Preface: This blog post is going to make your skin crawl. At least it should if you're halfway decent...
Read this article before continuing on with the blog: Teen Mom Shares Her Success Story
ARE YOU $@%@@~! KIDDING ME?!
This woman is sharing her struggles of growing up as a teenage mother. Fair enough.
However, she's capitalizing on this opportunity by publishing a book! We just drew national attention as a result of the Frayser High School teen pregnancy epidemic and this woman is capitalizing on it? I know the book probably isn't a spur-of-the-moment thing but the article and news story is.
Teenagers are struggling every day to find their place in the world. Everyone is telling them to practice abstinence and be safe and now we have a woman who feels the need to profit off of her success? I think it's wonderful that she was able to go back to school and earn TWO degrees. God Bless her but she is hardly the standard and completely an exception to the norm.
She says that she is aiming her book towards already pregnant teen mothers. That's fine but we can expect that that will not be the only audience that reads her book.
For the girls that are not already pregnant, I fear, this could seal the deal on their decision to have sex with their boyfriend or friend with benefits without protection.
It's foolish to glamorize the struggle but this is unfortunately the world we live in.
We should be highlighting the right paths for our children not the roads that will lead them most assuredly astray.
Exactly.. Even though teen mom and talk shows "try" and portray being a teen mom as hard and emotional. They also see the opportunity that is there for them. When they show this on tv it doesn't show the financial hardships on them and hardly represents the daily struggles they have. They show the relationship troubles and emotional ones. On these shows they also all have someone to live with and someone to watch their child. It doesn't show near enough what could very well actually happen if they were to get pregnant. People are too concerned with instant gratification. They see almost sadly an easy way out. It's almost as if they see it and just think hey. here is my opportunity to quit school and get taken care of.. ill always have someone there. We need to be showing kids what exciting and things that can make their life both meaningful and positive.
ReplyDeletepersonally i wish i could get pregnant now, you make it sound like a gold mine:D
ReplyDeletejk... that might have been to late ><
ReplyDeleteSo true. But it seems every time we turn the television on, there is something about teen pregnancy, that does not discourage young girls to get pregnant but encourage them that this is the way to go. 16&Pregnant may be the worst thing that has happened to television today. In my opinion it is one of those shows that says "get pregnant and be a TV star." Now people are writing books, which is not exactly helping the situation, but maybe the TV shows was some inspiration for that idea. Some People want to be famous by any means necessary.
ReplyDeleteWhat? How is she glamorizing pregnancy? Because she wants to write a book? I don't think exposure to the hardships of teen pregnancy is a bad thing, and I don't fault her for trying to capitalize on her experience. I mean, we are a capitalist driven country. And, if the women are smart enough to read the book, they're probably smart enough to realize that getting pregnant is not the best idea.
ReplyDeleteThe issues of our generation are being presented in a way that reach our generation.
(Teen Mom and 16& pregnant may not be the best portrayals of the teen pregnancy experience, but I certainly don't idealize any of those women.)
I think it's foolish to focus on "highlighting the right paths for our children," if it means neglecting exposure to the problematic issues.
A major way to fight this issue is through the education of both partners. More education (about methods of birth control, STDs and STIs) will surely help to curb this social issue.
Ignorance will not.