MTV's Teen Mom..promoting teen pregnancy

[jaelyns_mommy]

I'm trying not offend anyone here and I'm sorry if I did. But it seems that everything on tv now is devoted to teen pregnancy. To me it doesn't help prevent but promote teen pregnancy. I admit I had Jaelyn when I was 20/almost 21 but when your 15/16 its crazy, well at least that just me. There's this girl I know and she got pregnant at 14. I dont know whats going on now. I guess its the cool thing to have babies when your still in high school. What do you guys think about this??? Am I the only the one that thinks its insane??

[marrelam]

Let me preface this by saying that I will be 36 next month. I had my one and only child @ age 33, with my husband of 13 years.

I have watched that show at least a half dozen times and the follow up series to it. I think it shows the very real, ugly side of teen pregnancy and the one young couple's extremely mature decision to give their child up for adoption. There is nothing that I saw that would make me want to have a child if I was a teenager. There's lots of drama on the show and general unhappiness. Have you watched it?

[kval07]

I don't see how in the world anyone could construe those shows on MTV as promoting teen pregnancy. I've watched some of them, and it sure looked to me like all of those girls were having issues with friends/family/boyfriends or lack thereof and money.

[mrsjschultz]

I don't see how in the world anyone could construe those shows on MTV as promoting teen pregnancy. I've watched some of them, and it sure looked to me like all of those girls were having issues with friends/family/boyfriends or lack thereof and money.

ITA

Let me preface this by saying that I will be 36 next month. I had my one and only child @ age 33, with my husband of 13 years.

I have watched that show at least a half dozen times and the follow up series to it. I think it shows the very real, ugly side of teen pregnancy and the one young couple's extremely mature decision to give their child up for adoption. There is nothing that I saw that would make me want to have a child if I was a teenager. There's lots of drama on the show and general unhappiness. Have you watched it?

This.

I'd also like to know OP, what in it strikes you as promoting teen pregnancy? No flames, just curious?

[allison1887]

I have never seen anything on these shows that glamorize being a teen mom.

[Smee]

I'll preface this by saying that I generally avoid reality television like some sort of plague, so I'm totally speaking from perception, but I thought those teen shows were supposedly showing the not so glamorous side of teen motherhood rather than romanticizing it. No?

There may or may not be a 16 year old girl child in my life who watches such shows and I'm pretty sure I'd object loudly and often if it appeared to be romanticizing motherhood. Is there something I need to know?

[kval07]

In the 15 minutes I just saw at the end of the episode that was just on, one girl took her baby and went to a motel for a week to get away from her ex-fiance. Another girl moved in with her bf's family because her mom and dad were moving away and she felt like they didn't care about her. Another is trying to work things out with her ex fiancee. What a glamorous life they lead...

[isis]

From the episode or two that I watched, I didnt get the impression they were promoting teen pregnancy, but how hard it is to be a teen mom/dad.

[kandpsmom]

I haven't seen that show but a few years ago there was something similar on. I don't think they're promoting it either but trying to show teens how hard it actually is. I had my dd 2 months after my 16th birthday and I wouldn't change it if I could, but I also stress to teens how hard it was and how much smarter I would have been to have waited. I think these kind of shows are actually good for scaring teens into waiting.

[gctattoo]

This show is one of my guilty pleasures. And I have quite the opposite opinion. Watching this show makes me very happy I wasn't a teen mom. All the girls' lives suck royally-- even the one who gave her baby up for adoption. If any teenage girls who watch the show see anything attractive about these situations, then trying to deter them would be like talking to a brick wall. They'll have to learn the hard way. And experience is the best teacher in most cases.