A Fine Line

I was a teen mother, but i was married at 15. No one really prepared me for motherhood. I had no real examples to look to. I was so scared and both sides of the families were like shut up it's just normal. Well, I beg to differ. Because of today's society, the media makes having a baby as a teen or hopping in the sack with a married lover,not married to you, couples living together and not married, the homosexual lifestyle that is also immoral are all made to look like they are okay. That there is nothing wrong with it. Today's society's philosophy is if it feels good , do it. We are so far away from the life God wants us to live. It steadily gets worse as the years go by. But it is of no surprise, considering that it has all been fortold and we know that nothing has changed with mankind over the centuries.Be not afraid to tell the truth. Love those teens who have given in, but make sure they live with their consequences and just continue to love them.

We can all aim to stand up and be acknowledged for the choices we make that hopefully, become our proudest accomplishments. What the media portrayals and the young mothers fail to recognize is that time is our greatest teacher. One can have all the love in one's heart for their child, aim to do the right things, but just not have the means to finance a lifestyle that gives their child choices too. No father in the home, is an incomplete scene for the nurturing of the child. I'm not talking drunkin', abusive men; I'm talking balance. When a young mother does not complete college because she must work to provide for her child, she traps herself into good paying, but ultimately dead-end jobs with no future advancement. Yes, there are positive stories out there of women who overcome great obstacles, but the reality is these are rare and few. A good, loving, supportive family that are willing to step up to the task of taking over babysitting, (not just dropping off at Grammas because she won't charge me to babysit), paying for day camp, the cost of going to the prom, coaching little league or hosting scout parties, are all in the mix because Mom's salary will cover the essentials only. Single Moms too tired from working and keeping house, groceries and laundry, and attending parent-teacher conferences make lousy company. Because she's young, she'll want to date and can often resent her child holding her back from single outings. It happens. It's not planned, but life is hard. Trying to make the best possible choices for everybody involved takes real work: emotional, physical and financial. A young woman, on her own, with little supportive resources is biting off something much bigger than she may be able to chew, no matter how much she wants to. I speak from experience. Am I sorry that I became a mother at a young age? not one bit. Do I regret how I handled it? Almost every day. Do I now wish it could have been any different? Most assuredly. Am I bitter? Sometimes. I am 57 yrs. old now and about to buy my first home ever by the end of this year. There has been many a sleepless night and enough tears to fill a swimming pool getting here. Would my only son, now an adult, agree? We don't know; he refuses to speak to me at this point in his life.

I don't think the media is solely responsible for the rise in teen pregnancies. I think in general there has been a decline in morals in this country. Rich, immature, self-centered celebrities are being touted as role models and I think responsible parents have to lead by example. So get off the cell phone. Put down the laptop and Blackberrry and talk with your child realistically about human reproduction and the consequences of being a single parent. Judge less. Listen more.

Sex outside marriage IS ok. Also, anyone who relies on the media for moral advice is an idiot. Also, there is absolutely no way that Juno glamourizes teen pregnancy. Have you people ever even seen the movie? The fact is that it happens. People should just be more careful and use condemns.

I think some of these teen moms should learn how to spell.......

Showing that 2 teenager who had a baby step up to there responsibility is great. Even though its wrong to even have sex so young. I just think that because she is a Spears and comes from a family of a famous sister they make it look so beautiful to be a teenage mom like its so ok for celebs. So its showing something positive but negative also . Maybe the magazine should be more real and make her do a documentary discouraging teenagers from being sexually active maybe even try to encourage them to wait for marriage. Encouraging people not to make the same mistake she did. She assume responsibility as a teenage mom; and thats a wonderful thing but its not ok for teenagers to become parents. Iam sure that every sensible person want the problem {teenage pregnancy} to be minimize. so don't make it look so rosy; the cons and the pros should be shown.

i am a teen mother and you make it seem like it is a bad thing.i love my kid and i would of never thought about haveing a kid till i got pregnet.so you all need to stop makeing sond like it is such a bad thing to be a teen mom and just leave people alone.its they life not yous

The media (this article included) is so disingenuous and irresponsible. Of the more than two dozen STDs, only two of them (gonorrhea and HIV) are even mildly restricted by condoms. The most rampant one among teens (HPV) is not even dinged by condom use, and is acquired by 75% of sexually active teens. And then they totally ignore the concept held by most Americans--that a pregnancy represents another human being that is murdered by an abortion--let alone the provable fact that teen sex destroys social and emotional health. If both sides of this issue were TRULY discussed in the media, not only would teen pregnancy decrease, so would teen sexual activity.

Jamie Lyn Spears and the other celebrity mothers won't be on public assistance.while raising their children. The non-celebrity teen mothers will not have access to nannies and other surogates who can care for their children while they work or try to continue their education. The teen dads can be treated like adults and one way iis having them pay child support. There is a price to be paid for that "moment of pleasure. Five or Ten years it would be interesting to visit Jamir Lyn and the others to find out whether they attended any PTA meetings or went to any Parent/Teacher conferences to indicate their "hands on parenting skills." While it would be ideal if Mom and Dad had that "birds and bees" conversation with their sons and daughters before the hormones kicked in but as was depicted in media from the 2oth century, Mom and Dad often dropped the ball. Someone else could weight in on how the Playboy philosophy came about. along with man having a wife and a mistress. Do not forget the babysitter who was alluring enough for a man old enough to be her father. Take a second look it may not always be teen boys getting the girs pregnant but 30, 40,50,60 something year old men. Newsweek you may want to do a future article about this.

If Newsweek follows the modus operandi of the typical media, then 80% could well be what they mean by a "slight majority" of those who know the media glamorizes this kind of situation. There is nothing glamorous about a young woman losing what should be her most precious possession, which is her virtue. But, since in this "do it if it feels good" society, she finds herself letting down her guard, then she should do one of two things. One, marry the young man who got her pregnant if he will take the responsibility. If not, the only sensible thing is to give the baby up for adoption so that it can be raised in a family, with a mother and a father who are prepared to take on that responsibility. Small wonder why it happens so often though when you have practically every actress in Hollywood trying to pop out that one little trophy child with her partner (i.e.-not husband), and then take bids on who gets first dibs on photographing the baby like it was some two bit piece of merchandise.

ok ... first of all ... if it wasnt on the tv or magazines etc etc... its still happening and nothing is gonna stop it ... and i dont think age defines a mother.. theres parents out there that are 35 years old and dont do a good job at being a mother.. im not saying go out there and get pregnant.. there are ways to avoid it but ppl make mistakes.. mistakes are going to happen.. we do not live in a perfect world.. i wish ppl would understand that.. as much as a lot of us wish it were a perfect world.. its not... things have changed... from year to year things change.. its not the same when out grandparents were growin up to our parents to us.. and now our children. .... it is a blessing to have a child and if they get pregnant young .. i believe they should live up to the responsibilities of being a mother.. and take care of their children and not pawn them off on there parents or others to take care of them.. a child will either make you or break you as a mother ??.... everything and anything you do will reflect on your child..so do the best you can and think twice of your actions as a MOTHER... and i agree with the first woman who said that all this negativity isnt going anywhere... you guys need to learn to keep your comments to yourself.. they have enough stress as it is being a young parent... and technically .. nobody .. ( unless u have lots of money) .. but nobody is ready for a child... you never know what you can do til its already there??.. bills.. u dont know if u can afford a car , a house,, etc.... a struggle is a struggle... and what doesnt kill you will only make u stronger.... im not trying to sugar coat being a mother.. it is defin. a hard full time job.. that you have to do .. especially being young.. trying to manage school, work, a child, doctors,... i have lost a lot by being a mother... but gained soo much more... and i wouldnt trade it for the world...

I was 14 when I became a mom and I'm now 44. My child should have been given up for adoption, I could have spared him so much pain . Having to grow up with a mom that was still a child was no easy thing for him and yes the media and society is telling teenagers that sex outside of marriage is ok. Nowhere are they being told "you can say no" I mentor teen moms and I know. We as a soceity must teach them to wait. Juno had some good aspects the disapointment of her father, her response I'm just a child what will I do with a child, and giving her baby to someone that would love and cherish her child. Lets get back to morals wait for marriage children need both parents!

i dont think magazines help at all, pretty much all of the teen moms tey feature have the money and the time to have a baby. If they REALLY wanted to help, they could have one of the teen moms who had her baby, but had to struggle to take care of it, who had to drop out and have her talk about it from a relatable persons point of view. Not Miss my-money-takes-care-of-everthing, that just makes it "cool" to a bunch of little girls who idolize them.

Im not saying teen moms are sluts and should be ostracised, but they just need to think about stuff. cmon girls a box of condoms is completely affordable and a cheaper way to have sex than to have to pay for child care.

I had my son at 16 years old. It was one of the hardest things to go through not because taking care of a baby was not possible, but because of the incredible amount of negative criticism and looks received from strangers. People need to be a little more sensative to the fact that teen pregnancy happens and stop being so judgemental. My son has been the biggest blessing and I have a happy successful life. I'm 28 now and learned a great deal from my experience. These girls need all the support they can get, NOT criticism.

I had my son at 16. I finished school and married a wonderful man about 4 years ago. The hardest thing for me about having a baby at that age was dealing with the incredible amount of negative judgement by complete strangers. I don't think that the media glamourizes this issue. It is something needs to be talked about. People need to understand that they dont' know what these girls are going through and they need not only their family's support, but everyone else's as well.

For kristinbates:
If we are to accept teenagers having sex as a "normal" thing, we will have to change the law about paedophilia. If teens are ready for sex, adults are ready too. And if you think so, you should't mind if a 55 year old guy was having sex with your 14 year old daughter. Think about it!

The media is glamorizing teen pregnancy. It a subject that shouldn't be glamorized in anyway and it shouldn't hold completely negative connotations either. Sure teens have been getting pregnant forever, but what happened in those times, they ended up having to drop/stall everything to take care of their new responsiblities. There are plenty success stories regarding teen pregnancy, but that doesn't make it right, that just means someone did the right thing through the obstacles of life. Now it seems like the media is already rewarding teens like Jamie Spears for simply having a kid and noot resenting it. I agree with taxpayer2, check back on Jamie Spears in 10,15,20 years to see if she really was a good teen mother.

people need to take a chill pill. education is key. if you are a good parent you will teach your children the fatcs and not leave it up to schools which dont always teach the real facts as oppose to opinion. your child will listen. wheter or not they follow-up with actions is on them. all a parent (or person in any situation) can do is educate using hardcore facts.
parents are thier households fcc. if you dont like the artical, don't read it or tolerate it in your household. simple, right? i mean, regardless your kids are going to read whatever they want from "God only knows"..your job (as a parent) is to help them seperate the facts from fiction in what they read, hear, and watch.