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  1. #1
    Brewmaster Rukah's Avatar
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    Teenage/Youth Pregnancy

    Within the last year or so, many of my friends have become pregnant both intentionally and unintentionally. They include ages of 16, 16, 19, 20 and 24 year olds. It's kind of a shock to me, I personally wouldn't want a young child in my life till I was at least 30ish, however that's my personal opinion.

    So my question/discussion topic to you: What are you thoughts on Teenage Pregnancy/Having a child at an age of <25y/o? Is the new "norm" of society to have a child at a younger age than previous generations?

  2. #2
    I knew someone from elementary school that had a kid at 15.

  3. #3
    I work at an emergency shelter with newborns to 18yr olds. It all depends on values/guidance/culture. Such trends really are the result of a "shift" in the view of a population.

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Rukah View Post
    Within the last year or so, many of my friends have become pregnant both intentionally and unintentionally. They include ages of 16, 16, 19, 20 and 24 year olds. It's kind of a shock to me, I personally wouldn't want a young child in my life till I was at least 30ish, however that's my personal opinion.

    So my question/discussion topic to you: What are you thoughts on Teenage Pregnancy/Having a child at an age of <25y/o? Is the new "norm" of society to have a child at a younger age than previous generations?
    Well, its actually that Previous generations were the odd ones (pre-modern era, 14+ was child bearing age). In my opinion before 21 / 22 its going to be nothing but trouble and potentially ruin future plans, but the 24 year old is perfectly fine. You don't want to have children too late (late 30s is starting to push it), as the chances of complications rise and the chances of genetic diseases increases. I say 22ish since that is the end of college for many kids, so the odds of being able to sustain themselves and a family is a bit better than before that
    Last edited by LoLHellcy; 2011-03-29 at 03:33 AM. Reason: spelling

  5. #5
    I had my daughter at 17 by "accident" Have the quotes becasue we didnt use any protection, but we wernt TRYING to have a baby..even though we were in a sense.

    Ideally, one should wait untill they have a stable job and are with one they love. But that dosent always happen, and as long as you have support, and are mature, you can raise a great child. Waiting untill the arbitrary age of 30 isnt a marker which will enable you to be a compitent parent.

    If, at 24, your ready, then I guess thats the time for you to have a child. It is not my personal opinon that anyone is ready before 20. Certinally not at 16. You cant even drive by urself or sign your OWN medical documents, let alone those of your newborn child.
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  6. #6
    Delicate matter is delicate.

    I generally think it's a bad thing. Unintentional young pregnancy is a sign of stupidity and intentional young pregnancy is a sign of irresponsibility. Raise a kid or go to high school. One or the other, doing both is unfair to the child and whoever you're dumping that child on.

    There is no age at which you are ready but there is an age at which you are not ready, if that makes any sense. there's no age where you are suddenly ready to have a baby, but there is an age where it's just not a good idea.
    Last edited by Tore; 2011-03-29 at 03:38 AM.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Torethyr View Post
    Delicate matter is delicate.

    I generally think it's a bad thing. Unintentional young pregnancy is a sign of stupidity and intentional young pregnancy is a sign of irresponsibility. Raise a kid or go to high school. One or the other, doing both is unfair to the child and whoever you're dumping that child on.

    There is no age at which you are ready but there is an age at which you are not ready, if that makes any sense. there's no age where you are suddenly ready to have a baby, but there is an age where it's just not a good idea.
    i have to disagree, without a high school diploma, you will be mooching off of who ever would be raising the kid while at school (most likely the mother's mom) for the rest of their lives, not just a few years.
    With out a high school diploma, you can't do anything in today's world.

  8. #8
    Quote Originally Posted by Bucknazty View Post
    I had my daughter at 17 by "accident" Have the quotes becasue we didnt use any protection, but we wernt TRYING to have a baby..even though we were in a sense.

    Ideally, one should wait untill they have a stable job and are with one they love. But that dosent always happen, and as long as you have support, and are mature, you can raise a great child. Waiting untill the arbitrary age of 30 isnt a marker which will enable you to be a compitent parent.

    If, at 24, your ready, then I guess thats the time for you to have a child. It is not my personal opinon that anyone is ready before 20. Certinally not at 16. You cant even drive by urself or sign your OWN medical documents, let alone those of your newborn child.
    Just curious, did you ever think of aborting the fetus?

  9. #9
    Oh dear, another topic I told myself I would not touch with a ten-foot pole, but I feel as though I should throw in my 2 cents.

    A lot of people have a tendency to think that a 16 or 17 year old female is a baby, and that teenagers are incapable of love, which, of course, is horseshit. Teen pregnancy is looked down upon because society has branded it as wrong, even though it's quite natural, and some would argue that the average female's best years for reproduction are 16-30. If we look at humans as just another species on this planet, it would make sense to have children young (not too young of course, the body must be developed), but all of our customs and rules get in the way of logical thinking. Instead of just being humans, we have to mold ourselves into little robots and abide by rules, many of which, do not make much sense.

    The only reason why it's not a good idea to have children at 16 or 17 is because of how our present society works. There's not enough support for mothers in general, and society has made up a bunch of stupid 'values' with regards to young mothers.
    If you want to be a stay at home mom you have to work for a very long time and save up quite a bit of money if you're the average Western woman. And I'm sure that many of those women lose the opportunity to have children because of the time it takes to prepare; fertility issues, on average, start around 30.

    I just wish that one day people will realize that a girl who has had a child at a young age is not 'stupid,' or a 'slut.' Maybe she made a mistake, maybe she didn't, but chances are that she's actually trying her hardest to give her kid the best she can. People should be giving her encouragement and support, not vitriol and stink-eyes.

    Those shows, such as "16 and Pregnant" only show a minority of stupid 'Beverly Hills' wannabes that use their children as dolls and to gain celebrity status. But I've seen many adult women who do the exact same thing. It tells you that age is only a number.

    Rukah, where did you get the idea that 19 to 25 is young? I'd say that 20 is a good middle ground, so to speak, and 25 to 30 is getting near the end.

    If anyone has questions or needs me to clarify anything, just ask.

  10. #10
    Legendary! Thallidomaniac's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rachel View Post
    Those shows, such as "16 and Pregnant" only show a minority of stupid 'Beverly Hills' wannabes that use their children as dolls and to gain celebrity status. But I've seen many adult women who do the exact same thing. It tells you that age is only a number.
    Yep. To me, it's actually quite sickening to see teenage pregnancy being glorified in the media. And not just on television. Going from being called "stupid" or "slut" to being seen by millions of viewers on national TV...
    Last edited by Thallidomaniac; 2011-03-29 at 04:16 AM.

  11. #11
    Legendary! Callace's Avatar
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    Kids with older, more mature parents tend to grow up more happily from what I've witnessed.

  12. #12
    I think you're awesome if you're able to raise a kid well at a young age while not messing his or her life up, while simultaneously not messing up yours either. That said, I wouldn't recommend it ever. The "do it at 30" thing is there for a reason, by then you'll typically have a good job and made some decent money if you're not a total screwup. More money makes things a lot easier.

  13. #13
    Society always comes up with some bull shit standard to force on people, as far as I am concerned if you are in a relation ship and are married thats a good time to have kids in the best way to see things, and that could be as young as 18(Depending) 25 in some cases some might consider to old, most women freak out when they hit closer and closer to 30, because the closer they get to that age, the less likely chance they will have fertile eggs. If you are a woman and want a kid, and a guy wants a kid, they can make that choice to. I just would never advise a young couple still in high school and dating to not do it, maybe 1/1000 chance things would work out.

    Now as far as teen pregnancy , thanks to the internet it is blown out of porportion making it look as though teen pregnancy is a common thing that involves almost all teens. infact, teen pregnancy is at a low, compared to the 40s-60s , teen pregnancy was much higher back then in percentages, you must also consider population growth in certain areas over time. (Hey that early teen pregnancy 40s-60s might have to deal with that statistic changing :P ). Also on that note, drug use was higher back then, before computers and all our gadgets cable and what not, there were only 3 things of entertainment, drugs, sex, music. the big time stuff.
    Last edited by Biggiej; 2011-03-29 at 04:23 AM.

  14. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by Bucknazty View Post
    I had my daughter at 17 by "accident" Have the quotes becasue we didnt use any protection, but we wernt TRYING to have a baby..even though we were in a sense.
    Guess you missed the sex ed classes, huh?

  15. #15
    Stood in the Fire Shaefaerie's Avatar
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    My mom had me at 23 and I was semi-planned but she raised me as best she could with what she had. For myself, I would never want a child this early in my life. I'm going to be 23 and I can't fathom having to care for another being when caring for myself is a stretch at times. Others might be ready for it but all in all I believe children before 25 is a bad judgment call unless you are very well prepared. By prepared I mean you have a house, at least one vehicle if there are two parents (preferably two), two incomes that are stable or one really stable good income that can support three people, a helpful group of friends and family that are willing to be supportive and be substitute baby sitters if needed. I think if you have this all lined up than you are good to go ahead and reproduce. Too many children are being brought into this world without basic needs being stable. They go days without food and some don't even have shelter. It's depressing to think anything should live like that.

  16. #16
    Legendary! Thallidomaniac's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Hinaaja View Post
    Guess you missed the sex ed classes, huh?
    I found that my sex ed courses in grade school weren't that helpful when it came to explaining the process.

  17. #17
    I'm 28 and my wife is 25, we are expecting our first child in November and couldn't be happier. I'm glad we waited because our siblings had children in their teens and I can honestly say that they were not ready. Weird that I'm expecting my firstborn this year and have a nephew that is starting college this year. As far a sex ed goes, I went to school in the bible belt and talking sex in school was a no no and that is why teen pregnancy in the southern US is so out of control(MS, AL, LA, AK, and GA especially). Parents and conservatives will cry that you are promoting sex and taking their innocence by discussing this in school but they wont broach the subject so the kids start having sex really ignorant to the consequences.

    No shit, some girls think that if you jump up and down after sex that you won't get pregnant...at least they have their innocence right?
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  18. #18
    i agree with badpaladin here, i think the time to have a child would be as soon as the parents realize that they are stable and have financial room to support a child and themselves. back in highschool i was talking to a friend who said her sister planned on getting pregnant simply to move out of her parents house and be independent, to me that seemed foolish and i really hope that didnt happen.

  19. #19
    Brewmaster Rukah's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Rachel View Post
    Rukah, where did you get the idea that 19 to 25 is young? I'd say that 20 is a good middle ground, so to speak, and 25 to 30 is getting near the end.
    I did intend "young" to be <20. However I didn't want to limit the topic to only "children' (i/e those under 18)

  20. #20
    Bah, the younger, the better. My sister's friend did it right and got pregnant at 13. Happy rest of life.

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