It's happened. The impossible is possible. Rumors that MTV has a reality show about high school dropouts in the works to play alongside Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant as warning bells for rebellious teenagers have officially turned the one channel our parents hated most into ... dare I say it ... a parenting ... tool?
Granted rumors are just that; MTV has done some exploratory casting to find teenagers who have dropped out of high school and are trying to eke out a life without the benefit of a high school diploma on their resume. As yet, there's no pilot, no set airdate. But speaking purely from the mom perspective, I'll set the DVR the moment there is.
The dropout numbers, for lack of a better word, scare me. Every school day, 7,000 kids in America drop out. Every DAY. Not every year. Every DAY. And that figure comes from 2007. We're not talking the '50s, when Pops got sick, and the kids dropped out in eighth grade to help support the family.
It's a factor that affects all races (to varying degrees), both genders, all income levels (again, to varying degrees). Being an involved parent certainly makes a major difference, having a kid who achieves well in school helps. But end up with a kid who is being bullied in school and just can't take it anymore, and all that work goes out the window.
So how do you tell a kid like that that life could actually be WORSE on the other side? Especially when they're settled into that "I'm invincible, ain't nothing going to hurt me, I've made my decisions, I'm the smartest" stage? Stop the adult speak that goes in one ear and out the other, and show them real teens going through it
The Teen Mom and 16 & Pregnant series get their flack from the media for the way the shows have negatively affected the lives of the stars. They've gone from kids to having the paparazzi chase them down, and the lines of reality have been blurred. But it's the kids at home, the kids who sit down with the parents to watch the shows that have been affected positively. The moms I know who view the shows with their daughters (I wish more parents were watching with their sons, but I confess none in my circle are) tell me it's helped. It's opened up doors of communication.
The channel has not scared the teens so much as educated them. If they can do that with a show about high school dropouts, if they can help even a few parents with that talk, it's worth some space on my DVR.
Did you ever think MTV would be a parenting tool? Will you be watching this show?
Image via MTV
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Comments 10
I think the show teen mom and 16 and pregnant have glorified teen pregnancy. I know the show portrays how "horrible" their life is with a baby but the show itself is "cool" and so many girls I went to high school watch that show and are pregnant and or have babies. I think it is horrible because it is on mtv so it defines what is "in" and teen pregnancy regardless of the light it is shown in is "cool" right now. It's disgusting I hope they take it off the air. The drop out thing might be better, but I also know that no job has EVER asked to see my high school diploma nor asked if I even graduated (I did) but I just think that is funny people act like it matters so much but it has never even come up for me
I've had to supply my high school AND university diploma at every job I've held (aside from my first). I will definitely be watching.
Saying that 16 and pregnant glorifies pregnancy is like saying that the biggest looser glorifies obseity or encourages eating disorders. 16 and pregnant makes having a baby seem horrid, it shows all the misconceptions that young people will have (most notably that having a baby will help them keep a man) and gives teens the reality of what happens.
I think this could be a good show however I wonder if it would have the impact that 16 and pregnant does. Working at taco bell when you're 19 doesn't have the same sort of impact
I will be watching it!