When a pregnancy is unplanned, the fears must be enormous.
A new pregnancy stirs up a whole host of emotions. In my case, it was a planned, much awaited pregnancy, and the parents were two mature, financially secure people in a loving relationship. Yet with this stable foundation, there was still a certain amount of fear and trepidation. What if I’m not a good mother? What if I lose my job? What if I don’t know how to take care of this baby (or as it turned out, babies)? How will we manage everything?
With all of the worries facing me, I could never begin to imagine the kinds of fears that must face a young teenager faced with the shocking news of an unplanned pregnancy. As a school counselor, I hear of these stories once in awhile, and they never fail to break my heart. I ache for the girl, for the abrupt change in her life plan, whatever her decision. I ache for the boy, throw to into a world he is woefully unprepared for. I ache for the parents, doubting themselves, wondering where they went wrong, wondering what they should do next to protect and care for not only their child, but their grandchild as well. And I ache for the baby, at the center of it all, the innocent source of so much angst and uncertainty, just wanting to be loved.
My latest article, Teen Pregnancy Prevention, focuses on the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy Prevention Day and highlights some of the risk factors as well as some ideas for getting kids to start thinking and talking about how their make sexual decisions and what the consequences of those decisions are. This is a worthy topic, and not just one day a year. Kids are making sexual decisions all the time, and they need our guidance and support to help them make the right ones
