1. Deciding About Children

2. 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

3. 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.

4. 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

5. 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:

6. 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.

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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.

11. Facts, Implications, and Prevention
Teen Pregnancy
Facts, Implications, and Prevention

12. 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 year olds
22% of year olds
Become pregnant each year

13. 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.)

14. 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.

15. 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.

16. 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.

17. 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.

19. 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.

21. 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.

22. 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

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

24. 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