From CBS news.com:



School Superintendent Christopher Farmer told CBS News correspondent Michelle Miller the teens feel, "Motherhood gives them status."

The recent movies "Juno," which won an Oscar, and "Knocked Up," both deal with teen pregnancy and ”appear to take away the stigma,"

And, "Teenage pop idols getting pregnant before matrimony appears to have given their celebrity a boost,"

The prosecutors in Mass. have said that they might go after the fathers because having sex with a girl under age 16 is statuatory rape under the law. Should the males be charged? No, because obviously they were lured in to having sex (ok, so most at that age are ready and willing anyway). Do I think they were trapped? YES. What guy isn't going to say yes to a girl who is willing and determined to get pregnant? Using a guy for sex...hmmm, the tide sure has turned! I wonder if they considered the 7-10 (or longer) jail sentence that may await them after their "contribution" to society is born?

While these girls claim that it was just coincidence, I think that celebrities such as Nicole Ritchie and Jamie Lynne Spears are partly to blame for glorifying motherhood at such a young age. While they have the money and status to sustain a child, the teens who idolize these celebrities do not have the support of private nurses and an overflowing bank account.

It is also partly the parents fault for not being more attentive to what their daughters were doing. Many are oblivious to who their children are talking to on the cell phone and on the internet. Are we so out of sync with our children that we've lost all communication and personal contact with them? What happened to the days when we all sat at the dinner table together and caught up with everyone's day?

Although Dr Phil is nauseating, I agree with him when he says that it's the parents fault for not paying attention to their kids behaviors or having basic conversations with them about sex and its ramifications.

I would agree it's the parents fault, to a degree, as I imagine they had the opportunity to counter advise these children and would like to believe this counter advice would be effective.

If it hadn't worked with me and I did things because I saw them on TV, I'd still be stealing pic-a-nic baskets.

First let me say, Where are the parents at?

I just asked the question though I already know a couple of the answers. A lot of these parents are so consumed with themselves or the business of others, they totally ignore the kids.

I understand that some parents are concerned with keeping a roof over their heads, or feeding their families, or real important matters, these parents have a legit reason or excuse.

But I'm talking about the parents who are more concerned with the latest gossip, or are out there looking for their next girlfriend/boyfriend, or the parents out there chasing drugs or alchohol ( Or both), or the parent who complains about how bad life is going for them while watching "Jerry Springer" all day and not trying to improve their lives.

Last parents should never let t.v. babysit their kids. Children are easily influenced and t.v. is the method. We let our children see all these disfuctional people on t.v. ( Which glamorizes this behavior).

If anything at the least, parents should use t.v. to show their children, how not to act.

I wonder if Bush's sexual abstinence/encouragement of sexual ignorance program, in schools is a factor.

I not so sure. After all, abstinence is 100% effective at preventing pregnancy and the spread of venereal disease every single time it is used.

No, I'd tend to thing the major contributing factor was this school's obvious promotion of unwed motherhood through the ooing and awwing over every unwed mother coming back through the door with the babies proudly displayed in carriages heading for the school's heavily promoted day-care center.

We've been pummled non stop in the local news up here with this crap. The national news got it wrong. They took what the principal said and absolutely ran with it. There was no pact amongst the girls to get pregnant. None. There WAS a pact after the fact for the sluts, er, pregnant girls to support each other after they had their babies but there was no conspiracy for them all to get pregnant at the same time.

It's more sensationalism on the part of the national news but trust me, it's a bunch of nonsense.

That said, I do take exception to this:

You can't compare Jamie Lynne and Nicole Ritchie. Nicole Ritchie is 26 years old. Jamie Lynne is what, 16? You also need to take into account that Jamie Lynne is from Kentucky. It's very normal for girls from Kentucky to be pregnant at 16. I hardly think there's any glorification going on.

Perhaps celebrities are an encouragement to many kids, and I'm sure that some parents are part of the problem. Lets face it though, kids are going to do what they want regardless of how much we, as parents talk.

My daughter made me a grandmother when she was 15. Not because I wasn't paying attention. She was supposed to be spending the night with a friend, the friends mom helped her take off for the weekend with her boyfriend. I only found my daughter (the next day) after threatening to call the law. She spent one night with the bum.

So, I had a baby that was 10 months old, and ended up breastfeeding my grand-daughter because she couldn't tolerate formula (her mother was to young to produce the milk she needed). Did all of this happen because my daughter was unaware of what could happen from her sexual actions? NO! Because I wasn't paying attention? NO!

She thought that she was in love, and if she had a baby I would let her marry the love of her life. And he had a car. Wow, all of the markings for success.

At that time there weren't any celebrities having babies, not young ones. None of her friends were having babies. So, blame whomever one wishes, in reality, it's the child that decides what will or will not be.

I don't think celebrities are the problem here, maybe in a few cases but not all.
I have to agree with Annie.
Here in Australia teens seem to be popping babies out like Pop corn. I partly blame the government with the single parent payments etc, but now you have to find at least 15 hours payed work a week too to be able to recieve government assistance.

One of the problems I believe is teaching sex in schools. Its the same success story they have had with teaching about drug abuse at schools. The more you tell teens the bad stuff, they want to experience it. As someone put it here, its like saying "there's the cake, but don't eat it".

Many schools have the parenting program with the doll that they have to cart around for the week and it cries at any time of day and night. Another waste of money and useless program in my mind. All very well to turn a key to shut up a doll, but there is nothing for teaching a teen how to deal with sickness or god forbid a spoilt child.

I think they should take out the sex and drug education from schools, I personally think teachers aren't qualified enough to teach our kids this stuff anyway. I think there will be far less pregnancies without this knowledge, cos knowledge is "Power". -insert evil laugh-

Such school programs been proven to help spread VD because of it encourages sexual ignorance. I posted a story on this subject some time back.

The idealised idea of having a baby probably is a factor in this baby boom, though I am sure that the realisation of what having a baby to take of actually entails, will dawn pretty rapidly.

Its pretty sad when you think, half these kids couldn't boil water let alone hold the life of a helpless human being in their hands. Scarey isn't it!

There's a new "reality" show in the US (the name of which escapes me at the moment, but someone will provide it) in which young women of 14-16 or so are "given" a child of their own, borrowed from a consenting parent. The girls must soothe the kids tantrums, see that they are fed, clean up their messes, etc. etc. And the producers don't pick the sweetest, nicest kids either, but little terrors usually in their "terrible two" stage and up to age five or six.

It's an eye opener for almost everybody except parents, who know what the deal is already.