Studies have shown a rapid increase within the last 20 years when it come to teenage pregnancies. This isn't such a good thing people. No offence to those who have children at such a young age but you have to admit that you had plans and ost of you can also admit it was very much unexpected. I have seen many girls at my school drop out because of this problem. It bothers me to see some of these girls, some very intellegent, jave to struggle like this. You know that in today's society that you can't have the life you want without a college education. Where i live at, minimum wage is $5.85. It is virtually impossible for someone to be able to support their family off of this. In my opinion, backed by all of the reading I have done on this subject, i beleive this in one of the key problems when it comes to poverty. It is a hard cycle to break if you are born into it.
Now to those who have kids, I am not saying that you regret them but the only for sure thing that you can provide them with is love. Your not really old enough to provide them with a good foundation, which in my eyes, is sad.
Before any one has sex you should really think about what could happen. Out of 150 girls in my graduating class 20 of them have had kids. Their future has pretty much left them at the moment, or possibly for good.
teenage pregnancy isn't a good thing due to the cost of living these days, loosing a chance on your education, and then you not even knowing if you could suport the child.
I really want people to think about what you do. To the one with kids, i want you to be an example to everyone else-let them know you love your kid but also tell them about the hardships. I think my generation needs to be a little more focused on their future and goals and a whole lot less on the opposite sex.
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I totally agree with what you're saying. Theres a lot of girls that have became pregnant that go to my school ...I just don't understand why they want to put themselves ...and their child through that.
-Amanda-
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Girls this, girls that... doesn't it take two to tango?
"Their future has pretty much left them at the moment, or possibly for good."
Why? People with kids go to school, work, and improve themselves every day. What makes it harder for an 18-year old to do it than a 35 year old?
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Maturity, job security (hopefully), wisdom, networks, society biases, etc. Single biggest factor is maturity. I know that many who are on here are and young want to believe that they are mature, but really, maturity develops from failed interactions in the real world (I am a big believer in you learn nothing from success but everything from failure). Maturity is when you realize that didn't work, that wasn't appropriate, that was not funny, I should not have done that. Women who have children at young ages have not had enough experience in the real world to deal with the constant real life pressures and stigmas that will come at adults hard and fast. This is not a put down, they have not yet lived through this. It is tough enough surviving on your own without a child, but being a child with a child just adds to that.
How can I say this, I have two niece-in-laws that both got pregnant before 18. You can see their inability to be able to process the complex realities of life outside the nest in a timely and proficient maner.
Each of these is no reason for someone who has become pregnant to not finish school and be successful. The same resources are present for both. I strongly believe that anyone who uses pregnancy as an excuse for not finishing school or any failed dream is simply not willing to work hard enough to achieve it or doesn't want the goal bad enough.
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Wow, that was an extremely close minded, absolutist point of view. I bet you also believe that people are homeless because they are lazy or don’t want to work at McDonalds. Do you know many teenage mothers? By your comment, I would say you are the “Like to sit upon the throne and look down upon the ignorant masses type.” Have you been to women shelters? I would like for you to go to one and tell the mothers there that they are lazy and simply are not willing to work hard enough.
I am going to go out on a limb here and say that you probably do not have children. Why? Because if you did, I think that you would clearly realize how time consuming and difficult it is. Despite what many may think, raising a child is an 8 day a week 25 hour a day job. When you get tired, stressed, burnt out, or are just pissed off at the world, what do you do? Go out with friends, have a drink, relax by the pool… Not a single parent. They do not have that luxury. They have to worry about things like…hmm…another life. Again, unless you have experienced this, you have no idea what you are talking about.
Have you been to a welfare or WIC office? The place is a breeding ground for despair. There is no hope or salvation coming for these people. I can speak of this. When I got out of the military with a wife and child to attend college, there were some rough times, very rough. I did apply one month for food stamps. For me, that was all it took. I realized that I would not allow my family to go down that path. However, I also had my wife as a support network, was already enrolled in college, had been through a lot in my life that most people will never see or understand. I had the maturity and enough of a developed sense of motivation that I was able to rationally work myself out of that situation. Most teenage girls do not have these things.
However, maybe you were speaking of physical resources. In that case, how many 14-16 year old girls do you know that have reliable transportation? What about health coverage at work for themselves or their children (you probably think that child birth is cheap don’t you)? For that matter, how many can afford to feed themselves and provide day care?
So to respond directly to your statement, no, both do not have the same resources.
Were you responding to me? If so, then I have been through it and do know what I'm talking about.
"I am going to go out on a limb here and say that you probably do not have children. Why? Because if you did, I think that you would clearly realize how time consuming and difficult it is. "
I was a teenage single mother up until about two years ago. Yes, I've been through it all. I now have a stepdaughter in addition to my biological daughter. Yes, it's time consuming, but my kids would be no reason for me to not finish school.
"When you get tired, stressed, burnt out, or are just pissed off at the world, what do you do? Go out with friends, have a drink, relax by the pool… Not a single parent."
Well, I don't drink that often,and when I was single I did go out with friends and relax by the pool. There are a lot of ways to have kid-friendly fun with friends, and I have yet to see a pool with a "No Children" policy.
"Have you been to a welfare or WIC office? The place is a breeding ground for despair. There is no hope or salvation coming for these people. "
Actually, I have. I was on WIC for a year, and I can also tell you that there are programs that will provide parents with childcare so that they can attend school or work. There are programs to help people secure jobs and educations. There is hope for those that want to reach for it.
"I had the maturity and enough of a developed sense of motivation that I was able to rationally work myself out of that situation. Most teenage girls do not have these things."
Motivation is the key word here. Most people are not MOTIVATED enough to use the resources that they do have to reach their full potential. Maturity is something that comes with experience. I believe that nobody has the maturity required to be a good parent until they are put into the situation. Parental maturity is a totally different type of maturity than what is required to have a job, think, etc., and the only way to develop it is by having a child.
I made no reference to physical resources. All I am saying is that using children as an excuse to not finish school is not valid. There are resources in place in the form of assistance, etc. that can help any person to achieve an education with children. These resources are available to all parents that lack financial resources, regardless of their age.
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