Kids Today

I remember when I was a kid things were a lot different than they are now. The pressure to fit in was the same, but the urgency wasn't the same. We moved a lot when I was growing up. I think the longest I spent in any one school was 3 years. When I was Junior High age we moved to a much bigger community than I'd ever been in and I started smoking cigarettes because everyone else seemed to and I wanted to fit in. I was almost 12 when I started smoking (I quit in 1991). The teenage girls that I've had the opportunity to associate with since I started helping out with our store have given me an interesting perspective on today's youth and the pressures they face. Many of these girls smoke pot, many of them have tried alcohol in some form or other and most of them have either started having sex or have decided to call themselves gay. I'm not sure how many of the gay crowd really are or if it's just the "in" thing. I'm sure they'll decide at some point, but my thoughts for today revolve around the girls who have decided to become sexually active as teens. I do have some advice for these girls. I'm sure many of you also have some advice and I welcome your comments to this missive.
First and most importantly, if you're not ready to have sex, Don't. Just because some of your friends have and maybe one of your friends is pregnant, doesn't mean that it's expected!
If you know your parents are going to go completely bonkers if they find out, you can be guaranteed they will find out.
Pregnancy is a very real and very possible outcome. Are you sure that you want to deal with boy for the rest of your life? You will be connected to him by this child.
Are willing to share custody? It will probably mean that you would need his permission to relocate. You not going to be accepted a college scholarship in California and even if your family moves to Florida you may be stuck in NJ.
Who is going to pay for this child's needs? Diapers, formula, clothes, toys, doctor bills are just a few of the expenses. Are you ready to get a job and hire a babysitter? Most parents work, including your own, they're not going to be able to watch your child all the time. You're not going to be able to hang out with friends or spend hours on facebook if you have a child. Most of your friends aren't having a baby this year and they're going to be hanging out at the mall, not home watching you care for your child. Are you willing to give up new clothes and electronics in order to buy your child diapers?
Now about this boy; What is his earning potential? Can he afford child support payments? Is he even willing to admit that it's his baby? If he says it's not his, then all of the expenses are your own. maybe it would be a good idea to find out how much the average Labor and Delivery charges are at your local hospital. Do you have that much in savings? Can your parents afford to help you with the expenses of this family? Please consider these things before you decide. Sex is fun when you are with someone that you love and trust implicitly. For a night or just to get that pesky virginity thing out of the way means many very real considerations. I haven't even touched on the number of young people with STD's and yes, they're real. Syphilis is forever, even with penicillin. That is if you're not allergic to penicillin... Maybe you could Google "syphilis" before you decide to have sex... If you don't feel comfortable talking to your parents, talk to some other adult!