For this issue of Image Magazine I would like to focus my attention on Teen Mom 3. I don’t know how many of you actually watch this but I think it’s a show most teenagers should watch. Not for the entertainment value however but for the messages it sends to teens. You can see the struggles the young moms face at having a child so early in life. Even though the babies are cute it has a huge impact on their own lives and everyone around them. It’s not as easy as some teenagers may think. I’ve seen teens on Maury who think it’s cool to have a child and that it’s no big deal. It is a big deal. You have to put your own life on hold to take care of another life that you created. Sex isn’t to be treated lightly. It’s glorified in the media all the time already. Even in the musical Grease it’s shown. Rizzo is supposedly knocked up but later finds out it was a false alarm. Not everyone can be as lucky.
What most teens need is sex education. I know it’s given in health class across the US but they’re telling us to just abstain and don’t do it until you’re married. It’s not as simple as that since teenagers are having sex anyway. They do share information about contraception but in order to get any of it you have to have a prescription from your doctor. Most teens are too embarrassed to even tell their parents they’re having sex. Yes you can get condoms without a prescription but it’s possible that even if you hide them it’s likely to be found by your parents.
Its true teens are having sex everywhere but not everyone knows what they’re doing. At least not until they have that STD or a baby in their belly. That’s when life crashes down around them. Like in Teen Mom 3 they have all kinds of issues with the daddy. Either the dad doesn’t want to be there or they have poor life choices getting involved with drugs or even going out with other girls. I just wish teens would think before getting in to bed with a guy. Will I end up like Mackenzie, Alex, Katie, or Briana? They all didn’t think it would happen to them but it did. Now they have another life that needs to be taken care of because of their carelessness. They may never have a normal life again since they didn’t take any precautions.
Basically what I’m trying to say here is that teens need to think before they have sex.
Questions to think about: How will having a baby affect my life? Will I get a STD? If I do will I affect my partner? Is this the right time to do this? Am I ready for more responsibilities?
