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| TEEN PREGNANCY |
| "Being a mother at 15 is hard. I have to prepare bottles all the time. I have to change my daughter's clothes four to five times a day. My friends and I aren't as close anymore." Having a baby is more than having someone to love you unconditionally. It is a huge responsibility that most teenagers cannot adequately deal with. Teen mothers often get stuck in poverty if their parents are reluctant or unwillin to help them. If you are a teenage mother, there is help available for you. Parenting classes, help groups for teen moms, and more are available in many communities. Please visit our list of links for more information. One of the most cited reasons that teens in poorer areas are having babies is a lack of positive role models. Many teens see other young mothers getting by without jobs and don't give it any more thought. Too often, young fathers do not remain in their children's lives, making it harder for the mother to get by. Single motherhood is not easy. You may be able to recieve certain monetary benefits depending on where you live. If you are pregnant or nursing, please make sure you keep yourself in top health. Avoid smoking, drinking, and drug use for the duration of your pregnancy and nursing period. Your child's health and well-being depends on YOUR health and well-being. "What troubles me is when another girl finds out that I have a daughter and she says, 'That is so neat!' A car is neat. An outfit is neat. A child is not. They take a lot of time and work. When you become a mom, you become responsible (physically, emotionally, financially) for a chid for the rest of your life. There are no weekends or vacations - the child will always be there. No matter how good your relationship was before the baby, the father most likely won't stick around. If I had been better informed, I never would have had sex, let alone a baby." "After the baby was born, I called the father and said, 'You have a son.' He said, 'No, I don't. YOU have a son.'" "I got pregnant a month before my 17th birthday. My son's father and I got married five months ago and we're already seperated. I'm living in an emergency shelter for teen moms and raising my son alone. My son will be a year old next week. In all of his life, his father has only taken care of him alone once. I have only gone out once without my son - the rest of the time he is with me. I only get four hours of sleep every night and I have no money because I'm trying to finish school. I love my son more than anything in the world, but this would have been much better if it had happened when I was 27, not 17." "You can say that it's not going to happen to you and keep on doing what you've been doing. Go ahead. I did that SAME thing." |