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and finally, having or not having kids is a conscious choice that many refuse to make - just throw on protection.
A lot of teen girls have babies because a) they feel it gives them an identity, and b) they're looking for unconditional love, and think that's what they baby will give them. They have no idea what they're getting into, of course, but all their friends are having babies, so they want one. And some teens are just plain careless. I can't explain it any more than that. I live in NM, which had a very high rate of Medicare births, according to the chart you posted. It's mostly, but not exclusively, Hispanic and Native American kids doing this. NM is one of the poorest states in the nation, too. So a lot of people are dependent on public services.
There are plenty of 14 year olds serving at Maccas and Burger King.
My very first job was at 13 babysitting which led into working in the parents shop within days. I have since worked -
as a vet nurse
as a motel cleaner
in a bank
in a post office
in a prison
cleaning private houses
cannery
too many offices to count
chicken factory (a true highlight)
waitressing
bar
cook
oil company
wallpapering/painting
and I've spent the last 10 years in Credit Management.
But I was still called a tax drain for having my first baby at 25.
ohhhkayyyy....
You can't work legally here unless you are 15 or 16 unless you are getting paid under the counter, which of course isn't taxed.
I had a job where I was mowing lawns for the elderly when I was 8, with my dad as parental vision, too. I was making $20/yard, and $30 if the yard was huge and I had to use a riding lawn mower to do the work in the time I would tell them. From 8-18 or so, I was mowing around 10 yards/week, and when I turned 16 I took a part time job stocking shelves after High school football was finished.
who the hell pays taxes ate age 13? or has full time employment at 17?
The highschool students in my neighborhood in Seattle had after-school bag-boy jobs at the grocery store. Teens in the US can get summer camp counselor jobs from age 16 up. My class in massage school a few years ago had a 16-year-old HS graduate in it, and a 17-year-old. The 16-year-old already had a full-time job lined up. We've had posters here who said they went to work full-time upon graduating highschool at 17. There's nothing stopping teens from working in the US, other than job scarcity.
A lot of teen girls have babies because a) they feel it gives them an identity, and b) they're looking for unconditional love, and think that's what they baby will give them. They have no idea what they're getting into, of course, but all their friends are having babies, so they want one. And some teens are just plain careless. I can't explain it any more than that. I live in NM, which had a very high rate of Medicare births, according to the chart you posted. It's mostly, but not exclusively, Hispanic and Native American kids doing this. NM is one of the poorest states in the nation, too. So a lot of people are dependent on public services.
I wish we could as a society fix this problem because it is out of control. I blame to some extent the families and how teen pregnancies are glorified on television like Teen Mom.
I wish we could as a society fix this problem because it is out of control. I blame to some extent the families and how teen pregnancies are glorified on television like Teen Mom.
It's been going on since long before there were TV shows like Teen Mom, though. It's low self-esteem. The girls need a baby to boost their self-esteem.
It's been going on since long before there were TV shows like Teen Mom, though. It's low self-esteem. The girls need a baby to boost their self-esteem.
True and also many of these girls think if they have a baby the man will stick around. I have seen this so many times before where a teen girl will say "I love him and want us to be together forever and a baby will help this". The reality is it doesn't and so many of these boys leave her. So now we have an unwed teen mom raising a fatherless baby while dad is dating other girls and maybe getting others pregnant.
I would never say NO to my son..especially in this economy..
The fact that he was attaining a higher education..working, paid rent?
Times are hard and have been..
I think free loading kids? no.But kids whom are adults, working? No reason why not.
My sister stated this to me 2 weeks ago after hearing a sad story from one of her young co-workers..
She stated to me.. "If my daughter called me at 35 an stated that her husband had cheated on her and hurt her and her my grandchildren and her needed a place to live? I would not state why, how, how long" I would let her live with me because she is my daughter and those are my grandkids"
My brother has one of the strongest work ethics I have ever seen in a human being. They turned the kid away from McDonalds when he was 11 years old. He's had a job for as long I can remember, and you would literally have to shoot him in the leg to stop him from going to work.
My Dad was like this. He started working at age 9 and did all the way up until he died last year. I know another guy who is 44 who has been working FULL-TIME nonstop since he was 15 years old doing fairly hard labor. That's almost 30 years and he still has 20 more to go before he can even retire (if he does).
As a gen yer 20 something I too wish I came from parents who would shower me funds via trustfund, wait on a second thought not. I have to work hard for myself and that's that. I have seen it alot especially in cool hip areas of NYC where out of state parents pay for their kids expensive closet apartment even though their 20 something year old kid has a job. Attack of the kidults Id say. I don't want any form of money from my parents unless its in a form of a will of testament. Sad thing is this that plenty of Gen Y youths who are out of college with degrees and piled high debt are either underemployed or unemployed and parents may have to assist with their kids payments. Sad thing about these boomers are they are still working and not looking to retire anytime soon making it real difficult for Gen Xers to move up and Gen Yers to get a leg in through the door. But to many Boomers are paying for homes locked into a 30 year fixed rate mortgage.
Last edited by Bronxguyanese; 01-26-2013 at 02:38 AM..
As a gen yer 20 something I too wish I came from parents who would shower me funds via trustfund, wait on a second thought not. I have to work hard for myself and that's that. I have seen it alot especially in cool hip areas of NYC where out of state parents pay for their kids expensive closet apartment even though their 20 something year old kid has a job. Attack of the kidults Id say. I don't want any form of money from my parents unless its in a form of a will of testament. Sad thing is this that plenty of Gen Y youths who are out of college with degrees and piled high debt are either underemployed or unemployed and parents may have to assist with their kids payments. Sad thing about these boomers are they are still working and not looking to retire anytime soon making it real difficult for Gen Xers to move up and Gen Yers to get a leg in through the door. But to many Boomers are paying for homes locked into a 30 year fixed rate mortgage.
The boomers with trust funds have to do something with all the money they have though, and some people believe in keeping their money in their family/bloodline. So they give it to their kids. I'm not saying that's some kind of wonderful thing, but it's what they want to do with their money, and they have lots of it to blow. They could probably use it in better ways, but I don't think they've thought that hard about it and the kids are just too busy enjoying living high off the hog instead of trying to work hard to continue their fortune.
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