We have spent the semester debating how and why teenage pregnancy is considered a social problem, but we haven't really looked at the ways in which teen girls and young women who choose to parent might be empowered by their parenting identities. Some of you have heard the stories I have told about old friends and acquaintances who because of their status as young mothers made significant gains and created important and dynamic programs and policies that address inequalities that young women and men face.
Take a look at this website: Girlmom
This was started by a teen mom years and years ago, but the site continues on without her now. Read around, get to know some of the contributors - what do they have to say? How might it be different than what we have been hearing or reading? How does it make you think?
i think the way teen moms are seen is really unfortunate. single mothers in this society are already treated with disrespect, and this becomes compounded by race, class, age, and sexuality. The website is awesome--it's refusing to play into the notion that teen motherhood is bad for society, that teen moms are somehow lesser parents than those that are older. love it!
ReplyDeleteteen moms that choose to have their children, that choose to feel empowered by it, have my full support. i think a lot of people make these mothers out to be villains, or pity cases, and it's refreshing to see none of this going on. motherhood can be a radical political act--it all comes back to choice; choosing to have children young, choosing to feel empowered by that, and choosing to fight back against the paradigm of 'concern' over these women's bodies.
I also think that the way these teen moms are seen is sad. I feel that the these negative outlooks on teenage mothers just discourages teenagers who do become pregnant. Not all teenagers are bad parents, many can be great parents. I think this website is very encouraging for teenagers, who get pregnant and decide to become pregnant.
ReplyDeleteElaina Stansberry
I think it's fascinating that every dark cloud has a silver lining and that in some, not all cases, teenage mother hood is more than just a silver lining for young girls. This site seems like a great way for mothers while pregnant to get to see a bit more of the bright side of their pregnancy.
ReplyDeleteI especially like the one article they had where they made note of the positives of being a young mother such as being able to be in shape and young enough to play with your child and not risk getting injured in a "tickle fight". We've discussed in class how becoming a teenage parent isn't always a curse for the parents and children and this site makes it abundantly clear. I wish that 16 and Pregnant would show some more of the success stories instead of the regretful "I wish I had waited" stories.
Jean Carr
I think that the Girlmom website is a much needed one. Often time teen mothers are faced with many stigmas, yet not not enough empowerment and uplifting things to provide teen moms with encouragement.One part of the article the website that stuck out to me was the part that stated "that teen pregnancy is not an epidemic..." I agree with this, but only to a certain extent. Teen pregnancy is not a new phenomenon, for girls have become teenage parents for a long period of time. the new epidemic for me is the fact that girls are now becoming pregnant as pre-teens. I am not placing judgement on anyone, but it is hard for me to wrap my head around a 12 year old becoming a mother, when they are still able to eat on the kids menu at you local restaurant. This is a hard thing for society to swallow but nonetheless this seems to showing its face more often.
ReplyDeleteJ'Quana Brown
I think that the way teen moms are portrayed in society is kind of sad. Society just looks down on a young girl for having a child. For me personally I am not sure if I could handle a child at age 21, but if I was to get pregnant now I know I would grow up and do whatever it took to care for my baby. Some of the stuff the girlmom's were saying on the website kind of made sense to me. They were talking about how having a child young they are able to still play with their child in a way that their parents couldn't. They also talked about how as their child grows up they are closer in age and they can relate to one another more. i think that this is a good thing. I do not know if having a kid at age 16 is good but maybe not waiting until you are 30 is a good thing.
ReplyDelete-Sam Flores
The passion is evident in the language that these women use when talking about their decision to parent. The first line of the blog really resonated with me. It said that teen pregnancy is not an epidemic, that the truly sad and problematic thing is the lack of support available to young parents if they do choose to parent. Of course that issue is complicated based on the marital status of the young parents and race and class continue to complicate the matter even more but the idea that we have a basic lack of support as a nation for teen parents reinforces the idea that the majority of the time if they choose to parent they are making the wrong choice. The site was empowering and a breath of fresh air. These on line communities have really become a great source of power to marginalized communities and those seeking to educate themselves on social issues.
ReplyDeleteBrittany Wood
I can appreciate at site like this. I think the society we live in that eagerly criticizes women, but slowly or rarely encourages or give women praise when it is due. I mean look at the history books used in K-12 education. The accomplishment of men are over discussed while women are virtually non-existent are not present are poorly discussed. There needs to be more outlets that showcase the accomplishment of teen mothers. I remember once a friend and I brought up a girl in our class who had gotten pregnant. The first thing out of my friend's mouth was "SLUT". She forever labeled this girl a slut despite the fact that she was doing considerably well and wasn't actually a slut. Comments like the one my friend made only render teen moms and women in general powerless. We should be uplifting and supporting one another. I think this site does a great job at that.
ReplyDeleteAshley Boyd
I enjoy what the site had to offer and what it said, I think its a great tool to empower and encourage teen mothers instead of bashing them or putting for their decisions to become parents. I'm sure the mothers realize that its a difficult decision that they have made, but they shouldn't be shunned for it. I think, in my opinion, there should be something like, because it takes a real woman and adult to choose to parent a child. and this site does a great job of encouraging and praising them for making the decision to parent, and not at the fact that they chose to parent at a young age. There is a difference.
ReplyDelete~Nikki Walton
Just from the beginning introduction I like it a lot. Being a teen parent is like a double edged sword. You are no longer a teen because you have responsibilities 24/7. but then because your age you can not really relate to the older mom's, at all those mommy groups. Pregnancy/parenthood can be very ostracizing for anyone, you no longer can go out at night, your body is not the same, hardly anyone comes to visit you, etc. So in this time the slightest bit of encouragement and support is amazing. That is what I see out of this site, it encourages teen mothers to fight the good fight and raise their kids to be respectable, loving individuals.
ReplyDeleteThis site is also socially conscious. I like it that they went to the social forum and talked about so many issues related to teen pregnancy. It is helping support younger mothers, but also making a difference in society, which will hopefully change someday about the issue of teen pregnancy.
I also like how women talk about a variety of issues they deal with as parents, there is the article about abortion, falling out of love with your child, and more. These are all issues that is not really highlighted on 16 & pregnant or other articles. Parenthood has it's own unique challenges, at every age, that parents have to deal with. This site does focus on the real life struggles that moms go through instead of just the surface struggle of being a teen/mom. 16 & pregnant a lot of times just focus on the train wreck of wanting to be a teen and not being able to, and then the struggle of being in a relationship, and what not. There isn't really a focus on the true struggles of taking care of a child, like feeding, potty training, disciplining, praising, food choices, day care choices, finances, and the list could go on. So I think this site is much more realistic than the show.
Maegen Hahn
I looked at this website about a year ago and was amused by it. From my perspective, teen moms are just as capable of raising their child as the moms in their 30s or 40s. Yes, they may face some more difficulties like schooling or financial instability but women in their in their 30s/40s have same kind of difficulties,may be not to that extent but raising a child is difficult no matter what age you have it. Like the Dr Drew episode we watched it today, the teen mom mentioned having a child helped her to grow more or be more mature. I think this website is a great example for the teen moms out there that says having a child is not the end of the world!
ReplyDelete--Disha Jetani
The love of a mother no matter the age, is not different for anyone. Teenage girls who are getting pregnant are treated disrespectfully and looked down upon because of their age. I personally don't agree with teenage pregnancy. Girls these days are having sex just to have sex. Sometimes I feel like people forget the real meaning of sex, sharing something so special with someone you really care about. The idea way to have a child is to be married and financially stable. As you get older, you have made mistakes that you learn from in life and become wiser so as a Mom, you know the proper way to raise a child. Some of the girls who are getting pregnant haven't made many mistakes yet and will end up making them while they have a child. Now nobody is perfect and even married couples will makes mistakes raising children, but they have more experience in life and a better idea of right and wrong. I like the website though, it's nice and encouraging. But I don't agree with teenage pregnancy.
ReplyDelete-Breanna Russo