A liscense to motherhood

A local TV station aired a rather controversial documentary the other night about teenagers who are pregnant. It wasn't so much the content that stirred up a commotion, rather the fact that the girls were all under 14 years of age, except one, and they were proud to be expecting.

The program started off with a local celebrity's' daughter who was 16 years of age and pregnant with her second! child. Her first pregnancy had already been highly publicized the year before and together with her boyfriend she had decided that they didn't want a big gap in age difference between their children therefore she had gotten pregnant again.

Here in Belgium where there is a church on almost every street corner and many Belgians are still highly religious, teen pregnancies are quite scandalous. Our neighbouring country, The Netherlands just north of Belgium, seems to accept teen pregnancies much more easily though they have recently begun a campaign to inform the youth of today that being a parent at such an early age just ain't all that!

When I think back to my first pregnancy at the ripe young age of 23 years old, I still hear the echoing words of my mom saying that I would be able to grow up together with my child. In other words, that I was way too young to take on the responsibility of motherhood. And even though in hindsight I did have the greatest time of my life goofing around with my son I do understand that if it hadn't been for her help and advice I might not have done so well with my son.

However, by the time my third child was born over a decade and a half later I must say that there is a vast difference in how I felt emotionally and I was able to enjoy my daughter as a newborn baby much more not to mention more efficiently.

Maybe it might be healthier for every girl or woman to actually realize what being a mom actually entails BEFORE getting pregnant and a good way of doing this would be to take an exam for motherhood, receiving a licence to get pregnant if you pass.

It may sound far out and non ethical, but is it ethical for teenagers to have babies when they are still kids themselves?

In the end, if the girl is lucky she will have a mom who will stand by her side and help taking on most of the "work" a baby brings, when the girl goes to school in the day. If she's not that lucky, then the consequences are heart breaking for both the new teen mom and her baby.