Teen Pregnancy - your views?

[gozza]

thats true....but the amount of sexual conotation in everything these days is discusting

like using a sexy model dancing around half cut for a handwash...or for cereal.....

where are the parents you ask?.......parents aren't superman....they can't be everywhere at once....

as a parent you can raise your child to certain standards and hope your parenting leads them to making the right decision for themselves

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by gozza

thats true....but the amount of sexual conotation in everything these days is discusting

like using a sexy model dancing around half cut for a handwash...or for cereal.....

where are the parents you ask?.......parents aren't superman....they can't be everywhere at once....

as a parent you can raise your child to certain standards and hope your parenting leads them to making the right decision for themselves

I agree, there is too much of that stuff on tv, but then a lot of young girls watch stuff like that but not too many end up in that kind of trouble. If an 11 year old girl is out having sex with some bloke, I think there are more serious problems than what she is watching on tv. I have a 12 year old daughter and I assure you that she is NOT out there doing that kind of thing, EVER and wont be for a long time - its about parents taking responsibility for their teenagers.

You dont have to be superhuman to know where they are and what they are doing at age 11, although I do admit it gets harder as they get older, but its still do-able.

[Aeron]

Originally Posted by XRchic

You dont have to be a teenage Mum to be a single parent, and not all single parents are young and irresponsible, and not all children growing up with a single parent are/grow up warped.

No no no, sorry, that’s now what I meant. Im not having a go at single parents at all. What im talking about is what I've seen it in some suburbs of Sydney (and I guess its all over Aus), these 16 and 17-year-old girls with no support from the father, no job and doing it tough. Most of the pregnancies are unplanned, and that makes it hard.

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by Aeron

No no no, sorry, that’s now what I meant. Im not having a go at single parents at all. What im talking about is what I've seen it in some suburbs of Sydney (and I guess its all over Aus), these 16 and 17-year-old girls with no support from the father, no job and doing it tough. Most of the pregnancies are unplanned, and that makes it hard.

Sorry Aeron, I was NOT referring to your post, its cool mate and I certainly was not having a go at anyone in any other post, Im sorry if it came across that way! I was just saying my opinion based on my own experiences, as are others.

For the record though, the single parent stereotype comes from somewhere and there are unfortunately too many bad ones to give the rest of us a bad name.

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by XRchic

I agree, there is too much of that stuff on tv, but then a lot of young girls watch stuff like that but not too many end up in that kind of trouble. If an 11 year old girl is out having sex with some bloke, I think there are more serious problems than what she is watching on tv. I have a 12 year old daughter and I assure you that she is NOT out there doing that kind of thing, EVER and wont be for a long time - its about parents taking responsibility for their teenagers.

You dont have to be superhuman to know where they are and what they are doing at age 11, although I do admit it gets harder as they get older, but its still do-able.

Im with you 100% sure there is alot of sexual based stuff on TV evan for me it gets a bit annoying and im the target audience!

To be honest with you, out of all my close friends, it was the one who was let down by his parents that ended up with lower standards in every respect and ended up being a teenage dad.

On a side note you would be horified to know how many Teen Girls (15-16) think the 'Baby Bonus' will cover all the costs and almost use it as an incentive :

[big_pete]

i think its a good slogan.
its more aimed at the irresponsible teens
those that are responsible enough to have kids should see it as a warning to those that arent.

[[Tonko]]

i only have a problem with it if they (the parents) are not completely aware of what having a child involves, i know a couple that are having a kid just for the baby bonus so they can buy a boat, she is just 18 and he is 22, she works at maccas and he works at KFC. they cant pay rent and have no food. plus all their friends are drug fukd... things like this bother me... but if there is a stable and loving environment to bring up a kid then go for it, your age dosent matter.... (i hope that made sense)

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by Tonko351

i only have a problem with it if they (the parents) are not completely aware of what having a child involves, i know a couple that are having a kid just for the baby bonus so they can buy a boat, she is just 18 and he is 22, she works at maccas and he works at KFC. they cant pay rent and have no food. plus all their friends are drug fukd... things like this bother me... but if there is a stable and loving environment to bring up a kid then go for it, your age dosent matter.... (i hope that made sense)

Makes sence to me. (What you said not what they are doing : )

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by FPV8U

Im with you 100% sure there is alot of sexual based stuff on TV evan for me it gets a bit annoying and im the target audience!

To be honest with you, out of all my close friends, it was the one who was let down by his parents that ended up with lower standards in every respect and ended up being a teenage dad.

On a side note you would be horified to know how many Teen Girls (15-16) think the 'Baby Bonus' will cover all the costs and almost use it as an incentive :

I remember being on a train (years ago, before Baby Bonus times) out to Gawler (an outer Northern suburb here in Adelaide) and I was listening to a couple of girls chatting on the seat behind me. I would estimate they were around 15 or so, given the fact that they were discussing leaving school at the end of year 10, that year to have babies.

They were both saying that their parents would let them leave school at the end of year 10 if they were pregnant, and that their boyfriends wont care and they were talking about all the "benefits" of having a baby, such as all the welfare payments, the Health Care Card, the cheap public transport and movies at the cinema, the Housing Trust houses they would get if they were "kicked out of home because of being pregnant" and in need of emergency housing and how they would not have to get a job until their baby turned 16. They planned to be on the Single Parents Pension somehow forever, planning to keep on having kids to make sure they could go from the Single Parents Pension to the "Old Age Pension". They thought it was quite funny that they could not work a day in their entire life and I found it ironic that they thought all of those benefits would actually CUT IT for being a parent!

At the time, I was a single parent of a one year old and a 4 year old, studying law on an overload and working full time, paying for private health cover for my kids, paying private rent and getting nothing for free, aside from a moderate amount of family payment which was adjusted according to my income.

Its these kinds of people I have a problem with, regardless of age. I just wonder how these girls grew up with this mentality, what their parents were doing, why their parents didnt get involved (doing something like this would indicate that the parents were more than just a little slack with their daughters!) and what sort of upbringing and culture enabled these girls to discuss things like that, in the same way I used to discuss what I got for a year 10 maths test, when I was that age! It was so casual!

I should stop ranting... LOL

[gozza]

thats discusting man...i hate the naive people in this world....poor kids need to wrap themselves in there own imbilicale(sp) cord before they enter the world...which is not pleasant cos i did it....(not on purpose) lol

this brings up another issue also

STDs are sky rocketing

[HOON69]

too many teens are having babies and too many are on welfare and then they become dependant on that payment/s and never get off it and become "stuck in the system" and then that follows through to their kids and their kids etc etc etc

if your responsible enough and over the legal age then i see no reason why you cannot have children as long as your looking after the child yourself supplying it with its needs and not going to use the kid as a excuse to get easy money from the tax payers of australia.

my wife had my first child when i was just 18-19 and i have to the day we have 4 great kids and im only mid 20's,responsiblity is the main key not the ages of the mums having them,theres great and responsible teens whom work study and supply for their kids and then theres some whom rort the system for the 600per child allowance each year and the advance loans and the 3grand maternity allowance etc they are the ones who ruin it for the rest.
its all in the mind and i feel im responsible enough to bring them into the world

[big_pete]

well i just got reminded that Wagga has the Highest Rate of Teen preganancy in Australia.

Pretty sad really. as im sure alot are the irrisponsible teens everyone is talking about i this thread

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by XRchic

They were both saying that their parents would let them leave school at the end of year 10 if they were pregnant

What sort of parent tells there Son/Daughter that?

Infact what sort of parent has that conversation?

Says alot for the Parents, my mum would have kicked my A$$ from here to the Moon and back if i got a girl pregnant at 15 -16, infact she would kick my A$$ Now (Like she should).

[XRchic]

Originally Posted by FPV8U

What sort of parent tells there Son/Daughter that?

Infact what sort of parent has that conversation?

Says alot for the Parents, my mum would have kicked my A$$ from here to the Moon and back if i got a girl pregnant at 15 -16, infact she would kick my A$$ Now (Like she should).

I honestly dont know. I would suspect that the girls assumed that by implication. It sort implied a few possibilities: that their parents dont really care about their schooling full stop, that it wouldnt take much for the parents to let them leave school as they dont value education for their kids, or perhaps that the parents were no different themselves. Perhaps the parents left school early because they were pregnant, or something similar and the girls assume that is the way it is...

I know I havent had any conversation LIKE that with my 12 year old and I dont see the need to get into any of that with her yet, she is still a child.

Perhaps I am naive..

[Inferno]

Although at 18 your still a "Teen"ager, you are considered an Adult legally. Like the others said, it's for the younger crowd from getting knocked up.

[FPV8U]

Originally Posted by XRchic

I honestly dont know. I would suspect that the girls assumed that by implication. It sort implied a few possibilities: that their parents dont really care about their schooling full stop, that it wouldnt take much for the parents to let them leave school as they dont value education for their kids, or perhaps that the parents were no different themselves. Perhaps the parents left school early because they were pregnant, or something similar and the girls assume that is the way it is...

I know I havent had any conversation LIKE that with my 12 year old and I dont see the need to get into any of that with her yet, she is still a child.

Perhaps I am naive..

Information is one thing, but telling someone 15-16 that if you get pregnant you can leave school is another :

[Bucknaked]

Originally Posted by au3 chaser

I am appalled. I just came across this website:

http://www.teenpregnancy.org/

Now, don't get me wrong, I think YOUNG girls getting pregnant may not be the best idea in the world, but I am outraged at the slogan:

Preventing Teen Pregnancy


Me and my partner are both 19 (going on 20) and we are expecting very soon and looking forward to it too. We are both in good jobs, live by ourselves in our own house, and have been doing so for quite some time.

Now tell me, why should someone PREVENT my partner from getting pregnant. I am so p***ed off at some orgs making over-generalised comments etc... just like how females should not get boob jobs till they are well over 20.... that sort of stuff varies from person to person.

Fair enough there are pro's and cons about having a baby at a young age, but I will never regret it, therefore, who's to say teen pregnancy is a bad thing for ALL teens?



What’s your opinion?

I think its all about the 13 and 14 year olds. Not the 19 year olds with jobs and financial security. Classing all teenagers is a fairly broad range. From 13 to 19. 2 very different age groups.

Don't take offence to the website. I agree stop teenage pregnancies. At 18 you are an adult. Good to see 19 year olds experiencing a family young. If you were 13, then it would be different.

I had my first at 31

[Van D]

Originally Posted by XRchic

or perhaps that the parents were no different themselves. Perhaps the parents left school early because they were pregnant, or something similar and the girls assume that is the way it is...

I know I havent had any conversation LIKE that with my 12 year old and I dont see the need to get into any of that with her yet, she is still a child.

Perhaps I am naive..

Most kids my age (18) with parents you had them young are very anti-sex for them. They say that whilst the child wasn't neccesarily an accident (yeah right), they'd never do it at a young age again.

You'd be suprised on the age thing.. When I went into year 7 (2001) a 13 year old girl in my class had allready had sex. It didn't take more than a year or two for a few (at least) more girls to follow.. I don't know what was worse.. The fact that some did it with quite older guys (if I remember right, it was illegal difference here), or the fact that they were doing it with guys their age/younger.. As wrong as it seems do be doing it with older guys, at least they'd have some sort of more 'advanced' sex ed, for the girls sake.

Of course, I think it has a lot to do with parenting, and how the kids are brought up..

im 15 and i would not even consider having a baby. Life can be very hard from time to time but to try and bring up a child when you are so young and you dont have that much experience about life will make it even harder. Your friends will still be going to school and you will loose contact with them because you want have any time to study and then you wont have a job because you have no time. If the father is your age he will p##s off and you wont have anymoney to bring it up.
Going out on the weekends with friends i dont reckon is enough time now at my age but when your 17 18 and you have a baby you will have no time for anything.

14-19

[Jeld-Wen Falcon]

I think depending on the circumstances. But theres way too many young girls 15-17 with young kid/s.

Originally Posted by popinfresh

Most kids my age (18) with parents you had them young are very anti-sex for them. They say that whilst the child wasn't neccesarily an accident (yeah right), they'd never do it at a young age again.

You'd be suprised on the age thing.. When I went into year 7 (2001) a 13 year old girl in my class had allready had sex. It didn't take more than a year or two for a few (at least) more girls to follow.. I don't know what was worse.. The fact that some did it with quite older guys (if I remember right, it was illegal difference here), or the fact that they were doing it with guys their age/younger.. As wrong as it seems do be doing it with older guys, at least they'd have some sort of more 'advanced' sex ed, for the girls sake.

Of course, I think it has a lot to do with parenting, and how the kids are brought up..

Most kids have had sex all ready by the time there in year 7 its just a thing now... its noy like there doing that much anymore to become something that there friends are its just because they fell ready

[JTFG]

Originally Posted by popinfresh

Of course, I think it has a lot to do with parenting, and how the kids are brought up..

It's just the way our world is, they can pretend to be angels when it comes to their parents. But still get drunk, have sex by just lieing which is pretty easy. It's just wrong at such a young age!

[Van D]

Originally Posted by little_blondie

Most kids have had sex all ready by the time there in year 7 its just a thing now... its noy like there doing that much anymore to become something that there friends are its just because they fell ready

Umm, no. I doubt any 12 year old kid who really understands the consequances feel's they're ready. They do it because of what their friends do, and what they see on TV etc.. They then think it's allright to do it, and that there's no harm in it either.
You really think a 12 year old feels ready to financially support a baby? Get real mate, they don't have the slightest clue of what could happen.

FWIW - All the girls I know who had sexual intercourse in years 7/8 or before (about 8-10 of them off the top of my head), now regret it (year 12 now)... Some VERY much so.

[Van D]

Originally Posted by j0nni

It's just the way our world is, they can pretend to be angels when it comes to their parents. But still get drunk, have sex by just lieing which is pretty easy. It's just wrong at such a young age!

True, but I think if a child is brought up in the right environment, even when they're drunk, they're not going to do it. Plenty of kids would feel guilty towards their parents if they did it, IME.

Also, i've found through friends/others in schools around me, that the one's who have really over protective parents are the ones who go out and rebel against their parents wishes, whilst kids with parents who are more open about the subject, yet voice their disconcern (and openly tell them why) about sex etc are the ones who don't do it till later years.

Originally Posted by popinfresh

Umm, no. I doubt any 12 year old kid who really understands the consequances feel's they're ready. They do it because of what their friends do, and what they see on TV etc.. They then think it's allright to do it, and that there's no harm in it either.
You really think a 12 year old feels ready to financially support a baby? Get real mate, they don't have the slightest clue of what could happen.

FWIW - All the girls I know who had sexual intercourse in years 7/8 or before (about 8-10 of them off the top of my head), now regret it (year 12 now)... Some VERY much so.

Wasn't talking about them having a baby i was talking about them having S.E.X

[Van D]

Originally Posted by little_blondie

Wasn't talking about them having a baby i was talking about them having S.E.X

S.E.X leads to babies! (Yes, even that protected kind).

My sisters best friend (21y.o) just fell pregnant about a month or two ago.. Whilst using the pill and condoms. Go figure.

Also, I was talking about people who had SEX (not babies) in years 7/8 or below regretting it later.

[Outbackjack]

Originally Posted by popinfresh

Also, i've found through friends/others in schools around me, that the one's who have really over protective parents are the ones who go out and rebel against their parents wishes, whilst kids with parents who are more open about the subject, yet voice their disconcern (and openly tell them why) about sex etc are the ones who don't do it till later years.

I'm glad to hear this from a young person (younger than me anyway) My wife and I are very open about the facts of life with my 16yo daughter. We have a huge trust in her, to the point we sent her off to Sth Africa on student exchange last year for 10 weeks. She is too focussed on her law studies at the moment and has no time for boys. This will change I know, but all her self motivation is coming from within and not being thrust on her by us. There is little doubt that is most cases the off spring are a product of good parenting. The real losers to iresponsible teenage parents is the liitle ones that have no say in their lot in life.
There is no ideology or government policy that change the problem of babies having babies, only the babies parents.

[alesia]

Im 18 and i have a few friends and other people i know that have been pregnant...
A Few of them had the baby and then took off dumping the baby at parents or grandparents, so they can still have the life they are used to i supposed.
BUT i have to honestly say that people can suprise you when you least expect it...
One of my now very close friends got pregnant early last year she was 16, i thought that she would just dump the kid (she dropped out of school in year 9 and didnt really do anything with herself , and she had not had a great life)but she definatly proved me wrong, once Abby was born she became the best mother i think i know, she showed that child more love and care by herself (more then i have experienced in my whole life from my mother) and although abby tragically died for SIDS only a few months after , she matured beyond her age and it has put her life in prospective and has a plan for what she wants to do ........
Jess is one great example that not all young pregnancies fit the stereotype.

I think that sometimes it doesnt have anything to do with a persons upbringing , based on my mothers prospective on life, i would have been pregnant at 15 and on welfare, where as jess's folks would have had her in University.

So yeah sorry to rant on all finished now

[Outbackjack]

Originally Posted by alesia

Im 18 and i have a few friends and other people i know that have been pregnant...
A Few of them had the baby and then took off dumping the baby at parents or grandparents, so they can still have the life they are used to i supposed.
BUT i have to honestly say that people can suprise you when you least expect it...
One of my now very close friends got pregnant early last year she was 16, i thought that she would just dump the kid (she dropped out of school in year 9 and didnt really do anything with herself , and she had not had a great life)but she definatly proved me wrong, once Abby was born she became the best mother i think i know, she showed that child more love and care by herself (more then i have experienced in my whole life from my mother) and although abby tragically died for SIDS only a few months after , she matured beyond her age and it has put her life in prospective and has a plan for what she wants to do ........
Jess is one great example that not all young pregnancies fit the stereotype.

I think that sometimes it doesnt have anything to do with a persons upbringing , based on my mothers prospective on life, i would have been pregnant at 15 and on welfare, where as jess's folks would have had her in University.

So yeah sorry to rant on all finished now

That is a good point Alesia, sad too. It high lights the fact that we cant plonk ALL teenage mums in the same basket. I have read some comments in these threads and some comments are purely based on political dogma and not human facts. And it was far from a rant.
Cheers.

[svo347]

What a crock.
As a guy, dont try to tell me Im wrong.
A teenage male, whats all he thinks about it highschool....... thats right SEX if you say no your a bloody liar.
the age for having sex nowdays is alot lower than what it was when i was a kid mind you i was 14 not that it matters.
theres also alot more STD's goin around.
I think its up to every parent to discuss sex and protection with their children to make sure that sex is a sacred thing, if your goin to do it, atleast be prepared.