‘Diplomas before diapers’
Sharon Rodine, director of youth initiatives at the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy, said the more conversations about the issue of teen pregnancy, the better.
If it’s a TV show that has parents and teens talking on the subject, so be it.
“Hopefully the talk will lead to some positive discussions for some young people because we have been ignoring them for too long,” Rodine said.
Some critics have jabbed at the new ABC Family show “The Secret Life of the American Teenager,” saying that it focuses on sex too much and that it plays a lot like a soap opera parody, but others, like Rodine and leaders with the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, say it has folks talking and that’s worth a lot.
Rodine said it’s often hard to get people in Oklahoma to see how much teen pregnancy has become a concern.
“Between 2005 and 2006, and that’s the latest data we have, the births to teens in
“It’s an alarm bell going off because, in so many ways, we’ve become complacent.”
Rodine said it’s sometimes hard for people to relate to numbers so she found another way to describe the problem.
“How do we help the public understand what this means? To help put this in perspective I tell people that the number of teens giving birth in
“We need to say ‘diplomas before diapers’.”
With that said, here are some national statistics from the National Campaign to ponder:
– The teen pregnancy and birth rate has declined dramatically since the early 1990s (down 38 percent and 32 percent respectively), driven by decreased sexual activity and increases in contraceptive use. Even so, recent data shows that the declines in teen sex and improvements in contraceptive use have leveled off. And the teen birth rate is on the rise for the first time in 15 years.
– At present, 3 in 10 girls in the
– There are more than 729,000 teen pregnancies annually and in 2006, there were 435,000 births to teens.
– At present, half of all pregnancies in the
– Carla
Gameday with a toddler?
Is this something that is possible? Without me losing my hair or sanity?
I have tickets to OU’s season-opener this Saturday. First, I am a bit suprised that you have to buy a full-price ticket for a 2-year-old but according to the athletic office “any human being going into the stadium needs a ticket. Even infants.”
Yeah, I guess infants would fall into the “human being” category, although I couldn’t imagine bringing one to a game. But a toddler, well, that may or may not be worse.
I hope I’m not crazy to try this, but maybe he’ll have a blast and we’ll have an extra activity to add to our fall calendar. Has anyone tried it? If so, give me the lowdown and some good tips if you have them.
~Erica Smith
esmith@oklahoman.com
The Lessons Start Early
First day of school Lesson No. 1:
Be mindful where you park. In the rush of parents walking their children into school this morning, my car was blocked by another vehicle. Thanks to the kind dad that helped me maneuver out of the tight spot!
Lesson No. 2: No photos please! My daughter was not at all interested in having her picture taken. How will I scrapbook this momentous day? I’ll try again tomorrow.
Lesson No. 3: Don’t forget the ice pack in the sack lunch. I did and then had to remove an item that needed to be kept cool. Luckily that still left a cookie and a peanut butter sandwich (crusts removed.)
Lesson No. 4: Take a deep breath. Smile big when you wave goodbye. Don’t cry until you get to the car. You’ll be stuck there for a while anyway.
Susan Simpson, Mom of a KINDERGARTENER! (Can you believe it?)
A moment of mortification
I really need some help with a very awkward and embarrassing situation I experienced over the weekend.
My son is in a class at the zoo. It meets once a month, and it is specific to his age. All the children in the class are 2 years old. The class is terrific and I highly recommend it to anyone. They have different age groups so any child can sign up. The cost is $10-$12 per class. In his class, they do learning activities, look at exhibits, do crafts and read stories.
On Saturday, we were in the craft portion of the class. All the kids sit at tables and the parents are right there with them. My son takes a spot next to a little blond girl. I didn’t notice at first, but she apparently suffers from a skin disorder, maybe psoriasis or something along those lines. Her skin was red and blotchy and looked to be peeling. But I didn’t think twice about it and so we started working on the craft.
About 5 minutes into it, my son looks over at her, points to her arm and lets out a huge “EWWWWW!!!” complete with scrunched-up nose and big grin. I think my heart stopped. I could feel her parents’ eyes on me and I immediately turned red. I was mortified. I didn’t know what to do. I went on instinct and tried to cover as best as I could by saying “yes, Hunter, ewww, you got glue on your hands!”
What do we do in a situation like that? I couldn’t punish him – after all, he is only two. If I tried to talk to him about it afterward, he would have long forgotten about what I was even referring to.
Please, fellow parents, tell me how you would handle that and if you have had a similar situation happen to you. I really need some advice on this because I have a sneaky suspicion this won’t be the last time!
~Erica Smith
Too early for ‘Mom’
My 2-year-old son has a new word in his vocabulary: Mom.
I was surprised at first, since I started as “Mama” and have been “Mommy” ever since he was about 9 months old. ‘Mom’ sounded kind of … well … weird to me and I’m not sure I like it.
I always pictured being “Mommy” until he was in about 6th grade or at least until he started worrying about what his friends thought. But at 2? It’s too early. Especially for me.
I know he’s probably just trying out something new and he probably got the idea from that Kenmore refrigerator commercial where all the kids are yelling “Mom! Mom?” that seems to be on all the time. But it makes me a bit sad, like things are going way too fast.
When did your kids start calling you Mom (or Dad) and did it hurt … just a little?
Let me know here or email esmith@oklahoman.com.
I’d love to know I’m not alone on this!
-Erica Smith
Nick Jonas, my daughter loves you …. and other important life lessons
I’m taking my daughter to the upcoming Jonas Brothers concert. I know, I know. It’s a splurge.
My husband’s already mentioned the cost to me several times. (He calls them the “Donut Brothers.” He just doesn’t understand.) But I want to indulge Katie, 13, a little in what has teetered between a youthful crush and a small-time obsession. (Afterall, we missed the Hannah Montana concert. Yes, I’m still a little miffed at the whole experience of trying to buy those elusive seats.)
So, pricey, yes. But this is something she will remember when she gets older.
She’s excited. Her friends are excited.
But not everyone has tickets to this exciting summer concert. So, Katie’s friends enlisted her help recently when a local radio station was having a call-in to win Jonas Brothers tickets. You just had to be the 100-and-something caller to win.
Easy enough.
She checked with me first. That was sweet. …. I said it was OK.
So she and her little sister, Kaci, pitched in to start calling, and I went on about my business.
A little later Katie came back and asked, “Is it costing money if I stay on the phone?” No, it’s a local call.
She was relieved, explaining that Kaci had been waiting on the phone for 15 minutes, but the line was busy. …
… It took a few seconds, and then I began to chuckle and explained to her that if the line is busy, you have to hang up and call again.
“oh, man,” she said.
Needless to say, she didn’t win more tickets. …
– Linda Lynn
Through a child’s eyes
Having a child is truly an amazing experience. Things that are normally mundane are now striking awe in a young person and I get to experience that with him.
I can’t help but wish I was a bit “newer” to the world. Everything would capture my interest and make me wide-eyed. The littlest things would make me say “Wow!” or ask, “What is that!?”
My son takes such pleasure in the things I see every day, things I hardly notice. I used to hate having to wait at the railroad crossing at Western and Britton, especially if one of those extra-long freight trains were coming through. But now I relish it. I hope I get to stop just so my little boy can get excited. His mouth will drop and his eyes will get as big as saucers . “Train!!! Choo-choo!!” I’m actually almost a little disappointed if we sail through that intersection without seeing one.
Most people don’t look forward to seeing the building they work in every morning. But I do because my little boy gets so happy, he can hardly stand it. “It’s Mommy work!!! Big!!” And I get to tell him, “That’s where Mommy is when she misses you.”
And if we get to see the guys mowing the lawn at my apartment complex or at his daycare center, then it’s all over. That would have just made his day. And mine.
And I realize, when you see things through the eyes of a child, you do get to be “new” to the world again. Watching his reactions to the world around him is something new for me to experience.
And what a wonderful a world it is.
-Erica Smith
“Baby pact” in the news
The national spotlight is shining on Gloucester, Mass., but that’s not necessarily a good thing these days.
The most recent edition of TIME magazine includes a story about a so-called “baby pact” made between a group of girls at Gloucester High School.
The author of the story appeared on NBC’s TODAY Show this morning to discuss her interviews with school officials. She said they told her that several pregnant teen girls, out of a total 17 at the school, had confessed to making a pact that they would each get pregnant at about the same time and raise their babies together.
One girl apparently was impregnated by a 24-year-old homeless man, the TIME reporter said.
None of them, according to reports, is older than 16.
The blogosphere is abuzz with this latest bit of news, particularly since actress Jamie Lynn Spears, 17, reportedly had her baby on the same day that the world got wind of the so-called high school baby pact.
One interesting blog is Pregnant Pause, the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy’s Web log.
What are your thoughts about the Gloucester baby pact?
– Carla Hinton
Moving up is hard to do
I’ve been through a lot of changes with my son and he has accepted each one without resistance and with a big smile. I always thought that no matter what, I could make anything better, because, well, I am Mom and that’s my job.
My 2-year-old has been promoted recently at daycare. He has been promoted a few times in his 2 years … from the newborn class, to the first toddler class, to the second. But in his new 2-year-old class, he is having a very hard time and it leaves me not knowing how to make it better.
He used to love going to “school.” In fact, some days, I couldn’t get him to leave with me at the end of the day. He talked about all his friends on our way there and tried to tell me about his day on the way home. He woke up excited to go every morning.
Now, it is a struggle to get him out of his crib. He doesn’t want to eat. He is silent the entire drive there and when he gets there, he reaches for his old classroom’s door and starts screaming and crying when I bring him into the new room.
His teacher said that a few children have had a hard time adjusting, even though they are with their friends. They have a lot less freedom and more structure, to prepare them for preschool. She said it should get better in a few weeks, but any parent knows how hard it is to leave a crying child who is reaching for you, to makes things better.
I feel helpless, but I know it has to get better.
Today I left him crying again, but just as I left, his teacher ran out to catch me so that I could see him through the window. He had stopped crying and was sitting down at the table, painting me a picture. The roles reversed … today, my little man made me feel better.
-Erica Smith
Happy Father’s Day to Moms, too
I had three calls yesterday … one from my Mom, one from my sister-in-law and one from an old friend. All called to wish me the same thing … a happy Father’s Day.
Many kids grow up in a household of a single mom. These are the moms who fulfill both roles – those of a mom and a dad. Among our many duties, we are the disciplinarians, the lone chauffeur, the lending ear, the entertainment, the teacher, the security blanket and most importantly, the beacon of unconditional love.
When you do it all, sacrificing unselfishly and without a second thought, you deserve to be celebrated … twice. I never really thought about it that way until yesterday.
So to all single moms everywhere, I hope you had a wonderful Father’s Day. You deserve it.
-Erica Smith
