Teen fathers are often portrayed as the missing parent in 16 and pregnant as well as society in general. Why is this?? Everyone knows that it takes two to make a baby and the teen mother is not the only one who has responsibility for this child that they both created. Teen fathers, I think, are portrayed as the missing/ absent parent because they aren’t expected to raise a child and if they do stay around to raise this child they are seen as heroes who should be rewarded for their generous behavior. This is a double standard if the teen mother decided that she didn’t want to have anything to do with her child she is looked down upon and ashamed, but the young man is not. To me this standard has to change, if you are old enough to get a girl pregnant then you are more than old enough to stay with the girl and help her raise the child. This doesn’t mean that they have to get married or even be a couple but it does mean that the man has the responsibility of being there for his child and the mother of his child in any way that they can. I can speak from experience that often times the woman doesn’t really need the father to provide for them but they do need that support from the father to know that they are not alone in this experience and that they have someone who is willing to be their support.
Of course there is no sure way of getting the father to participate in the life of his child but if men are taught from childhood that it is their responsibility to help raise children then maybe when they grow up they will have that sense of fatherhood already engrained in them, much like young women are taught to be mothers from a young age.
Do you guys think that it is a good idea to have young men taught from childhood to raise a child? And if so what impact does this have on teenage mothers? And what obstacles do we as a society face when making changes in the male/female dichotomy?
-Ana Gutierrez-Gamez
I think they (men/boys) don't necessarily need to be taught straight up to raise a child, but just need to be more exposed to images of men being more caring, emotional, and there for their women. Men are so exposed to this negative media everyday of how men "are" or should be. Not necessarily all men are going to abandon their pregnant girlfriend or wife. We need to have a more positive image shown of men and women's relationships. We have socially constructed how these relationships should go.
ReplyDelete-Erin Richeson
I agree 100% with erin. I don't think little boys should be playing with baby dolls or anything. However I do believe they need examples of what good father maybe. People learn by example, and even if they have an example they still won't be perfect. As long as they are trying I think most teen mothers with be happy with them. Also, we(society) needs to get away from the idea that males have a choice to be an active father. It should not be a chioce but more of an obligation.
ReplyDelete-brittaney vaughn
I completely agree with everything you said. I believe it is the father's responsibility just as much as the mothers, but the father does not always accept that responsibility. As a society, we are not surprised when the man does not step up to the plate, which is very sad in my opinion. When the man does take responsibility in raising his child and supporting his family, society is completely shocked and rewards him for doing what the mother has been doing all along. For example, one of the episodes we watched in class showed a girl laying out all the food that was supposed to be fed to the baby while she was gone. Upon return, the mother is in awe and praises the father for doing what he should be doing. This is because it is not expected of them, even though it should be. Support from the man is something that should be encouraged, because it helps out the mother and child/children so much. Even if the mother does not want to be involved with him, the father should still at least offer support for his child. Although I do not believe that boys should be taught from birth, I do think that when this situation occurs society should tell the father that he needs to be involved and offer support.
ReplyDelete-Alex Antoniou
I too agree with everyone else, men should be taught how to be good fathers just as girls are, not meaning that they should be exposed as children to be taught how to parent, but they should also be exposed to and see examples of positive fatherhood, and even though they all may not have the best fathers in their lives, that should still show them what not to do, because I know from personal experience that even though I never had my mother in my life, I learned from her mistakes of what not to do as a parent and how I should be as a mother...but it also shouldn't be like some big shocker or surprise if a teenage males become good fathers or do the daily tasks of raising a child, we as a society should teach teenagers how to parent the right way if such things should happen to them
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