I just read that two of my best friend's are going to be great uncles. They are 30, their nephew and his girlfriend, both of which are 18 are living with them and the nephew announced his girlfriend's pregnancy. It wasn't that long ago that this same 18 year old boy was engaged to another girl but that relationship ended around the beginning of the year (shortly after the engagement).
I know they were having sex because they were living together, but is birth control such a foreign option? If she was on it, she wouldn't be pregnant. I do understand that some still get pregnant on it because it's not 100% but part of me is screaming, in the back of my mind, that they are so stupid and irresponsible! They are only 18! It's going to take longer to do what they want to do with their lives and it will be harder. Having a child isn't a death penalty and their lives may in fact be better because of this baby but why at 18?
Do they plan on getting their own place now? Are they going to get married? Are they even going to stay together? Will they be able to provide for this child? Was she on birth control and they both decided she should stop so they could in fact have a baby?
It's not just them; it's so many teens. I thought my hometown was bad about teenage pregnancies but San Angelo is far worse. We have a hostess that is 17 and has a 2yr old son. She was pregnant at 14! We have another hostess who is 17 and is 22 weeks pregnant. Was it so difficult to get on the pill? I don't know about San Angelo, but the health department in Fort Walton could let you be on the pill free of charge and they even give you a small paper bag full of condoms for every visit. You could get them free! I do realize that in the heat of the moment, you can forget to put a condom on but that is why birth control is a great back-up plan.
Yes, I was pregnant at 19 but it was because I got off my pill too soon before Chris went off to basic training. Had I just paid for the extra cycle and stayed on it for two months after he would have left, I would have been fine. And of course had I believed my separated husband was using a condom whenever I was drunk, I would have been ok. Now I'm on an IUD so I don't have any surprises. (Yes I do in fact want another pregnancy but surprises just can't be in the equation at the moment). Those two instances, I was on birth control but stopped it too soon because I didn't see the point on being on the pill when my boyfriend was going to be away at a military college halfway across the country. I was also still legally married to my separated husband and we were trying to work things out.
Yes, I may sound like a hypocrite but I also didn't keep those babies because I KNEW that it would be a bad idea and I was on birth control for four years before the first pregnancy.
Is it really so difficult to avoid pregnancy? No. Actually, it's very easy.
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