Author: Abhishek
"You are going to have a baby!" This statement is greeted with joy by any woman, especially if she is a mature adult, has a secure source of income, and people to support her emotionally and physically. The same does not hold true for a young girl who is still too wet behind the ears to handle being a teenage mother.
While the news that the rate of teenage pregnancies is going down is welcoming indeed, there is also concern expressed for those pregnant teenagers who wish to carry on till the end and give birth to their babies. The path they have chosen is full of challenges, whether it is related to personal health, health of the newborn, or what lies ahead in the future.
The first obstacle to happiness for a teenage mother is the disapproval expressed by society. The same social haunts where they were greeted with cordiality earlier such as ’school/college, the church, houses of friends and relatives’ now become a curse because they are looked down upon by all and sundry. In addition to the trauma they are already facing because of a sudden pregnancy and birth, these young mothers are forced to leave their happy teens behind and behave like mature adults now. This may prove to be too much, too soon!
The family members of a teenage mother go through a traumatic time too. They have to face society’s taunts as well. The stress associated with an unplanned pregnancy and delivery of the baby has a bad effec
t on the teenage mother’s health too. Later years are going to prove equally difficult. This mother runs the risk of developing preeclampsia leading to high blood pressure, STDs, and anemia. The high blood pressure may become a lifelong illness. There are chances of developing obesity too.
The baby born to a teenage mother faces health risks too, especially malnutrition, seeing that the mother herself is little more than a child and has no idea about how to take care of her own nutritional needs during pregnancy. This ignorance and immaturity leads to the birth of premature infants or newborn infants being born with a low birth weight. Even after birth, an unhealthy mother is unable to provide proper health care for her newborn.
The addition of a baby to the household makes it difficult for the teenage mother to continue her education. Skills to be developed for earning an income are left incomplete. Most often, she gets no monetary support or childcare support for taking care of her child. Proper living conditions cannot be provided for the infant as the mother herself is on the brink of poverty. Thus, the overall picture does not look too good.
Hopefully, with proper counseling, today’s adolescents will be well on the way to developing self-confidence, learn how to blend with family and society, and ensure themselves of a good education. And we shall get to hear less and less about "teenage mothers"!
Article Source: http://www.BestToRead.com/
Showing posts with label Parents. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Parents. Show all posts
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Practical Advice for Parenting Teenagers
Author: Scott
Parenting teenagers is full of extremes. There are great joys while parenting teenagers and also great disappointments. The teen years are a time when the child is slowly separating themselves from their parent’s tight hold and parents need to realize this. Each child needs to gradually be weaned off the total parental control into a world of adulthood. This can be a difficult experience but also an exciting one. As a parent, one has been working to prepare his child for adulthood and now the goal is about to be achieved. A parent needs to celebrate the teenagers step towards independence while continuing to provide a safety net. Preparing for Parenting a Teenager As a child begins to celebrate double digit birthdays the parent must begin preparing for parenting a teenager. One thing that can help to make the future easier is to find interests for the child to be involved in. Some children are very sports motivated; being involved in team sports is a great experience for the teenager and will help to keep the child involved in wholesome activities. The parent needs to be involved with this area of the child’s life. Attending the games and showing interest will be very important. Another great thing for the child to get involved in is a church youth group. Teenagers will have questions regarding their spiritual life. Having a well founded spiritual leader and group outside the home will help both the parent and the teenager throughou
t the teen years. There are other appropriate activities for the teen years. These include scouting, choir, band, dance, gymnastics, fishing, camping and many other activities. Parents need to get involved with their child in some activity before the teen years begin. This will keep the teenager involved in good activities as they begin to pull away from the parents. A Team Approach to Parenting Teenagers In a two parent family it will be important for the parents to be united in their approach to parenting a teenager. Parents need to plan and discuss the expectations for the teenager. Even if there are areas of disagreement between the parents, the teenager needs to see a united front. If the teenager see the parents in open disagreement this may cause confusion and rebellion. Parents need to work together for the benefit of the teenager. If the parents are separated or divorced, differences need to be put aside for the benefit of the child. The world offers too many options for teenagers today. The parents must be united in the morals, values, and attitudes they want the teenager to uphold. Most teenagers will still rebel somewhat but this can prevent major rebellion. If the home is a single parent home, without the support of a second parent, the single parent should seek the support of a grandparent or other relative or friend. It is good to have someone supporting the very important decisions which need to be made while parenting a teenager.
Article Source: http://www.BestToRead.com/
Parenting teenagers is full of extremes. There are great joys while parenting teenagers and also great disappointments. The teen years are a time when the child is slowly separating themselves from their parent’s tight hold and parents need to realize this. Each child needs to gradually be weaned off the total parental control into a world of adulthood. This can be a difficult experience but also an exciting one. As a parent, one has been working to prepare his child for adulthood and now the goal is about to be achieved. A parent needs to celebrate the teenagers step towards independence while continuing to provide a safety net. Preparing for Parenting a Teenager As a child begins to celebrate double digit birthdays the parent must begin preparing for parenting a teenager. One thing that can help to make the future easier is to find interests for the child to be involved in. Some children are very sports motivated; being involved in team sports is a great experience for the teenager and will help to keep the child involved in wholesome activities. The parent needs to be involved with this area of the child’s life. Attending the games and showing interest will be very important. Another great thing for the child to get involved in is a church youth group. Teenagers will have questions regarding their spiritual life. Having a well founded spiritual leader and group outside the home will help both the parent and the teenager throughou
t the teen years. There are other appropriate activities for the teen years. These include scouting, choir, band, dance, gymnastics, fishing, camping and many other activities. Parents need to get involved with their child in some activity before the teen years begin. This will keep the teenager involved in good activities as they begin to pull away from the parents. A Team Approach to Parenting Teenagers In a two parent family it will be important for the parents to be united in their approach to parenting a teenager. Parents need to plan and discuss the expectations for the teenager. Even if there are areas of disagreement between the parents, the teenager needs to see a united front. If the teenager see the parents in open disagreement this may cause confusion and rebellion. Parents need to work together for the benefit of the teenager. If the parents are separated or divorced, differences need to be put aside for the benefit of the child. The world offers too many options for teenagers today. The parents must be united in the morals, values, and attitudes they want the teenager to uphold. Most teenagers will still rebel somewhat but this can prevent major rebellion. If the home is a single parent home, without the support of a second parent, the single parent should seek the support of a grandparent or other relative or friend. It is good to have someone supporting the very important decisions which need to be made while parenting a teenager.
Article Source: http://www.BestToRead.com/
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