Introduction
Bringing up a teenager is one of the hardest things that many parents encounter. This is basically from the fact that at this age, children develop some kind of rebellion from the parental authority and directives (Macvarish, 2010). Children are exposed to peculiar changes which are both psychological and physical. New pressures from the growing hormones start to work on teenagers and to a wise parent; this should be a time of detailed dialogue with the teenager. Failure to do so may yield to repercussions that are both burdening to both the teenager and the parents. One of such consequences is teenage parenting.
Teenage parenting is as old as teenager hood. This phenomenon is observable universally. Human beings are the same irrespective of where they come from. They undergo the same stages of growth and experience the same hormonal pressure effects (Kaye, 2008). This is why you find cases of teenage parenting being reported in Europe, America and even Asia Africa where cultural measures are very strict (East, Reyes & Horn, 2007).
Teenage parenting presents a number of problems whenever it occurs. This is from the fact that nearly all teenage pregnancies are unplanned (Bennett & Assefi, 2005). Anything unplanned introduces new pressures and demands to the current system of doing things. Whenever a teenager gets pregnant, it means an extra cost to the teenager’s parent. Worse hit by this problem is the girl child. She bears the largest responsibility as the boys often deny the responsibility. Fortunately or unfortunately, the teenager’s parents may not be in a position to help out the teenager with her new child. This puts the parenting teenager in the most challenging situation of parenthood and having in m...
... middle of paper ...
... establish themselves on areas which are recording higher teenage parenting rates. This is because the costs will be high. For example, due to higher parenting rates in Milwaukee, this city cannot compete, economically, with cities like Chicago and Atlanta. This is because special schools established for teen parents add on tax and employer costs on healthy related issues are high (Tiedje, 2009). Something new must be done.
The aim of this research is thus to investigate means on which the effect of teenage parenting can be reduced thus mitigating costs that arise from it and reducing overreliance on usage of welfare benefits. There must be a way on how the problem of teenage parenting can be handled in a more social way without hurting the economy. Failure to do this, the national budgets of countries might someday not be in a position to support this program.
Teenagers who become mothers have harsh prospects for the future. Teenagers obtaining abortions are 20% and girls under 15 accounts for 1.2%. They are much more likely to leave of school; receive insufficient prenatal care; rely on public assistance to raise a child; develop health problems; or en...
In this current generation, relationships between parents and their children are undoubtedly strained. It is obvious as many artists today continue to come out with songs detailing their broken relationships with their families; also, it is even more apparent as shown on television in shows such as Teen Mom and Intervention. Rearing a child without excessive techniques, can be beneficial to both parent and child as little rebellion will most likely occur. The most crucial points to avoid this would be the alteration of the way parents view many teenagers today, education and friendship.
The female teen stares into the eyes of her newborn son, not realizing the type of life her and her son will have in the near future. Katrina L. Burchett excellently explicates teenage pregnancy among female adolescents living with domestic problems in her book titled Choices. The various elements that aid to the wide range of teenage pregnancies in the world should all be taken in to consideration. Getting pregnant at an adult is no longer substantial or conventional in our society. Everyday, female young adults are getting pregnant, which is why it is a social issue for the youth today.
Parents must discover ways to help teens learn to make decisions that minimize the potential harm to themselves and others, and parents must also gradually relinquish control and place increasing amounts of personal responsibility onto teens so that they become self-regulating.
A major risk factor as to why many teenage mothers live in poverty is because they drop out of high-school, “fewer than 38 percent get a high school diploma and another 19 percent get a GED, and only 5% of young teen mothers complete at least two years of college by age 30 and less than 2% obtain a college degree.” (Stewart Ng and Kaye, 2012a, p.1; Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy, 2008, p.10) ". Therefore, these mothers will not get a well-paying job to raise their child.
As times continually change, it is inevitable that statistics will change as well. For each student that fails to graduate from high school, another statistic comes about. An American epidemic that forever seems to be looming on the horizon is the issue of teenage parenting and pregnancies. According to an article pertaining to teen pregnancies compiled from teenhelp.com, the United States has been deemed the leading nation for teenage pregnancies in the Western industrialized world. Due to this statistic, it is important to evaluate what can be done to set up teenage parents for success, as well as what can be done for children born in to young families. In an article on teenage parenting compiled by Linda Mangel, it is said that nearly seventy percent of teenage mothers do not complete their secondary education, and because of this, it becomes evident that a solution is crucial. Secondary schools would benefit from considering the implementation of daycare systems in order to increase the graduation rate for teen parents.
Teens don’t think thoroughly about their decisions when taking actions, which could end up as results of regret. Teenagers are not wise enough to understand how things work therefore they have their parents to help them out make appropriate choices. The choices that are made in early life can affect the teenager in their future. The parents should advice their teens about the dangerous and precautions in life and how to deal with problems the right way. Teenagers who get no advise from parents or any other adult sometimes tend to walk down the wrong path making wrong decisions. When it comes to have sexual intercourse teens should protect them selves to avoid getting themselves in sticky situations. Teen girls have the choice of protecting themselves in many ways but it should be discussed with a relative they could get advise from. Teens should not have access to emergency contraception without parental consent because teens are not mature enough to know the consequences of consuming emergency contraception, which they might regret later in life.
The amount of babies born from unplanned teenage pregnancies or out of wedlock is astounding. “If you are a boy,” you are “twice as likely to end up in prison as the sons of mothers aged 20 and 21. If you are a girl, you are three times as likely to become a teen mother yourself compared to mothers who had a child at age 20 or 21.” (Marcus, Ruth). “Statistics for teenage mothers themselves are similarly daunting. Only half obtain a high school diploma by age 22 compared to 89 percent of women who did not give birth as teenagers. Less than 2 percent of mothers who give birth before age 18 obtain college degrees by age 30. Half live below the poverty line -- and as their children grow older, the family 's chances of living in poverty increase” (Marcus,
While being a teenager, physical and mental development occur. During this time of mental development, the introduction of new emotions, habits, problems
Teenage girls often get pregnant and do not know the first step in becoming a mother. Normally, when a teenage girl gets pregnant, she is less likely to attend college according to “Women Issues” by Linda Lowen. Some mothers are not even sure who their baby’s father is and many babies get aborted. The majority of single teen mothers are living in poverty. “Almost all our teen mothers are low-income, poorly educated and low-skilled.” (CNN) One third of mothers actually have a college degree and 23.2% are unemployed. (www.singlemotherguide.com) People under the age of eighteen are still developing and are not ready to be
In 2011, a total of 329,797 babies were born to women aged 15–19 years (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). Most people in their late teenage years and early twenties, with the drive to be successful, are or should be in college. Instead, a large number of young women today are putting their life on the back burner because they are pregnant. With the recession going on in the United States, supporting and raising a baby while taking care of one’s self has become very strenuous. As teenagers, it’s almost impossible for them to imagine how much money and effort is required to have a baby. The people who decide to become parents at such young ages struggle to provide all that is necessary for themselves and their child. This makes it imperative for them to take advantage of the welfare system and all that it provides. As stated by the Baby Cost Calculator the first year after the child is born will cost $10,158 to provide for the baby’s necessities (Baby Center). That amount of money could easily cover two years of schooling at a small community college, or even a year at a university. Josefina J. Card states that “teen mothers are less likely to complete high school than their classmates, they are also more likely to end up on welfare” (Annual Review of Public Health). Teen pregnancy is not a matter that should be supported in any way.
Many teens don’t realize how much money it actually cost to raise a baby. And in many cases, teen parents don’t finish school or are still in school, which ultimately realistically can’t get a well-paid job. Studies have shown that just the first year raising a baby cost between $10,000-12,500, and as the child grows the expenses only increase each year. The amount of money a child requires does not equate to the minimum wage jobs teens are able to acquire. The financial strain can affect both the child and the teen parent. The child can be deprived and the mother may not be able to provide the resources to raise a healthy child and also feed herself. Along with the emotional stress, troubling finances are another of the top factors why teen parents drop out of high school. The financial aspect to the issue many times forces teens to leave school to seek jobs and find a source of income. For teens that are fortunate enough to have their parent 's support it can also put a strain on their parents finances. The overall issue of teen pregnancy can cause financial hard ache for everyone including, parents of teens, the teen parents themselves, and even
As a matter of fact, one of the most alarming social issues of the 21st century is teenage pregnancy. Teenage pregnancy is commonly known as conception among younger women of the age 13-19 years. In 2008, the media made a lot of story about a 12-year-old boy who impregnated a girl in UK. Astonishingly, the case was not as seldom as many thought. Evidently, in 2008, there where four births with fathers at the age of 13 years (ONS, 2008).
Depending on the respective culture, the life of a teenager can vary greatly. Certain cultures demand more from their teenagers in terms of family obligations than do other cultures. For example, the typical social life of a teenager whose heritage is tied to Northern Albania demands that the teenager honor his or her family’s wishes above all else.
While most parents realize there are normal struggles between parents and teens as their sons and daughters struggle for independence and identity, they are often shocked by the length and intensity of the conflict. They are stunned by apparent rejection of some of their most sacred values and confused by their teenagers "acting up" and "acting out." In attempting to become psychologically independent of their parents, teens often attempt to move completely away from any control or influence by their parents.