Whenever we consider a topic like teenage pregnancy it is
very easy to allow stereotypical views of teenagers to influence us in our thinking, and
so my answer comes with a warning about making generalisations and an encouragement to
realise that there are many teenage mothers out there who are excellent parents and look
after their children very well.
However, having said this,
there are a number of draw backs in terms of having a baby during your teenage years
that have been observed in some cases. Firstly, the mother is very young and
inexperienced, and, without maturity, can find looking after a baby (which is a big job
at the best of times) very demanding. Secondly, often teenagers become pregnant without
intending to have a baby, which can result in feelings of anger towards the baby.
Thirdly, these feelings of anger or frustration are often compounded by the way in which
pregnancy and motherhood necessarily changes the teenager's world. She can see all of
her friends carrying on with their lives, graduating from high school and going to
college, whereas she must stay at home and put off such plans for a while. Fourthly,
some teenagers can consume larger amounts of alcohol and perhaps smoke more than adults,
which, if you are pregnant, has obvious health risks. Lastly, though hopefully this is
lessening now, having a child so young does bring with it a certain social stigma that
can be hard to shake off.
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