Children Having Children: Why is it Happening?

Through my work with high school age children, particularly girls, I have had the opportunity to encounter several young people that have children when they themselves are only in their early teens. Recently, I asked some of them the main reasons that this life changing even took place for them so many years earlier than most people. The answers I got were insightful and informative as well as honest.

1.) OOPS - A few of the girls admitted that they did not think getting pregnant would happen to them. They did not mean to get pregnant and consider it in their minds as a mistake. Whether they had sexual intercourse once or several times, they felt like they were invincible when it came to pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. Even though they had all had at least one, if not several classes from middle school on up that discussed safe sex, it did not seem to them like it was something that would ever happen to their lives. Once they discovered they were expecting, it was a choice that they made to keep and raise the child to the best of their ability. Commendable on that front, but somewhat sad that they consider it all a big mistake.

2.) Keeping the Guy - This was in the girls' minds one of the most logical excuses for getting pregnant so young. Several of the female teens that I know and that have had babies admit that they thought getting pregnant would help them keep their boyfriend in their life forever. It did not occur to them that boys this age would have little interest in being a father before they could even drive a car. For some of the girls, their relationships seemed in their minds to be in danger of failing, so they thought getting pregnant would help save the relationship. Unfortunately for many of them, the boyfriend did not remain in the relationship and often times does not have a relationship with their child.