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Know The Facts:
- Parenthood is the leading reason why teen girls drop out of school. Less than half of teen mothers ever graduate from high school and fewer than 2% earn a college degree by age 30.
- About one-fourth of teen moms have a second child within 24 months of the first birth, which can further delay their ability to finish school or keep a job.
- The United States has one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the western industrialized world.
- From 1990 to 2008, the teen pregnancy rate decreased 42 percent (from 117 to 68 pregnancies per 1,000 teen girls).
- A sexually active teen who doesn't use contraceptives has a 90 percent chance of becoming pregnant within a year.
A Baby Wont Make Him Stay
You may think having a baby will make your relationship even stronger, but the fact is 8 out of 10 fathers don't marry the mother of their child. It's also true that these absent fathers pay less than $800 annually for child support, often because they can’t afford legitimate support payments.
Though there are a variety of ways to avoid pregnancy, they can be boiled down to two basic strategies
Start by thinking it through carefully yourself. Are you ready to have sex? Are you going to wait? The two basic strategies include:
- Delay Sex: Not having sex at all is the only 100% effective method of preventing pregnancy and STIs.
- Use Contraception: If you do choose to have sex, you need to make sure that you use protection correctly every single time you have sex (Visit Get Tested Page For Importance Of Safe Sex). There are a variety of types of contraception, so do some research and figure out which method is right for you.
Parents and Guardians
Sexual development is a normal part of the teen years. Your teen needs your help in understanding his or her feelings, peer pressure, and how to say no if he or she does not want to have sex. If your teen starts having sex, he or she needs to know how to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Teens want to talk with their parents about sex and relationships.
Parents have a strong impact on whether a teenager makes healthy decisions for himself or herself. This goes for making healthy decisions about sex, as well. Research shows that teens who talk with their parents about sex, relationships, birth control and pregnancy:
- Begin to have sex at later age.
- Use condoms and birth control more often if they do have sex.
- Have better communication with romantic partners.
- Have sex less often.
What are some of the ways that teens deal with new found parenthood?
A lot of them think it’s going to be easier than it is. Then they find out that it’s extremely difficult to start a family, particularly when you’re not ready, when you’re still living at home, when you’re not married to your partner, etc. If you’re doing it all on your own, you've got a really tough road ahead
Parents need to keep talking to their teens about sex, contraception and other "sensitive" topics, even if they're embarrassed or kids don't want to listen, sex educators say.
Parents say they have difficulty, but the reality is with a little practice, it's not that hard Stand in front of a mirror. Practice with your partner. Get used to saying various words. Don't allow the comfort issue to get in the way of talking with your child