Teenage Mums?

Sat and watched part of a TV programme last night about teenage mums. Was shocked that several of them have more than one child under the age of five and yet they are still children themselves. Surely in this day and age of openness about contraception and the morning after pill it is unforgivable for these girls to have one child they don’t want, to have more than one is just plain stupid. I wonder if they harbour some sort of romanticised view of what it is like to have a baby, assuming it will be like their role plays with baby dolls, dressing them up, walking them round in a pram. The reality couldn’t be farther from that if you tried, they are demanding your attention and energies on a 24/7 basis and these girls have no concept of what it is to be a mother. The sense of responsibility I felt for my daughter when she was born was overwhelming and I was 26 years old and she was a planned and much longed for child. I cannot imagine what these girls are subjecting themselves to at such a tender age. Since the birth of my daughter I have found myself divorced from her Dad and being a single parent is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I relied heavily on family support to allow me to continue working and so support us both financially but to find yourself completely and utterly responsible for their upbringing is a serious challenge for most grown-ups let along a young girl. It saddens me also to think that they have thrown away any chance of a good life for themselves and the children they have brought into the world, they seem content to look forward to a life struggling on benefits and relying on the state to keep a roof over their heads. Surely by now the young women out there have more aspirations for their futures than this?