Over the last couple of years, it seems as though there have been too many pregnancies and not enough graduations for young teenage girls. Surprisingly, there has been a decline in teen pregnancies, according to the CDC. While this is a pleasing statistic to many, one may wonder: what has caused this sudden decline? After reflecting on the topic as a young teenage girl, it is clear that the decline in teen pregnancies can be attributed to the lack of attention given to a pregnant teenager. Having viewed shows on television about the lives of teen mothers, and personally knowing a teen mom myself, it has been made evident that the struggles of motherhood at a young age are not worth the temporary attention.
While watching the lives of teen mothers on television gives the impression that becoming pregnant will bring girls attention, the girls soon find that the attention is not all they expected. Television shows portray teen moms as having an interesting life. Young girls see these individual as celebrities, with their own show that thousands of viewers watch. Wanting to receive the same kind of attention, they aspire to become “famous” by having a child also. Soon they discover that having a baby is a real responsibility, and that the attention they received while pregnant is ephemeral. The realization that the attention is temporary has certainly attributed to the decline in teen pregnancies.
Another factor that has helped with the decline of teen pregnancies are the examples of real life teen moms. After seeing a personal friend of mine go though a pregnancy without any help from the father, I can see how hard it is for a young person to handle all that responsibility. Not only does she have to care for a child, she also has to attend school, and work as a waitress. While she has all these various obligations to worry about, she is missing out on the experience of being young and free. Because so many girls were following this trend of becoming pregnant, I am sure that many of their friends observed their hardships and have come to the same conclusions as I have. Overall, a close, personal example of friends going though a pregnancy at a young age has helped reduce the number of teen pregnancies.
At first, young girls followed the trend of becoming pregnant because they thought it would bring them attention. After realizing that being a teen mom is not as glamorous as the television shows might portray it, and witnessing the difficult lives of real-life teen mothers, they realize that the attention is not worth the struggle. Both these factors have greatly contributed to the all time low in teen pregnancies.