Originally Posted by
Rachel
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.