| Normal life suddenly gets disrupted. A teenager in our | | | | cannot cope with the tremendous responsibilities and |
| society has a well chalked out path - graduating on to | | | | duties of teen parenting. Usually the parents of the |
| high school, moving on to college and then getting a job | | | | teenagers step in to bridge the gap to see that both |
| before considering marriage. After that the time is ripe | | | | the child and the grand child each get their fair share of |
| for children to start coming. | | | | attention. |
| But when a teenager becomes a mother the smooth | | | | The parent of a pregnant teen has no other alternative |
| flow along the well marked trail gets blurred and often | | | | but to accept the inevitable and give as much support |
| erased altogether. The teenager more often than not | | | | as possible. The baby needs to be the center of |
| fails to complete the education cycle and this means | | | | attention and the teen parents require financial |
| less chances of getting a good job. | | | | assistance. Thus the parents have to remember that in |
| The teenage parent suffers from a sense of being cut | | | | the eye of the storm are their own child and grand |
| off from the main flow of life - isolated and alone. Their | | | | child and accordingly they should provide the support. |
| tender years make them difficult to fit in with either | | | | Teen parents have to be prepared to make sacrifices. |
| other parents or with other teenagers because of the | | | | Everything cannot be expected of the grand parents |
| peculiar situation. They seem to be misfits everywhere. | | | | of the new child because they too have their limitations |
| A social and moral stigma seems to follow them. This | | | | and problems. An addition to the family means extra |
| has made many teen parents join support groups in | | | | expenses and duties. Usually the teen father gives up |
| their age group to regain their mental health and | | | | schooling to get a job for supporting the young mother. |
| composure. | | | | The mother has to quickly pick up the skills of looking |
| Most of the teen parents are not mentally equipped or | | | | after a baby. Teen parenting is no mean job! |
| financially prepared to raise children. A green teen | | | | |