Teen Mom: The Reality Not the Show

The struggle of the average American pregnant teen hardly resembles the financial, social and catered situations of pregnant celebrity teen moms, such as Jamie Lynn Spears and Bristol Palin. Watching reality television programs about pregnant teen moms is analogous to rubber necking at a motor vehicle accident. When one leaves the scene of the wreckage, one is glad it didn’t involve them and hopes there are survivors.

The good news is that there are survivors but the daily struggle extols a heavy price on the infant, adolescent, family and the community. For instance, 410,000 infants were born to teen moms in 2009. These teens ranged in age from 15-19 years old. The statistics for childbirth for 10-14 year olds is roughly 5,000 births a year. About 1100 teenage girls become pregnant every day in the US. These statistics are not glamorous.

Here are some not so entertaining facts regarding teen pregnancy:

1.  One half of teen mothers fail to graduate high school.

2.  Three-quarters of pregnancies conceived by adolescents are unintended, mistimed or unwanted.

3.  One-third of girls born to teens will also become teen mothers. The legacy of adolescent pregnancy is a generational one.

4.  Premature births between 23-27 weeks gestation are more common in teens (Verklan & Walden, 2010).

5.  Poverty is associated with teen motherhood.

6.  HIV and other STD’s are more prevalent since sexual activity tends to begin early lending to multiple partners.

7.  Complications such as high blood pressure, prematurity, low birth rate and Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) are more prevalent.

8.  Social isolation, family strife, low self-esteem and loss of friendships are some psychological stressors.

9.  The children of teen moms are at higher risk for abuse and neglect. The lack of maturity, parenting skills and low coping skills in adolescents feed into this equation.

Most of these statistics come from the Center of Disease Control (CDC). I do want to stress that not all teens are bad parents. When teens are given emotional, financial and physical support, the general outcome is good. The question is do grandparents, siblings, friends and the community recognize teen parent needs? A better question is can we delay childbearing until young women are older and better equipped for parenthood?

The financial facts regarding teen pregnancy are eye opening, too:

1. 10.9 billion dollars was the cost of teen childbearing in 2008. (The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy)
2. The state of Georgia (2008) reported teen birth costs to be 465 million dollars.
3. In the US from 1991-2008, there were approximately 319,892 teen births costing 9.5 billion dollars during these 17 years. (CDC and Prevention).

The Good News

The CDC reports from 1991 to 2009 that teen pregnancy has decreased by 37 percent. There has also been a decrease in sexual activity in teens from 54 percent in 1991 down to 46 percent in 2009. The number of teens using contraception has increased. Obviously, all these factors have culminated into less unwanted pregnancies. Hispanic and Black teen pregnancy rates are still higher than those rates of Caucasian teens.

The best way to continue the decreasing rates of teen pregnancy is through education. With school budgets being scrutinized and cut, one must wonder if sex education will also be aborted from academic budgeting. I am choosing to focus on what parents must do to prepare their children for the rough seas of teenage experiences. Teenagers still believe that parents have the most influence regarding their decisions about sex, love and relationships. Most parents know you can’t rely on schools to teach your children everything and besides, would you want schools to be solely responsible for sex education?

Research shows that teens who talk to parents about sex, relationships, birth control and pregnancy do the following:

1. Begin sexual activity at later ages
2. Use condoms and birth control more often
3. Have better communication with romantic partners
4. Have sex less often

Some studies have shown that motivating teenage girls to desire the delay of childbearing beyond the teenage years has more benefit than improving contraceptive access. Who better to motivate a child to having positive goals than parents? It is clear that an open line of communication with children is imperative.  Here are some excellent websites for parents and children to start the discussion. Knowledge is power. Good luck with your family discussions.

www.thenationalcampaign.org/parents/?

www.4parents.gov

www.advocatesforyouth.org/parents-sex-ed-center-home