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I had my daughter when I was 27.. fairly late imo considering my gf had 3 by my age, my sister had her first at 22 and most of my friends were already going through terrible twos when I was in labor. I think society as a whole are having kids later than they were before . I remember stories from my great grandmother saying she was late to marry and have children at the age of 16 most of her friends had already started a family. Having a kid is hard yes, its expensive yes but it doesn't last forever (usually).. My child will also be out of the house when I'm in my 40's-50's so I can enjoy my latter years and do the things I will hopefully have the means to do like travel that I don't have the means for right now being in my 20's and more or less starting in the workforce. Also having a child early has its advantages with more energy and ability to handle a child with such energy
Excellent points.
Biologically, we are meant to have children younger than has seemingly become the norm. While I certainly don't believe that having children while in one's teens is ideal, I feel that I am extremely blessed to still be young enough to have the energy to know and enjoy my grandchildren as a result of having had kids so young.
Personally, I find it extremely hard to understand how anyone would want to wait so long as to have to tend to infants and toddlers while in their 40s and 50s, but, to each his and her own.
People have always had children in their late teens/20s, in the history of civilization. Granted you go back far enough and life expectancy was 35 and you had to have babies then or never at all, but still. Waiting until your 30s or 40s is a pretty new practice, has really just been happening in the past few decades.
And no matter when you decide to have kids, is it ever really easy?
I think having a child before 20 can sometimes be 'risky' or less than thought out, but it's not like some people can't do it. When you're 16 and your boyfriend knocks you up and runs off when he finds out, that's one thing. When you're 18, have been with your boyfriend for a few years and plan on marrying and having a family together, then get pregnant, that's totally different.
My best friend started dating a guy in our junior year of high school. Now, at 26, they have been married for 3 years. They don't have kids, but they could have had one when they were in their early 20s. Why not?
As others have mentioned, your energy level is better when you're younger. Those nights getting up with the baby for those first 6 months are exhausting!!! I had my daughter when I was 23 and that was rough! I'm pregnant again and am so not looking forward to that lack of sleep!!!
Personally, I think 20's are ideal for having kids, and 30's isn't bad either, but I wouldn't want to have a kid in my 40's. I want to travel and have fun with my husband after the kids are gone, and at this rate he's going to be at least 63 before that happens! This second kid is our last!
I don't really understand what you are getting at. You say teenagers but then mention people in their twenties. A person in their twenties is not a teenager. Medically its better to have children in your twenties. Women lose fertility with each year. By the time a woman reaches the age of 35, her fertility can be reduced by almost 50%.
I think having a child before 20 can sometimes be 'risky' or less than thought out, but it's not like some people can't do it. When you're 16 and your boyfriend knocks you up and runs off when he finds out, that's one thing. When you're 18, have been with your boyfriend for a few years and plan on marrying and having a family together, then get pregnant, that's totally different.
My best friend started dating a guy in our junior year of high school. Now, at 26, they have been married for 3 years. They don't have kids, but they could have had one when they were in their early 20s. Why not?
As others have mentioned, your energy level is better when you're younger. Those nights getting up with the baby for those first 6 months are exhausting!!! I had my daughter when I was 23 and that was rough! I'm pregnant again and am so not looking forward to that lack of sleep!!!
Personally, I think 20's are ideal for having kids, and 30's isn't bad either, but I wouldn't want to have a kid in my 40's. I want to travel and have fun with my husband after the kids are gone, and at this rate he's going to be at least 63 before that happens! This second kid is our last!
Because kids are expensive, and most 20 yo's aren't financially equipped. Because the chances of staying with your HS BF or GF are slim.
Don't they know the hardships of having a child? Especially the way the world is today.
They should know that raising a child takes a lot of hard work and patience with lots of energy, and is expensive. Why don't they enjoy their lives now and wait later on when their really ready?
And thanks to T.V. "reality shows" like Teen Mom, teenagers girls want to do the same by getting pregnant early.
Hardships?
They know no hardships. They get lots of food stamps, WIC coupons, free babysitting at the Head Start with free meals there for their kids.
They will be given all the Medicaid they could want, they don't have to pay a dime for their prenatal, postnatal care and hospital stay. Babies are cute, almost like little dolls, and when they cost you nothing, and you're even given cash in the form of TANF, what could be better?
They know no hardships. They get lots of food stamps, WIC coupons, free babysitting at the Head Start with free meals there for their kids.
They will be given all the Medicaid they could want, they don't have to pay a dime for their prenatal, postnatal care and hospital stay. Babies are cute, almost like little dolls, and when they cost you nothing, and you're even given cash in the form of TANF, what could be better?
Yep, every parent under 30 is rolling in Gubmint dough . None of us worked/work our asses off.
Because kids are expensive, and most 20 yo's aren't financially equipped. Because the chances of staying with your HS BF or GF are slim.
Exactly. Most of these children will grow up without a father, or a father that stuck around for only a few months, they are more susceptible to abuse by momma's later live in boyfriends or one-night-stands.
Biologically it might be fine to have babies at 18, 19, 20, but not if the parents lack health insurance plans, jobs. In the past women did marry and start a family as young as 17 or 18 but today there is no marriage, no real family. Just a lot of single girls with kids and Medicaid and food stamps.
A 30 or 40 year old woman more likely has a husband, or at least a high paying job and pays into a health insurance plan.
Yep, every parent under 30 is rolling in Gubmint dough . None of us worked/work our asses off.
The statistics show most very young mothers are having their babies with Medicaid paying the bills, and lack husbands to help them support those kids. Just the day care alone for someone who makes minimum wage would be tough to come up with. Yes, there might be some welfare-to-woirk government program that has the mother working but more often than not these very young mothers live mostly off the government.
They would be in big trouble if they weren't given housing assistance, food stamps, WIC, TANF, free babysitting at the Head Starts with the free meals, their boyfriends very often are long gone and support from him is minimal at best.
Why would some girl want to raise a child alone, with no one to help her with a crying baby, no one to share the 2 am feedings and if she is going to have a future, she's got to work and study and will lack time with her children when they are young?
Yes, it looks all so very glamorous, so mature and sophisticated at first but when the other girls are going to their proms, and the mother has to sit home and care for her baby, it's not so fun any more. And very often she's ended her chances of ever having a husband and marriage because a lot of men don't wish to -- and should not -- jump into the step dad position.
The statistics show most very young mothers are having their babies with Medicaid paying the bills, and lack husbands to help them support those kids. Just the day care alone for someone who makes minimum wage would be tough to come up with. Yes, there might be some welfare-to-woirk government program that has the mother working but more often than not these very young mothers live mostly off the government.
They would be in big trouble if they weren't given housing assistance, food stamps, WIC, TANF, free babysitting at the Head Starts with the free meals, their boyfriends very often are long gone and support from him is minimal at best.
Why would some girl want to raise a child alone, with no one to help her with a crying baby, no one to share the 2 am feedings and if she is going to have a future, she's got to work and study and will lack time with her children when they are young?
Yes, it looks all so very glamorous, so mature and sophisticated at first but when the other girls are going to their proms, and the mother has to sit home and care for her baby, it's not so fun any more. And very often she's ended her chances of ever having a husband and marriage because a lot of men don't wish to -- and should not -- jump into the step dad position.
I would be very interested in seeing these statistics on young mothers. Maybe we know two different kinds of teen/ early twenties mother. I can't even counteven begin to count those who are married or in college or working. Most often all 3.
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. None of us worked/work our asses off.
