Teen Mom

This show is one of my guilty pleasures. MTV got me hooked with 16 and Pregnant and I continued watching the girls on Teen Mom. I haven't watched the other seasons of 16 and Pregnant and now there is Teen Mom 2 which I am still on the fence about, but the first four girls have a special place in my heart. In the first year of the babies lives there have been engagements and breakups, domestic violence, financial troubles, school issues, moving, and custody battles. I feel for these girls. Two of the girls just seem like they were destined to be in this situation. Amber was involved in domestic violence several times when she repeatedly punched, shoved, and kicked her boyfriend. We don't really know much about her family except she has a father who is sick, but seems pretty normal and her brother is deployed overseas. I am very certain that she is bi-polar. If I remember correctly from the show she is on three anti-depressants but I think she really needs anger management. Caitlyn gave her baby up for adoption and her mother still hasn't accepted it. At every turn her mother is screaming and swearing at her. The baby's father has a supportive mother but his father is a drug addict who is always in jail(and is also Caitlyn's step-father).

 Farrah is a spoiled brat who got punched in the mouth by her mother and a whole legal battle ensued. I don't condone hitting but I understand her mother's frustrations. Now that Farrah has had financial problems she has moved rent-free into her parent's rental house across the street. Maci is the only one who seems to come from a normal family but she is always chasing a guy.

 Anyway, I will get to my point. There is a lot of criticism saying this show "glamorizes" teen pregnancy. I was pregnant with my son when these shows come out and he is about the same age as the babies in the show. I watched in horror as these girls when through the hardest times in their young lives. I was 23 when Michael was born and I felt too young to have that responsibility. If it weren't for the show most of these girls wouldn't be able to support their children. They have gone through more tragedy and heartache in two short years than most people do their whole lives.

 Here is an article talking about how teens are getting pregnant to be on the show. This is a parenting problem, not MTV's fault. I cannot imagine seeing these shows as a 16 year old and wanting to get pregnant.

Kim Kardashian tweeted  "I saw a story about a Memphis high school where 90 young female students were either pregnant or have given birth this year! I just couldn’t believe this and I find it so sad and disturbing. It seems that shows like Teen Mom are all of a sudden making teen pregnancy seem cool in the eyes of young girls...but girls, these are not people you should idolize!"

Amber from Teen Mom told E!   “There’s actually a study that shows since the original 16 and Pregnant aired, the number of teen pregnancies have gone down ... the show reveals how hard it is for all of us. It doesn’t glamorize anything! It shows the heartache we’ve all gone through.” 

 I don't  know who we should believe on that topic but I believe this show can be a really good lesson to girls out there. Maybe you will be famous for being 16 and Pregnant but your whole life will change at 16. You will no longer be a teenager, you will be a mom. These girls had to finish high school quickly before they had their babies, or in some cases haven't finished and might never get a GED. They have jobs and bills and all the responsibilities that their parents have but at 16.  And for the parents, I would hope we will all teach our children the consequences of teen pregnancy and that while we shouldn't demonize these girls, they are not what you should aspire to be like.