Deciding About Children

Making the Decision Discuss responsibilities and set common goals Realize that parenthood lasts a lifetime Have a full understanding of the demands and rewards of parenthood Learn as much as you can about children

The Goal of Parenthood Primary goal is to help children grow and become mature, independent individuals who can make their own decisions and accept responsibility for their own actions.

Helping Children Grow Up Responsibly Teach children values and standards Must live a lifestyle that reflects your beliefs Children will follow and adopt similar values/standards Let children learn new experiences Learning the skill or lesson is more important than perfection Let children interact with others They want and need to meet many different people

The Challenges of Parenthood Parenting is an expression of love Parenting involves commitments of time and energy Parenting requires patience Parenting involves a major financial commitment Cost of Raising A Baby Calculator: http://conception.parenthood.com/colc.html

Teen Parenting Not prepared to face the physical, emotional, social, and financial challenges of parenthood 35% of girls will become pregnant at least once before the age of 20 Babies of teen mothers are 2-3 times more likely to die within their first year of life than to women in their 20’s.

Teen Parenting Physical Risks Improper medical care or nutrition during pregnancy Pregnancy related illness and complications are more common Higher risks of having premature, low birth-weight babies Best childbearing years for women are 20-35

Teen Parenting Emotional Challenges Teen marriages due to pregnancy has a high divorce rate Change in roles from adolescence to parents Need to grow-up and take more responsibility quickly

Teen Parenting Social Challenges Less likely to experience a normal social life with friends their age Opportunities are limited due to the fact they may be working and have child care responsibilities

Teen Parenting Financial Challenges Many lack stable financial resources and secure jobs More likely to drop out of school Many resort to Federal Aid Programs for financial support.

Facts, Implications, and Prevention Teen Pregnancy Facts, Implications, and Prevention

Facts 20% of adolescents have had sex before his/her 15th birthday 77% of 19 year old females and 85% of 19 year old males have engaged in sexual intercourse Each year 1 million adolescents become pregnant Approximately 40% of American Women experience pregnancy before the age of 20 Approximately 80% of adolescent pregnancies are completely unintentional Among sexually active adolescents: 8% of 14 year olds 18% of 15-17 year olds 22% of 18-19 year olds Become pregnant each year

Financial Implications Adolescent parents don’t fare well financially. Adolescent mothers earn an average of $5,600 annually. Teen moms have a 50% higher rate of welfare dependence. They are 57% more likely to be a single parent at least for their first 13 years of parenthood. Teen moms are more likely than their non-child bearing teen counterpart to not graduate high school, but more likely to earn a G.E.D. (The income gap is never closed.)

Financial Implications Con’t By age 27, adolescent fathers earn an average of $5,000 less annually than their non-child bearing counterparts that delay parenthood until age 20 or 21. Adolescent dads are not financially prepared to make contributions financially to support their child. Additional costs for welfare, including food stamps is 2.2 billion dollars per year. Additional costs for medical expenses is 1.5 billion dollars per year.

Financial Implications Con’t If adolescent fathers income increases as they mature, the benefits rarely find their way to the children they fathered. (Only 19% of adolescent couples married or stayed together.) Only 15% of adolescent mothers are awarded court ordered support from the adolescent fathers and only 1/3 are able to collect the original amount awarded. 40-50% of welfare costs for teen mothers would be alleviated if the fathers were contributing their appropriate share.

Financial Implications Con’t Constructing and maintaining prisons to house the increased number of offenders that result from adolescent child bearing costs over 1 billion dollars each year The increased cost of foster care is approximately 1 billion dollars As a result of the adolescent fathers tendency to have irregular work patterns, the cost to society is approximately 1.3 billion dollars annually. Researchers estimate that the costs of adolescent pregnancy extend beyond welfare assistance, medical costs, incarceration costs, and foster care. An accurate figure is difficult to compile, but the total financial cost is estimated at 21 billion dollars per year.

Academic/Educational Implications 7 out of 10 teen mothers drop out of high school. 300,000 adolescent girls in the U.S. annually do not complete high school. Teen fathers will finish an average of 11.3 years of school by the age of 27. Daughters of adolescent moms are 2-3 times less likely to be rated “excellent” by their teachers. 50% more likely to repeat a grade. They performed significantly worse on their tests of cognitive development.

Ways to Prevent Teen Pregnancy An open and ongoing communication between adolescents and parents, “The Sex Talk”. Teens should be taught about prevention by using a comprehensive sexual education. Educating teens regarding contraceptives. www.fda.gov/fdac/features/1997/babyguide.pdf

Pregnancy Options Adoption- Only two to three of every 100 teen pregnancies lead to live births for which the mother makes an adoption plan. Abortion- About 20%percent of abortions are obtained by teenagers. Keep the baby 45% of teens who become pregnant unintentionally have abortions. In a study of 439 females (ages 12-21), 49% did not notify their parents when seeking an abortion. Teens may chose an abortion due to concerns about completing their education, financial problems or feel they are not mature enough to become a parent.

Deciding Whether to Have Children Reasons for having children Want to bring a child into the world as an expression of love Want to enrich their lives and share their experiences with children Want a family lifestyle

Reasons for NOT Having Children Personal Freedom Career Concerns Medical Problems Financial Concerns Fear

Other Factors Affecting Parenting Decisions Consider long-term and short-term goals Evaluate your relationship as husband and wife – STRONG and GROWING Family Planning- When and How Many? Planning means better prepared parents Infertility Adoption