Hiccups » birth

“Teen Mom” drawing criticism

hiccups — Thu, 16 Sep 2010 16:55:33 +0000

A popular reality TV show that follows the lives of four teen moms is drawing criticism for “glamorizing” teen motherhood.

Is it possible to glamorize teen motherhood?

Anyway, NBC’s Today Show featured a segment today about the MTV show “Teen Mom.” Host Matt Lauer interviewed two of the teens featured on the show, Tyler and Catelynn, who gave their baby up for adoption over a year ago.

Lauer asked them if they thought the show glamorized teen parenthood, particularly since Tyler and Catelynn and other teens featured on the show have recently been featured in People magazine.

Both teens tried to find words to convey that they felt the show simply chronicles the real lives of teens who had children while in high school.

I think Lauer said it best though when he summed up what they were saying. He asked if the teens were saying that “Teen Mom” serves as a “cautionary tale” for teens watching the show and both Tyler and Catelynn said yes.

Lauer said the show is very popular and I’m not surprised. It was spawned from an MTV show called “Sixteen and Pregnant.” The four teen moms (and the fathers of their children in three of the four cases) were part of a larger group of teen parents featured on the show, which started in 2009.

“Teen Mom” picked up where “Sixteen and Pregnant” left off, giving viewers glimpses of what happened to the young women after they had their babies.

Tyler and Catelynn gave their baby up for adoption. Another teen mom, Farrah, had her baby and viewers learned this year that the father of the child was killed in a car accident and never knew he was a dad. The other teen parents featured on the show are Maci (pictured) and Amber. Maci was engaged to Ryan, the father of her son, but things didn’t work out and now the two are on the brink of a custody battle. Amber is also engaged to her child’s father, Gary, but recently the two broke things off and they’ve pretty much done that on every episode.

If you watch the show, let me know by sending me an e-mail at chinton@opubco.com. Tell me why you watch the show and if you think it is glamorizing the lives of these teen parents. Be sure to send me your name, age, city and a phone number where you can be reached because your comments may be used for a future story.

Carla Hinton

Staff Writer

Growth charts have grown up

hiccups — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 21:00:45 +0000

We all remember the ways our parents charted our growth … pencil markings on the inside closet door, using a marker on a yard stick or just buying a growth chart poster to track our progress.

With technology a staple these days, some parents are taking a different direction when documenting how fast their kids grow.

One couple tracked it using a camera, taking a picture each day during their baby’s first year. The result? Click here.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

You can help feed a hungry baby

hiccups — Mon, 04 May 2009 17:10:17 +0000

Imagine you have a newborn or toddler, but you can’t afford to feed and diaper him on your own.

Diapers are expensive even if you buy the more economical brands. And, while breastfeeding a baby – so your little one can receive needed immunities and nutrients – is preferred, it’s not always possible.

If you have children, you know these “little” expenses are reoccurring. When my children were born, we were buying diapers, formula, baby food and baby wipes every week. It was worth it, even though we would talk about the amount of money we were spending.

But to some families, even getting the barest of necessities for their children is difficult.

You can help make a difference in the littlest of lives at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 5, and beyond.

Infant Crisis Services is dedicating its new 17,000-square-foot building at NE 42 and Lincoln Boulevard. The new facility and its furnishings were made possible by a grant from the Donald W. Reynolds Foundation.

But they still need the public’s help to continue assistance to more than 1,000 young children.

You can help stock its new shelves with diapers, formula, baby food and more. Your contributions will go to families who need assistance in caring for their babies and toddlers.

They also need pacifiers, baby baths, bath wash and lotion, shampoo, sippy cups, children’s books and toys.

The larger building is expected to allow Infant Crisis Services to serve double the amount of children they do now. The nonprofit organization also does not receive any state, federal or United Way funding.

Go to www.infantcrisis.org to learn more about Infant Crisis Services, donating or receiving help. Or call (405) 528-3663.

– Linda Lynn

llynn@opubco.com

Do you have your child’s birth certificate?

hiccups — Mon, 05 May 2008 20:29:37 +0000

I knew where it had to be. Yes, I did have Cade’s birth certificate, or, at least that’s what I told the school officials as we planned for my 3-year-old to begin school.

But after sifting through stacks of papers, opening legal-sized envelopes, digging through my cedar chest and emptying drawers, I decided I really, truly had never ordered copies of Cade’s birth certificate.

I felt guilty, disorganized. Why hadn’t I taken care of this? But then I started thinking about some of the little obstacles we had to overcome when Cade was born, how he had to undergo light treatment for about a week for jaundice, how his blood had to be tested constantly for about two months because the numbers were not exactly where they were supposed to be, and how we had to go through a liver scan … We were a little busy.

And then, life kind of evened out. Trips to the hospital became less frequent, and we went on about our business, dealing with normal everyday “stuff.”

When I found my middle daughter’s birth certificate last week, guess what? I had ordered her’s right before she started school. … Maybe I wasn’t such a bad, forgetful mother, after all.

So, today, I went to the Oklahoma Department of Health and stood in line to get what I should have gotten a few years ago. It wasn’t a great experience, but it wasn’t so terribly awful either.

I stood in a long line – it was a Monday and other parents were having to enroll their kids, too, and they needed their children’s birth certificates. Yes, the man behind me carried on a colorful conversation peppered with every expletive you could imagine on his cell phone, and after standing in that line, I had to stand in another line to pay … and then I had to wait for my number to be called. But the people assisting everyone were friendly.

And then it was done. I had my son’s birth certificate – four copies – you never know when you’re going to need an extra.

So, here’s some advice. If you have children and you haven’t gotten their birth certificates, go ahead and take care of that today. You can mail in your request or you can go to the Health Department, 1000 NE 10^th St. If you go in person, print off the form ahead of time, fill it out, and then all you have to do is step into line. You won’t have to worry that you’ve forgotten information or misplaced your ID, because you’ll already know you need it.

And, then, when you enroll your kids in school, and someone asks if you have their birth certificates, you can say, “Yes,” and know that it’s true. - Linda