10 year old gives birth in Spain

Did you hear? A 10 year old girl has given birth in Spain this week (don't believe me? Google it!). And her mother is thrilled. Apparently, the girl is from Romania and is part of a group of gypsies who marry very young, before they are legally allowed to marry. So this 10 year old had "married" a 13 year old boy and became pregnant. Now, they are going to be parents, and the mother is thrilled and said they are all doing well. Thrilled, hmm? Interesting....

I just wonder how a 10 year old even begins to conceive of being a mother. Think back to your own 10 year old self. I think I had trouble even remembering to brush my teeth consistently when I was 10 years old. The thought of me being responsible for another human being at that age is SCARY. Responsibility did not equal me back then; ask my parents. I also just wonder what the heck the poor girl thought about sex at that age. I mean really, wouldn't she have been scared to death? I go to an elementary school and talk about puberty with their 4th graders. I remember a 4th grade girl tentatively raising her hand, after I had shown the video and described menstrual cycles and reproduction, and asking, "Just because my body is ready to do all of that, does that mean I have to start doing it?" NOOOO!!! I think was my response. And, "As a matter of fact, I recommend that none of you do this for a very long time, because you won't be ready for awhile." But hey, with this group of people, they'd be ready next week! Again, SCARY.

I am all about cultural diversity and understanding others who are different from you. But really, 10 years old for a child to be giving birth - and to be married? Just because bodies are ready to do all of that doesn't mean minds, and hearts, and heads, and souls are ready. We don't live in the cave man days anymore; we aren't on the verge of extinction. We will have plenty of people to populate the earth. And if we have 10 year olds having babies, then we will OVER-populate the earth in no time. Why the rush? I understand why our bodies had to be ready to reproduce early, but the same urgency is not there now. So come on Romanian gypsies, can we PLEASE slow down? There are so many other things 10 year olds could be doing. And being a mom doesn't even make the top 100.

Glamorizing or Reality-Based?

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy recently posted a picture of the cover of People magazine on its blog, prompting a discussion as to whether having the girls from the MTV show "Teen Mom" on the cover of magazines is glamorizing teen pregnancy (to see the blog, go to http://blog.thenationalcampaign.org/pregnant_pause/2010/09/teen-mom-cover-girls.php). I have read the article, and I have certainly seen the show. I don't think the show really glamorizes teen pregnancy, but I do agree that even these girls aren't fully exposing the "reality" of life simply because they receive payment for doing the show - something none of the teens I work with receive. This increased income sets them apart from their other peers. However, their relationship dramas, parenting issues, and family squabbles certainly do reflect the same kinds of things their peers face. I think the harsh reality of those issues, even on MTV, can be a good thing for other teens to see. If nothing else, it should be a place to start a discussion with teens about all of these issues, and from there you can debate some of the larger issues. Even having a conversation is important; it doesn't matter how it starts, simply that it starts. For that reason alone, I am grateful to these "Teen Mom" cover girls.

Back in action!

Well, after a long hiatus, I have decided it is time to attempt this again. Maybe it was watching the movie "Julie and Julia" that inspired me, maybe it was my passion for helping teens make better choices in their lives. Hard telling - but I am back to sharing my thoughts on the world of teens, sex, drugs, rock-n-roll, and all that good stuff. We'll see where we end up!

One of the things that has inspired and impassioned me has been the Lifetime movie "The Pregnancy Pact." I had been fascinated about this story when it first appeared in the news, and we had several discussions about it at work. It had faded into the background until I found a website, www.gloucester18.com. I was again fascinated, except this time it was the REAL story from the girls at the school who had become pregnant. They did a documentary on this story and have put together what looks like a great movie in the voice of the girls. Unfortunately, they need to find a distributor and have not found one yet. The film is being screened in Massachusetts soon (wish I lived closer!) and they will continue to try to find someone to distribute the movie. I so appreciated finding this website before seeing the Lifetime movie, because it showed how sensationalized the movie was. If you go to the Gloucester 18 website, there is a great blog that describes the differences between the Lifetime movie and the true documentary. It is a good lesson in remembering TV is mostly fiction, even if it is "ripped from the headlines."

Check it out and tell me what you think. And let me know what issues or topics you think we should cover. I realize I might be blogging to no one right now and maybe for awhile, but let's get this party started and get the discussion going. Talking about sex is one way to help reduce teen pregnancy - so let's start talking!