Photo Credit: Andrea Batten
Justin Kirkham, Associate Editor
January 31, 2012
Filed under Featured
Brushing the stray hair from her eyes and cheeks, she stares into the white, plastic rod. She cringes and bites her lip as the result materializes: positive. Her face flushes in crimson, and her heart sinks into her stomach. “What now?” she mutters.
When facing the prospect of pregnancy, teenage girls face an array of decisions and challenges that can potentially be embraced and made into the best situation possible.
“Their number one challenge is — do they have support at home,” explained social worker Becky Woodland. She stressed that pregnancy is not always a bad thing, but rather is an emotionally charged event. Girls need support to pull through the situation.
Having the father present and willing to help is of utmost important to former Borah student Maricia Gaddis, who is now in the midst of her pregnancy. “The dad is here with me and we are going to do this together,” she stated. “When you are surrounded by family, it works out for? the best.”
“Dads have parental rights, too,” Woodland nodded. “They need to be included.”
In the first stages of their pregnancy, teens have to decide what to do. “Girls need to look at their own future and the baby’s future and weigh the pros and cons,” Woodland remarked. “They need to decide whether they can still provide for a baby at home while achieving their own goals.” She emphasized the fact that many girls get caught up in the desire to parent, but lack the responsibility and drive to do so.
“If they aren’t realistic about [their capability to raise the child], it’s detrimental to theirs and the baby’s future,” Woodland stressed.
“Your life has to be for something else — not about yourself,” stated senior Holly Weaver, who was pregnant in her earlier teen years and now lives with a friend who recently gave birth. “You have to think about your future child” and what is best for them, she concluded.
“It’s no longer about her. It’s about the baby,” Woodland explained. “Bad habits need to stop and they need to think of things in a different light,” she nodded in emphasis.
Weaver knows from experience that being pregnant as a teen can lead to more dire emotional turmoil. “Being younger, your hormones are a lot worse,” she assessed. “Every effect is 10 times worse when you are a teenager.”
“If you decide to keep it,” said Woodland, “you are not alone. There’s a lot of support for any decision.” She explained that teen mothers should seek out any form of aid they can get in order to better their child’s life, including food stamps, Medicare, and free counseling.
“They need to immediately seek out medical care,” stated Woodland. “It takes care of them and the baby.”
For teens that decide to put their children up for adoption, Woodland stressed, “There are lots of people out there that can’t have babies. We have a wonderful system of adoption out there to help [those girls].”
Gaddis has decided to keep her son and raise him with the father. “I’ve decided to get married early because I want a stable household,” she explained. “I’ve buckled down to be the mom that I want to be.”
Weaver found that her pregnancy benefited her in the long run. “It’s always going to be a mistake, but at the same time,” she commented, “it’s the best mistake you will ever make.” After leafing through numerous mothering and pregnancy books, Weaver’s ultimate goal in life is to become a mother.
To pull through their situation, teens need support not only from their families, but also from their peers. “[Peers] need to show compassion and empathy and not jump to conclusions,” stressed Woodland. “They might need their hand held or someone to drive them to the doctor’s office.”
Overall, both Gaddis and Weaver believe that it is best to wait for a baby instead of rushing into it. Of course, accidents do occur. “It’s not like anyone is genuinely like, I want to get pregnant,” Weaver explained.
“Honestly, you have a lot ahead of you, but you don’t realize it until it is taken away,” Gaddis stressed. “You have a whole life ahead of you that you want to live, trust me.”
Loading ...
Comments
Leave a Reply