| Your whole life changes based on this fact. Suddenly, | | | | communities. They could be kicked out of high school |
| you have the responsibilities of caring for another | | | | for becoming pregnant, and certainly would be looked |
| human being. You can't go out and explore the world, | | | | at much differently by the people who they lived |
| living your life the way you had intended. Instead, | | | | with from then on. That isn't the case anymore. |
| you are tied down without adequate skills to get a | | | | In some communities, of course, things are worse |
| good job and advance yourself in the world. | | | | than in others, but in general there is a support |
| No matter how much high school students are told | | | | network available for teen mothers. Sometimes it is a |
| about teenage pregnancy, it never prepares them | | | | caring family, other times it is a resource centre |
| for the grim realities. For a teen mother or teen | | | | specifically set up for the purpose, and still other |
| father, it can be very hard to face up to the | | | | times it is a support group over the Internet. |
| challenges. Some teen mothers give their children up | | | | Whatever resources teen mothers opt to use, the |
| for adoption, while other ones have them raised by | | | | important thing is that they have someone to turn |
| their parents. Sometimes, teen pregnancy abortion is | | | | to. Not only do these young moms need advice, but |
| the option they choose, while other times they opt | | | | they also need compassion and sympathy from |
| to raise the child themselves. Whatever choice a | | | | people in the same situation. Even when it is an |
| teenage mother makes, it is not going to be easy. | | | | unplanned pregnancy, having a child is in many ways |
| Fortunately, things are easier for teen moms than | | | | a wonderful event in someone's life. It doesn't have |
| they used to be. It wasn't very many years ago | | | | to be the end of it. |
| when teen mothers were virtually shunned in their | | | | |