Gaby Rodriguez did a experiment at her school. She pretended to be pregnant for six months to see the response. She got to feel first hand the reaction of her peers and her teachers. A good student who had never had trouble in school before, hers was a story everyone had an opinion about. I believe she taught us all something about ourselves. How we view others, how we really don’t know what it’s like to walk it out in their shoes and how gossip never helps anyone.
This seems to be a hot topic among the high school crowd. MTV has a reality show about teen moms and according to news reports some girls are trying to get pregnant to be on the show. Sadly, being famous at any cost is the reality of our day. So the question becomes are the shows there to deter pregnancy or to glorify them and the answer probably is both. While I don’t think the show’s creator set out to glorify a teen getting pregnant because honestly, who would do that? I believe the show’s creators probably set out to make an informative show on what not to do with your life. The mere presence of a television show using real people makes real people do some pretty crazy things to get on the show.
As a woman who was a teen mom, there isn’t any glory in it. Your life is forever changed. The dreams you once had for your life are changed permanently. Poverty is higher, joblessness is higher, children of teen parents suffer the consequences of what happens when a home is not prepared in advance. Grandmothers get put into the role of mother and then resented because of it. It’s a mess.
Maybe the real reality show should be to follow moms who were teen moms and see how their lives unfolded. If we’re looking for a deterrent then maybe that is the way to go! Watching a 32 year-old mom handle her 16 year-old child puts things a little bit more in perspective of what it will be like. To see the challenge of living your life out in spite of circumstances may be the real key here.
Hmmm maybe I should stop writing this blog and go pitch a new show!
Pastor Susan 