Too Many Babies Having Babies

“They’re so excited to finally have someone to love them unconditionally.” This was how a group of teenage girls (none older than sixteen), from Gloucester High School, felt when their school nurse informed them they were pregnant. Their pregnancy pact was in full swing.

This is mind-boggling to me! When I was sixteen I wanted nothing more than to hit the mall with friends and a newly begged-for twenty dollars. The last thing on my mind was having a baby and putting “adulthood” into over-drive.

First, let´s get something straight. There is a big difference between girls having sex to get pregnant and accidentally getting pregnant. Both involve a personal choice of some sort but the latter is not intentionally looking to fast-forward to adult life in nine short months.

Do not get me wrong: I think having children is one of the biggest blessings in a person’s life—an adult’s life. The problem I have is with today’s young girls thinking they are ready to be adults when they are so far from it.

In 2009, the Center for Disease Control reported nearly 410,000 teenage girls gave birth in the United States and nearly a third of those births were intended. I do not know where these kids are getting the idea that having kids of their own at such an early age is a good plan for their lives. Wait, I do know. The media. That is where teenage girls are getting misconstrued ideas of “family.” For years the media has played up the concept of teen pregnancy.

From movies like Juno to spotlighting celebrity teen pregnancies like Jamie Lynn Spears, and “everyday” teens on shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom the media is blurring the lines between what is “childhood” and what is “adult.”

“Look at all the celebrity magazines… you can’t turn a page without seeing more and more celebrities getting pregnant. The recent movie ‘Juno’ deal[s] with teen pregnancy and ‘appear[s] to take away the stigma,’” CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller said. She also points out that teenage pop idols getting pregnant before marriage appears to have given their stock a boost. When you put it that way, what girl wouldn’t want to get pregnant to boost her stock?

With Hollywood’s help, teenage girls are looking at their role models as having a life full of luxury, money, fame, babies, the whole bit. What Hollywood fails to show is the reality of what comes with having a child, at any age. “There’s no talk of how -- about raising the kids. The celebrities have nannies, they have assistants. There’s no reality, there’s no consequences. It looks like fun,” said Dr. Lisa Boesky in an “Early Show” interview. And what teenager doesn’t want to have fun?

The fact of the matter is the media’s portrayal of a good family life is a muddled portrayal at best. The movies, the interviews, the television shows, they all end before anyone can see any sign of real life. I think the media does this on purpose—to simulate a glamorous family life that every girl wishes to have. So how can we help teenage girls stay teenage girls? While much influence comes from what they see in the media, that is not the only culprit. Boesky believes the amount of parental influence can greatly impact girls’ decisions.

“I don’t think we’re sending a clear message of, ‘Don’t get pregnant in your teenage years.’ There’s nothing wrong with saying, ‘While you’re in school, do not get pregnant.’ Parents shouldn’t be letting their girls date boys who are older than them, they shouldn’t be letting their boys date girls who are younger than them…parents have to stay involved.”

Parents and other adults must step up and be the overpowering influence over the media and be able to take a stand against teenage girls’ need for an early start at family life.