Too Young

Hey girls!

As I'm sure you realize by now, you are TOO YOUNG to become mothers. And this is not just my personal opinion! Check out this article titled "Too Young".

http://www.thenationalcampaign.org/tooyoung/too_young_fact_sheet.pdf

It tells you WHY you are too young to...

• be parents
• be left behind
• have healthy babies
• support a family
• do it alone
• be forgotten

You are too young to give away your youth!

- Chelsea

Diary of a Teen Mom

Has reading this blog hit home yet? Do you feel yet like teen pregnancy can very likely happen to you?

If the answer is no, maybe a REAL LIFE story will help you to realize the dangers of becoming pregnant as a teen. Sarah Wilhelm tells of the personal struggles she had to deal with by becoming pregnant in high school. Now 22, she tries to balance having friends, being a college student, and being a mother to her son.

INTERVIEW WITH SARAH WILHELM, 22

I found out I was pregnant when I went to a local clinic to take a pregnancy test. At the time my boyfriend was living an hour away and I would commute on the weekends to see him. I told my dad and my step-mom first because I knew it would be hardest to tell my dad.

Did it ever occur to you that you might become pregnant as a teen?
I knew a few girls in school that became pregnant and I even had a friend in high school who had a baby but I didn't think I would be "one of those girls." I thought I was smarter than that.

Were you using protection? If not, why not?
I wasn't on birth control and we rarely used condoms. I knew we were taking a risk but I still didn't do anything to protect myself.

How did your friends and family react when they found out about your pregnancy?
Most of my friends were shocked, they knew I was having sex but they thought I was taking care of myself. My family was also very shocked, however they were all supportive as well.

How is teen parenthood different than you thought it would be?
It's difficult for me because I have to balance out all of my responsibilities. I'm in college so I have to find ways to have quality time with my son and also be able to get some studying done.

What do you wish you knew before you got pregnant?
I wish I would have know that once you have a child its no longer about you, its all about them. I was still a kid myself, I feel like I robbed myself of own childhood.

Why do you want to share your story with other teens?
Although teen pregnancy rates have gone down it is still an issue and I want to make young girls realize what a HUGE responsibility it is. Once you have a child everything is on you, you can't run to mom and dad for help.

Do you think the way teen pregnancy is presented in pop culture is positive or negative (i.e. MTV Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant)?
I think it has both positive and negative effects. I watch these shows and I can relate to some of the girls. I think its positive in some ways because it shows real life stories and lets girls know that teen pregnancy is no joke. However, I just hope girls aren't trying to get pregnant to get on t.v. or think to themselves "its not that bad" because you don't know until you've lived the life yourself.


To read more real-life teen pregnancy stories, go to the Candies Foundation's website (which is where this one came from)!
http://www.candiesfoundation.org/RealStories1/realstories.html

- Chelsea

Are you Ready?

 So do you really want to be that one teen? You know, the one that gets stared at as she walks down your high school's hallways? I guarantee that you can think of one girl in your school who is pregnant. Admit it, you've caught yourself staring, thinking, "I can't believe she's pregnant in high school!" Well, guess what? Statistics say 1 in 3 teens in the United States will be pregnant by age 19, which means you could VERY LIKELY BE THAT ONE GIRL. 

Let's get down to the core of it: having sex. As we've discussed before, about half of teens in high school are sexually active. There's nothing wrong with taking it to that step if you're ready! But how do you know if you're ready? Planned Parenthood provides some things to consider before you do go that far:

• your personal values and goals
• your feelings about the kinds of emotional and physical risks you are willing to take
• whether this is something you really want to do or if it's something your partner is pushing you into 
• what sort of relationship you want to have with the person you have sex with

If you can consider each of these points in a positive, safe, and careful way, then you are ready to make that decision to have sex. Planned Parenthood claims that there are guidelines once you are ready:

1. Both people should want to have sex.
2. Never pressure someone into having sex.
3. Be honest about your sexual feelings.
4. Make sure sex is pleasurable for both people.
5. Use birth control if you don't want an unintended pregnancy, and protect yourself from STDs.
6. Be clear with each other about what you want to do and don't want to do.

"When to have sex is a personal choice. We usually make better decisions when we think through the possible benefits and the risks. It’s helpful to talk things through with someone you trust — a parent, a friend, a professional counselor, or someone else who cares about you and what will be good for you.
A good sex life is one that keeps in balance with everything you’re about — your health, values, education and career goals, relationships with other people, and your feelings about yourself."

- Chelsea


http://www.plannedparenthood.org/info-for-teens/sex-masturbation/am-ready-sex-33826.htm

Responsibility

Teen pregnancy = irresponsibility.

Sorry to start off so abruptly! But it is true. If you are a teen in high school and become pregnant, I highly doubt it was planned. And because of the unlikelihood of a broken/slipped condom or failed birth control, it must be because you did not use protection. Want proof?

At Guttenmacher Institute, a study was set up to find the likelihood of a broken/slipped condom. The women would record in their diaries when they engaged in sexual intercourse. There were 34,036 instances of sex, and of those times, only 2% of the condoms broke and 1% slipped off!

And as far as failed birth control goes, the American Pregnancy Association found that only 14% of condoms break.

So, as said before, chances are you were probably behaving irresponsibly by not using protection. If you do not want  to become pregnant, either use protection or don't have sex at all!

The previously mentioned Sabrina Weill, author of The Real Truth About Teens & Sex, provides some more statistics; this time, about whose responsibility it is to be sure a couple uses birth control!

85% Both partners take equal responsibility.

5% The girl's.

2% The guy's.

2 % I don't believe in birth control.

From these statistics, the number one thing I can recommend is COMMUNICATION. By communicating with your partner about protection and how far you want to go, you are being 1,000% more responsible!!

So the lesson today: be responsible.

- Chelsea


http://www.americanpregnancy.org/preventingpregnancy/birthcontrolfailure.html

http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/journals/3205200.html

Crossword Puzzle

I created this nice little crossword puzzle for you to have fun while learning!

 

 

 

The Real Truth about Teens & Sex

Hey ladies,

You read magazines, right? Who doesn't? Maybe some of your favorites include Seventeen or CosmoGIRL! What if I told you that I have some of the inside facts and thoughts from a woman who worked for BOTH OF THESE MAGAZINES! Sabrina Weill, who was an editorial assistant at Seventeen, became the founding executive editor of CosmoGIRL!, and then became editor-in chief back at Seventeen, wrote a book called The Real Truth about Teens & Sex. As magazines are geared toward young ladies as yourselves, she wrote this book in a style which feels like you are reading a magazine. Highly recommended! So, how about some statistics she provides in the book?

Of 12-to 17-year-olds surveyed:

1 in 10 agree:

"It's considered normal for someone my age to have sex with someone they met at a party."

1 in 7 agree:

"It's considered normal for someone my age to have sex with a new boyfriend or girlfriend."

1 in 3 agree:

"It's considered normal for someone my age to have sex with a long-term boyfriend or girlfriend."

48% agree:

"It's not normal for people my age to have sex."

So obviously, MANY TEENS ARE HAVING SEX!!! What is important is that they remain safe. With this many teens engaging, the chances of teen pregnancy are very high. Use protection!

- Chelsea

Game Time!

Want to have some fun?

Go to this site and play a fun game of Safe Sex Hangman!

No Teen Pregnancy: Hangman game

- Chelsea

Take the Pledge!

Hey, girls!

Although this post is not about teen pregnancy, I still found something very INTERESTING and SHOCKING about unprotected sex.

So while perusing the internet, I came across the Healing Tree Community Foundation's website. Their motto is that "AIDS has no color". And it's true! There are always dangers to unprotected sex, and this one can affect anyone. They say that "HIV/AIDS is growing more powerful and deadly day by day". Did you know that it is the leading cause of death in youths?

I encourage you to click on the link which is attached to this post. It is a "Safe Sex Pledge" which helps teens empower themselves, do what is best for them, and live life to the fullest!

I will later post more pledges which cover more of the DANGERS of unprotected sex.

http://www.healingtreecommunityfoundation.org/site/index.php?option=com_wrapper&view=wrapper&Itemid=181

"Loving myself means protecting myself"

- Chelsea

Welcome

Thank you for checking out this blog. I'll be dedicating my posts to teaching you all about why you should never, ever have unprotected sex as a teen. Maybe "teaching" is the wrong word (I don't want you to feel like you're in another boring class!). We'll have FUN while learning some interesting facts, statistics, and stories! Teen pregnancies are never a good thing. I am not, however, saying that a pregnant teen is a bad person. It has been proven that teens are not ready to raise a child. It's basically a child raising a child! Don't you want to spend time with your friends? Don't you want to have a child with someone who you can see yourself with forever? Don't make yourself become an adult before you are one.

Anyway, make sure you keep checking in to see what fun stuff will show up on here! I'll post regularly to keep you updated!

- Chelsea