Pregnancy Boom at Local High School

[SaadBell 0]

Give these girls a newborn for a couple of nights, that would change minds fast. I remember when my daughter was a infant, they are very demanding and with two days without sleep, maybe the idea won't be so awsome.

[Sister Fracas 5]

I don't think there is any proper way to live your life. If you want to be a mother early then so be it. If you want to just work and not go to college then so be it. If you want to have 19 babies and just be a house wife then so be it. If you want to buy a house and have a career and wait till you're 29 to get married and start a family and finish college then so be it. To each their own. We don't have to all be the same.

I agree with that.

But what is wrong is to have a baby because you made a pact with your girl friends!

exactly! where is the pact of girlfriends going to be at 3 am when the baby has colic?

at home with their colicky baby...

[Ban Hammer 13,332]

Give these girls a newborn for a couple of nights, that would change minds fast. I remember when my daughter was a infant, they are very demanding and with two days without sleep, maybe the idea won't be so awsome.

[almaty 19]

terrible.

[Alex & Rachel 78]

I don't think there is any proper way to live your life. If you want to be a mother early then so be it. If you want to just work and not go to college then so be it. If you want to have 19 babies and just be a house wife then so be it. If you want to buy a house and have a career and wait till you're 29 to get married and start a family and finish college then so be it. To each their own. We don't have to all be the same.

I agree...to an extent. I do think people should bear some responsibility for their own decisions in life. Yes, accidents happen and I have no problem with giving aid to those who need it, but I do think we should be encouraging people to really consider the consequences. I have several friends who are already married and have children under the age of 25 but the difference is that they are all financially independent and emotionally mature. Heck, I would love to have been already married and have children, but as it is I'm putting that off for another couple of years because I'd rather not be a burden to others.

[SteveLaura 0]

I used to work in a care home for homeless young people. One of the young girls 'attempted' suicide. She received a lot of attention from the emergency services, from us staff, etc. Next week, a different girl did the same. Next week, another girl. An attention-seeking domino effect, if you like. Maybe something similar is happening here. Pregnancies and new babies are initially exciting. These girls don't feel they have anything else, and desire the spotlight to be turned on them.

[ruby_jade 0]

Give these girls a newborn for a couple of nights, that would change minds fast. I remember when my daughter was a infant, they are very demanding and with two days without sleep, maybe the idea won't be so awsome.

i agree!!

they may think that its easy to have a baby but its not... its a BIG responsibility!

[Saddle Bronc 124]

I don't think there is any proper way to live your life. If you want to be a mother early then so be it. If you want to just work and not go to college then so be it. If you want to have 19 babies and just be a house wife then so be it. If you want to buy a house and have a career and wait till you're 29 to get married and start a family and finish college then so be it. To each their own. We don't have to all be the same.

I agree with that.

But what is wrong is to have a baby because you made a pact with your girl friends!

exactly! where is the pact of girlfriends going to be at 3 am when the baby has colic?

at home with their colicky baby...

Oh, I think the pact will crack when the first pregnancy complication occurs.

[Peikko 1,575]

Lol, ok, I misread the bit about the father.

However, I still feel that the 'pact of motherhood' is indicative of failure. A failure to stimulate these girls into looking at what life is and what the choices are to make a good life for oneself.

Having children outside of a stable relationship is a harsh reality for anyone, let alone 16 year olds and while freedom of choice is a great thing and to be welcomed, freedom of choice without the best presentation of what those choices are becomes a burden to many people which is not in the best intersts of either themselves or the social network in which they find themselves - or not as the case may be.

There is an education and parenting failure if girls believe that to have children outside of a stable relationship or outside of their own ability to finance them is best way to a fulfilling life.

[Dr. Obvious 49]

I'm sure the real plan was to have grandma raise it.

[polarbear 0]

I don't think there is any proper way to live your life. If you want to be a mother early then so be it. If you want to just work and not go to college then so be it. If you want to have 19 babies and just be a house wife then so be it. If you want to buy a house and have a career and wait till you're 29 to get married and start a family and finish college then so be it. To each their own. We don't have to all be the same.

I'm all for personal choice as well. But these are just kids. I don't think they can fully understand the consequences of these choices yet. I think a large number of them will regret making these life decisions at such an early age.

Unfortunately, I know a woman at work who had a young planned pregnancy. She says now she is still happy she did it bc at 30 something he kids are almost on their own and she has the rest of her adult life to enjoy .... so she says.... but my mom waited until 30, had 5 kids, they are all on their own now, and she is still enjoying her adult life - so I guess it all comes down to personal life choices

[PlatyPius 5]

I'm sure the real plan was to have grandma raise it.

And the good citizens of their town to pay for it.

[Peikko 1,575]

The real problem is I don't think at 16 they are really thinking about any of the consequences, let alone who actually 'pays' for these choices in real terms. It may not be the tax payer either, the families of these kids are not necessarily poor or ready to abandon their kids.

[jundp 191]

Well, clearly making a pact at 16 to have babies with your friends isn't the wisest choice in life. And also clearly, the parents need to be more involved (parents of the girls). I think part of it is the fact that the girls feel hopeless and trapped in their small town with a struggling economy. If the fishing is lacking there (because of jobs going overseas) then perhaps the parents feel the same hopelessness as well and that's been pressed off on the kids. That's not an excuse, just a possible scenario. It's difficult to feel that you can go to university and become whatever you want when money is scarce and ambition has never been pressed upon you.

I had my son when I was 19. It was an "ooooops" situation. Yes, I am Catholic and an abortion was never an option for me (not because of my parents but because of my personal beliefs). But I come from a huge and very supportive family. My dad always told me I could do whatever I wanted. I never thought getting pregnant was the end. I put myself through college (though I did have to have state medical assistance for a few years and...GASP I also got WIC for a while) and then I put myself through graduate school. At one point I worked 3 jobs just to do it and then I relied on student loans so I could spend more time with my son and my studies. It was certainly hard, but for me there was never another choice. I wanted to be successful.

The difference is that I had the type of upbringing where my parents and siblings and those around me always looked at things in the manner of "ok, this sucks, but what needs to be done to make it better?" I don't know what my life would have been like if I was from a small fishing town surrounded by people who felt like there was nothing better to aspire to.....

ETA: I have been to Gloucester and it's amazingly beautiful but i was a tourist....I can't imagine living there full-time

Edited June 19, 2008 by jundp

[natty bumppo 297]

Give these girls a newborn for a couple of nights, that would change minds fast. I remember when my daughter was a infant, they are very demanding and with two days without sleep, maybe the idea won't be so awsome.

one infant is childs play ...

they should try two infants at 1:00am and 4:00am ... then they'll discover what zero sleep is all about.