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Friday, July 11, 2008
CNN Posted this story about teenage pregnancy rates increasing for the first time since 1991.
Gee, I wonder why.
disclaimer: I had a long conversation with a friend today about my feelings on this subject. I'm not going to go all into it because I don't feel like it. I don't blame JLS solely for the rise in teen pregnancy, nor do I think she doesn't love her child. But that's not really the issue is it? What are your thoughts?
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5 comments:
*sigh*
it's sad :(
and makes me feel even better about my decision to home school really.
(there's a new topic for ya ;-) )
You know my thoughts! What concerns me is that it's not a true picture of teen pregnancy. Those women who are pregnant are not getting a true picture. They will see the picture-perfect story of a large house on an acreage in the country, decorated nursery, family and nannies close by. But it doesn't happen like that for most.
Beyond the monetary and emotional toll a baby can take, they also aren't looking into the future. I've been there with my 16-year-old pregnant friend, I saw how hard it was for her to watch the rest of us go off to college, live in dorms, travel the world, stay out all night, and live a carefree lifestyle.
Teenagers don't often consider what it will be like in 3, 5, 10 years from now when they've lost a very important part of their childhood.
I have no doubt Jamie Lynn loves her baby, that her family loves her baby, and I admire her for stepping back and doing the right thing. But when I saw her on the cover of the magazine in an interview 2 weeks after the baby was born talking about how great it was...my heart sank. It's so beyond the picture of reality, and I just hope the pregnant teenagers out there are able to decifer the real life from Hollywood.
Babies having babies - sometimes I wonder if babies when "caught" are the new "pets". Wonder what happens when that "pet" is no longer wanted (as in, requires work, money, energy, sacrifice). I don't care what age a person is, having a baby out of wedlock has become "cool" in American society - forward thinking and all that. Like same sex couples adopting, or same sex couples getting married. If the stigma is removed by society, it flourishes.
I noticed the other day in Target (no, I'm not on the Target diet!) that the baby cards were BEFORE the wedding cards. I joked that "in my day" the wedding cards came first, which we bought in two feet of snow, in an uphill shop to which we had to walk...
Society as a whole has lost its ability to blush. Morality messages are definitely mixed and some parents aren't helping that one at all.
I think she's part of the problem but I think the sensationalism of all Hollywood pregnancies by the paparazzi and magazines is also part of it. A few years ago it was little toy dogs now the "trend" in Hollywood is women having babies. Maybe the next trend will be cellulite--in that case I'm on board!
When I was growing up, my parents were tough. They were more concerned with being Parents than in being Friends. [for the record - we are Friends now, as adults]. They established consistent boundaries and expectations. There were places I couldn't go - people I couldn't hang with... etc. Perhaps most importantly, there were material consequences if I breached... As parents ourselves, my young bride and I strove to follow a simple plan i.e.
"Proverbs...
In the paths of the wicked lie thorns and snares, but he who guards his soul stays far from them.
Train [a] a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it."
Dance with the Devil and he'll step on more than your feet!
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