Is being a teenage mother/father truly a bad thing? Or can it be posititve in some ways?

Question

I have to deliver a speech on this topic and I was wondering if I could get some opinions on this topic. For years, we've been told Teenage Pregnancy and Parenthood is a awful thing - period. But is it still that way now? Can teenage parents be successful in raising their children? Or does this always spell disaster and failure?

Comments and Opinions are welcome.

Answer 1

In my personal experience it was a truely possitive experience. I am 18 (will turn 19 in August) and my son just had his first birthday. Before I got pregnant, I was very premiscuous, I had No stability in my life and was going no where.frequently missing school because of parties and what not. Was about to break up with my boyfriend when I found out I was pregnant, it was the best thing to ever happen to me. I dropped out of highschool ( I was a senior with sophmore credits, barely) and got my GED ( I graduated last week!) and my boyfriend and I got our own place, I had a comlicated pregnancy and was put on strict bedrest, so I couldnt work. My boyfriend worked 2 jobs(2nd and 3rd shift, to make an extra 10 cents and hour), I only ever saw him on his lunch break and for a lil bit before he went to sleep. We decided not to jump into a marriage just because we got pregnant, not until we were sure we wanted to spend the rest of our lives together. My labor was induced and it was horrible. I was in labor for 38 hours, during what would have been my senior prom. That was devastating (my boyfriends sister came to visit [she's exactly one month younger than I am] us in her dress and everything) but I ended up havign to have an emergency C-section. No one in either of our families supported us until they saw our son. (his parents, who had him young tried to force abortion/adoption on us when they found out). Since our son was born, Dru got a union job as a plumber and works for his familys company that he will one day own, he makes enough money that I don't have to work and can stay home with our son (in fact he's about to get an extra $500 a month raise) We decided to get married, and it was perfect. We now live in a duplex, next door to my mom and a couple blocks away from his parents. Our lives are spent doing what is best for our son. He is our world, and we ar4e in fact planning to have more kids soon.
It is very hard soemtimes. Most of my friends abandoned me when they found our I was pregnant, and not many other moms with kids my sons age want to befriend me, because since I am a teenage mom, that automatically makes me a horrible person and a bad influence. It is sad that our son is one and he just had his first play date, but we got him a puppy so he can learn to socialize a little better hopefully. Good luck on your paper, if you need help I can answer just about any question you have, with various outlooks and perspectives.

Answer 2

Yes it can be a good thing, it all depends on the parents. I became pregnant at 15 with twins. I am now 19 and my daughters are 3. Becoming a mom has made me grow up a little faster than I wanted to but it has not really slowed me down any. I graduated high school with honors and one of the top in my class. I have now taken a year off, to earn some more money and stay at home. But starting in the fall I am going to start college. I have raised my daughters for the past 3 years mostly by myself, I have had some help, but it was mostly me. I have had to make a ton of sacrifices. But it has all been worth it, and I think everything has turned out great and I know I will continue to work to get us everything we need. It is all how hard you work and how responsible you are. Anyone can be a good parent or a bad one no matter how young or old.

Answer 3

My husband and I have both been homeless or with a home but too poor to buy much food (even with foodstamps) and we went to the food banks for 'donated food' ... MOST OF IT WAS NOT GOOD FOOD ... people give 'outdated' cans they should throw away, broken (smashed) pasta, mixed dried beans that need different amounts of soaking and cooking time ... even vegetables they don't want to eat because they are wilted and dried out. When I give to a foodbank (which we do regularly) I go to the store and buy NEW basics ... boxes of pasta (the best they have, too), NEW cans of food, fresh flour, fresh vegetables, canned meat and canned juices, baby food in all varieties ... then I take it and drop it off with a 'I hope this helps' and a big smile ... if I hang around, I tell the people that we once were where they are, and we have money now, so we are just 'paying back' what we were given ... and people hold up their heads and think that they are just 'down for awhile' instead of being 'down forever' ... it's not SELFISH to feed a person who needs food ... an old person, a worker, a mother, a father, a child ... PEOPLE DESERVE TO GO TO BED FEELING FULL AND KNOWING THEY'LL GET FULL THE NEXT DAY, WEEK, MONTH, YEAR. Donate GOOD FOOD (even if it means you must eat a bit less for a day or two a month) and the world will be a BETTER PLACE for ALL of us!

Answer 4

Teenage pregnancy is a difficult thing because it cuts off your childhood. Once you become a parent, you must take this responsibility very seriously. This means that you pretty much stop going out with your friends for YEARS. Your first priority is your child, and if you want to be successful as a parent, you have to put that child first every day of your life. It is also very hard to complete your education when you become a teenage parent. You might be able to get through high school, since many high schools now have daycare for their students who have children. But you can pretty much forget college. This means you'll have to take low-paying jobs for many years, and the quality of your life and your child's life will suffer.

Teen parents can be successful in raising their children if they have the complete support of their own parents and/or other family members. If the baby's grandparents are willing to provide child care and other support so that the teen mother and father can complete their education, then the prospects for being successful are much brighter.

Answer 5

I personally think its hard I just had a baby I have 3 kids Im married and its still hard. I have a niece who had a baby at 16 her babys father was on drugs went to jail. When he got out she got pregnant again her kids are 1 yr apart the guy is back in jail treats her like s++t. She went to school is now a cna goes to school in the day time because she wants to be an rn and works graveyard to support her 2 little girls shes now 19. I give her lots of respect and credit because her kids are gonna have a good future The thing with teen pregnancy is that Ive seen many cases where the relationship between the parents doesnt work because they were too young. And the mother is left to take care of the children In some cases the mom works hard to raise those kids right but then sometimes mom is on county so it all depends. Good luck on your report!!

Answer 6

I was a teen mum, having my daughter at 17years old. She will be 10years old this September and is a lovely, clever, outgoing girl. I have always done everything for her and could not imagine not having her around. Being a young mum i had loads of energy to do things with her and will still be young enough to 'enjoy' my life when she is older (in 7 years she will be 16 and i will only be 34).
Young mums have always got a rough deal and been put down with people saying were not as good as older mums. Well you only have to look at my daughter to see that is NOT true. I work full time in a transport office (have done since she was 2yrs old) so that she can have nice things AND own my own home. Iam 27 now and have been with my current partner for 6years with whom i have a 3year old son.
I dont feel like i missed out on anything either as i have the most fantastic parents (young grandparents) in the world, who have always given me there full support and aloud me to still have a social life without having to leave her with babysitters.

Give young mums a break we do as good a job with raising our kids as older mums do

Answer 7

It all depends on the situation, relationship between mother and father and age of the parents. Big diif 13 - 16 vs 17 - 19. In fact I've known many married 17-19yr olds while in the service who've started families. Not only can they be successfull but with family support etc. excell at it. I've seen young women in their teens be better moms than women in their 20's -40's.

Answer 8

I would say it doesn't spell disaster, but it is definitely a tougher way to go. A lot would change. It wouldn't be so easy to spend time with friends, go to school, get a job, or keep one. Little ones get sick, which requires taking time off work or school. Many things that most of your friends would be able to do, you would be left out of if no babysitter is on hand. Most of your money would be spent on the clothing and necessities that a child would need. What I learned from experience was that although your friends may think it's cute in the beginning, they will begin to distance themselves from you after a while. The best thing to do would be to enjoy this time in your life and prepare life for yourself and then maybe think of bringing a child into it.

Answer 9

Well, i'm sure in some situations it can be tough.
But my neighbor had a baby boy when she was fifteen.
She had a lot of support from her parents and my family.
I used to watch he son for her, when he was little.
But I'm sure some girls might not have the same advantage.
sadly my neighbors booyfriend left her, after her son was born.
some girls would have given up but she didn't.
She dropped out of schoool, but she went back to get her GED not too long ago.
And she is now married to a wonderful guy that treats her son as if her was his son.
hers on is nine now, he's smart and healthy.
so i'd say teenage parents can do a great job at rasiing there kids.

Answer 10

It all depends on the person....I have seen both....But mostly thing worked out for the best....and anytime you have your own child its a great feeling...but if you do it at a young age its very hard. You can be a successful parent but it takes a lot of work, and a lot of support from others, especially if you are still going to school. SO possible yes, hard yes, best to avoid it if you can.