The Diversity in Teen Parents

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Tashalla Young Professor Austin English 1301.BH1 September 26 2012 The Diversity in Teen Parents A former high school teen parent and graduate, Tashanna Forman said, “With all the teen parents in the world today, you would think people around them would realize that there are many different types of young parents and not every teen parents is the same” (Forman). Her statement is broadly true and completely relevant to the world today. Forman was speaking on how most people are narrow minded to the teen parent world, in today’s society. Some people believe if one high school student gets pregnant and her friend ends up pregnant a year or so later, they must be having some sort of a pregnancy pact. While this scenario might be true in some cases, it is only a stereotype against teen parents. It is important for other teens and adults to understand different types of teen parents in order to avoid stereotypes and discrimination against teen parents. The teen parent who is no longer seen at school after she has had her baby is known as the drop out parent. A drop out mother loses a lot after leaving school. She loses friends, self-esteem, and most importantly an education. According to Samantha Dawson, a single mother of four kids who started her family at age seventeen, “Mothers like me [drop out mom] are stereotyped to be dumb girls who are never going to be successful” (Dawson). Dawson is disagreeing with this statement and stating that no matter what a teen parent’s situation is they have the opportunity to be successful. She is also stating that dropping out doesn’t mean a mother is destined to be unsuccessful. Drop out parents drop out due to multiple reasons. Dawson dropped out due to not having a strong enough support system to keep her in school. Dawson states, “I ultimately decided to drop out to be a provider for my daughter because I had no one else
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