Teen Moms

16-pregnant__oPt
Originally uploaded by mrzwaiss

I just found out that MTV is doing a continuation documentary of one of my all time favorites, 16 and Pregnant. It's called Teen Moms and it's going to follow the lives of the girls from the original show to see how their lives have changed since giving birth.

I'm not going to lie - I'm ridiculously excited because I'm obsessed with Catelynn and Ty. I adore that couple and admire their courage (recognizing their own home lives were unstable, they gave their baby up for adoption because they wanted more for their daughter than their own parents had offered them).

If I could adopt those two teens, I would do it tomorrow. If I had their home address, I would send them money. If I have a child, I would be proud if it grew up half as lovely as the two of them.

Teen pregnancy has become an issue in this country because unfortunately, many girls resort to it as a deliberate means to an end. In some communities, pregnancy is a status symbol - for teen and adult women and I think that is so wrong. But I also think it's wrong for adults to judge teens for making bad choices that they themselves continue to make, even though they have the experience to "know better".

There are a lot of adults I know who have become parents for the wrong reasons and who are terrible at parenting their children but because of their status as adults, society excuses most of their behaviors and even goes as far as to accept it as the norm.

You may want to prepare yourself for this next statement: teen pregnancy doesn't ruin the lives of teens or their babies: I know a teen mom I can honestly say is a true role model of mine - seriously, she's one of the BEST mothers I know.

So, What's La Pointe of It All? It's this - Teen pregnancy doesn't ruin lives. What ruins the lives of teens and their babies is a lack of awareness, love, support, education, and compassion - not the pregnancy or the situation. Some teen pregnancies can actually increase the quality of a teen's life. It all depends on the teen and the situation. I look forward to seeing how Catelynn and Tyler are doing and I am proud of the choices they've made and know that someday, they will be great parents.