Many studies have linked teen pregnancy with the cycle of persistent poverty that has plagued the South for more than a century. These studies don't surprise me, though.
While my mom may not have bombarded me with lectures about safe sex (see my last blog), she did instill in me the notion of avoiding sex at all cost as a teen.
You see, I come from a long line of teen mothers. My grandmother became pregnant as a high school senior and was forced to leave school and marry under a cloud of shame (the notion of a shotgun marriage should come to mind here). Following in her mother's footsteps (though obviously unintentionally), my mother, too, was forced to drop out of high school, as the result of a teenage pregnancy. Though there were by far more options by the late 1970s, my mom also married the man who got her pregnant, my dad.
Because of overwhelming family support, both women overcame the shame and challenges associate with teen pregnancy but not without a myriad of personal struggles along the way. Both women endured emotional scars and marital hardships. Both eventually divorced the men that they married more out of obligation than perhaps love. (My grandmother eventually remarried my grandfather). But, despite all odds, both women entered the workforce and achieved financial success and personal happiness.
However, as my mom mentioned repeatedly to me in my teen years, she never had a childhood. She was forced to grow up overnight. By her own admission, she lost the opportunity to explore career paths that intrigued her (like meteorology) because of her choices. (Of course, she also never failed to mention after relaying these warnings that having me was the best choice that she ever made.) Though in some ways I was very naive about sex as a teen, these motherly warnings did make me consider the consequences of teen pregnancy.
As a local journalist, I often have encountered stories of teen pregnancy. And, what continuously interests me is the notion of family and community support given to teen moms. Will family and community support of teen moms help combat the area's persistent poverty, as suggested by Dr. Claude Burnett? I will explore this question in next week's blog--A Tale of Two Teen Moms: Support equals success?
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3 comments:
You are writing wonderful, honest stuff that everyone who grew up in a small Southern town -- okay, maybe a small town anywhere -- can easily relate to. Keep it up.
I like the questions you are asking. I believe family and community support is key to ending the cycle of poverty. Even as a well educated, skilled 28 year old I relied heavily on my community network to make it through the first couple of years as a single mother. Without the support of my church and the other older single mothers I met, my life would be very different now. Knowing I had their support helped me make my decisions.
Because of what I experienced I find myself giving back to the community now whenever I can.
The stigma is less for me as an established woman, but it was-and is--still there. I still get questions as to why I made the decisions I made. So I can only imagine what it is like for a teenage single mother.
I think the stigma aspect of it only increases the likelihood of falling into poverty.
Valuable resource of teen pregnancy news summaries: http://ng2000.com/ng2000bb/YaBB.pl?num=1221461301
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