Some of you may have heard the story about that high school in Gloucester, Massachusetts where, supposedly, a bunch of teenage girls made a pact to get pregnant last fall (Time Article). Many people seem shocked by this. . . maybe because the problem of teen pregnancy is starting to hit smaller communities (Gloucester pop. 30,273). But to those of us who've taught in metropolitan areas, this is nothing new.

I used to teach in a Los Angeles continuation high school. For those who don't know, this is where students who get dropped from traditional educational facilities are sent. Most of these kids have "issues" in their lives. Some of these issues include pregnancy/parenthood. The number of expectant teens and teen moms I had in my Independent Study program throughout the years was staggering. Sadly, I just sort of got used to it. What I didn't get used to, however, was how clueless those young ladies were. Most of them truly didn't understand how they'd complicated their lives. And what's worse, some expected society to take care of them. Here's an example of what I mean.

One morning, I overheard a conversation between two sixteen-year-old moms. One of the girls was complaining that she hated living with her mother. The other suggested that she have another baby because, that way, she'd get more welfare. . . then have enough money to get her own apartment! The first teen mom responded that she didn't have a boyfriend. . . to which the second replied, "So what? Just pick some guy you know. You want to get out of your mother's apartment, right? Hell, that's what I did!" The girl dispensing the advice had two kids, each child having a different father. (And btw, both fathers were in jail.)

I'm not sure of the reasons those young ladies from Gloucester had for making such an imprudent decision. The jury still seems out on that. And I don't profess to have any answers for this growing problem; I'm not sure anyone does. Granted, through the years, I did see a handful of teen moms go on to make something of their lives. They overcame the financial and social burdens/disadvantages of young, single parenthood. Kudos to them for beating the odds! But they were the exception, not the rule. (And yes, single - the fathers are rarely in the picture.) Anyway, maybe now that this worriment is hitting smaller communities, it'll get more attention. And hopefully, as a result, someone will figure out how to make young girls who're thinking about getting pregnant come to their senses.