I Understand Now.

First it was Jamie Lynn Spears. Then it was "The Secret Life of the American Teenager", and "16 and Pregnant". Then, before we knew it, America was OBSESSED with pregnant teenagers. There were stories of teenagers making "pacts" to become pregnant, and even stories of some young mothers taking unfortunate steps to terminate their pregnancies. Even in the midst of the obsession, however, there were neigh-sayers that claimed the obsession would yield only negative results. When I first heard these claims, I felt as if the protesters were being "too harsh". However, my mind has been changed in the light of recent events. The other night, I was on Facebook, mindlessly browsing the social community, when I came across a status update from a female friend who I had lost contact with. The status was talking about going to the doctor, and hearing a baby's heartbeat for the first time. Immediately my heart dropped as I realized what was going on. As I read further, I found yet another status, in which she finally "came out" and told everyone about the pregnancy. I was SHOCKED to say the absolute least. I have to contact her, I thought. Surprisingly, I got a warm "welcome" after texting her in the first time in about 3 months. Eventually, I got her to "inform" me about her pregnancy, and to my surprise, she didn't appear worried about it. She actually seemed like everything was ok. At one point in the conversation, I asked her if she was upset about having a baby, and she replied, (don't quote me one this one) "No, I got myself into this. I'm actually kinda excited". THAT was where it hit me! Through broadcasting these programs that "glorify" teen pregnancy, we have been giving these young women a false sense of what it is to be a mother. They see the "precious little baby", and all the accessories, but they seem to look over all the medical bills, pain, and various other consequences. I think that it's time that we reconsider what we deem as "entertainment" in America, because as we see, things that we can view as "harmless" are beginning to manifest themselves in a number of negative ways.