Teen pregnancy gets a bad rap though not in Sofia Vergara's eyes. The show Teen Mom doesn't really help matters. Some moms who watch the show probably think Oh my gosh please don't turn my daughter into one of those troubled girls and even teens who watch may think twice when saying no to birth control. As for me ... I stand in the middle, and Vergara has got me thinking. I want the best for my kids. We all do ... except for the select few crazies. But being a teen mom doesn't have to mean doom. I know women who were teen moms who have amazing children, who are nothing like Jenelle or Amber. If my mom was a teenager when she had me, I would sure be glad she did.
And I think that's why the Modern Family star is speaking out In Redbook on how she had her first child when she was just 19 ... and she and her son turned out just fine. She's even talking about the benefits.
Vergara's son, Manolo, is now 19 -- the same age she was when she had him. Wait a minute ... wow ... Sofia is my age and she has a 19-year-old son!? THAT just blew my mind. My kids are not even 2 yet. And that's exactly why I have a little bit of envy for young moms. I feel like they will be around to see their kid grow kind of old. I know I'm "young" in the scheme of things and I feel young and sprightly (ha) and I survived and actually loved the early days of my twins and the barely getting any sleep part. But as Sofia says of her teenage years, "I had the energy for everything."
I have the energy for (almost) everything and you would think so too as long as you didn't look in my messy closets so I'm not worried about me. But I do get what she is saying. Sort of. However just because you have the energy for everything doesn't mean you want to have the energy to care for a baby. My teen years are a haze of staying up late and sleeping past noon.
Still, I don't think it's about energy or living long ... it's about being ready. Even when you don't really think you are ready. Ready to make that commitment. That fantastical, beautiful commitment of parenthood. Some women are ready to become a mom at a young age. Maybe we, as a whole, shouldn't be hard on all teen moms.
But talk to me in 16 years and my daughter having news like this for me and it might be a different story.
What do you think about Sofia's statement? Do you think teen moms deserve the bad rap they get?
Image via burningkarma/Flickr
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Comments 57
That's great that a wealthy movie star is advising teenagers to procreate. Why? Because they'll have energy! Right! They'll need that "energy" for the manual-labour jobs they'll be working the rest of their lives because they'll have no college education. And, we all know how old and hopelessly lazy people are in their late 20's!!! Who wants that for their kids?!
I'm gonna side with Pony Chaser on this one. First, there is a big difference between a legal adult with "teen" on the end of their name and a wayward ass high school kid who got pregnant by accident and is not prepared mentally, emotionally or financially to raise a kid. And a stable relationship to raise the kid in. 15 yo Shelly and 16yo Matt are already behind the curve when it comes to providing for the child. Many of my friends were young moms, and I see a lot of them overcompensating now (kids are in their teens) by running the streets and dating. Because they missed out on that part of their youth.
All I have to say is, teen pregnancy happens, and just because there's a show about it doesn't mean anything, it's still going to happen. I was a mother at 21yrs old and I had #2 at 23yrs old just like another poster stated. But I'm also married and was married before I got pregnant. I'm also happy that I'm young and have the energy to keep up with my little ones, they're 2 1/2 yrs and 7 months old and when our youngest is 2yrs old we plan to have another! I love that I'll be around when my babies grow up and we may even be young enough to play around and have fun with our grand children. I'm ecstatic that we'll still be young once our kids are grown and that will give my husband and I plenty of time to travel and have fun together.
I was 19 when I had my first child. No it was not planned. But. My son is now 11. I got married when he was 2 and have and have an 8 year old as well. I really appreciate the fact that I was so young when having my first 2 children because now at 31 and pregnant with my third child I KNOW that I would not have the energy to be keeping up with a toddler and an infant. Plus, I'm hoping that even though I'm still mom that I can keep in mind my own teenage years and still be able to give relevant advice to my own kids when it comes to peer pressure, sex, school, whatever. My mom was 39 when she had me and I remember thinking that she was soooo old. How could she possibly know what I'm going through? (Sorry if this was rambling and slightly spastic. The baby that I am currently gestating has eaten my brain and most of my ability to type out a thought coherently)
I had my son young and I have to say that I agree with Ms. Vagara. I have had my son and not only did I heal very fast I also have energy to to run around with my 3 year old. I have 1 year til I finish my masters and I won't even be 25 yet. I have had a baby and gotten a career underway before turning 25. I live in a very nice part of town and my son attends a prominant preschool and I don't have my parents or any other family to help. I have done it on my own. I don't know anyone touching 30 that has done what I have done. I say having a baby young is the way to go...I'm just saying...