Teenage mums, the cost is more than money (Teenage Pregnancy)

Name: logberg

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Product:	Teenage Pregnancy
Date:	21/08/05 (365 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: None

Disadvantages: plenty

UK is no different to many other countries with teenage pregnancy problems.

The cost in financial terms is soaring, the cost in emotional terms is unmeasurable.

I feel that young people - male and female - can make one mistake and the government should pay but when they use having babies as a 'career' is just not on.

I do feel that when babies are born to youngsters under the legal age for sex there should be no financial benefit; parents should pay all the costs involved for the ''offspring'' their children's flings produce.

My reason for this is that the country can not afford the benefit to be paid out to so many unmarried, teenage mums.

The parents are legally responsible for what their children do and now that children, under the age of 12 years, are having children before they are mature enough to, the parents should avoid letting them be in the situations that produce babies.

In some countries the law states that if underage youngsters break the law the parents are held responsible too.

Perhaps, the if the parents knew they were going to pay for any early grandkids arriving in the family, they would make sure there were no little 'surprises' arriving into the household.

I may seem harsh but when you look at the welfare budgets, in the future, there won't be enough money for so many teenager's being ''career funded'' to be baby factories while elderly people's health-care, pensions and other costs are cut.

I repeat, everyone makes mistakes, in this day and age there is no reason for young people to have illegitimate babies; there is so much education available, contraception and other helpful clinics to assist people in preventing pro-creation.

It worries me that teenagers don't know or are not told that having a baby is a 20 to 25-year commitment; then many more years in a supportive role.

A baby is more than pretty little clothes on a gurgling bundle in the best pram around. Babies have first call on your time, emotions, money, privacy - there's a huge range of things you have to ''give up'' if you do the parenting thing to the best of your ability.


I see them with their youngsters and in many cases I am not pleased with what I see. Parents need to be first in the line of preventing teenage pregnancies.

Let them advise about waiting until your own body is mature enough to carry a child. Outline for their youngsters that they need to know and understand the entire process of nurturing a child: meeting their needs of body, mind and soul.

Being a parent should be a privilege, not a drain, not a barrier to enjoying life with your peers and in many cases ending up with babies and toddlers ''getting in the way''.



While I personally know of some teenage pregnancies that have worked, they've either married and made a go of it, or parents have been supportive and the family has been enhanced by the new-comer. I do congratulate them.

But, when youngsters have several babies, by different fathers and un-known fathers - so no-one can help the state pay for the up-bringing - it is not ideal in today's communities.

Teenage pregnancy is more that a state of biology - a baby results and it deserves the best in life. Too often they are brought up in less than desirable circumstances. I'd like to see that improve and see the first and most obvious place to start is with the parents.

Summary: Teenage pregnancy - also a parenting problem