Teenage girls made pact to get pregnant together

[Christine]

okay I have to weigh in here...I teach in public high school and have taught at a few schools in various environments, 1 rural school, one urban school and now the school I am at is the most diverse place I have ever taught at...and let me tell you being the pregnant teacher I had plenty of teen age girls walking around looking just as pregnant as I did. It was odd to be planning for my child as there were students doing the same. I didn't have any students this year who were pregnant at least none that kept their pregnancies. I have had a few in the past though and most of them were very happy to have children and seemed to have no idea what they were really doing, none of them really seemed to understand that they did not have normal teenage lives and would never be able to have a normal life. College, work, marriage everything will be different from them.

My students have to write public policy papers every year and one of the topics is condom distribution in schools and typically all the students are for it but also most of the kids who choose this topic also begin to realize we need more education about not just STD's, HIV/AIDS, but also about teen pregnancy.

I really hope the abstinence only education that the Bush Admin is currently pushing (and will only give schools money if they follow this plan) goes out the window on 1/20/09 because we are not helping our teens with that kind of blindness towards the problem.

I also think that boys need to be educated about taking a bigger role in protection and if necessary help to raise the baby, too many of them seem to get out of it (not all, but many)

[DreamsComeTrue]

This is just so sad. I grew up in a very small rural town and in my entire time in high school we had one pregnant girl. Now that my little brother goes to HS, he tells me stories of at least 10 girls having babies right now and all the girls talking about babies like their dolls. Their treating them like status symbols. Its so sad.

[Agape Gems]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christine okay I have to weigh in here...I teach in public high school and have taught at a few schools in various environments, 1 rural school, one urban school and now the school I am at is the most diverse place I have ever taught at...and let me tell you being the pregnant teacher I had plenty of teen age girls walking around looking just as pregnant as I did. It was odd to be planning for my child as there were students doing the same. I didn't have any students this year who were pregnant at least none that kept their pregnancies. I have had a few in the past though and most of them were very happy to have children and seemed to have no idea what they were really doing, none of them really seemed to understand that they did not have normal teenage lives and would never be able to have a normal life. College, work, marriage everything will be different from them. My students have to write public policy papers every year and one of the topics is condom distribution in schools and typically all the students are for it but also most of the kids who choose this topic also begin to realize we need more education about not just STD's, HIV/AIDS, but also about teen pregnancy. I really hope the abstinence only education that the Bush Admin is currently pushing (and will only give schools money if they follow this plan) goes out the window on 1/20/09 because we are not helping our teens with that kind of blindness towards the problem. I also think that boys need to be educated about taking a bigger role in protection and if necessary help to raise the baby, too many of them seem to get out of it (not all, but many)

I happen to be an abstinence educator and work for a non-profit that promotes the "abstinence only" message and I can tell you that we do not teach abstinence only. That term was developed by the people who think that we should be demonstrating how to put condoms on bananas and telling kids how to engage in foreplay. We teach that abstinence is the best choice for your health and your future, but we also talk A LOT about the consequences of teen sex- STDS, pregnancy, and the emotional consequences- as well as the types of contraceptives available and they will and won't protect you. And the won't more often than they will. Condoms protect against very few STDs- herpes and HPV especially. And too many teens contract STDs but never have symptoms and end up not being able to have children later due to the internal damage that is done over the years. I could go on and on, but I truly believe that the major issue with today's youth is lack of direction. The only role models they have are on BET or showing their goodies to the paparazzi. When I ask teens about marriage most of them do not see that as a goal for their future b/c they don't believe in fairy tale. So having a baby is just a symptom of a much bigger systemic problem. OK, i'm off my box. You may now go back to your regularly scheduled program.

[Christine]

I actually taught peer health education in college so I know exactly what you are talking about, I am just saying in the general public school students are not taught what they need to know, nor are they taught early enough.

[Agape Gems]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Christine I actually taught peer health education in college so I know exactly what you are talking about, I am just saying in the general public school students are not taught what they need to know, nor are they taught early enough.

Being in the schools, I know that you know there is only so much that can be taught in the classroom! At some point the parents have to do their part and teach some character at home!!! It's just really sad.....

[Christine]

oh yes parents need to teach more, but either way I feel like there is a huge lack of education in this country about protection, abstinence and anything related to sexual health. Its really sad and I think that this story of these teenage girls shows that

[MikkiStreak]

First, let me say, that I totally agree that these girls have no clue what they are in for. They THINK they know, but the reality is so different from what they originally wanted.

 

THUMBS DOWN to those parents for protesting about birth control distribution at school. Just because it's available as a resource doesn't mean the kids are going to jump in and get them unless they already have wanted to. I just don't get parents like this. Just because you take away a viable resource doesn't mean it prevents these kids from having sex anyways! And what really chaps my ass about this kind of mentality, is that they protest about how it invades their rights as parents; but what about the rights of the parents who would WANT resources like this available to their kids and now can't have it! It's like the aethist/christian arguments: don't force your God on me, but by taking God away, it invades the other religions right to practice their beliefs---- NO ONE WINS with this kind of attitude!!!

 

BRAVO to that school for providing resources to these girls who are trying to raise their children! There is a really sad mentality in the US (and I'm sure in other countries too) that goes something like this: you don't do what I think you should do, so I'm going to punish you by not helping! How fucked up is that? Let's see... so you screwed up... you PLANNED your screwup.... and when you realize it and need some help to try and do the best you can for your kid.... you have no help because that's the PUNISHMENT of not doing what the world thinks you should do. These kids made a piss-poor decision, yes. But the reality is that to get ANY job these days when you're older than 18, is to have a high school diploma. So, I think it's awesome that this school is trying to help these kids by providing a daycare so the girls can finish their education and have somewhat of a chance of getting a job after they graduate.

 

In my opinion, we need MORE resources available to help these kids be the kind of parents they should be. But the reality is, when all avenues are shut off to these kids as "consequences" for their actions, the only thing that happens is the continuity of bad parenting and raising children who become bad adults.

 

 

 

And I totally back Christine on the Bush educational policies... I hope they get chucked out the window the moment that douchebag leaves office.

[EricaG]

I really feel for these girls and hope that they get more support from their families than they obviously have been. These girls are going to realise all to quick that having a baby is a lot more work than they envisioned. I hadmy daughter (who was an oops!) during my last year of nursing school. I was ready to have kids, and wanted them, but wanted to wait until I was done school and had settled in a job before planning. When I had her, I had my 10 week preceptorship left to do before being done school. I went back to do it 4 1/2 weeks after having my daughter by c-section, as we still didn't really know any different. I finished my preceptorship on May 20-21 at midnight and started a full time position in my home town on May 23. I didn't really get a break, I was tired, exhausted and totally overwhelmed, but we had a lot of support from our families.

 

As much as I hate to admit this, if all these girls have babies together and stay friends while raising them, they may not really realize the life that they are missing out on. I say this because, they won't be sitting at home while all their friends are getting ready to go out to the club, or and raod trips and so on. All their girlfriends will be sitting at home as well, or they will have play dates together. This is still a really sad reality, and they should have taken the chance to have their teens to be teens....not moms!!!!

[EricaG]

I really feel for these girls and hope that they get more support from their families than they obviously have been. These girls are going to realise all to quick that having a baby is a lot more work than they envisioned. I hadmy daughter (who was an oops!) during my last year of nursing school. I was ready to have kids, and wanted them, but wanted to wait until I was done school and had settled in a job before planning. When I had her, I had my 10 week preceptorship left to do before being done school. I went back to do it 4 1/2 weeks after having my daughter by c-section, as we still didn't really know any different. I finished my preceptorship on May 20-21 at midnight and started a full time position in my home town on May 23. I didn't really get a break, I was tired, exhausted and totally overwhelmed, but we had a lot of support from our families.

 

As much as I hate to admit this, if all these girls have babies together and stay friends while raising them, they may not really realize the life that they are missing out on. I say this because, they won't be sitting at home while all their friends are getting ready to go out to the club, or and raod trips and so on. All their girlfriends will be sitting at home as well, or they will have play dates together. This is still a really sad reality, and they should have taken the chance to have their teens to be teens....not moms!!!!

[Jenn3878]

this is incredible. do these girls think they are playing house? They treat it like a game for the BFF club??