Big Question
Q: “Are Children of teenage parents most likely to become teenage parents themselves,
and if so why?”
Teen pregnancy has become more common as society has grown. Back in the days it
was very common for woman to become mothers at young ages either because it was part of
their culture, or because they had a shorter life span. Though they were young mothers their
maturity level back then was a lot higher. The people were forced to work at a young age and
education was not a priority. But as society advanced so have the expectations for people. An
education has now become a priority in most places and kids do not mature until a later age.
Though they do not mature until a later age they are exposed to many things that promote sex
and pregnancy. All of these promotions have caused the rates for teen pregnancy to highly rise.
This is very common amongst small working communities.
Many studies and research have shown that many teenage parents come from teenage
parents themselves. The research that I found has shown that “22% of daughters from teenage
mothers are more likely to become young mothers themselves”. Studies have showed that “In
the U.S. 750,000-850,000 woman age 15-19 become pregnant”. These woman end up being
single parents and either living off the government’s money or off of their parent’s income. The
children of these teenage parents end up living in places which are not always the best and
being exposed to many negative influences. Since the children are brought up in that type of
environment it is very hard to fall out of that cycle if they grow up in it, because they believe
that that is the way in which they should live since that is the way that they were brought up.
Not all children of teenage parents end up pregnant at a young age but it is more common for
them out of anyone else.
Young parents aren’t the only reason that there is a higher chance of teen
pregnancy in the future. The media also plays a big role in being the cause of teen pregnancy.
Children tend to do what they see. As one researcher said “Monkey see, monkey do.” In a
movie or T.V. show, they see violence and they go out and try it on one another. In movies
which are rated PG-13 there is usually sexual content. When teenagers see scenes involving sex
they think it’s okay to do it. The media also puts pressure on the younger generation to have
sex in a way. When movies have worldwide known actors doing a sex scene a teenager thinks
“well it’s okay if I do it because my favorite actress is also doing it.” When in reality it is not
‘okay’ to do it just because somebody else is doing it.
Peer pressure adds on to the everyday pressure which teenagers feel to have
sex. In school, rumors are spread that so and so had sex and if a teenager keeps hearing that
everybody is having sex they feel like if they are the only people who are not and the pressure
builds on their shoulders that they should go out and have sex as well since everyone else is
doing it. Teenagers take the thought of being ‘cool’ too far into consideration instead of
thinking about having self-respect and having respect for their partner. Most of the pressure is
put on teenagers by each other. Teenage girls feel that sex is all that teenage boys are
interested in so to get the guy that they have always wanted they forget about respecting
themselves and they give in to peer pressure which in some cases leads to teenage pregnancy.
According to a nationwide survey, the majority of America's teenagers say they are sexually
active by the time they're 17. It is obvious that this is and has been caused by peer pressure.
Each year, 1 of 10 American teenage girls gets pregnant. Not only does this mean that there is
another teenage mother, but also another teenage father.
Another reason that teen pregnancy is so huge here in the U.S. is because of ignorance.
Parents, whether they are full grown parents or teenage parents, sometimes are too
embarrassed or just not willing to have “the talk” with their children so they just choose not to.
Because of this teenagers learn about sex on the street and because their parents did not
prohibit sex they feel that it is okay to have sex. Parents who do manage to have “the talk” with
their children help their children to understand that there is no rush to have any sexual
relations and that they have the rest of their lives. These children are more understanding and
are more likely to wait until they are living a stable and independent life before they decide,
with their partner, to start a family.
Since a proper home is not typically provided to the children of teenagers they do not
get the full care and attention that is needed. When a person waits and actually plans to have a
child they usually take some type of parenting class, have a home set and are ready for the
responsibility. That is usually because their maturity level is high enough to understand what is
needed as opposed to a teenage parent who is not as mature or informed.
Think about this scenario a teenager has a child and cannot afford a proper home and
therefor moves into the projects. As the child grows older the parent is always at work because
they need as much money as possible. The child has a lot of time alone and the parent never
had time to have a talk with the child about being careful and making good decisions. The child
sees that the neighbors are having babies at a young age and assumes that is okay and goes off
and do the same. Unless something major is changed the scenario continues to repeat itself
and when the end will come is unknown.
Bibliography in MLA Form
1.“Teen Pregnancy Stats, Facts and Prevention” Family First Aide Help for Troubled
Teens Site
http://www.familyfirstaid.org/teen-pregnancy.html
2.“Life in the Fast Lane” Produced by Idaho Public Television for the Idaho Department
of Health & Welfare
http://www.teenageparent.org/english/engindex.html
3.“Teenage Parents” Livestrong.com
http://www.livestrong.com/teenage-parents/
4.“ What are the Causes of Teenage Pregnancy” Healthcare Veda
Published March 4, 2009
http://www.healthcareveda.com/post/Causes-of-Teenage-Pregnancy.aspx
5.“Teenage Pregnancy Causes” Health
http://www.ehow.com/how-does_5480538_teenage-pregnancy-causes.html
6.“What are the Causes of Teen Pregnancy” Free Unique Articles
Published June 5, 2009
http://www.freeuniquearticles.com/family/pregnancy/what-are-the-causes-of-teenage-
7.“Causes of Teenage Pregnancy” Schoolworkhelper
Published February 3, 2011
http://schoolworkhelper.net/2011/02/causes-of-teenage-pregnancy/
8.“Factors Causing Teen Pregnancy” Ezine Articles
http://ezinearticles.com/?Factors-Causing-Teen-Pregnancy&id=1321756
9.“Teen Pregnancy” TIME
http://www.solarnavigator.net/animal_kingdom/humans/teenage_pregnancy.htm
10.“Causes of Teenage Pregnancy Essays and Term Papers” Paper Camp
http://www.papercamp.com/group/causes-of-teenage-pregnancy/page-60