The headlines are at it again. Nothing quite like a story about sex. This time, it involves 17-year-old Bristol Palin, daughter of Republican Vice-Presidential candidate, Sarah Palin. Bristol, it turns out, is unmarried and pregnant. While it's true that only a small percentage of the entire population of 15-19 year olds in our country become pregnant each year, (stats for the year 2000 put the number at about 820,000 out of over 21 million 15-19 year olds), the cost of these pregnancies runs about 9.1 billion a year, nationally. That's enough to break anyone's budget. Here's a look at some of the issues.
Many of the costs cited above have to do with public health care for the mother and child, welfare costs, and lost revenue due to decreased earnings and spending. We know from research that teen parents are less likely to have early and consistent prenatal care, are more likely to have low birth-weight babies and babies with special needs, and are less likely to finish high school. While there are exceptions (Barack Obama is the child of a teen mom), many children of teen parents enter the world less than their healthiest, and are new members of an already overtaxed health care and education system in our country. With less educated parents, the likelihood that they will break through the poverty they are born into is low. Is it any wonder that many teen parents are children of teen parents themselves?
While Bristol Palin is thrust into the spotlight and held as an example with a family that stands behind her, many teenagers are not this lucky. Many do not have two parents, or supportive parents, or the financial, social, medical and emotional support it takes to carry a healthy baby to term or care for it well after its arrival. What is good about this story is that it has a lot of people talking about teen pregnancy, which needs to happen--on a national level, a state level, a local level, and a family level.
If you need some ideas about where and how to start talking about this issue in your house, here are some resources:
- General resources about sexuality and parenting: http://www.diligentjoy.com/resources.html
- About the danger of glamorizing teen pregnancy and what to do instead: http://www.parentingbystrengths.com/2008/06/not-so-common-s.html
- About what parents can do about preventing teen pregnancy: http://www.parentingbystrengths.com/2008/04/teen-pregnancy.html
- Information and tips sheets for parents about teen pregnancy: http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/
Whether it's Bristol Palin, Elliott Spitzer, John Edwards, or Jamie Lynn Spears, the media will always have something to cover regarding sexuality. Use these stories as tools to help you discuss your values and your expectations with your children. And then, as I'm prone to say, don't forget to listen.
Amy Johnson, MSW, is a Personal Life and Parent Coach who is passionate about working with parents regarding balance, self-care and faith and sexuality. To read more by Amy, go to Diligent Joy Blog. Amy is also a member of the Best Parent Coaching Directory. Click here to contact Amy.
