"You actually have to change girls' opportunities and their outlook on life. You have to give them an alternative track, a reason to take different opportunities. It actually calls for much bigger and larger social and policy interventions
Give them a reason to want to wait to start their lives with kids.
having a baby as a teen was a symptom of poverty,
I never thought of it this way until I started researching this topic further, and this is the only site that flat out states it.
have a baby while you're a teen, and you're doomed to a life of poverty
This is a very common way of thinking in our society nowadays
very special bond
Seeing that the young mother won't be that far from her teen years once her child has reached them she will be more understanding towards what they go through.
it is certainly not the end of the world either
I completely agree with this statement, being a parent at a young age does not mean your life is over.
But some teens and young adults become parents and their life begins anew.
Not all teen parents are irresponsible, immature, or selfish
he struggles of being pregnant as well as having to manage school and babies and everything else that goes on in life at a young age.
Just because being a teen mom does not mean it is the end of the road, does not mean there won't be hardships or struggles along the way.
Teen parents should find the strength for their children and push themselves further to succeed in life. It’s not the end of the road.
Have strength.
It was disappointing, because I worked so hard my entire life with my education to be the best student I could possibly be, and then all of sudden people thought I wasn’t going to go to college or graduate … or do anything with my life.
Having a child at a young age does not mean you won't make something of yourself, it does not mean you can no longer further your education.
Growing up with a single mom, or even single dad, does not mean you are guaranteed to have a bad life or that you'll become a teen mom. For Gaby, it was a motivation to watch her mom do so much for her and her siblings.
A lot of rumors were just that I was irresponsible. No college...it was bound to happen. I knew she would get pregnant. Doesn't she know she just ruined her life," she said.
Many people are quick to judge, teen moms especially are judged. People say that they "knew" it would happen, when in reality, they had no clue or even right to assume such a thing. They just expect all teen girls engaging in sexual activity or even just dating to become pregnant.
problems of deprivation relate more to the background of the woman than to the age at which she starts childbearin
The age of pregnancy is not to blame
having been a teenage mother did not mean that their life and future were all over
I agree with this, it does not have to mean life is over, or your goals have stopped, you just have more responsibilities now
The women expressed positive attitudes to being mothers and described how it had affected their lives. For some, motherhood had been the impetus to change direction and consider a career, because they had someone else for whom they were responsible. They recognised that they were still young enough to enter further education or other aspects of employment as their children grew up.
Children are a great motivation for young mothers
Age at which pregnancy occurs seems to have little effect on future social outcomes (like employment and income in later life), or on current levels of disadvantage for either parents or their children.
Teen pregnancy is not to blame.
eenage parents, he went on, were linked to other social ‘problems’ such as youth crime and drug addiction, criticising ‘ineffective remedial policies, whether they take the form of more prisons, drug rehabilitation or supporting longer and more costly lifetimes on benefits’ (The Sunday Times, 15th February 2009).
There has been no real proof of this, only that this occurs because of a disadvantage socially and economically, not due to teen pregnancy
You only have to take a look at their parents to see where it all went wrong. Imagine everyone’s surprise that Chantelle’s parents live on benefits and, despite her dad being jobless, have six children. Alfie, meanwhile, is the son of a single mother and a father who’s fathered no fewer than nine children ... a world of broken homes and benefits, where irresponsibility and fecklessness reign supreme
This blurb is a stereotype, that all teen pregnancies result form families who are living off the government, when in reality there are a fair amount of girls who become pregnant as teens who's families are easily classified as "well-off"
It is not the teenage bit which is particularly important … rather it is social and economic disadvantage which produce poor outcomes
Its it not because individuals are having children as teens that their at a disadvantage in life, but rather their social and economical disadvantage at that point in their life
motherhood has made them feel stronger, more competent, more connected to family and society and more responsible
With a child, teens feel the need to become better people and be more responsible for their child
governments should focus on tackling the original disadvantage often experienced by teenage parents, rather than on attacking their decision to become parents
Instead of attacking teens for being parents, help them to strive for a better lfie
teenage mothers are motivated to turn their lives around to provide for their children
At a young age, teens are likely to get into trouble and possibly go down the wrong path in life, leading them to drug abuse, alcohol abuse, and failing out of high school. Perhaps being a teen mom and no longer living for just themselves, but for their child can help to motivate them towards a better lifestyle
It isn’t about what someone did wrong anymore, it is about how to make a life better
Rather than punishing your son or daughter or kicking them out from your life, make the best of the situation and be there to support your child, if not, you will just push them away
Many pregnant teenage moms are successful and with the help of supportive families can raise their children quite well
I know many people who have kids at a young age you are successful.
The key in any relationship with our children is to maintain some openness to our avenue of communication
I agree with the statement 100%, how you react to your child coming to you with their problems and worries will affect them for the rest of their lives and will impact their later choices in life.
Less than 2% of teen moms earn a college degree by age 30.
This statistic makes one wonder how they can possibly support a child without a college degree considering most good paying jobs require a college degree
Parenthood is the leading reason that teen girls drop out of school
I don't agree with this statement fully, I believe it has more to do with the bullying they receive from their peers within their school.
However, no one claims that ads against teen drinking are abusive to alcoholics. In both cases, we are trying to coax people away from negative behaviors.
I don't agree with the author calling teen pregnancy a negative behavior, not that it should be encouraged, but the comparison to alcoholics is unnecessary as well. Alcoholics are putting their health at risk, and while teen pregnancy is not a wise choice, it certainly is not owed the comparison to being an alcoholic.
Shame
Shame is used repetitively in the article, possibly to emphasize how the author views the topic of teen pregnancy?
Some, for example, seem to think that the public service announcements are an argument against giving teen mothers support once the baby is born
I agree with this opinion as well. If a teen does become pregnant, they should not be denied aid, the announcements should be more towards trying to prevent it not making the situation worse
“Now girls don’t be ashamed and you just expect a girl to get pregnant now because so many girls do, but before 1960 it was something for everybody around the corner to talk about and everything.”
This reference to how times have changed, show just how drastic our views in society are differing from decades ago.
In most cases they would have come from a mother-headed household with many siblings. On the other hand some teenagers fall to peer pressure and before they know it they get caught. The absence of a father figure is another major issue. Then we have a generation of young ones who are considered speedy, their eyes are shine, some of them get caught having sex for simple things like sneakers and other material things which they could very well do without.
This author uses several examples of how teens are likely to become pregnant, which gives insight to how influential one's environment, and even the generation they are in, can be.
the inability of single parent mothers who cannot effectively provide for their children. The other thing is there are no job opportunities for the youths these days and they are forced to do things that they really don’t want to do.
Cameron's opinion is one I share, that a major issue with teen pregnancy is the sole fact that the young mothers-to-be are not prepared mentally or financially to provide for the child
Indeed, a tendency to look on the bright side may be so intertwined with human survival that evolution has skewed us that way.
This in an interesting concept that just thinking positively gives a person a higher chance of success.
the pursuit of meaning, which is unique to humans
Earlier in the passage he compares humans to animals, that we are similar in the ability to feel happiness. This short statement gives humans a unique quality that sets us apart
Leading a happy life, the psychologists found, is associated with being a "taker" while leading a meaningful life corresponds with being a "giver."
interesting concept
the single-minded pursuit of happiness is ironically leaving people less happy
This shows that because people are trying so hard to be happy, their search often leads them to overlook whats in front of them.
Forty percent either do not think their lives have a clear sense of purpose or are neutral about whether their lives have purpose.
This serves as a good statistic to get the point across. It kind of made me think, "wow".
That's because when it comes to predicting exactly how you will feel in the future, you are most likely wrong.
thesis
What happened to you?
This particular case study gives insight on how although you may grow up loved and well off, that does not ensure lasting happiness.
hoping to learn the secrets of the good life.
Are there really any set secrets or rules?