Photo by author I think we know how and why teenagers have babies. The question is, how can we prevent teens from having babies? This phenomenon is certainly not against the law, and, for some, it’s not an issue. But by in large, teens having babies is problematic. In teen births, it is common for the father not to be involved for reasons I won’t get into here. Also, as you might guess, the parent(s) financial situation is rarely good. And among many other issues, the parents are often too immature to raise children properly. Admittedly, this can also apply to older parents, but not as commonly.
My extended family has a thread (lineal consanguinity) of five generations of teen parents beginning with my grandmother (and possibly prior). A common issue for each generation of teen parents in my family is a lack of fatherly love and involvement for that teen parent - including my grandmother and mother. This occurrence is one of the reasons I wrote, “The Power of Dadhood.”
Poverty, drugs, crime, mental issues, and a lack of self-esteem often impact teen parents and their offspring. These cruel consequences have affected one thread of my family’s history through every generation (except for crime and drugs, at least for most). Will a sixth-generation continue this trend? It likely will, for at least one thread and very possibly more.
Beyond a lack of fatherly attention, there are other causes of teen pregnancies, but I would place a lack of fatherly love and engagement at the top. I could go to the statistical analysis here, but I won’t (see the infogram below). Those following my blog the past six years know I have done that over and over. The connection of fatherless homes to these consequential statistics is staggering.
Here’s what I have seen personally on a positive note. While teen pregnancies are too common in my extended family, there many more threads in my family where fathers are involved. There is not one instance of teen pregnancy, not one when a father was loving and available. Not only that, but those families also remain in their fourth generation of childbearing, not yet into the fifth because of obvious reasons.
I was born when my mother was 17 years old, my brother, Steve when she was 19 years old. Both of us thankfully stopped the fatherless trend in our lineages. But my sisters were not as fortunate. It’s usually the daughters that suffer the most in the search for a reliable mate in this situation where male love is missing. As seen in the infogaphic, daughters without involved fathers are seven times more likely to be a teen mother.
Currently, my Mom has maybe five great-great-grandchildren (it’s difficult to keep track); all are in that lineal family thread of teen parents. The cause of teen pregnancy is clear and unmistakable in my family – absent or uninvolved fathers. The answer, at least one answer, is to teach every young man AND each teen mother to know the power a father holds when he brings a life into this world. That is the ‘Power of Dadhood!’ (Too often, it's the mother that blocks the father from being involved!)
There is no power of fatherhood that we can claim, not in the act itself. That power is given to us by God and nature through a sperm coming into contact with an egg. Dadhood comes about when a man contacts his child through love, attention, and nurturing. Every young man needs to know this power, the power of giving strength and beautiful beginnings to the following generations.
But when you don’t have a Dad around, how will you learn this power? Successful family lineal threads in our family came about when the fathers took on the responsibility, even as they learned Dadhood. The next generation is then less burdened, and continuing cycles of teen pregnancies are prevented.
I Emphasize!
A mother and a father involved in raising their children is the most effective way to prevent their children from having difficulties as adults. Being a teen parent is only one of those difficulties. The parents do not necessarily need to live together, but it helps.
When we let young men know how influential they are in the lives of their offspring – and give them the confidence and encouragement they need, new positive trends begin!
#powerofdadhood
My extended family has a thread (lineal consanguinity) of five generations of teen parents beginning with my grandmother (and possibly prior). A common issue for each generation of teen parents in my family is a lack of fatherly love and involvement for that teen parent - including my grandmother and mother. This occurrence is one of the reasons I wrote, “The Power of Dadhood.”
Poverty, drugs, crime, mental issues, and a lack of self-esteem often impact teen parents and their offspring. These cruel consequences have affected one thread of my family’s history through every generation (except for crime and drugs, at least for most). Will a sixth-generation continue this trend? It likely will, for at least one thread and very possibly more.
Beyond a lack of fatherly attention, there are other causes of teen pregnancies, but I would place a lack of fatherly love and engagement at the top. I could go to the statistical analysis here, but I won’t (see the infogram below). Those following my blog the past six years know I have done that over and over. The connection of fatherless homes to these consequential statistics is staggering.
Here’s what I have seen personally on a positive note. While teen pregnancies are too common in my extended family, there many more threads in my family where fathers are involved. There is not one instance of teen pregnancy, not one when a father was loving and available. Not only that, but those families also remain in their fourth generation of childbearing, not yet into the fifth because of obvious reasons.
I was born when my mother was 17 years old, my brother, Steve when she was 19 years old. Both of us thankfully stopped the fatherless trend in our lineages. But my sisters were not as fortunate. It’s usually the daughters that suffer the most in the search for a reliable mate in this situation where male love is missing. As seen in the infogaphic, daughters without involved fathers are seven times more likely to be a teen mother.
Currently, my Mom has maybe five great-great-grandchildren (it’s difficult to keep track); all are in that lineal family thread of teen parents. The cause of teen pregnancy is clear and unmistakable in my family – absent or uninvolved fathers. The answer, at least one answer, is to teach every young man AND each teen mother to know the power a father holds when he brings a life into this world. That is the ‘Power of Dadhood!’ (Too often, it's the mother that blocks the father from being involved!)
There is no power of fatherhood that we can claim, not in the act itself. That power is given to us by God and nature through a sperm coming into contact with an egg. Dadhood comes about when a man contacts his child through love, attention, and nurturing. Every young man needs to know this power, the power of giving strength and beautiful beginnings to the following generations.
But when you don’t have a Dad around, how will you learn this power? Successful family lineal threads in our family came about when the fathers took on the responsibility, even as they learned Dadhood. The next generation is then less burdened, and continuing cycles of teen pregnancies are prevented.
I Emphasize!
A mother and a father involved in raising their children is the most effective way to prevent their children from having difficulties as adults. Being a teen parent is only one of those difficulties. The parents do not necessarily need to live together, but it helps.
When we let young men know how influential they are in the lives of their offspring – and give them the confidence and encouragement they need, new positive trends begin!
#powerofdadhood
Some stats on children without involved fathers
