Teen Parenting Class

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Should pregnant teenagers be required to take parenting classes? Being a teen mother is not as easy as some teens imagine and there is much more to taking care of baby than just dressing it in the latest designer clothes, feeding it, changing diapers and giving the baby a bath. As a teen mom, I thought the whole parenting thing would be a breeze and boy, was I wrong. The amount of work and patience it took for me to take care of my baby was overwhelming. I had to get up early in the morning and leave the house while it was still dark to catch a bus carrying my book bag, diaper bag and a car seat just to drop off my baby at day care and catch another bus to make it to my first class on time, and just managing this schedule was a challenge. I had no clue what it would take to care for a baby and I lacked the knowledge and the skills necessary to manage my time and stay in school. Even with a support system, my baby was my responsibility alone and I needed someone to help me cope with the demands on my life. Requiring that all pregnant teens take parenting classes will help them prepare for being a teen mom and give these girls the support they need to become successful adults. In parenting classes, pregnant teens will address their immediate needs and the issues that are essential to the baby’s health first. If the teens do not have medical insurance, the instructor will connect the teens with a social worker who will arrange adequate health care and transportation to and from their doctor appointments. The teens will be required to keep a daily journal to record not only what and how often they ate, but also at, what time they took their prenatal vitamins or other medications. The teens will be required to communicate with their instructors throughout the parenting course about any changes in their lives. The instructors will need to know what mindset the teens

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