I earlier posted about MTV having their tv show about teens becoming and being parents. I was indifferent as to how I felt believing that MTV would glorify being a teen parent. The show carried on and I was quite surprised at the stories that were being shown.
Off the bat there was a young girl by the name of Farrah. Typical highschool cheerleader attracted to boys who always went out and socialized. From the first point of meeting her and noticing how she acted I knew that she might be the one that may care more about herself than her situation.
Teen Mom is now the second season of 16 and Pregnant. It shows how the previous documented families are now dealing with their new family member. Farrah is also featured in this show and it seems to me that she is the most unfit mother of all the documented mothers. Her main priority is to socialize and worry about herself.
Almost if not always they show her handing her daughter to her mother so she can take care of her while she’s out socializing. I’m very saddened by this to be honest. I try to be the best father ever by being with my daughter at ALL times and wanting to be around her at ALL times.
I care for socializing but there’s a point where I reach and tell myself I should spend time with my daughter. It seems that Farrah can’t get a grip on that.
The attitude she has towards her parents is also very disappointing. She doesn’t realize that her parents are giving her privileges by allowing her to stay at their house and caring for her daughter. She talks back to them and cusses at them when she doesn’t get her way or when her parents bring up the fact that she hardly spends time with her daughter.S
She should realize that she is only in her teens and there will be much more time in her life to socialize. At the very moment her main concern should be her daughter who is not even one year old. I hope the best for them, but at this rate I can’t say there will be good coming her way with the way she acts.
- TeenDad
Hey all!
Pardon the lack of updates for the past 4 months but we’ve been busy. I’ll be real short right now since it is 4:10 am in Chicago. I’m writing this to let everyone know that all is well, we’re still alive haha and my daughter is doing great. She finally got her heart fixed accordingly and I’ll explain in detail with what we went through.
For now I’ll try to catch some sleep.
-TeenDad
Teen pregnancy is a societal problem, a family problem, and a personal problem all rolled into one. While the pregnant teenage girl is the one who stands to suffer the most from the circumstance in the short run, many more problems loom over the horizon. Her family, her child, and often many of her family members will pay a high price for the indiscretion that led to the pregnancy. Certainly, the man involved in the process should be held accountable in a variety of ways. Whether he stand up to his responsibility or not, often the costs associated with teenage pregnancy is still off of the chart financially, emotionally, and in many other ways.
In the United States, 4 out of 10 girls will have one or more babies before their 20th birthday. This is the highest rate of any developed nation. Each year more than 60 of every 1,000 teen girls will deliver a baby. This factors out abortions and miscarriages. Our society pays billions. Almost 40 billion dollars per year go out in welfare and Medicaid funds due to teenage pregnancy and births. Three quarters of teen parents will receive welfare payments within 5 years of their first birth.
Children born to teen moms are sicker, poorer, and less educated as a group than those born to parents in their 20’s. The health problems range from infant death, to cerebral palsy, to dyslexia, to hyperactivity disorder, and respiratory problems. These same children tend to have more behavioral problems because they are raised by teens who frequently lack the ability to master parenting skills. Statistically, they perform worse on standardized tests and are more likely to repeat a grade in school. The scariest part of all is that they are the most likely group to become teen parents and repeat the cycle.
Families agonize over teen pregnancy. However, these are some of the same people who gasp when sex education and contraceptive training is mentioned. While I by no means condone premarital or teen sex, there are certainly times when we can’t stick our heads in the sand as if it doesn’t happen. Families often feel embarrassed by the event. This is not usually because of pregnancy, but because they believe that it makes them look like bad parents.
Girls who have a baby as a teenager don’t fare too well either. Physically, they can have problems because their bodies may not be mature enough or large enough to give birth without consequences. Only 1/3 will finish high school. After that, only 1.5% will get a college degree by the age of 30. One in ten will have their child or children removed to foster care for abuse and neglect compared with 1 in 20 for older parents. It isn’t a matter of taking the blame. The question is do you want to take the lifelong penalty.
The incidence of STD’s rises with sexual activity in teens. So, pregnancy is not the only hazard. Finding a way to reduce teen pregnancy and delay the beginning of sexual experimentation is needed in our society. Education and mentoring programs are showing some hope. However, these programs have to be renewed year after year because every year a new crop of teens steps onto the world stage. Education needs to begin in middle school if it is to have a chance to make a difference throughout the teen years. Parents and churches need to step up and join the process to win this battle.
Morals plus contraception are needed. Abstinence is still the best solution to avoiding this problem altogether. Sports programs, after school activities, and weekend projects can help occupy teens who might otherwise face the temptations of sexual pressure.
How do I know if my baby is ready for solid foods?
Babies are strictly on milk for the first six months. The breast milk or formula will give
your baby all the nutrients he needs up to the age of six months. There are a few generic indicators. Your baby is six months of age, your baby is not full with just milk, your baby is waking up through the night repeatedly, your baby opens mouth when you place a plastic spoon or your finger close to her mouth, holds head up on his own and your baby takes particular notice of you when you are eating. If all of these or some are happening, then speak with your paediatrician. It may be time to introduce solids.
When your baby is six months of age, you can start introducing solid foods. You may find that your baby is not full with just milk earlier than six months. If this is the case, see your paediatrician. You may be able to start giving solids earlier. The first solid food to introduce to your baby is baby cereal. Start with rice cereal, it tends to be easier on babies tummy than other cereals. Start with one tablespoon of cereal and either one tablespoon of boiled and then cooled water or formula or breast milk. The liquid that you add should be warm to the touch. The cereal should have a runny consistency at first. You can gradually thicken the cereal once your baby gets used to the taste. After a week of feeding your bundle of joy rice cereal, you can try baby oat cereal. Start with one tablespoon of the oat cereal just as you did with the rice cereal. Try rice cereal in the morning and oat cereal at dinner. It is preferable to give your baby plain cereal at first. Your baby will not be ready for fruit in the rice or oat cereal until he is a bit older. If your baby is irritable, more than usual, has a rash, a swollen tongue, diarrhoea or is constipated, stop giving the food that may be causing the problem. If you cannot figure out what is causing the problem, see your paediatrician. It could be an allergic reaction to whatever you are feeding your baby, but it is better to be safe. There are other cereals you can give instead, for example; Barley cereal. The reason for giving one new food item at a time is to catch any allergic reactions that may occur.
Other reasons for trying one new taste at a time is to give your baby time to adjust to the taste, smell and color. It is much easier to see what is causing an allergic reaction when you are only giving one item at a time. Your baby can also taste the fruit or vegetable on its own. What do carrots taste like? If carrots have peas with it, how do you know if your baby is refusing the food because of the taste of peas, carrots or the combination of the two? It is also harder to decipher whether your baby is allergic to peas or to carrots. Try To give a week to test any new food. This way you can pin point which food your baby is allergic to. If your baby has already tried rice cereal and you are trying beans for the first time, keep giving the rice cereal to your baby as well as the beans. Your baby is already used to the cereal. If there is a reaction at this point, you know that it cannot be the rice cereal because your baby has been fine with it up to this point.
Have you made the decision?
Have you set that specific date when you are going to start feeding your baby on solid food?
Here are 12 tips that will help you on this journey off weaning your baby.
You will make this choice to start introducing solids to your baby because she has got to the age when you have been advised that is what you should do or because she is really hungry and needs the solid food.
You will be faced with many alternatives and lots of advice as to how to introduce feeding solids to your baby. Babies’ do not come with an instruction leaflet that tells you exactly how and when to start to feed your baby on solid food. You may find the whole weaning thing to be very daunting experience especially if you are a first time parent.
I have instructed many parents as to how to introduce solids and here are twelve of my tried and tested tips.
Weaning tip 1
The best time to introduce a new taste to your baby is when she’s really hungry but not when she is tired and cranky. Don’t give her, her favorite food first otherwise she is less likely to want to try the new taste. In the beginning you may want to add a new taste to one she already likes but you then need to introduce the new taste on its own.
Weaning tip 2
It is easy and much better if you can cook food for your baby and not use jars too often. This can be done easily as you can cook just once a week and freeze the food. Cook the vegetables and fruit, puree them and put them into an ice cube tray and freeze them. Once frozen place them in labeled bags or containers in the freezer.
Weaning tip 3
When you first introduce a new taste to your baby she may react in a negative manner. This is normal. Parents may think that if a baby does not like a food taste the first time then it is best not to give that food to her for a few weeks. Instead try giving it to her for three or four consecutive meals and then she will often react a little more positively at each meal as she gets used to the taste.
Weaning tip 4
Don’t avoid giving your child a food just because you don’t like it. Children will often eat things that their parents don’t like if they are given it.
Weaning tip 5
You can introduce spices to you child’s food from an early age (not salt). If you do this you will raise a child who eats a wide variety different food tastes all throughout her life. As she gets older include a wide variety of different foods everyday and introduce your child to a well balanced diet from early in life.
Weaning tip 6
Sometimes a baby may not be very interested in eating off her spoon; it can help if you let her smell the food. It might be the spoon that she doesn’t like so using a different one may solve the problem. Never add solid food to your baby’s bottle unless instructed to do so by your paediatrician for medical reason.
Weaning tip 7
You do not have to heat up your baby’s food. If your baby gets used to eating food at room temperature it will be easier to feed her when you are away from home.
Weaning tip 8
Let your child enjoy exploring her food with her fingers, she will make a mess but this is part of the enjoyment. This is one of life’s rich positive experiences and most children will enjoy it.
Weaning tip 9
As soon as your child can sit confidently in her chair then think about eating as least one meal together each day as a family. Children learn a lot by watching and copying people. Set a good example to her by having a well balanced diet yourself. Try to make meal times a positive experience for all of you.
Weaning tip 10
Many parents start there baby’s on flavored yogurt this is not necessary. Instead introduce her to plain yogurt and fruit puree.
Here are some suggestions of the fruit you can use:
Apple sauce with a hint of cinnamon
Pear and apple
Cooked peach with apple, pear or banana
Mashed avocado
Apple or pear flavoured with blueberries
Weaning tip 11
Steam all your vegetables and then use the water for sauce or gravy or add to soups.
Weaning tip 12
Don’t give your child food to pacify her as this gets her to associate being calmed with food and this can become a habit for life.
Remember children learn more by what they see you doing so set a good example to your child.
