40% of teens get pregnant each year... - Page 2

[jannan]

that figure seems very high

out of the 40% how many choose to abort?

[Andrea0408]

That's about right for our area

When I graduated high school, (1997) approximately 40 percent of our graduating class ALREADY HAD children. I can think of 6 girls (that we know of) that graduated pg, and about 10% of the girls who had a child in high school, had a second one, or were pg when we graduated. It's really tragic..although, I guess I was technically a "pregnant teen" for about 2 weeks before I turned 20!

The first girl in my class to get pg was in the summer between 7th and 8th grade. She had three children by the time we graduated. We even had a daycare on campus!

[lilyka]

When I had my first dd I was counted as a "teen mom" I was 21 and had been married for 2 years. Still pisses me off. They gradually lowered the age so it would look like teen pregnancy was going down thanks to sex ed and fre condoms.: I never trust teen pregnancy statistics. Also I hate scare tactics. especially outrageous ones. Kids aren't stupid. They can see right through them. When people go over the top the end up making kids blow off anything related. It drives me crazy.

[lorijds]

Brain, Child just had an AWESOME article on teen pregnancy. Finally a fact-filled, positive article! I am copying it and giving it to every teen mom that comes into our clinic.

It also gives a website (sorry, I don't have the mag in front of me) that I *think* is girlmom.com or gurlmom. com or something like that. It is supposed to be a POSITIVE and PRACTICAL resource for teen moms.

I don't buy that 40% of teen moms become pregnant every year. That cna't be right. I don't even think that 40% of sexually active teen moms become pregnant every year. That simply doesn't play out.

[Greaseball]

Girlmom is a great site; I'd recommend it to any pregnant or parenting teen. They have a discussion board and space to submit essays. A lot of people there are into natural birth and AP, and the whole site is very neutral as far as choices to make when pregnant unexpectedly.

[sunmountain]

Re: That's about right for our area

Originally posted by Andrea0408
It's really tragic..

a car wreck is tragic...a suicide is tragic...abuse is tragic...teen pregnancy is not tragic.

Until our culture learns to deal with this situation realistically and stops condemning these young women and starts assisting them in being good and responsible parents we will continue to see them as a "drain on our resources" instead of contributing members of society, they will be held back simply b/c our culture deems them less than deserving of what married/older mothers receive--respect and a chance to prove their worth as mothers.

I am sickened by the idea that there is something "wrong" with a teen who has children, it may not be an easy path, it may not even start off as a very responsible path, but condemning them is going to do a whole lot more harm than good.

It is our culture's attitude which must change, we must be proactive in showing these teens how to be good and effective parents, how to have a good birth experience, how to make a life for themselves, not sneering at them in a way which says to them "oh poor you" this only reinforces their own belief that they are worthless and things can't get any better.



just my $.02

edited for grammer :

[Quirky]

There's a great article in the current issue of Brain, Child magazine about teen pregnancy - unfortunately it's not on their website but I'm halfway through and it's really interesting. Here's the blurb:

http://brainchildmag.com/currentissue.htm

edited to say: didn't see lori's post when I posted about this!

[Greaseball]

I believe all children - no matter who they are born to - benefit society.

I believe all people, with support, can be good parents.

[lorijds]

Jane, you and I have the same thoughts...

Studies have shown that teen moms do no better or no worse than their socioeonomic counter parts. That is, teen mothers who are middle class finish high school and go to college at the same rates as their classmates who have, for one reason or another (mostly probably luck!) delayed child rearing.

The problem really is poverty. Most teen age moms (not all, of course) are poor. BUT, they have no worse outcomes (in terms of graduation, job outlook, lifetime income, and their children's long term behaviour -- whether they themselves will become teenage parents, or serve prison time) than poor teens who delay their childbearing.

The Brain, Child article was really fantastic. Some of the references (for those of you who have time for light, summer reading : I'm jealous):

"Dubious Conceptions" by Kristin Luker

"The Culture of Fear: Why Americans are Afraid of the Wrong Things" by Barry Glassner

And to be published in 2004: "You Don't Look Olde Enough to Be a Mother: Teen Moms on Love, Learning and Success" an anthology put out by Perigee/Penguin Putnam.

Really, this was the article (combined with an article several issues ago about a woman's daughter becoming infatuated with a woman in a missing poster after the world trade center collapse) that made me shell out the $150 to become a lifetime subscriber to the magazine. It is just too high quality of writing (though, like everything, I don't agree with it all) for me to pass up. This is one of the best articles I have ever read. Well written, well researched, new perspective, refreshing, as well as critical and introspective.

So, there is my plug for the magazine, as well as some thoughts on the issue!

[miriam]

DH and I were both born to teen moms.

My MIL was 17 and married when DH was born.

My mom was 20 and married when I was born.

Both of our moms were alcoholics.

We married each other when I was 22 and DH was 37. We had finished our education, built careers, bought a house, traveled and waited three years before conceiving #1.

We learned from others' mistakes.

But we have made our own mistakes that I hope our dear children will learn from.

Life is full of opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them.

Life goes on.

[Greaseball]

I think all the stuff that teen moms do that people disapprove of - like drop out of school or do drugs - adult moms do as well, but it's more accepted among them.

Like, if an adult woman drops out of college to raise a baby, people may say "Good for her, she's really got her priorities straight. Her kid won't have to be in daycare." But if a teen drops out of high school, she's just another pregnant teen dropout.

Or if a teen mother smokes pot, people might think "See, I was right, they all have drug problems." But if an adult mother does it, people say "Well, she's a mature woman, and she can make her own decisions."

[isismama]

Miriam

What makes you think that your mom and your mil's alcoholism had anything at all to do with being young moms? My bil is a recovering alcoholic and he sure wasn't a teen mom!

There are people who have situations similar to your and your dh's current life situation who are alcoholics and bad parents.

The only real detriment to being a teen mom in our society, IMO, is the often sexist stereotypes about teen moms and lack of societal support for all choices (young women are judged for both having the baby and having an abortion).

Teen moms deserve accurate, positive information, free, top-quality childcare, free healthcare including midwifery services, governmental financial support that gives a living income for women who decide to stay home with the baby/child, student grants for university and college, and people need to stop being so judgemental about young mamas. Teen mamas deserve respect.

Originally posted by miriam
DH and I were both born to teen moms.

My MIL was 17 and married when DH was born.

My mom was 20 and married when I was born.

Both of our moms were alcoholics.

We married each other when I was 22 and DH was 37. We had finished our education, built careers, bought a house, traveled and waited three years before conceiving #1.

We learned from others' mistakes.

But we have made our own mistakes that I hope our dear children will learn from.

Life is full of opportunities to make mistakes and learn from them.

Life goes on.