To be so unconfident of your ability to forge a good career, that you'd rather have children so you don't have to face that challenge and possibly fail? That's sad.

If anything, they are more selfish. Note that the choice to have a baby is to improve the quality of *their* life.

Teenage girls who plan on parenthood don't know sh*t. They're hurting the child more if they THINK they know what they're doing 'cause they really don't.

Parenthood IS a career for some people, and I plan to be one of those people. It's supposed to be a full time job, so prepraring for it is vital.

Raising children does take the role of a full-time job, but I don't think teens planning for it is really a career.

A teenager saying "I want to have kids...NOW instead of going to college!" is really saying, "I just want to feel loved and accepted."

How are they meant to provide a good quality of life for their babies if they have no good job? Assuming they don't all marry millionaires?!

On 7/27/2006 10:26:51 AM lilannie wrote: How are they meant to provide a good quality of life for their babies if they have no good job? Assuming they don't all marry millionaires?!

You don't have to be a millionare to raise children properly. My mom never had a "good job" as you put it, which I take to mean as a job she never got paid for, but she raised six kids on my dad's salary and did a damn good job of doing it.

I think it's kind of foolish to have a baby without having a career. Shouldn't you be settled in your life before you're forced to take care of someone elses? Someone at our school a few years ago had a baby as a sophmore (unheard of at my school) and it basically ruined her life.

I don't want to judge, but I think you should be able to provide for yourself, in case your husband leaves you, and you need a job that pays well for your kid as well as yourself.
I don't think it's wrong, but a little... foolish, as other people said.

There is nothing wrong with it as long as it really is 'Planning', all children of 13 plan their futures whether it is a career or a family.

Children of 13 having babies: Not a good idea. They do not have the mental maturity, the life experience or the means to earn money and support their family.

There is a lot wrong with a teenager planning to become a young mother. She has no skills, no job, no income, no way to take care of that child.

Give it a while, wontcha?

You need a career to pay for a child. So it cant be "as good" as planning a career because you need to plan for both.

No. How is she going to support the child? That's my only issue with it.

No, what if the teenager got pregnant on accident? That wasn't planned, and their life may be ruined from then on.

On 7/25/2006 6:27:03 AM cheekypop wrote: If anything, they are more selfish. Note that the choice to have a baby is to improve the quality of *their* life.

Why are they selfish? I knew since I was nine years old I wanted children. I knew since I was 12 I didn't want to be a doctor or lawyer, and I damn sure didn't want to spend my life as a waitress or barmaid. I wish I had the opportunity back then to prepare for life as a mother, because I can tell you right now, it's harder than any other job I've had. And I still have to work to feed the baby. So yeah, I definetely wish that had been avaliable to me back then.

I don't have a problem with teenage girls planning to become mothers.

But the news story attached doesn't fit the quesiton. It's actually about teenagers that are having kids as young as 13. There's a difference between 'planning' for kids as a teen and actually 'having' kids as a teenager, especially if you're in your early teens.

Planning for the future is okay.