Helping to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

By Nurse Diane

When my mother was a teen, teenage pregnancies were mostly unheard of.  If someone happened to get in the family way, the girl was usually shipped off to Aunt Clara's house, or to some other remote location before any signs of the indiscretion became apparent.

When I was a teen, it was still quite uncommon for a girl to get knocked up, however if it happened, the girl usually stayed away from school, and was whispered about around town.

These days, seeing a pregnant mother at high school is a common sight, no one even blinks twice when a pregnant girl walks down the high school halls.  The vocational schools have day cares and child caring classes, and there is even a television show glamorizing the scenes of teenage pregnancy.

Becoming a parent while you are still a child is not as fun as the media makes it seem.  Not only have you lost your childhood, unable to do activities the other kids are doing, but also you are also responsible for another life.  You have to provide food, shelter, and heath care for another person for the next 20 years or so - should you decide to keep your baby?

Today is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.  While it may not be a popular or comfortable subject to talk about, as adults, we have the responsibility to at least make an effort to inform the younger generation about the repercussions of unprotected sex and the effects it will have on their lives.  If you know of a teen, or have one in your home, take today and start a conversation with them, find out what they know, and what they don't. 

Stayteen.org has an online quiz here, http://www.stayteen.org/quiz/.  Ask your teen to take this quiz as a starting point for your conversation. 

To find other ways to help visit: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/national/. 

There is plenty of time for young girls to become mothers.  Encourage the teens to wait until they are able to care for themselves and another human.

Mom, Dad, - time to do your research - get the facts - and determine your path forward for your children.  The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unwanted Pregnancy offer Ten Tips for Parents :  

1. Be clear about your own sexual values and attitudes.
2. Talk with your children early and often about sex, and be specific.
3. Supervise and monitor your children and adolescents.
4. Know your children's friends and their families.
5. Discourage early, frequent, and steady dating.
6. Take a strong stand against your daughter dating a boy significantly older than she is. And don't allow your son to develop an intense relationship with a girl much younger than he is.
7. Help your teenagers have options for the future that are more attractive than early pregnancy and parenthood
8. Let your kids know that you value education highly.
9. Know what your kids are watching, reading, and listening to.
10. These first nine tips for helping your children avoid teen pregnancy work best when they occur as part of strong close relationships with your children that are built from an early age.

Parents and Guardians – PLEASE take a few minute to click on this link read the entire article.

National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy

Whenever your kids are out of control, you can take comfort from the

thought that even God's omnipotence did not extend to his kids.

After creating heaven and earth, God created Adam and Eve.

And the first thing God said to them was: "Don't."

"Don't what?" Adam asked.

"Don't eat the forbidden fruit, said God."

"Forbidden fruit? Really? Where is it?", Adam and Eve asked, jumping

up and down excitedly.

"It's over there," said God, wondering why he hadn't stopped after

making the elephants.

A few minutes later God saw the kids having an apple break and he was

very angry.

"Didn't I tell you not to eat that fruit?" the First Parent asked.

"Uh huh," Adam replied.

"Then why DID you do it?", God asked exasperatedly.

"I dunno," Adam answered.

God's punishment was that Adam and Eve should have children of their

own. Thus the pattern was set and it has never changed. But there is a

reassurance in this story. If you have persistently and lovingly tried

to give your children wisdom and they haven't taken it, don't be so hard

on yourself. If God had trouble handling his children, what makes you

think it should be a piece of cake for you?

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By Diane Forrest

RN and Mother

Since the beginning of the world when you tell someone they can’t do something, or have something, well that only serves as an incentive to get it.   The same goes for teens and sex.   This subject has been in the news alot recently, but it has been a problem for centuries.  How do you deal with it?  I was raised to abstain from intimate relationships until marriage, as was my son.  However, with my son, it wasn't enough to tell him that was the way he should live, but being a nurse, and teaching sex education to other kids, I also taught it to my son.  I taught him how the body works, about how the female body works, how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and unwanted pregnancies.  I also gave him the tools to use for prevention.  I don’t think it is enough to tell them, don't do that because I said so, you have to explain why you shouldn't do something.

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Recently I read an article that teen pregnancy was at the lowest it had been in many years.  While that is comforting, it is still disturbing that there is teen pregnancy.  Shows like 16 and Pregnant, and celebrities such as Bristol Palin and Brittney Spears younger sister, Jamie Lynn only fuel the fire that having babies when you are still in high school is cool.

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Education is the main way to prevent teen pregnancies, but it natural to assume that kids are going to experiment.  Not only do they need the facts, but they need the tools.  Condoms and birth control methods should be explained and provided.  The main discussion is who is going to educate?  In the Bible belt, where I live, they don't want it taught in schools, but parents are weary of having "the talk" too.  By the time most families get around to it, the child already knows more than you do.  They learn from kids, television, and just by doing.  It doesn’t matter what they know, the information they have may be wrong.  They still need to learn the real facts, and have the real tools.

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This is the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.  To learn how you can help with this problem, click on this site:  http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/

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