some things just shouldn't be glorified....or rewarded...

Crystal817

It's not just HS anymore folks. Middle school girls are preggo.

Now that scares the *kitten* out of me.

mrb_9110

I think that the show itself doesn't necessarily glorify teen pregnancy, but from reading tabloids (guilty pleasure) they "report" about some of those girls going engagement ring shopping with their boyfriends or getting boob jobs. It's like being on the show propelled them to celebrity status and that's not how it should be. I don't know if MTV pays them to be on the show, but it seems like it because they always have their nails done and seem to be better off after the shows air.

As to teen pregnancy in general, I know some girls who were just completely misinformed about sex, pregnancy, and birth control, partly due to lazy parenting and partly due to the fact that our school didn't even have sex ed. WE NEED SEX ED IN SCHOOLS! I believe it's the number one thing to keep teen pregnancy rates dropping. Other than that, parents HAVE to be involved in their child's life. If I had any questions, I knew to go to my mom or someone else I trusted (an adult) for information. Unfortunately, most teens' source of information is their friends or the internet.

WildFlower7

I'm a 24yr old proud mommy to 3, my first I gave birth to at the age of 15, am I proud of that, no but am I ashamed of it, NO WAY! Had amazing parents, we went to church on a weekly basis, they educated me on sex and my mom even took me to the gynecologist as soon as I told her I was sexually active (which was by no means easy to tell her) those things really in some cases do make a difference... and in others don't, it depends on the person! I am a stay at home mom married mother to 3 children that I gave birth to AND to my two step-sons whom we also have full time (2 of which I gave birth to in my teen years) we have a nice home in a great family neighborhood. I graduated from my high school (a half of a year earlier then I was suppose to) at the age of 17 and in gold. Do I think this makes it ok to have kids young, NO, do I consider myself fortunate, VERY! But do I wish I had shows like this to watch when I was a teenager to see the true harsh reality of how hard it can be at certain times being a teen mom...YES. Was it peaches and cream for me the entire time, NO, I experienced alot of things that alot of the girls on those shows had experienced, but I had no idea it would ever be that way because I never had witnessed teen pregnancy myself.

I don't believe the teen mom shows are being shoved in anyone's faces, if you don't want to watch it, then don't, noone is forcing anyone to watch them. I mean truthfully you can say this about alot of things on television, are people who have had a family member bit by a shark going to want to watch a show on shark bites, probably not, but that's going to be their decision wether they watch or not. It's going to be put on t.v. regardless.

I don't neccesarily think the shows are ment to "glorify" teen pregnancy, they show the true, raw, changes that are and have to be made when your a teen mom, if anything I think it helps show teens just how truly hard it can and chances are will be at one point or another if you become a teen mom, I have yet to see an episode that would make me go ( oooooh that looks like fun I wanna be a teen mom now) if anything it shows how difficult it reallyis and well if you don't like it, then don't watch it and don't let your kids watch it! That's my opinion!

P.S. I moved out of my parents home on my own at the age of 16! 3 months after my daughter was born, worked full time, went to school, found and payed a daycare provider and my rent and bills with my own money and have lived and worked on my own ever since!! Everything I have I have because of me and the reason I am the way I am is because my parents raised me the right way! Despite my mistakes, I came out stronger, and more independent then I ever thought possible.

Karleyyy

I got pregnant at 16 and at 18. It is a struggle, and I know you CAN'T be stereotyping all teen mothers... so this doesn't offend me. Something like half of all teen mom's don't even graduate high school. I am going to college starting in August to become a nurse, and I have worked my *kitten* off to get here. My life revolves around my children and my two year old is often the most well-behaved child around when we go out. I understand that most girls cannot handle it, but do we really need to ***** about it? Age really doesn't matter when it comes to being a parent, I know that for a fact. Because my parenting is what I am most confident about.

snkeller24

I like your stand on it - I know that kids are more "knowledgeable" these days, because of shows like this and I think it's great that you're using it as a tool.

Parents should be parents ... and you're teaching your daughter in an open environment.

cindy4mica

please let me add that i don't think every teen pregnancy case ends in a disaster. i have a few friends who were teen moms and have raised wonderful children all while becoming successful themselves. my point is that for the most part, it is hard. really hard. the girls on these shows have parents who help them financially and with child care all of the time and while that's *their* reality, it's not everyone's. it's a struggle to take care of children when you're a capable, mature, married adult so i imagine it's 10x worse when you're a child yourself. my point is that teen girls don't always see that. they see janelle out partying all the time whle her mother takes care of jace (and letting her come back home every single time she's kicked her sorry *kitten* out). and chelsea living in what looks like a $500,000 house without a care in the world except for worrying about what girl her stupid boyfriend is going to cheat on her with next. so what if they don't graduate? so what if they can't hold a job and support the baby *they* brought into this world? they have mommy & daddy to pick up the pieces. unfortunately, that's not reality...

snkeller24

Totally agree with the nails/hair/tanning ... really!?!

Last I knew - Teen Mom's made more then Glee members ...

cindy4mica

It's not just HS anymore folks. Middle school girls are preggo.

ugh! i know.

sassylilmama

As a teen mom myself I think a show like this would have made me far more cautious. I am a rare story, graduated early with honors,still married have 3 kids now, own a home and am a sahm. But this show could have saved me some hardships with the honesty it shows.

WildFlower7

I was a teenage mom and watch those shows because they do show the pain, stigmas, immature emotions, attempts to make that decision into the best future they can, and fear that getting pregnant at a young age can bring. I see nothing glorified about it other than they are on TV, but that would be like saying they glorify hoarders or obese people. I was fortunate to defy most of the teen-mom stereotypes, finished high school, college, and got a great job and have done a good job of raising my son. But I appreciate that there is a show that shows the difficulties behind those teenage actions.

LOVE what you wrote ^ I feel the exact same!

live2smyle

It's not just HS anymore folks. Middle school girls are preggo.

ugh! i know.

My daughters last middle school 3 girls preggo...talking age 12 here. The teachers were rubbing their bellys "awww when are you due" My daughter came home disgusted. I felt really bad for my kid. She was really trying to understand how adults could condone this kind of behavior.

She was also pissed off that they didnt have to wear the "required school uniform". She and I for that matter did not understand why special treatment were given to these girls concerning outfits. Maternity clothes are out there and if they seriously cant afford new pants for pregnancy they gotta hella shock coming to them on how much children cost.

ellisor1230

I was a teenage mom and watch those shows because they do show the pain, stigmas, immature emotions, attempts to make that decision into the best future they can, and fear that getting pregnant at a young age can bring. I see nothing glorified about it other than they are on TV, but that would be like saying they glorify hoarders or obese people. I was fortunate to defy most of the teen-mom stereotypes, finished high school, college, and got a great job and have done a good job of raising my son. But I appreciate that there is a show that shows the difficulties behind those teenage actions.

AGREED! You said it so much better than I did!

cindy4mica

It's not just HS anymore folks. Middle school girls are preggo.

ugh! i know.

My daughters last middle school 3 girls preggo...talking age 12 here. The teachers were rubbing their bellys "awww when are you due" My daughter came home disgusted. I felt really bad for my kid. She was really trying to understand how adults could condone this kind of behavior.

She was also pissed off that they didnt have to wear the "required school uniform". She and I for that matter did not understand why special treatment were given to these girls concerning outfits. Maternity clothes are out there and if they seriously cant afford new pants for pregnancy they gotta hella shock coming to them on how much children cost.

you have GOT to be kidding me??!? i'm not old-fashioned by any stretch of the imagination, but that's just crazy. i'm not saying those girls need to wear a scarlet letter, but the teachers need to handle it a little differently.

LovelySnugs

you know what i want? i want to see a reality show about a young married couple trying to make it in the real world, living below the poverty line, using cloth diapers cuz they can't afford disposables - and hand-washing the laundry because they can't spare the quarters for the laundromat. i want to see a reality tv show about people who actually do things the way they SHOULD be done (as in legally and legitimately and with little or no help from the fam), and still struggle. i want to see people's reactions when they get a call from the manager "oh, it was a GREAT interview, but we have to go with someone who has a bit more experience. i'm sorry". i want a close-up shot of the poor stay at home mom wiping the tears from her face as she goes into her certification appointment, humiliated by the fact that she has to go and get food stamps behind her husband's back because he's working his way through school and supporting her and their child and he can't make enough money to pay the bills, buy his books, AND keep food on the table.

i KNOW the troubles that come with teen pregnancy. that's why i didn't get pregnant til after i was married. but why isn't there a show out there about people like ME?

and by, the way, i don't even have cable (we can't afford it) and i STILL know which shows the OP is talking about. this crap DOES get shoved down our throats. you can't turn off a magazine cover, now, can you?

Soupskin

I think it is being shoved down our throats. I don't even have a TV yet I still know about these shows.

Crystal817

I think it is being shoved down our throats. I don't even have a TV yet I still know about these shows.

I guess you could say that about anything that's on a magazine cover or on the internet. It's weather you choose to care or not. Sure I see the tabloids with celebrity gossip, but do I care? No. Therefore I don't feel like anything is being forced upon me.

Soupskin

I think it is being shoved down our throats. I don't even have a TV yet I still know about these shows.

I guess you could say that about anything that's on a magazine cover or on the internet. It's weather you choose to care or not. Sure I see the tabloids with celebrity gossip, but do I care? No. Therefore I don't feel like anything is being forced upon me.

It's not me that I care about as much as my children. We choose not to have a television to keep that garbage away from them but it's everywhere now. As a parent it pisses me off that the decision to keep this away from them is being taken away from me.

believetoachieve

I'm not sure. While in many cases, the girls are def unprepared.. in many cases, they're not. One of my closest friends had a baby at a young age. She's a BEAUTIFUL girl, and could've had anything/anyone she wanted. She managed to stay with the baby's father, complete university (and get a 4-year DEGREE no less), rent a house, etc etc. The whole family eats clean, lives healthy, and the baby has nothing but the best they can afford to give her. My friend has given up everything and doesn't mind. There's not a day she wishes she'd not had her daughter. Some people are simply ready for a baby at a younger age than others are.

However, I do cringe when I hear of ladies having 2-3 children by the time they're 21, but I'm not one to judge. (I have no children, for the record)

ellisor1230

I'm not sure. While in many cases, the girls are def unprepared.. in many cases, they're not. One of my closest friends had a baby at a young age. She's a BEAUTIFUL girl, and could've had anything/anyone she wanted. She managed to stay with the baby's father, complete university (and get a 4-year DEGREE no less), rent a house, etc etc. The whole family eats clean, lives healthy, and the baby has nothing but the best they can afford to give her. My friend has given up everything and doesn't mind. There's not a day she wishes she'd not had her daughter. Some people are simply ready for a baby at a younger age than others are.

However, I do cringe when I hear of ladies having 2-3 children by the time they're 21, but I'm not one to judge. (I have no children, for the record)

HA! I had 3 children at 19! (The oldest is my stepdaughter, but we had full custody when my youngest was born.) Not to mention that my stepdaughter's mother disappeared around that time as well, so I never got weekend 'breaks'. It's been a struggle some days, but I have 3 beautiful children that I would die for. We've never been on GA and we're not rich, but we've made it work. We have happy, healthy, polite children....and that is all that matters, not when I had them!

dls06

i know the sad reality is that teen pregnancy is running rampant in the world today, but do they *really* need to glorify it by producing more tv shows?? ok, so i'm being a bit of hypocrite as well as an enabler since all of those reality shows are my guilty pleasure, but i like to think i'm intelligent enough to see how ruined these girls' lives are. yes, babies are a blessing and yes, babies are miracles, but let's not sugar-coat this. life as these girls know it will be no longer. it's painfully evident on these shows that lives filled with the mall and going out and dances and school and parties have been replaced with sleepless nights, diapers, making bottles and struggles to graduate. yet teen girls *still* don't practice safe sex. and worse & more stupidly, some get pregnant on purpose to "keep a boyfriend" or "have someone to love". i'll still never get that one. but again, i don't walk in anyone's shoes. however, i *do* know between right & wrong and there is nothing "right" about bringing a baby into this world for selfish reasons.

additionally, there are mature, adult, financially-stable women out there who struggle to get pregnant on a daily basis. i'm fairly certain they're not thrilled to have these girls shoved down their throats every day on tv, magazines & tabloids.

this is MY OPINION. i'm trying not to judge, but rather to make statements based on the information i'm given. we don't know what happens behind closed doors, but from what i can assess, these girls need more parental involvement and to be educated on safe sex. i'm not stupid - i have teenaged kids and i'm pretty sure they're not saints. but i made sure to sit them down and talk to them with the cold, hard facts. i'm not a proponent of teen sex, but i'm an advocate on educating our children on their options if they choose to go that route.

your views??

I couldn't agree more!!!!!!!!!!!!

hazelbliss6

I have actually heard reports that the majority of polled teenagers who have watched Teen Mom have made efforts to NOT get pregnant over-all. Such as have dicsussions about sex with their parents, practise safe sex, or get on birth control ect. They even showed more tendancies and personal commitments to practise abstinence. It seems like Teen Mom as a whole shows struggeling teens, which demonstrates to viewers that it's not fun or easy to have a baby when you are not ready. I agree that the hollywood aspects of treating the girls on the show as if they are celeberties for the choices they made would send a bad message to some. But most of what you see is the negative results of bad decision making.

Erica9903

I absolutely agree 100%. I don't think they should air this type of programming on television. With that being said I was pregnant at 16 and my beautiful daughter was born 12 days before I turned 17. She changed my life in many positive ways but I also "lost" my youth. I knew my Mom couldn't afford another mouth to feed so I quit school and got my GED and a job. I wish I had waited but she forced me to grow up and make the choices and sacrifices necessary to allow her to have the life she has now. I am successful in my banking career and have a great family. I pray that the girls on these shows can do the same.

FearAnLoathing

Mabey people need to stop protesting when schools want to teach sex ed,seriously they were going to have a sex ed class at my sons school and the holy rollers got BENT out of shape about it, so no sex ed class.


Not to say I havent talked to him myself,but all they will teach in the school now is abstinence

Soupskin

Mabey people need to stop protesting when schools want to teach sex ed,seriously they were going to have a sex ed class at my sons school and the holy rollers got BENT out of shape about it, so no sex ed class.


Not to say I havent talked to him myself,but all they will teach in the school now is abstinence

There is a county in Alabama whose policy is to teach abstinence only.

Their teen STD and pregnancy rates are off the chart.

Your son is lucky because he has you. What about the children who are not so lucky to have parents that are so involved? Those are the ones that need these programs the most. They are also the ones that will be more susceptible to peer pressure.

In short: I agree 100%!

Qarol

Be thankful we don't live in England. My mom did for many years. She had a Sunday School student, 17, who got pregnant. Over there, if you're a single mom, you get an apartment and a monthly stipend from the gov't. It's not a fancy place, but it's still rent free. She lived there. But guess what? Her baby lived back at home with Grandma. So the tax payers were forking over this money for her to live when she wasn't even living with her baby at the apartment.

cindy4mica

I absolutely agree 100%. I don't think they should air this type of programming on television. With that being said I was pregnant at 16 and my beautiful daughter was born 12 days before I turned 17. She changed my life in many positive ways but I also "lost" my youth. I knew my Mom couldn't afford another mouth to feed so I quit school and got my GED and a job. I wish I had waited but she forced me to grow up and make the choices and sacrifices necessary to allow her to have the life she has now. I am successful in my banking career and have a great family. I pray that the girls on these shows can do the same.

so glad for your "happy ending"! it's nice to hear of the good outcomes. it's sad that they don't all turn out that way, though:(

FearAnLoathing

What gets me about the teen mom show is for 2 seasons that Amber chick basicly neglected her daughter and abused her boyfriend before anyone did anything

FearAnLoathing

Mabey people need to stop protesting when schools want to teach sex ed,seriously they were going to have a sex ed class at my sons school and the holy rollers got BENT out of shape about it, so no sex ed class.


Not to say I havent talked to him myself,but all they will teach in the school now is abstinence

There is a county in Alabama whose policy is to teach abstinence only.

Their teen STD and pregnancy rates are off the chart.

Your son is lucky because he has you. What about the children who are not so lucky to have parents that are so involved? Those are the ones that need these programs the most. They are also the ones that will be more susceptible to peer pressure.

In short: I agree 100%!

My poor son I actually showed him how to put a condom on a bannana,I just wish his school would teach some because i think he would take more in if he wasnt so EMBARRESED to be hearing about it from me an his step dad lol

Crystal817

How do you guys feel about the shows about people with 10+ kids... or even 19+ kids?!

FearAnLoathing

How do you guys feel about the shows about people with 10+ kids... or even 19+ kids?!

If they can afford all them kids without welfare or something the taxpayers have to pay for then more power to them.
except that kate plus 8 chick i cant STAND her lol