Teen pregnancy is an issue that has been around for decades. There are movies, shows, magazines, you name it, all with the topic of young parenthood. “Teen pregnancy rates have declined… but it is worth remembering that teenage pregnancy rates in America are still at least twice as high as other industrialized countries” (Horton, 2006 p. 21). Teen pregnancy is an issue because it makes it harder for the teen and the child. Teenagers are not fully developed so their purpose is not to raise children. If they do not have the support they need, a child, can cause detrimental problems. So what can be done about this issue? One of the things that is important for teenage parents to be successful is support. If the teen parents are given the opportunity …show more content…
It is not always taken into consideration how the father is feeling and how he is handling the situation mentally. “The future father can often feel alone, as if he doesn’t belong, increasing the risk of him not taking responsibility and staying involved” (Kirven, 2014). That is why it is significant for the teenage father to have support as well and have the same opportunities to become educated along with the teenage mother. “Young mothers receive support from a variety of sources including families, schools, clinics, peers, and partners. Men tend to receive less social support or tangible support in their role as fathers” (Florsheim et al., 2012). Teen fathers are often stereotyped as dead beat dads, and it has been proven that a child prospers efficiently if they have their father in their life. “Tales of absent fathers and the impact of their absences on children are told all too often in therapy” (Sieber, 2008). It is easier for a young future father to succumb to the pressures and stress and deny paternity and responsibility causing extra turmoil on the mother. If the father receives the same support the mother does and is included in the process then he is more likely to stay involved in the child’s life. “It is important that practitioners introduce participatory action steps that connect them with the young fathers. Practitioners should strive to include young …show more content…
In one study they conducted a 10 week counseling program for 105 pregnant adolescents and their parents. They measured co-parenting skills and parental function during the second trimester, 12 weeks after birth, and 18 months after birth. The results showed that the young fathers that completed the program showed more positive parenting than fathers in the control group. (Florisheim et al., 2012)
In another study a Reality Therapy practitioner met with young soon to be fathers and noted the session. The results of the client centered session showed that the fathers showed that they could invasion their future better as an individual and as a parent. (Kiren, 2014). When researching the topic in the future it is recommended to be aware of biases. Some of the articles had to void some of the research because of biased views. “A source of bias common among programs located in resource-rich areas is the difficulty of isolating a true “none treatment” control group” (Akinbami et al.,
Sigmund Freud nailed it when he said “I cannot think of any need in childhood as strong as the need for a father’s protection.” There are numerous Consequences regarding the issue of fatherlessness in America today, many of which have lasting impacts. Poverty is one major issue that can result from a fatherless home; a recent study showed that children in father-absent homes are almost four times more likely to be poor. In addition as of 2011, 12 percent of children in married-couple families were living in poverty, compared to 44 percent of children in mother-only families. That means that children
Ngu, Le and Paul Florsheim. “Among Young High-Risk Fathers across the Transition to Parenthood.” Family Process 50.2 (2011): 184-202. Print.
“Men and women have been having babies since human life began” (Cowan & Cowan, 1995, p. 412). Love and unity is most expectant by couples who are experiencing their first born child but experience the opposite in some cases (Trillingsgaard, Baucom, Heyman, & Elklit, 2012). The experience of parenthood is often quite different from what couples expect because there are highs and lows such as joy, affection, role overload, parental fatigue, reduced time in couple intamcy and leisure (Trillingsgaard, Baucom, Heyman, & Elklit, 2012). Recently, the transition into parenthood has become a subject of intensive and analysis by psychologists, sociologists, mental health profressinals and more due to a claim made by sociologist LeMasters that 83% of a new parents had experienced moderate or sever crisis in their family life for the first five years following the birth of their first child (Cowan & Cowan, 1995). “Theories of life course and family development imply that life changess and transitions create conditions of risks; new challenges can outstrip pre-exiting vulnerabilities and inadequancies” (Cowan & Cowan, 1995, p. 412). The transition into parenthood is an intersesting case for lifespan development theories because unlike most traumatic transitions, becoming a parent is often regarded as a positive change in a couple’s life (Cowan & Cowan, 1995). Studies of the transition into parenthood shows that new parents experience shifts in five family domains: relationship quality, the quality of new parents’ relationship as a couple, the quality of the relationship each parent develops with the baby, the balance between life, stress and social support in the new family along with the distress or well-being of the child and ...
Wilcox, W. B. (2013, December 16). Children Are Better Off With a Father than Without One –
Does the Triple- P Positive parenting program; developed to introduce effective parenting techniques through the eye opening method of intervention in aspect to understanding the child and the effect of outside influences of the child; make a positive, lasting effect on the parents and thus the development of the child? The report claims that for those who do not receive counseling from the program, the children of parents who have an illiberal approach to parenting tend to increase the chances of emotional and behavioral problems in adolescence and adulthood.
The role of the father, a male figure in a child’s life is a very crucial role that has been diminishing over the years. An absent father can be defined in two ways; the father is physically not present, or the father is physically present, but emotionally present. To an adolescent, a father is an idolized figure, someone they look up to (Feud, 1921), thus when such a figure is an absent one, it can and will negatively affect a child’s development. Many of the problems we face in society today, such as crime and delinquency, poor academic achievement, divorce, drug use, early pregnancy and sexual activity can be attributed to fathers being absent during adolescent development (Popenoe, 1996; Whitehead, 1993). The percentage of adolescents growing up fatherless has risen from 17% to 36% in just three decades between 1960 and 1990 (Popenoe, 1996). Dr. Popenoe estimates this number will increase to approximately 50% by the turn of the century (Popenoe, 1996). The US Census Bureau reported out of population of 24 million children, 1 out 3 live in a home without a father (US Census Bureau, 2009).
Programs that provide parenting education teach parents new skills that will improve parenting resources, coping skills, and competencies in child rearing (Cowen, 2001; Reppucci, Britner, & Woolard, 1997; Wodarski, 1981). Parental support training programs have proven the most effective way to treat child behavior problems (Abrahamse, Junger, Wouwe, Boer, and Lindauer, 2015). In addition, “parenting education provides a mechanism for parents to learn positive parenting techniques outside their own upbringing” (Cowen, 2001; Reppucci et al,
Protector, Provider, and a model on how to be a man; these are all of the roles that a father has in a child’s life. However, some fathers are not present in their children’s lives. It is clear that the issue of father absence has become an epidemic, according to the Census Bureau, the percentage of children living only with their mothers have increased from 8% to 24.2%. It has become so pervasive that the media thought it was necessary to make the, “Take Time to be a Dad Today” PSAs and billboards. After passing by
When someone thinks about the definition of a father, he or she thinks about the support, care, love, and knowledge a father gives to his offspring. Most people automatically believe that biological fathers, along with the mothers, raise their children. However, that is not always the case. There are many children across the world who are raised without their father. These children lack a father figure. People do not realize how detrimental the lack of a father figure can be to the child, both mentally and emotionally. Enrolling boys between the ages of 5 to 16 without father figures in programs, such as Big Brothers Big Sisters, that involve building a relationship with someone who can serve as a role model is essential to prevent males from depression, difficulty in expressing emotions, and other consequences of having an absent father figure.
About half of the children in America will spend at least a portion of their childhood in a single parent family, and most of the time it is their father that is not present. The prevalent absence of fathers has been called a social disaster and according to a 1999 Gallup poll, public opinion agrees. The poll showed that 72% of Americans agreed that fatherlessness is this country’s most significant social problem. According to a study done in 2003, there are 5...
Historical, research on primary parental child-care and involvement has been focused on the female partner in relationships (lamb, et al. 2014). Moreover, the majority of research that does exist, studying father involvement revolves around the negative effects of distance fathers (lamb, et al. 2014). Notwithstanding, in recent years there have been strides to better understand how families with a male figure as the primary caretaker differ from women, there is still much to room to grow.
... reflected with the likelihood the father is involved and spend time with their children and to have children who are psychologically and emotionally healthier (Parke). Also the mother and father is more responsive, affectionate, and confident with their infants; better know how in dealing with defiant toddlers; and better advising, connecting, and providing emotional support to their teenagers (Parke). Studies have shown children with involved, caring fathers have better educational outcomes. For instance, a study shows that fathers who are involved, nurturing, and playful with their children tend to have children with higher IQs, better linguistic and cognitive capacities (Parke). Lastly, the children through their adulthood are more patient and can handle the stresses and frustrations associated with schooling better than children with less involved fathers (Parke).
Today in America we need true fathers' to serve as a role model to fathers that are absent in their child's life. If you are not ready for the responsibilities,then ...
Preventing teenage pregnancy has been a goal for many years now. Statistics have tried to keep up with the change in the teenage generation. Many people have different opinions on the subject of teen pregnancy, because to some people teens seem to be getting pregnant expeditiously in these times. People fail to realize that having a baby is a privilege to many people and not a problem. Many people take having a baby as a lightly. Getting pregnant and having a kid has many pros/cons. Having a child can be very hard on some people and cause them to break. When babies are brought into this world there are a lot of things to worry about. The greatest problem associated with teen pregnancy is financial instability. Most teens do not have the salary to support a child. In the prevention of teen pregnancy there are many things that are helpful. Abstinence is a for sure way of not getting pregnant. There are also other helpful ways to help prevent teen pregnancy, such as sex education and birth control. All of these things are essential in the helping to prevent teenage pregnancy.
Before we venture into the controversial aspects of teen pregnancy, I think that it is imortant to answer a vital question brought up by one of our classmates. This question addresses how teen pregnancy has evolved and how times have changed to bring upon such a serious issue. To begin answering this question we must take a look back in time to the roles of women and men in our society. Teen pregnancy is not just a rare virus that has recently sprung up and will someday dissapear due to some type of cure. Adolescent pregnancy has plagued our country for over three centuries, but it is only more recently that we have noticed its growth and severe impact on many aspects of society.