This is an article that my wife wrote on our daughter's website ...
My name is Angel Nicole Roberts, and if you are reading this that must mean that you have had the pleasure of visiting The Official Website Of Elizabeth Anne Claire Roberts This website was created by my husband in order for all our family near and far to help us join in the celebration of our beautiful little girl being brought into this world. Every now and then I will be writing an article that has something to do with the life of being a mother. It might be something that I have heard on the news or it could just be helpful tips that I would like to pass on to other parents. I will weigh in with my opinions and are more than welcoming to all of yours. I would like to start these articles with a topic that is close to my heart and that I have a lot to say about. The subject of my first article will about Teen Pregnancy.
Did you know that every year there are about 750,000 teen pregnancies in the United States? Out of those 750,000 pregnancies, eight out of ten are unplanned and 81% are to unmarried teens.
If you are a teen hoping that this article will give you the upper hand in your quest to have a baby, I want to inform you that it will not do so. This article is not to encourage any teen to have a baby and I hope no one views it as such. Having said that I hope that if any teen is pregnant they will have the courage and the responsibility to do what is right. Now what is right for one isnt always right for the other. I dont know anyones situation and mine is different than yours.
I do know however that half of all pregnancies in the United States are unplanned, that equals out to about 3 million pregnancies a year. One third of the women in this country will have gotten pregnant at least once before the age of 20. Also teens that get pregnant are more likely to drop out of school, stay unwed, and actually score lower in math and science.
I am currently 17 years of age. I have a wonderful husband and a beautiful (check out her pictures) baby girl. If you were to look at me and no nothing of me except that I have a baby, you might think that I was careless in my actions. To think that would be the normal reaction that most people get when they see a young person such as myself with a baby. But look closer, or just take a chance to get to know me and you will know that what you thought of me, isnt the case.
I was 16 years of age when I got pregnant; I was also 16 years of age when I decided to get married, please note that I got married before I found out I was pregnant. But along with my decisions, is my history. I had already graduated, I was living on my own, and successfully sustaining a home with my now husband. His name is Chet Roberts. He is a high school graduate and one of the smartest people I know. Together we face many challenges being new parents. We have had set backs and road bumps, just like any other husband and wife. We argue and say things we dont mean, but even in the hardest of times, we stick together.
With the economy the way it is now a days worth of money is as precious as air. And having a child doesnt make that air more readily available. Studies have shown that on average, raising a child can cost anywhere between a quarter to half a million dollars from birth to age 17. And teen pregnancy is also extremely expensive for this country. Every year it costs the United States $7 billion dollars!
So would I tell my daughter that its okay to get pregnant at the age I did? The answer is simply No. And why is that? Its because if my daughter has to ask me if its the right thing to do, she isnt mature enough or in the situation to make that decision. My pregnancy wasnt planned, but even if it was I didnt have to ask for permission. I was a woman on my own living with her husband. I wasnt a 16 year old girl sneaking out to see her boyfriend.
The issue of pregnancy to me shouldnt be centered on age. It should be centered on maturity. I know people that have had to take care of their parents since they were 10 years old, and they have more maturity than people three times their age. Life gives each and every one of us our own experiences and those experiences make us grow. Most of us learn from our mistakes and try hard not to repeat them. There are so many aspects for people (not just teens) to consider when thinking about having children. You have to make sure that you will be able to do what is in the best interest of the child. Now no parent will ever get the perfection award, and thats not what being a parent is about.
My point of this article is to try and end a stereotype that is offensive to me. Peoples age is only a factor when their maturity makes it that way. Until people are mature enough to understand what life is about they shouldnt have children. And that goes for people of all ages. Until my next topic
..Later!!!!
