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I somehow ended up watching it tonight, I hadn't really seen it before. I could never imagine being pregnant at that age! Has anyone else seen this show? What do you think of it?
I've watched it at the gym a few times...my main problem with the show is portraying primarily teenage moms who are doing more or less ok (father stays with them, family supportive, can afford to raise the kid), which makes it seem ok to have kids that early. So it's a bit of a one sided perspective for teenage girls IMHO; I would hate a positive portrayal of young teenage moms to result in more teenage pregnancies.
I'm watching it too. i've seen it before. i LOVE kids and cant wait to have them but i cannot imagine being 16 with a baby! especially if the father wasnt around. in a way, i feel bad for these girls, its such a young age to be a mother abd must be so hard but in reality, they brought it on themselves. i do love the show though! its addicting
I don't think those kids are ok. Some of them are, like Farrah, who totally mooches off her parents. But that one girl who was dating that Gary guy is just messed up. Farrah is immature too and needs to grow up. Some people need to get their act together. I feel so bad for the babies. They can't help which family they are born in to. Some of them are going to have terrible childhoods.
I've seen it, it's kind of shocking. Although they have featured a few with an estranged baby-daddy I don't think they're nearly portraying it in the correct percentages.
ya totally agree about feeling bad for the babies. at that age, most kids arent responsible enough to have a baby and think its fine to ditch the baby on everyone. kids shouldnt be having kids!!
ooo and whats up with all these older guys getting these 16 year olds pregnant?
i definately agree that the show is addicting. i haven't seen the new season, but from the old season there was like, one girl that i thought actually had any maturity after having a child.
I've seen it, and it just makes me so sad. I can't imagine being 16 and pregnant. That Gary guy was one of the worst!
I hate that they made a show about this. Like the teen pregnancy rate isn't already thru the roof without them thinking if I get pregnant at this age, I might get to be on a show. This is the last thing young, tender minds need to be viewing.
i reallyl iked catelynn and her boyfriend who gave their baby up for adoption. to me they were the most responsible couple. they realized that tehy wanted to give their child a better lofe then they can provide. they didnt want their baby to grow up in teh enviroment that they did. i really respect them for that. they put their child before themselves, i cant imagine how hard that must of been to give their baby up, but they did it for her. plus they were just really a cute couple together, who really seemed to have something special.
I feel like it glorifies teen pregnancy. Teenage girls are unstable on the best of days & I totally fear that this show makes them think pregnancy at such a young age is a good idea! They only show a little bit of struggle... I don't feel like its a true representation of what these young girls go through!
The most inspirational story IMO is the young girl who gave up her child for adoption. However... now the 2 are engaged & they're like 17. Sigh.
@stargal, I totally agree. They showed more maturity and class than most adults. I was very impressed.
I'm SOOOO addicted to this show and watching it right now. I really hope teens are watching and learning from this show...
My fiance and I watched it the last 2 seasons and just watched the season premier tonight. We really enjoyed watching Caitlynn and her boyfriend...they were great together and I thought their decision was so selfless and great. They seem to act the most mature and really have a good head on their shoulders even though it seems as though they both come from broken homes.
I really disagree with those who say it glorifies teen pregnancy. No, it does not. I only watched so many episodes of this show because I was shock that it portrayed real human emotions and difficulties, unlike pretty much every other MTV show. It is very obvious that none of the girls on the show have easy lives, from the one who was living in a hotel, had an extremely unsupportive family, and was constantly fighting with the baby daddy, to the girl who was in the awkward situation of living with her emotionally adrift baby daddy in her PARENTS' house, to the couple who gave their baby up for adoption and had to deal with the frustration, sadness, and emptiness that came along with their decision, not to mention their extremely immature, terrible, parents who did NOT support their decision to give the baby up for adoption...total idiocy. Even Farrah, who was portrayed as a spoiled brat (imo rather unfairly), though getting to live in her cushy parents' house, was depicted as having a VERY hard time dealing with the loss of her youth, during which she has been happy and popular, and it has obviously caused her relationship with her parents to disintegrate. This show would only make the very unstable want to get pregnant. These kids are all very clearly SERIOUSLY troubled by the lives they have to live thanks to their young pregnancies. No glamour there. I don't even think they're paid for being on the show, or at least not very well.
I have to agree with Veganglam. I love this show BECAUSE it's real. I have seen every episode of 16 and pregnant and teen mom, and while their lives are sad, the girls in those situations have done their best to try to explain to their friends and to the audience why it's a bad idea.
In fact, I think they should take people like Farrah and the girl on there tonight off of the show, because the only thing that isn't presented as real is how much money babies cost. ETA and these girls get everything handed to them.
I find it interesting that pretty much all the parents on the show are supportive. if i was 16 and pregnant my ass would be in so much trouble.
love the show! i feel like if i was 16 and watching the show, it would NOT make me want to have a baby! their lives suck. none of them are happy. all of their relationships went bad, except the one who gave up her baby for adoption. they have to watch their friends live normal teenager lives that they don't get to have. i think it's pretty true to life and good for girls to watch.
I agree w/ veganglam... Just because they're not on the streets doesn't mean they're okay.
jwinnings- The parents on the show seem supportive, but we don't see them actually having to tell (from what I've seen of it) their parents about the pregnancy. By the time they've applied for the show things have probably settled down... I mean, once the baby is there, what are you gonna do about it?
I agree with whoever said the best story was that of the couple who went through adoption. Yes they are engaged at 17 but they aren't married. And I got engaged on my 18th bday and it's workin out for me just fine. (That was almost 2.5 years ago.) Hopefully it works out for them but if not, they have to have a longer engagement anyway so hopefully they figure it out. I didn't really get their family situation though...
I hated Macy's boyfriend. He was so mean to her and didn't appreciate her at all!
I have no idea what happens in the new season.
Yeah, I really like this show as well, it's grown on me. I don't think it really glorifies teen pregnancy either... Catelynn and Tyler are my favorites, but my heart aches for them. The episode where she actually gives birth is especially hard for me to watch, but I think in the end they made the best decision for themselves and their daughter. I like Maci alot too but her boyfriend is a douche. Anyway, I'm excited for the new season!
I think that it's stupid they got a show! If I got pregnant at 16 I would have gotten my but beat...not a TV show!
I love that show! The girl on there last night though was so horrible! She didn't care about her baby at all, her poor mom was raising him. I was a young mom, and I know it can be hard when all your friends are going out, but you have to grow up! You can't just pawn your kid off all the time. You are their MOM!
I loooooooooooooove this show, as I also love Teen Mom. Catelynn is my fav mom... I want to hate her bf bc he dresses like an ass, but he is just really really sweet!
I think the reason that they focus more on middle class families with supportive parents etc is because that is probably the main viewing audience? I mean shows are generally made for an audience based on how much money they can make for commercials for that time period. So it kind of makes sense they'd market towards middle class families.
Re: being 16 and pregnant generally.... I think that people can have a range of experiences. Obviously it is going to be different for everyone and probably more than not it will not be a great thing. Sometimes though its really not the worst thing in the world. My mom got pregnant at 17 and married my dad the next month (hey-- it was the 70s!). She has always been very honest about their past and about how hard it was to get married at 17 and go from kid to adult in 2 months and all the fights and struggles etc. But? Everything worked out great and she now says that (although she wouldn't recommend it as a course of action), it was the best thing that ever happened to her. Her and my dad have been happily married for 33 years, they had another kid (me!), they have owned two houses, held jobs, lived their lives... and really it is kind of nice for them that they had us out of the house so early. Sure they missed out on their 20s, but they were done raising kids by their 40s.
I think the show must have gotten flac for being pro-teen pregnancy because in the after show with Dr. Drew, he mentioned about a gazillion times about how to get info to prevent pregnancy,
Yeah, having a baby while you live at home, are 16, and have parents, well, that is one thing. But for the most part they all have HOMES.
Here's what they should portray--how their lives are in a couple years. Not just when Baby is cute and little and the girls are lucky enough to have roofs over their heads, go back to high school, and dabble in some CC courses. I use the word "lucky" loosely but for the most part those girls come from OK homes. They weren't exactly thrown out in the street, ya know? They're not "ok" but let's face it, they're luckier than a LOT of girls out there.
Everyone I know in real life who had a teen pregnancy (at least so i see on facebook) has ended up doing nothing good with their lives and have crappy jobs, no college education, and still act ridiculous (judging from photos and postings). They haven't grown up, haven't gotten more mature, and certainly haven't done any good with their lives. I waited tables with girls like this who were in their late 20's and had teenagers at home (i did the math--one girl had her son at THIRTEEN) and that was basically going to be their life forever. Waitressing. They were the cute little cheerleaders and now they're just...not good. I don't want to be terribly offensive, but the girls i know turned out bad.
There are always people NOT like this. But the people IRL i know...well their lives are kinda sad. Watching them be pregnant at 15 and 16 in high school was just depressing and you felt SO bad for them, throwing up in home room and stuff like that. Pregnant at prom. So strange to watch.
It's sad but I don't think it's quite "scary" enough to scare off the notions of a teen pregnancy. The rising number just scares me so bad....more and more teenage girls are getting pregnant. high school is tough enough!
My FH and I love watching this show. I think it's for the mixture of sadness we feel for the pregnant teens and their families and the fact that we really want to start our family off right. (not ignoring the fact that the drama of the show can be entertaining) It's sort of like a train crash... you don't want to watch really, but you can't look away...
The show makes me sad because all I know about my birthmother was that she was from Peoria, IL and that she was 16.
I think that Catelynn and her fiance said they weren't going to get married until they were done with school (as in, college or nursing school etc). They really were very mature about their decision and they're so cute!
Farrah makes me want to hit her (kind of like her mom did and got arrested for!) She could care less about anything but boys and partying.
I think it's worth pointing out that most teenage girls (at least those of the demogrpahic protrayed on the show) don't become pregnant because they're actually interested in having a child, but because they've been inadequately educated with regards to birth control and assertive behavior.
Someone mentioned that the fathers are mostly much older men, and there's a reason for that. There is no one on God's green earth more easily manipulated and emotionally blackmailed that a high school sophomore.
Hmm...I wonder if we are all watching the same show! I've watched all episodes of "16 & Pregnant" and "Teen Mom". I would have to agree with @Veganglam and others, it does not glorify teen pregnancy...this is actually the first time I feel that they are showing it for what it really is....brutally difficult! The only one that has parental support is Farrah and Janelle from Season 2. Most of the guys left or if they stayed they broke up about 100 times. Amber had to drop out of school and stop GED courses. Maci had to drop out of school and Ryan is a total jerk! Catelynn and Tyler have more sense than there idiotic, dope head parents....where is the glorification in that???
As a person who got pregnant at 15 and had my daughter at 16 I find this show VERY inaccurate. I understand that every situation is different and fortunately I was very lucky to have a very stand up guy in my life who was in my child's life and makes a great dad but they make everything look so easy on there when trust me it is not. I moved out of my mom's house right after I had my daughter and there is NOTHING glorified about having to work, pay bills, raise a kid and still keep up with high school life. Not to mention emotionally dealing with the fact you let your parents down and think they look at you as some sort of a disappointment. Having your youth cut short at the vine... I love my daughter unconditionally and would not change anything about it because I truly believe it make me a better person.
Teen Mom and 16 and Pregnant are some of my “guilty pleasures” on TV. I recorded the new episode last night, but haven’t watched it yet.
I don’t think it glorifies pregnancy, and I certainly don’t envy any of those girls’ the position they are in. I hope that sexually active teen girls who watch the show have the same reaction, though, I would guess that most (if not all) still think “but MY boyfriend wouldn’t do that.”
I can’t believe the way Farrah’s parents let her treat them. I never would have spoken to my parents (or been allowed) to get away with the disrespect she gets away with. I seems too like her baby doesn’t look as engaged with the world as all of the other babies do. Has anyone else noticed this? I certainly hope there is nothing wrong with her daughter – but I dunno, she doesn’t have any real spark at all in her eyes, FH noticed this too and commented on it…I just hope she didn’t attempt to diet when she was pregnant or take pills/thing to stay skinny (since she’s a “model”) that have now affected her baby. :(
Amber just scares me – there’s something missing with her. Her reaction to the daycare situation, her violence (and then laughing about it) with Gary, and then her obviously staged reaction and setup of possibly being pregnant again at the reunion show….her reactions to situations all seem to be geared towards her audience and she seems pretty devoid of real emotion. I wonder what she’s like when the cameras aren’t around.
I don't think it portrays teen pregnancy positively at all. I am 30, have 2 masters degrees, a home and a husband, we're planning to start a family soon - and this show STILL scares the crap out of me for when I have kids! They are very clear in showing the negatives such as not being able to have the education and career you want, having to haul a heavy baby around everywhere, and spending all your money on diapers.
Also a recent study showed that when teen girls watch a TV show about teen pregnancy and they are able to relate to the characters (the episode in the study was the OC I think) then it makes them FAR more likely to use birth control. So this show is a good thing.
I am scared to death to get pregnant after watching this show! I could never imagine being 16 and pregnant and im 20 and about to get married! it scared my 16 year old sister to. She watches it intently and always says afterwards that she wont ever do that
Oh man... I'm so into this show, it's a little ridiculous! I feel terrible for the babies that are involved. I mean, some of the girls grew up on the first show and really stepped up to the plate of being a mom. But the dads were pretty much worthless! I was a fan of Tyler and Catelynn as well as Maci. The new season will make you upset. The first episode is of this girl that could care less about her son... always pawning him off and partying. It was sad.
I'm in love with this show too. My dh and I watch it in horror... The way they care for thier children makes me so sad. I think that over all there is a negative connotation and that a lot of teenagers would look at the show and say "no way!". But, to really portray how awful their lives were it would have to be a movie instead of a short docudrama. The girls are post 20 weeks in all of the episodes so you don't get to see how horrible the initial reaction of the parents, friends, etc is. Plus you don't get to see how their life was pre preggo vs post preggo. But, again, they really have no way to show that.
And I'm with everyone else.. I love Caitlyn and Tyler! They are so mature for thier ages and their lifestyles. Also, they are not middle class like a Maci and Farrah, whom have a lot of stuff that the average teenage girl wouldn't.
Also, What about Ebony? I watched this episode the other day and realized that though she was on 16 and pregnant she wasn't on Teen Mom.. where did she go? and were there others that didn't make it to the second show?
I must admit I enjoy watching this show. Obviously TV can't show everyone's different situation, but for the girls that were on last season, and Teen Mom, and watching the episode last night, I think they show how hard it is to raise a child at that age. Even with the supportive parents, most of the babies fathers were lacking in the support area. I felt so bad for Maci because her boyfriend was such a slacker.
I really like this show. I don't think it glorfies teen pregnancy at all. In fact, I think it does a good job of advising against it. I think it shows how stressful it can be and how newborns aren't like cats or dogs and you can't just leave them in a kennel and expect them to stay (not that I advocate that for cats and dogs. Please don't go PETA on me!). I think it shows that having a baby at 16 is almost always the end of your relationship. I don't think it glamorizes their situation at all.
Oh and last night's episode made me want to throw a shoe at the girl and her mom for yelling and screaming and cussing in front of the baby! I just wanted to take that kid away from her!
I am guilty and addicted to the show. Somedays it probably shows aspects of being a teen parent that aren't so hard, but then others- like when Catelynn is struggling with her emotions at the camp for moms who gave up their daughter, or watching her parents move away and seem to not care that she goes with them- seem real to me. Farrah's family is messed up- the police were recently called to their house because her mom was threating others with knives. I wouldn't trade places with Gary and Amber either, and I wouldn't call them middle class. I am guessing my viewpoint is different watching as a 30 something versus if I were a teenager and my FI and I both agree the show would make us very much not want to be in their shoes.
This show is one of my "guilty pleasures too" I agree that Tyler and Catelynn are mature and I like Maci too. Jenelle from season two made me so angry when she made her mom take complete care of the baby. I'm glad they have this show though because teens arent ready to be parents and it shows that.
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