going to happen when the shower is over? You still have sleepless nights and a lack of money
ReplyDeleteI think it's sad that these girls feel they need and expect this kind of love and attention from a child. There's so many issues that lead to the end result imo. I'm the product of a teen pregnancy and I was pawned off on my grandparents or anyone else my mom could get to babysit any chance she got. All it did was make me grow up and resent my mother while I had great relationships with my other caregivers because they were the ones who were there when I needed an adult the most.
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