Teenage girls are still children even after pregnancies

 

Teenage Mothers are still children.

There is something that has been bothering me for sometime now. From the interaction with some of my girls ( when I say my girls I mean I mentor teenage girls), I have realized that there are some parents who reject their daughters after they become pregnant. Some parents force their daughters to get married to the man responsible for the pregnancy. Even in cases where the boy/man has rejected the pregnancy! Even in cases where the girl has realized she messed up and does not want to get married but to give birth and go back to school or start college. 

I have had an encounter with like 3 cases where parents forces the girl to go and get married. In the parents defense, they say that the girl is already 18 so an adult!, The girl will bring shame to the family since the parents are respected in society and in church! They have no ability to raise another child! They cannot take a defiant daughter to college! Seriously, are these even valid reasons to reject a daughter who have opened up to you? 

When I get to ask a girl how she became pregnant, or how their friends are ending up pregnant, most of the answers I get show that most girls are clueless about sexuality. They believe what their friends tell them. Others the only thing they know about sex is the biology lessons on reproductive system. A certain teenager once told me that her friend told her that to reduce period pains, she must have sex. Very bad advice ( apparently she was having very painful periods. Luckily she had not yet followed the advice so I had to talk her out of it!). 

We all know teenagers are very active, defiant, they believe they know it all, they believe their parents are old fashioned! But let's not give up on them. They are just in a transitional stage which we all know it's difficult! ALL THEY NEED IS GUIDANCE AND MENTORSHIP to understand what is happening to them and how they need to be focused on their Education. If your parents forced you to get married at 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 or 21 years please don't do it to your daughter because of a pregnancy! Let's break the cycle! They deserve to grow, go to college and secure a better future! Charity begins at home! When your daughter comes to you, don't send her away. Give her a hug. Even if she becomes a teenage mum, she is still a child who needs education and a chance to grow. 

Teenage mums are still children!

#joyinsights