My mom is talking on the phone in hushed tones. She hangs up and calls my aunt, who apparently didn't pick up. She leaves a voicemail "Guess who's about to be a grandma? Sean got some girl pregnant, call me for the details". Me, being the nosey person that I am overhears and I'm shocked. Sean, the son of a family friend just turned 19 a month ago. He's one of those really immature kids, that seems to be forever stuck in second grade. That fact that this man-child is about to be a father is mind boggling. My cousin, sister, step sister and both of my god-brothers have all had children before their 20th birthdays.
Teen pregnancy is nothing new. It's been seen as a societal problem for decades. What is new, is the quasi-glamorization of teen motherhood and single parenting that almost makes it appealing. Most recently, being "16 and Pregnant" makes you eligible for a reality tv show on MTV; which in turn leads to being on the cover of US magazine. Even ABC Family is getting in on the action, with their show "The Secret Life of the American Teen". A show highlighting the struggle of a good girl who gets pregnant. Then there's Sarah Palin, who's heavily pregnant teen daughter's baby daddy issues got more media attention than Palin's own politics of making assaulted victims pay for rape kits. And we've all seen one (or twenty) of Maury's paternity test drama episodes. I wish I could say it all started with "Juno".
Such a 'cute' movie; she gets knocked up. Finds a great adoptive home for the little baby. Falls in love with the baby daddy and closer to her family in the process. Who woulda thunk that a stripper could write such a heart warming tale? Funniest part is, I went to see that movie over winter break my freshman year of college. It was a triple date, and one of the couples hadn't seen each other in months. So as we all laughed through the movie, they had (unprotected) sex in the back of the theater...
But obviously "Juno" isn't the cause of it. So, why is it so 'cute' to be a young parent these days? Well, there's two things. First, it could be a reflection of what's been going on for years in this country, but has generally been brushed off as a problem for the underclass to deal with. Then again, it starts with the old adage "Sex sells". It's true, sex does sell. As the consumers get younger and younger, the marketing execs have to adapt to the tweens with all the purchasing power. These young girls are dealing with the hormones that come along with puberty, rebelling against the clothes that their parents want them to wear, and trying to impress the boys by copying what the older girls (and Miley Cyrus) are doing. There again, goes the sex. And let's not forget, this is the generation that was glued to the tv as all the news reports were about Bill Clinton gettin a little head in the oval office. So obviously, with sex being so in your face and out there for everyone to see, our youth are going to experiment earlier and much more frequently. Coupled with the Bush administration's sex ed courses being about abstinence versus prevention and there we go, our recipe for disaster is almost ready.
Beyond bringing back chastity belts, I'm really not sure what the remedy for this problem is. My parents' technique for keeping me from having kids young was part my mother's threats ("I'll kill you if you bring a baby in my house. Then kick you and the kid's asses out"). And part open, early discussions about sex. They sat me down together starting when I was about 4 or 5 years old and opened it up so that if ever I had a question, I could come to either of them and talk about it. I knew all of the scientific terms and how to prevent AIDS by the time I started preschool. Obviously, thats not feasible for everyone; considering how many parents feel uncomfortable having these discussions with their children or there both parents aren't available and open to speak to about the subject. Plus, I think I was the only kid cute enough to get away with telling the neighborhood hussy to use condoms when I was still a toddler. So, that's where I run out of ideas. Let's hear some of yours
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