Week after week  people tune into tv to watch two of my favorite shows.  16 and Pregnant, and its spinoff series, Teen Mom.  The shows follow 16 year olds who are pregnant.  Maybe it is my age speaking, but part of me hopes that young girls watching this will notice the bad things that happen to some of these girls.  Some are put out of their parents' homes, their boyfriends are lazy and refuse to work or help with the baby, their friends distance themselves (or their friends' parents won't allow them to be around these teenage mothers), and they miss many of the most exciting parts of being a teen.  But in reality, I know many of them will not see it that way. 

While I'm sure (or at least I hope) that MTV did not set out to glorify teen pregnancy, many viewers (and non-viewers) believe that is what happening.  One of the most popular teens from the show, Amber, has been in some legal troubles lately, and faced with losing custody of her daughter, she revealed that she ears $280,000 a year from being on the show.  Many are worried that teens will try to get pregnant because they can be on tv, get fans, and make a 6 figure salary just by being a mom. 

I am not sure where I stand.  Probably the best way to explain it is that I am on the fence.  I'd like to think that these girls had common sense to realize that not every girl who gets pregnant at 16 gets to be on a television program and make money.  I'd like to think that some of them would see that having a baby won't guarentee that your boyfriend sticks around, and that your parents won't always be there to babysit.  But I also know that some girls will not look at it that way.  If you think back to the girls who made the pregnancy pact, and the school that's been in the news lately with 90 pregnant teens , then you know that clearly some girls are looking at teen pregnancy through rose-colored glasses.  At this point I'm just glad that I don't have a teenage sister, and I pray that these teens figure out that having a kid is hard, at ANY age, and much harder when you are very young.  

Can I Get a Do-Over?

Don't let the face fool you!

Picture it. Auburn. 2011.  A young woman dressed in professional attire (black slacks, sweater w/ collared shirt underneath) takes her two dogs out for their morning bathroom break.  The neighbor "Crazy Mary" has several outside cats. On the way back inside, one dog, the brown one, sees a cat and decides to chase it.  With all his might he pulled against the leash, which slips from the young woman's hands.  She immediately runs after the dog, calling his name… to no avail.  The dog has his sights on that cat, and he WILL get it.  The dog chases the cat into and through the woods.  Now this young woman is not the outdoorsy type, and refuses to go INTO the woods. She runs along the edges, calling for the little brown dog.  The cat was able to out-run the dog, perhaps running up a tree.  But the brown dog found other things to keep his attention-- a box to play with, and poop that he needed to get out.  He eventually saw the young woman and the other dog standing on the side of the woods and ran back to them.  The young woman let out as many profane words as she could think of, and took the dogs back inside so she could start her day.  And that folks, is how you start a Tuesday.  Have a good week!