young teen parents, and Octomom

This is in response to two recent news stories concerning children born into the most heartbreaking of situations.

Most recently is a young boy of 13 and a young girl of 15 giving birth to a baby girl just this week. I believe the story is from the UK. Headlines splash about the 13 being a father. And he just thinks he's ready to be a dad, and that they can go back to school - huh... like what 7th grade for him and 9th grade for her? yes, he's ready to go back to skipping to school with his homework, but not to financially raise a child, let alone the emotional stability to raise one. Even at best, he'd be 17, 18 before he'd bring home enough wages to afford the little girl her food on a regular basis, let alone all the rest of what is involved in supporting a childs basic needs. Oh and than throw in that there is now a "case for DNA testing" from another potential 15 yr old father candidate.

While here in CA., the story of 33 yr old Octomom Nadya Suleman, who after having in seven years, 6 children from 4 pregnancies through IVF sperm donation has just recently given birth to 8 more children through IVF sperm donation. She claims the sperm was from one donor for all 14 kids but the father is not involved, nor does he want to be, but they talk once a year... WHY exactly? to find out "what's new with you" kind of questions. Nadya lives with her financially faltering parents in the 2nd small home in a year that is going into foreclosure proceedings. Nadya's mother has been her means of "childcare" while she pursued a college degree at CSUF in nothing other than Early Childhool Development. Octomoms TV, and internet interviews clearly state that she loves children and always wanted alot of them because she knew as an only child she missed out on something.... (wonderful). She has walked through the nursery at the hospital displaying her new infants like Vanna White after a letter was called out. But her next big dream would be to return to school in order to complete her MBA program that she had to step away from in the last year. WHEN WOULD she have time to work after she got a bigger fancier degree?! Do her precious children ever get her attention now that she has populated them into the world, or has the task been accomplished and now she will grow bored with it. But than again she is living off of school loans she said.. huh, aren't those for paying for your school and than you PAY THOSE BACK? Where's the extra money come from in that idea for raising kids, oh right, welfare, disability payments for her three handicapped children and her parents sweat equity to provide. I'm confused on her common sense and math skills... Her dad has already returned to Iraq where he is a construction consultant to support the family of grandchildren. Nadya's mother/the grandmother has made numerous comments in interviews that are telling as to her exhaustion level caring for the first six kids and that she "just wishes her daughter had become a kindergarten teacher".... that is a great idea, love the children and yet you send them home with their own parents at the end of the day.

So okay the details on this are just mind numbing as to the cost of birthing teams, NEO NICU caring for them for months, which apparantly is going to fall directly to us the tax payer. Uh have you heard about the CA governmental budget crisis we are in and the good tax payers are going to be pummelled to bail out the hemorraghing of similiar ocotomon mentality "do it and than we will figure it out later" of government spending. We already care for a slew of children that single mothers decided to have out of sexual encounters with the love of there lives, one night stands or relationships gone bad after the plus sign appeared in the window of the tube, but without the father being involved for one reason or another... Oi vey...

So I was reading Dr. Laura's blog today and a 15 year old girl wrote into her and so I've copied it below. It's refreshing to know that there are young teenagers who are being invested in with morality, good common sense, compassion, decency, for whom have at least the ability to see wrong when it is presented to them. And hopefully that they will abstain from behavior that can and might bring a circumstance they are not ready for.


A Thirteen Year Old Father February 23, 2009 on 12:00 am
In Parenting, Personal Responsibility, Pregnancy, Sexuality, Teens Email This Post

I’m turning my blog today over to a 15 year old, who wrote me the following:

Dear Dr. Laura:
Hi. My dad sent something to my email that frankly made me sick. A young 13 year boy is now the father of a baby girl that was just born last Monday. The fact that the parents of this young boy let him have a 15 year old girlfriend, and the fact that they support this, makes me angry.
This poor little girl is going to grow up with an extremely young mother, an even younger father, and is probably going to live in a broken home. These kids are not ready to be parents.
Fortunately, my parents are together and happy, and all my life I’ve been given examples of what a relationship should be. I’m 15, and will never make the mistake of getting pregnant before I’m married. I feel sorry for the mother and father of the baby, because they’ve been robbed of their childhood. They will never get the freedom now that I have.
I’ve listened to you for as long as I can remember, and I guess some of what you’ve been saying has sunk in. I was talking to my mom about the story and telling her how this baby needs to be given a good home with GROWN UP parents to take care of her. I couldn’t help thinking afterwards “WOW! That sounded like Dr. Laura!” Thank you so much for your preaching, teaching, and nagging that helps many little babies just like this one.
It makes me cry to think that this story probably won’t have a happy ending, and my heart goes out to that baby. Thank you so much for fighting for kids who can’t speak for themselves, and being a great role model.
Laura O.