Blogs I Follow: #1 The Life of Ashley Salazar!

I been following this blog about Ashley and her life for a while now it has a lot to do with how she feels about having to give her daughter Callie up for adoption because she couldn't support her. I find it so interesting that she is really be affected by the adoption even though her daughter is not with her and for that is forever a changed person, you get to read about her days were she completely feels torn by her decision but yet you can still read about her highs which in my own eyes would probably have not been if she had kept her daughter. I also like that you get to read all the comments people write to her and its amazing how she can answer them with such a strong mind being she in her heart has made her decision and will forever live with it knowing "IT WAS FOR THE BEST". I really find myself in her at times because she too totally agrees that TEENS SHOULD WAIT TO GET PREGNANT because its a life changing experience no matter what you chose: Abortion, Adoption, or To keep your child; it all has its toll! She like me has the blessing to continue her education yet i feel bad that her daughter isn't around to experience her accomplishments with her. All this goes to show once pregnant "NEVER THE SAME AGAIN" which i wish teenagers now would understand so that they can save themselves from experiencing the heart ace and pain Ashley went through or the loss of youth like i experienced! Really you guys should read into her blog its very eye opening and can help you teenagers to realize waiting is the best choice!!!!

Started my documentary and its weird because even though i changed it up and did my documentary on adoption it still managed to some how touch on teenage pregnancy! I mean not that they don't somehow inter twin but i just saw teenage pregnancy in a different light. I want to share my thoughts on how i feel adoption is a great option for those unexpected pregnancies being that their are many different aspects to adoptions that can really benefit the child involved. Being that parents have the opportunity to have an open or closed adoption, also i feel adoption helps children have the opportunity of being apart of a happy home with stability, love, and unity. But i also feel this can be a devastating decision that i feel many adolescents will have a difficult time coping with being that many adolescents are emotionally unstable which is why i still think teen pregnancies should be stopped before any rational decisions will need to be made! Teen pregnancy can be a very bumby road with to many left and rights being that as a teen mother i always saw the road i wanted but went on the road i needed to take in order to provide for my child, which can really be difficult for an adolescent to do if they do not take the responsibility of having a child seriously therefore can end up neglecting their child. A child should be brought up in this world with love, stability, and unity which many adolescents cannot provide at such a young age themselves! If any of you want to learn more about adoption there are so many resources but i suggest www.adoption.org!

I gave a speech today on why teenage pregnancy should be stopped in my Communication 1301 class since I feel so strongly that our youth should wait to have children until they are accomplished, prepared, and responsible. Despite that my teacher felt that he needed to give his opinion after my speech on how he feels its not a problem in our society because he feels having a child at an early age sets an adolescent on the right path but having them grow up faster, bettering themselves for their children, and focusing more in school. Since he knew a lot of women who were teen parents and are now very successful people which yes that has happened but I mean just because an adolescent has a child does not mean they are going to step up to the plate and be a good parent, or at that continue to even get an education which in my opinion the majority wont. He left me in shock I just could not understand how he felt that our youth should have kids in order to supposedly better themselves when that is totally in the hands of the adolescent themselves! What got to me more was he felt like he knew more than me when “I HAVE BEEN THROUGHOUT IT ALL FIRST HAND!” Yes i know that i chose to stay in school and make the most out of myself for my child but i know more than a couple of people who in no way are good parents or have even bettered themselves for their child! But I guess everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion but I still feel our youth should be concentrating on making something out of their lives instead of trying to have children!!!

Well this week we started our documentary film project in English 1312! I am actually really excited because she paired us up with someone else in our classroom who had similar topics to see how we could fit them in together. Well my topic is once again the prevention of teenage pregnancy and i always choice this topic because i feel so strongly about it! "So don't judge"! And to my luck i got this girl Sonia who's topic is adoption i know your probably wondering how they tie in together but believe it or not there closely netted! Even on the show 16 and pregnant there are already to young girls who are evidence that adoption and teenage pregnancy do go together. You see in the show which is reality TV show there is a young couple who are both teens Catelynn and her boyfriend is Tyler were unexpected parents and realized that they were no where near capable of raising a child and opted for adoption giving away their young daughter Carly right at birth. Another view point was Valarie who is an adopted child who has 11 siblings who are also other adopted children ended up becoming a teenage parent as well, also admitting that throughout her whole life she struggled for attention! Is this why she opted to engage in sexual intercourse? I don't really know but honestly it does seem like it! However, seems to me like its going to be a great documentary film!!!

I find it so amazing that there are TV shows like 16 and pregnant that show what a struggle it is to be a teen parent and yet no real decrease in the number of teenage pregnancies in our society! I mean through these episodes we can see that girls from different side of the United States are all going through similar problems whether be with their partner, their families, a place to live, their education, or the financial aspect. They even show how it can affect ones youth tremendously and how even though your a good mother or trying to better yourself people always look at you different once they discover that your a teen parent!!! Still with all this pain and stuggle adolescents feel that they are capable of raising a child but do not want anything else in their lives to change when that is totally not the case. How can anyone think that raising a child would not change a thing? Reality check! It will change everything because life as you know it will take a total 180!!! But what totally disturbed me was the new movie on lifetime called the "Pregnant Pack" which is about five young girls making a pack to all have children and raise them together! Can you believe that!!! What were these little girls thinking thats totally ridicolous and not a reason why one should bring a child into this world especially without a father figure, shelter, a career, or even their own place to live! I just think televisionn needs to do more on spreading proper awareness on how to prevent the further increaseinn teenage pregnancies!!!

OH my gosh i cannot believe its spring break!!! Time just seems to fly now and days....regardless i was not even looking forward to it! Its sad but now that i am a mother those kinda vacations do not really excite you like they did before. Maybe that's another thing! I don't have the opportunity to enjoy the fun as much well not nearly even but once again it was my choice and i have no one else to blame for all this but me!!! Yet i do have the chance to let others no just what kind of a strain on a social life a child puts which is why i highly recommend to wait on children. Especially to those adolescents who feel they can be the same person they were before even having a child well sorry but "YOUR WRONG", because a child deserves a responsible well fit mother. And now and days it seems that teen parents are just not getting that, their just out and partying enjoying life leaving their children to other people and it is just not right! Why? Because the person who had the child should be the one to care for the child, and if an adolescent is not ready for that kinda commitment then there just not ready to engage in a sexual relationship either!!!!

"Wow"! My life has changed so much in the last two years even more then i could have possibly imagined and now with my little boy walking, mumbling, and imitating my every move i stop and wonder am I raising him right? Am I a good role model for my son? Being that I am a teen mom and I struggle day and night to keep him happy and have the needed necessities to support him! I don't want him to think that's what a teenagers life should be like because in reality it is not!!! He should see that I missed out on a lot even though I am now happier with him I still will not be able to experience a lot of the things I always grew up fantasising about. And that's not something I would want my son to go through I want him to at least trust me if anything on that! Which is why i strongly discourage any adolescent on having children because they do not just affect themselves but they can also affect the future of their kids, and it is not a cycle that should continue. Children need to grow up and experience life, fun, and fulfillment and just keep ones youth as long as possible! To add there have been many studies that do link adolescents that have a mother or sister who were teen mothers have been more likely to also become teen mothers. Here you can read it for yourself : East, P. L, & Reyes, B. T, & Horn, E. J. (2007). Association Between Adolescent Pregnancy and a Family History of Teenage Births. Perspectives on Sexual & Reproductive Health, 39(2), 108-115. doi: 10.1363/3910807. Its very informative and something i think parents should read and especially mothers who themselves were teen parents.