Teen pregnancies are up, but WHY?
The big news yesterday was that the U.S. teen pregnancy rate rose in 2006 for the first time in more than a decade, reversing a long slide.
According to Reuters: “The overall teen pregnancy rate was up 3 percent in 2006, with a 4 percent rise in the rate of births and a 1 percent rise in the rate of abortions, according to the report by the Guttmacher Institute.”
But the questions for today are: Why is the rate up? And what can parents do to stop their daughter from becoming a statistic?
There are many interesting theories floating around as to why the increase in teen pregnancy. Here is a sampling:
Larry Finer, Guttmacher’s director for domestic research, said in a telephone interview with Reuters: “We’re not quite sure yet whether this is just a blip or whether it’s the beginning of a longer upward trend. It’s interesting to note that this flattening out of the rate and the increase in the rate is happening at the same time that we’ve seen substantial increases in funding for abstinence-only programs.”
“We do know that when we saw the big decline in the ’90s, that a lot of that decline was due to improved contraceptive use among teens.”
From the U.S News and World Report:
” ‘This new study makes it crystal clear that abstinence-only sex education for teenagers does not work,’ Cecile Richards, president of Planned Parenthood, said in an E-mailed statement. ‘It should serve as a wake-up call to anyone who still believes that teenagers aren’t sexually active or that abstinence-only programs curb the rate of teen pregnancy.’ She’s happy that President Obama eliminated abstinence-only education funding and has instead set aside $100 million for comprehensive sex education programs to prevent teen pregnancies.”
However from the same story another quote:
“Valerie Huber of the National Abstinence Education Association told the Washington Post that she blamed the increase on ‘an oversexualized culture, lack of involved and positive role models, and the dominant message that teen sex is expected and without consequences.’ ” …
“But Heather Boonstra, Guttmacher’s senior public policy associate, tells me the reasons for the increase are probably complex and multifold. ‘We’ve been seeing declines in contraceptive use,’ she says, probably at least in part because of complacency about the HIV virus that fueled a rise in condom use among teens in the 1990s. She also says teen pregnancy seems to be more acceptable in many American towns and cities as teens flock to blockbuster movies like Juno (which positively portrays a pregnant teen) and see pregnant peers in their classes, something that was rare several decades ago.Decline in contraceptive use – people less afraid of AIDS – Also believe the pregnancies could be the result of domestic violence in dating relationships.”
Another possible reason: domestic abuse that results in pregnancy. One-third of teens say they’ve been in an abusive relationship at some point.
The second part to this equation is what do parents do now that the number is rising? How can you prevent you daughter from becoming pregnant?
My 8-year-old has recently become very interested in pregnancy outside of marriage, and I think we will be having the sex talk pretty soon. She’s not understanding why some women are married when they have kids (we were married for seven years, I think, before we had her) and others are not. (She caught a few scenes of MTV’s “Teen Mom” one night after I feel asleep and was very interested in that show. She also saw on TLC’s “Say Yes to the Dress” a woman trying on her wedding dress announcing she was pregnant. She’s very curious about how you control this.)
I actually think the “Teen Mom” series is a very good deterrent for teens. It shows just how much having that cute baby changes your world. You can’t go out. You’re You can’t finish your education. You’re stuck in many cases with the loser guy that knocked you up. I think it does a good job showing the harsh reality of life after that one night of passion.
I also found this other article in U.S. News and World Report talking about eight personality and behavioral traits that were associated with both abstinence and academic achievement.
Here’s the list from Bernadine Healy, M.D.:
“But maybe it’s more. The researchers identified eight personality and behavioral traits that were associated with both abstinence and academic achievement—traits that to some extent may be inborn but can also be taught and reinforced regularly at home and at school:
- Future orientation, with a focus on long-term goals
- Willingness to postpone current pleasures for larger future rewards
- Perseverance, as in the ability to stick to a task or commitment
- A belief that current behavior can positively affect the future
- Impulse control, including ability to control emotions and desires
- Resistance to peer influence
- Respect for parental and social values
- Sense of self-worth and personal dignity”
So what do you think: Why do you think the pregnancy rate has ticked up? What methods or teachings will help keep your daughter out of this situation?
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114 comments Add your comment
oneofeach4me
January 27th, 2010
3:40 pm
I agree with Heather Boonstra as far as it being a complex and multifold issue with one of the issues being condom use. My 16 yr old sister got pregnant by her boyfriend (whom she is still with), had a baby, quit school, re-entered school, graduated, as is now attending college. I am not condoning teen pregnancy by any means, I am just trying to point out that life for teen mother’s doesn’t end. If they want, they can continue on it just takes more initiative for them.
That said, I remember her telling me about the bracelets, sex parties, sexting, ect that went on in High School. I also know that LOTS of her friends have had STDs at age 15, some earlier, which is a sure sign that we have bigger problems than sex before marriage. And the “Teen Mom” show.. let me just tell you that most 16 year old’s glorify this show and don’t see the struggles. They see fame… I’m just sayin.
All we can do as parent’s is talk to our kids, teach them, show them, and be open to them so they trust us when it’s time to talk. If my daughter is having sex, I am not going to ignore it or sit around in disbelief. We are going to the OB and she is going on BC and will have her own condoms to carry around. Oh, and FYI whenever my 6 month old nephew is around, she is on baby duty as much as possible.
I too had sex before marriage and didn’t have my first child until I was 24. So the argument of “sex before marrigage” is NOT going to cure this as a whole. It’s gonna take alot more than that.
FCM
January 27th, 2010
3:42 pm
@ Connor — explain Jamie Lynn Spears…that was BEFORE the campaigning by Palin
New Stepmom
January 27th, 2010
3:43 pm
MJG, you hit the nail on the head!!!!! THe helicopter parenting that occurs today is astonishing and it is leading to disaster. I have a close friend who is a PhD psychologist that works on a large college campus. Her job is to counsel freshman who are failing, but were extrememly successful in high school. She says most of them that are failing are doing so because of lack of life skills, not lack of intellect. They have never failed before and when they make their first “F” in college they completely shut down and have no coping skills to pick themselves up and get on the right track.
My husband and I have read and re-read the following article that was in TIME magazine: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1940395,00.html
He leaned toward helicopter parenting when we married and his ex-wife personifies the term. Seeing himself in this article and the results they were speaking of has set him down a new path and although it kills us to let failure occur, it is helping my step-daughter tremendously. This is a great read for any new parent or new step parent and I think has great insight into this topic.
nurse&mother
January 27th, 2010
3:49 pm
I agree with Dave, don’t lock up the condoms. I hear it’s because they are often stolen.
jd
January 27th, 2010
3:51 pm
And Tiger, it didn’t bother me nearly as bad with my son as it did with daughter. Just something about your little girls that you don’t want to change. If my memory is correct, my son was 16 when his dad caught him with the 18 year old babysitter (for his little sis). Although I was extremely pizzed at both of them and called her mother right away, my feelings just weren’t stung as bad as they are now.
Julia
January 27th, 2010
3:53 pm
Dar, hey you.
FCM – how are you doing.
MGJ – hope you had a good weekend.
Young girls with the wedding bands on. I bet several of them do wear them just do people do not think what they come across as…..
motherjanegoose
January 27th, 2010
3:54 pm
@ newstepmom…or they might be failing because Momma and Daddy are not there organizing their notes or helping them study for their college tests.
I said it last week, both of mine got into UGA ‘early action’ and they filled out the applications all by themselves. I did not even LOOK at them, so I have no idea what they put on the application.
My son is in Pharmacy school and my daughter will be a freshman next year, we will see how that goes.
They are by no means perfect kids but I have been forthright with them and allowed them to suffer the consequences when they messed things up for themselves. Sometimes they had to learn a hard lesson for themselves.
Julia
January 27th, 2010
3:55 pm
Conner it does seem to me that only a democratic president was behind sex with a cigar… JUST sayin!
New Stepmom
January 27th, 2010
3:58 pm
MJG, that was her main point, no life skills because mom and dad have done it all. My step daughter did not let us know anything about ordering girl scout cookies this year. We rec’d a note from the cookie mom the night orders were due asking us if we were placing an order. My husband made the decision to order no cookies because his daughter did not ask us about it and it was her responsibility. It stinks to do that because we wanted cookies and it would have helped her troup, but he decided it was a lesson learner and hopefully would lead to more responsibility and accountability in the future.
I am so glad to hear your stories about letting your kids do things themselves. It helps me to hear about the successful result!
motherjanegoose
January 27th, 2010
4:00 pm
@ Julia….2 1/2 hours on the tarmac, IN a plane, DFW . Then 3 hours back in the terminal and back on the plane to fly home to Atlanta and then spend 30 minutes waiting in the plane here as there were no open gates.
The airport here was closed due to the tornado. Back to Houston this week and I DO NOT want to repeat that adventure…..LOL.
Tiger needs me on his PR team
January 27th, 2010
4:00 pm
@jd….I feel for you! For what it’s worth, it sounds like you did a really good job. Just from the little I read I think you can trust that your daughter took all of your advice to heart and made a very reasoned and thought out decision. In any other walk of life, we’d admire that quality in our kids. Don’t let the sex part of this equation cloud your vision of that.
Dar
January 27th, 2010
4:02 pm
Hi, Julia. Hope you are well. Just FYI – I haven’t looked at my son’s online grades since the new marking period started. You have certainly done well to encourage me to back off a little bit.
I am torn about the sale of condoms. I agree that they should not be locked up or require that you get someone to retrieve them from behind a counter, but I do think that a little bit of embarrassment when buying them is a good thing and perhaps being able to get through that is a sign that the young man is maturing.
Julia
January 27th, 2010
4:04 pm
MJG, you poor thing. No that is not an adventure I would want at all…
JATL
January 27th, 2010
4:05 pm
@MJG -why buy the whole pig when all you wanted was a little sausage? YES -you’re out of touch on this subject! I’m 40 and I saw the last vestiges of the double standard fade during my high school years. Quite honestly “are parents today perfectly fine with their sons marrying a women who has been tried on by others for 8 or so years ( say 17-25).” is DEEPLY offensive to women and girls. “Tried on”? REALLY? That’s a disturbing and disgusting analogy. I hope both of my boys will live with their future wives before marriage. I lived with my husband prior to marriage and always said I would NEVER marry without living together first. After all -for another analogy -I’m not buying a car without test-driving it (although it’s a lot easier and less painful to get rid of a car you don’t like). I will agree with you that it doesn’t need to be so easy for teen PARENTS to have babies and continue to have babies.
Parents MUST talk, talk, talk to their teens and EDUCATE!!!! Our public schools need to tell the abstinence crowd it’s NOT working and provide detailed appropriate sex ed BEFORE puberty starts as well as condoms. If people don’t like it, they can home school or send their kids to a Christian private school. Of course it all goes back to instilling your values AT HOME and letting the school teach basic information. People keep getting sex ed and morality all screwed up -sex ed doesn’t mean anyone is doing anything immoral -it’s just the facts about sex! Does anyone really think kids who want to have sex aren’t going to? Do you think availability of condoms at schools will make kids who have decided to wait go ahead? NO, but it may prevent a few pregnancies and some STDs! And parents, when I say talk, I mean educate and give all sides. Don’t just tell your kids to keep their legs closed and zippers zipped -it doesn’t work a lot of the time!
motherjanegoose
January 27th, 2010
4:10 pm
Oh wow jd:
“If my memory is correct, my son was 16 when his dad caught him with the 18 year old babysitter (for his little sis).”
Was that WHILE you were paying her to watch your daughter ? I CANNOT fathom it.
@newstepmom…glad you like my “sidewalk stories”. I have listened intently to others who had children, to be admired, and now I can share a few stories myself.
NOT ALL of my stories have a happy ending….trust me on this one. You do the best you can and try to listen to others who have “been there…done that…” with good results.
No one has answered the question in my 3:02 post.
Tiger. are you o.k. with your son marrying a girl who has been tried on by guys for 8 years?
My son is almost 23 and I would not be too thrilled but I am old fashioned.
Julia
January 27th, 2010
4:17 pm
MJG I do have ? for you… if your son was 16 – why was he not just watching his sister for you? :)…
I will not be asking the question how many boys have your gf slept with. As much as I can see this from an STD stand point, that just like getting knocked up only takes once.
motherjanegoose
January 27th, 2010
4:18 pm
O.K….there you go new stepmom…I am way out of touch it seems….LOL. Perhaps you will want to consider this in regards to any future advice or tales I tell.
I will take the cue and will leave it to the many experts today, who have kids under 14!
I was just going with the term Tiger used. I do not believe I was the one who initiated the term.
Have fun all!
motherjanegoose
January 27th, 2010
4:20 pm
@ Julia…this is what JD said in her 3:51 post about HER son….see for yourself.
You are correct, my son would have been watching his sister…if he were home, and not visiting with a babysitter I paid for…to be sure…
Julia
January 27th, 2010
4:22 pm
Dar I dont know what county you are in.. but in cherokee they do not update them like they should so it may look like the kid has not turned it in or just got a zero on it.. This happened to us last year and I really about had a stroke every day.. it was all I could do to not choke the child :)…
Today is his 14th birthday and the kid has been sick as a dog all week. Dr said it was viral so no meds… He does feel better finally :)
Tiger needs me on his PR team
January 27th, 2010
4:23 pm
@MJG….yeah, I’m ok with it. I think there is a lot of discovery that happens in youth, not the least of which is sexual discovery. And I’m not going to apply a negative judgement to the woman who loves my son and who my son loves back for being sexually active (aka tried on) since she was a young adult. I’m under no illusions that my son will be a virgin when he gets married. If he ends up being the kind, nice, warm hearted young man that he is exhibiting himself to be as an almost 6 year old, then I would think there was something wrong with her for holding his sexual past against him. So to hold that against her would make me pretty big hypocrite. What I care about when it comes to sex and his relationship is that they are both honest with each other and accepting of each other and their pasts. If they can’t do that…then it’s a problem for THEM and I would have reservations. But if what they want to know about each other is all out on the table and they have HALF the feelings that I have for my son’s mom….then I’m happy for them and support them unconditionally.
Julia
January 27th, 2010
4:25 pm
my blond today must be working over time… I saw that and it confused me but today everything confuses me :).. that is why I asked.. why was he not watching her, it could have saved you money and his virginity :).
Tiger needs me on his PR team
January 27th, 2010
4:28 pm
@mjg….quick question….just how are you going to know the nature of your sons future brides sexual activity?
No Way
January 27th, 2010
4:33 pm
I believe “talking” to kids won’t do anything. Show me a 15 year’s old who does not know that having sex can result in pregnancy? Everyone knows about BC pills and prevention methods – tvs run ads every day.
I think statistics are higher because kids know that parents will do anything for them. It is a “custom me” and “fun” generation with little responsibility and respect to others and themselves. My friend’s neighbor’s daughter got pregnant at 15, so her mom adopted the child. Currently girl is 17 and partying, while her mother is raising little one because she thinks that life for her daughter must be “fun”. WTF? Parents are way too easy on the kids now days.
All my mother did is looked at me and said: if you get pregnant it means you made a decision to be self sufficient adult and support others. It means you are ready to move out of the house and be on your own. Boy did I think about it many times and I KNEW this is what is waiting for me if I choose to go that route.
Tiger needs me on his PR team
January 27th, 2010
4:35 pm
@mjg….I have another question for you MJG…..are you going to be disappointed if your son doesn’t marry a virgin?
Julia
January 27th, 2010
4:36 pm
I am 44 years old and a very good friend of mine got pregnant TWICE in high school. Now she has 3 girls with probably 10 grand kids. All of her girls got pregnant in their teens. I would hoped that she would have taught her girls how hard life was for her but no… Sometimes the apple does not fall from the tree… She is now raising all her grand kids too.
Dar
January 27th, 2010
4:42 pm
I would prefer that my son not get married too young, but rather that he wait until after college and he has at least a toe-hold in his chosen career. For that reason, I suspect that the woman he chooses will not be a virgin. Do I want him to date the girl who has slept with the entire HS football team? Um, no, but it is the lack of good judgment and not the fact that she is sexually active that would turn me off on that one.
Julia
January 27th, 2010
4:44 pm
LOL Dar – there is one of those in every high school :)
Tiger needs me on his PR team
January 27th, 2010
4:45 pm
@ALL BLOGGERS….quick straw poll…who among us was a virgin when they got married?
I’m giving odds that we don’t exceed five.
No Way
January 27th, 2010
4:52 pm
Ok Tiger – i am in the not a virgin pile.
Tiger needs me on his PR team
January 27th, 2010
4:56 pm
@Dar and Julia…here’s the rub on that scenario. Bad judgement and learning from those experiences is a critical factor to youth. Let’s take sex out of the question…Oprah admitted to using crack in her early 20’s. Andre Agassi used meth. I’m sure we all know someone who is generally a good person who was popped for a DUI, which is really a serious act of bad judgement with such far reaching, devastating consequences. And most of, but for the Grace of God, committed the crime but never got caught. There are so many worse things done by really good people in our lives who we have given a second chance to unconditionally. But the minute the offensive act is a sexual one, where no crime was committed and we apply our moral and spiritual judgement to, that person becomes someone not worthy of the love of a relative of ours. Really, I can’t imagine thinking to myself,
“I really think this girl is nice and a good person, and she really seems to make my son happy and he seems so in love, but she got a few DUI’s in high school almost a decade ago, and even though she seems to have learned her lesson and straightend out since, I still don’t think he shouldn’t marry her.”
Yet there are so many here who wouldn’t think that with the DUI scenario, but replace “got a few DUI’s” with “was pretty sexually active” and it’s a deal breaker.
Where is the compassion?
Dar
January 27th, 2010
4:57 pm
Well, not the first time, Tiger….and definitely not the second time. And I am currently living in sin with the one who will be the third if I will just give in to his begging, so I guess I am one of those girls who has been tried on a few too many times. :)
Dar
January 27th, 2010
5:01 pm
Mine is the reverse, Tiger. I am a pretty forgiving person when it comes to youthful indiscretion, but I would forgive the girl who slept with the football team before I would forgive the one who drove drunk (whether she got caught or not). I did some things as a kid too, and I think some of them were probably illegal, but I never did anything that risked anyone’s life except my own. The girl who sleeps with the team likely has some pretty severe emotional issues — the one who drives drunk is just a selfish entitled brat.
Uconn
January 27th, 2010
5:03 pm
Hmmm…. Since my mom doesn’t read this, I will NOT be a virgin when I get married in 30 days (shameless “me” plug) considering we live together… As for the cow and milk for free… Go to a bar at closing… It is a dairy aisle …
Really
January 27th, 2010
5:05 pm
I am not in the virgin pile…better yet, how old were you when you lost your virginity?? 18 here (was with him for three years before “doing it”), got married at 30 (not to him).
Tiger needs me on his PR team
January 27th, 2010
5:07 pm
Wow…5 may have been an optimistic guess.
Really
January 27th, 2010
5:10 pm
congrats Uconn! I think living together is a must before marriage…
Uconn
January 27th, 2010
5:13 pm
@really .. Thanks! I am so EXCITED to get married to my fiance … Living together does help because there were things he did (and I am sure I got on his nerves) that I had to decide if I could live with that.. And turns out, I can and he can live with my quirks… better to find out before marriage and kids!
Tiger needs me on his PR team
January 27th, 2010
5:25 pm
@UCONN…congrats and thanks for the dairy ailse chuckle. Having been there done that in the living together scenario prior to my 15 year (and running) marriage…trust me…there is PLENTY of stuff you guys will still learn about each other!!!
FCM
January 27th, 2010
5:29 pm
My friend’s neighbor’s daughter got pregnant at 15, so her mom adopted the child. Currently girl is 17 and partying, while her mother is raising little one because she thinks that life for her daughter must be “fun” I had a SIL who had a baby at 19. Her mother took care of the boy while SIL went out with her friends and stuff. He spent all his summers with Grandma, most of his days, in fact the Grandparents got guardianship of the child. I absolutely agree with you WTH????????? I guess I should not have been surprised that their son (whom I married) had a similar attitude of responsibilty toward our children huh?
I will say SIL is reaping heaps of what she sowed. She and her husband (not the father) had full custody of the child even as a toddler but he still spent tons of time, weekends, summers, etc with Grandma. The parents started to try and impose rules on him and so forth about the time he was 13 (he’s an adult now) and shocking his family (but not me) he rebelled like crazy!!!!! Half the time they don’t know what he is up too.
FCM
January 27th, 2010
5:30 pm
oh and neither of us was virgins when we married. both were in 30s when we had kids.
Tiger needs me on his PR team
January 27th, 2010
5:31 pm
my gosh…just a bunch of sinner sinner sinners in this blog! ;-) No wonder I love it here!
No Way
January 27th, 2010
5:39 pm
FCM – i think this is exactly why we have more increases in teen’s pregancy. Teen sex and preganancy is becoming a norm and parents just acepting it as “one more thing to deal with”. Kids KNOW that mommy or daddy with find the solution and will take care of everything just because “they are our children”.
deidre_NC
January 27th, 2010
6:20 pm
both of my younger kids had the keep the baby for the weekend thing…its a fake baby that registers when it cries-how long it takes you to make it stop crying..you have to feed it…change it etc….it doesnt work because the parents take care of it..i made mine take care of theirs…i didnt babysit it ..they had to take it everywhere and do everything…one of my dauighters friends brother shook hers and it had brain damage and she got a 0 on the project..so no its a joke really…most of the kids-nor the parents take it seriously….
catlady
January 27th, 2010
6:31 pm
Why? Lack of parental involvement and supervision, first and foremost. FEw girls get pregnant from sex with their parent in the room.
Cultural/family acceptance of pregnancy.
Lack of shame placed on teenaged pregnancy.
In addition, the list cited is good.
Lack of information is low on the list, IMHO.
FCM
January 27th, 2010
8:10 pm
@ No Way I agree with you. Yes my kids spend a good bit of time with their grandparents. They also spend a great deal of time with me. I am raising my “babies” and pray I do it right.
DB
January 27th, 2010
11:44 pm
I find it absolutely astonishing that out of one side of the mouth, people can prattle on about “talking to their kids” and “taking responsibility”, and yet, on the other side, say they see nothing wrong with living with someone before marriage — and not only don’t see anything wrong with it, but would actively encourage it.
Living with a man or a woman before marriage is NOT what I want for my daughter or son. Living together is a whole different dynamic than getting to know someone and then committing to build a life together. People are often too selfish and self-centered for many of these “living together” arrangements to work out into long-term relationships/marriage — it’s too easy to live with someone and get annoyed by the slightest thing — and NOT try to work it out, because, hey, there’s no commitment. When a woman agrees to live with a man, it’s usually because, in her mind, the next step is obviously marriage. When a man agrees to live with a woman, in his mind, he’s usually trying to find a reason NOT to marry. How many times have you seen the couple “living together” for several years that peters out because it becomes obvious that he doesn’t WANT to get married? There is no incentive to make a marriage work.
As I told my kids, I didn’t see why any woman would agree to live with a man without benefit of marriage, because in such relationships, the woman ends up with all the responsibilities of marriage, but none of the protections or benefits. And, heck, same for men, but let’s face it, the men don’t get pregnant.
I realize this is hopelessly old fashioned. As I have discussed with my kids, they should think long and hard about having sex with someone until they are absolutely sure of several things: 1) that they are physically, emotionally and financially able to care for a baby on their own, and 2) that they know the person they choose to have sex so well that they won’t look back on it and think, “What the hell was I thinking?”, and 3) the person who you choose to have sex with is someone you wouldn’t be embarrassed to introduce to your parents.
Blah — rant over. I know this position will not be popular and will be sneered at. But it IS a strong dose of setting expectations, combined with open discussion and making sure that they, as young adults, realize how their actions have consequences.
One day, a few years ago, I was getting some guff from my son over his driving. I had taken his license for a month, because I had caught him exceeding the speed limit. He assured me, with all the cockiness of a then-17-year-old, that “nothing was going to happen to HIM.” At that point, I added another month to his penalty, and I pointed out that he had NO CONTROL over the actions of other people. He might be in a wreck or lose control of the car, and he might survive, but the one thing he did NOT want to live with was the guilt of killing another human being. Or perhaps he’d rather survive as a quadraplegic, in a motorized wheelchair for the rest of his shortened life — put it this way, would he rather RUN in the Peachtree Road Race? Or would he rather be one of the patients wheeled out to the street from Shepherd Spinal Center to simply watch?
ACTIONS HAVE CONSEQUENCES. I don’t know how many times I have repeated that mantra. I’ll probably be muttering it on my death-bed.
Teen pregnancies are up, but WHY? | A Blog for Busy Moms - MOMania Male Me
January 28th, 2010
12:04 am
[...] the original here: Teen pregnancies are up, but WHY? | A Blog for Busy Moms – MOMania tags: 12-year-police, allegedly-grabbing, been-parents, bottom-line, fcm, from-the-lgbt, [...]
mail order condoms
January 28th, 2010
12:10 am
http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3907.m38.l1313&_nkw=condoms&_sacat=See-All-Categories
Dixie Darling
January 28th, 2010
2:51 am
Not only do kids (both boys as well as girls) need to see what “real life” would be for them if they make a baby, but they need to realize that their lives as kids are OVER and now they have to learn the responsibility that comes with making babies – not just the “how cute” the baby is but the whole bit of dirty diapers, crying and screaming babies, throw-ups all over you, the nasty smells when you don’t bathe the baby, trying to pay for diapers and baby food and clothes and forgetting your own self while you tend to baby. Boys have just as much responsibility in taking care of the baby he helped make. I just hope the girl knows which boy made the baby — oh yeah — they have DNA tests now so the boy cannot escape — now he has to find money somehow because he has to pay for supporting the baby as well as help care for it.
Reality — reality — reality! That is what might possibly make some girls and boys think twice before they f–k! It ain’t like the movies or tv shows or what they hear from kids that have done “it” — they need to THINK about “it” and the consequences. It is not like playing “doctor and nurse” or playing “house” — having SEX is real time and Big Time and you NEVER return to being “innocent” again — no matter what your age! Ask anyone of those kids who are now mommies and daddies!
ScienceTeacher671
January 28th, 2010
6:09 am
If you don’t work with the teens who tend to get pregnant, you’d be surprised at how few teen pregnancies are “accidents”. Teens PLAN their pregnancies for a variety of reasons – they want a baby to play with and love, they think it will get them attention, they think it’s a good way to keep their boyfriend, etc. Sex education is NOT the answer.
To change the teen pregnancy rate, the culture will have to change and teen pregnancy will have to be seen as less acceptable, and perhaps more stigmatized.