Why is Britain widely regarded as the poster country for teenage moms?

 

Does it all come down to youth carelessness and irresponsability or there's more to it?

It's a lack of proper education, it's ignorance - despite all the AIDS awareness campaigns over the past 20-odd years, a large proportion of UK's young people actually believe that HIV/AIDS is only a problem that affects people over 30... It's also British attitudes towards sex and sexuality - "oh, let's not talk about it, sweep it under the rug"... Contrast this with Scandinavian countries and Holland where they have far more liberal attitudes towards sex, and barely a fraction of UK's problem with teen mothers.... But then of course, Scandinavian countries have a system based upon Social Democracy, and actually taking responsibility for one's own actions; where every member of society is made to feel that they do actually have a place...

the problems of early motherhood stem from girls who are all-too keen to leave school early and avoid getting a job and a decent education.

 

All young mothers should, if they fall pregnant when in school, be allowed temporary leave to have the child and the legal maternity leave as if she were working... but be made to return, at whatever age, to complete her education BEFORE she is eligible to claim any state handouts.

 

Then watch the teen pregnancy stats fall through the floor.

 

As Scott says, though, a lot of it stems back to poor education, and not only sex education - it does seem the majority of the girls who fall pregnant at a young age are the ones who are doing pretty badly at school.

A girl I used to sit next to in a lesson is pregnant, or maybe she's had the baby now...

But she was going to train to be a nurse. I know she won't now.

It does seem to be the riff-raff/chavs usually though.

This other girl had a baby down our road, she was about 14, still a child herself really!

Someone who i used to go to school with had her baby last week, shes 17 and the fathers 14...

 

Knowing her she'll never set her foot in a workplace, and probably mooch of the state for th rest of her life, and so do many of the pregnant teenagers

I think anyone under 18 who has a kid should be made to prove that they can financially provide for that kid without state assistance before being allowed to be a mother, failure to prove financial viability results in the kid being put up for adoption when it is born

Edited January 17, 200718 yr by Kimi Raikkonen

I think anyone under 18 who has a kid should be made to prove that they can financially provide for that kid without state assistance before being allowed to be a mother, failure to prove financial viability results in the kid being put up for adoption when it is born

 

...harsh words... but ones I kind of agree with.

 

After all, we live in a country where you get credit checked to buy a bloody mobile phone... yet NOBODY checks if you're mentally and financially fit to be a parent.... bizarre.

...harsh words... but ones I kind of agree with.

 

After all, we live in a country where you get credit checked to buy a bloody mobile phone... yet NOBODY checks if you're mentally and financially fit to be a parent.... bizarre.

 

Yeah I have thought many times that licences to be a parent should be introduced too including intelligence tests, financial tests, morality tests, and a practical exam in parenting classes before a licence to have kids is introduced, you need a licence to have a dog but you don't need one to bring up a child :rolleyes: there is a whole generation of kids who's parents don't give a flying f*** about the kids, can not afford to financially provide for them and so on, that needs weeding out

Edited January 17, 200718 yr by Kimi Raikkonen

i agree with craig... broadly.

 

becoming a mum shouldnt be a career option... i resent my hard earned taxes going to support chav mums.. clare hates it even more as she is on a low wage and earns every penny she gets.

the problems of early motherhood stem from girls who are all-too keen to leave school early and avoid getting a job and a decent education.

 

 

Very true Russ, but you have to question what is wrong in our society when a whole generation of young girls are aspiring to nothing but teenage motherhood - not to education, not to a career or a profession... Something is just sucking the ambition out of the younger generation. I reckon it's Thatcher's legacy in many respects - she sold an entire generation down the river, and Blair has certainly not done much to improve matters.... The young in this country are so bloody apathetic, ill-informed and ignorant of what is going on around them, it's really sad... Contrast this to the youth in France who went out on the streets and bloody well rioted for their working rights, and got the French Govt to back down.... Can you see British youth doing anything like that....? Hell no, they seem to aspire to nothing but binge drinking, taking drugs and having as much unprotected sex as humanly possible, oh and of course becoming a 'celeb' but not actually wanting to work for it, oh no.... Notable exceptions on this site of course such as Royston Poisoner and others...

 

Yeah I have thought many times that licences to be a parent should be introduced too including intelligence tests, financial tests, morality tests, and a practical exam in parenting classes before a licence to have kids is introduced, you need a licence to have a dog but you don't need one to bring up a child :rolleyes: there is a whole generation of kids who's parents don't give a flying f*** about the kids, can not afford to financially provide for them and so on, that needs weeding out

 

Like Rob, I broadly agree... Problem is implementation... How do you do it without seeming to come down particularly on one particular social group or class... There are just as many bad parents in affluent, professional, well-educated families as in poor ones, the affluent pass off the kids to a nanny or au pair, and then as soon as they're old enough, packing them off to boarding school, that certainly is NOT bringing up a child any more than some Chav on benefits...

 

It's gotta be about a hell of a lot more than whether or not you can afford it or whether you're intelligent or not, or what your social position is....

I know someone who had a baby at 14 and you're right it is about education because she didn't even know about protection or anything!

I think anyone under 18 who has a kid should be made to prove that they can financially provide for that kid without state assistance before being allowed to be a mother, failure to prove financial viability results in the kid being put up for adoption when it is born

 

Allowed to be a mother? They just get pregnant and that´s it, they don´t need permission to be pregnant.

Yeah I have thought many times that licences to be a parent should be introduced too including intelligence tests, financial tests, morality tests, and a practical exam in parenting classes before a licence to have kids is introduced, you need a licence to have a dog but you don't need one to bring up a child :rolleyes: there is a whole generation of kids who's parents don't give a flying f*** about the kids, can not afford to financially provide for them and so on, that needs weeding out

 

But is there really another option? Women get pregnant and it´s not like a dog you can leave in the streets. The only way would be forbid sex for these people, I suppose.

 

Allowed to be a mother? They just get pregnant and that´s it, they don´t need permission to be pregnant.

 

I have no problem with anyone being a mother just so long as I don't have to pay for the child out of my taxes

 

Anyone who falls pregnant should show they have the financial means to bring the child up if they don't then the child goes up for adoption

 

That may sound selfish but so is getting pregnant and expecting the taxpayer to pay for the child

Edited January 19, 200718 yr by Kimi Raikkonen

But is there really another option? Women get pregnant and it´s not like a dog you can leave in the streets. The only way would be forbid sex for these people, I suppose.

 

A bad mother or bad parent is multi times more likely to mean the child develops into a chav when it gets older, the problem needs nipping in the bud, "can't afford a child ? you ain't keeping it" needs to be the case.

 

Chavs are the biggest problem in society and 90% of chavs are as a result of bad parents, a mother/father should show they are financially and mentally fit to bring up a child or the child goes up for adoption

We get benefits. Should I have been put up for adoption then?

 

My cousins are chavs, have a good home with money and a nice house, the parents could afford to bring them up, didn't stop them becoming chavs...

We get benefits. Should I have been put up for adoption then?

 

My cousins are chavs, have a good home with money and a nice house, the parents could afford to bring them up, didn't stop them becoming chavs...

 

No, your mother works and any benefits are top up income or whatever, plus I have no doubt she is a good mother because despite us disagreeing on 99.9% of things you have turned out well so I have no idea why you think you are being talked about here

 

I am talking about feckless largely teenage girls who have never done a days work in their life and become breeding machines in order to get a free council house then sit around smoking and getting drunk in the house while the kid grows up to be a feral criminal, THEY are my target not you and your mum

No, your mother works and any benefits are top up income or whatever, plus I have no doubt she is a good mother because despite us disagreeing on 99.9% of things you have turned out well so I have no idea why you think you are being talked about here

 

I am talking about feckless largely teenage girls who have never done a days work in their life and become breeding machines in order to get a free council house then sit around smoking and getting drunk in the house while the kid grows up to be a feral criminal, THEY are my target not you and your mum

 

You should have been more specific. But I do agree with the second paragraph.

You should have been more specific. But I do agree with the second paragraph.

 

Yeah sorry if you thought I was referring to single parents / people on benefits across the board, my target all along has been what I mentioned in paragraph 2