Teen Pregnancy Help

Some parenting issues are more difficult to deal with than others and parenting a pregnant teenager through an unwanted or unplanned pregnancy is a challenge for most. However, parental support of pregnant teens can be vital in to not only the baby's future but also the teens.

Teen pregnancy is always a difficult and challenging. Teenagers and parents of pregnant teens alike go through a hard and stressful time. However, there are a number of support options available for pregnant teens and their parents. The first thing to do is to consider your options and make a decision about what might be best for the baby, the teenager and the family overall.

Teen Pregnancy Options

When a teenager becomes pregnant, and it is unplanned pregnancy, it becomes necessary to consider her options. Here are some of the main options available to teenagers today:

1. Marry the father and try to start a family.
2. Do not marry the father, and try to make it on her own.
3. Do not marry the father and live with parents to raise the baby.
4. Put the baby up for adoption.
5. Have an abortion.

It is important to understand that laws are different in each state. Laws regarding marriage of a minor might require parental consent. Adoption and abortion are both administered according to state laws, and may require different steps to complete. You will have to make sure you understand the law before you make a decision about what is best for your situation. Parental support of pregnant teens who are dealing with going through an abortion or adoption is crucial.

Carefully consider the teen pregnancy options. This means thinking about what might be best for the baby, as well as for you. Some pregnant teens have close, supportive families that can help with the baby. Other pregnant teens are left alone to deal with the problems. In such cases, even though it is difficult, many teenagers find that giving up a child for adoption is one way to help ensure that the baby has a good life. In some states, the birth mother can choose the family that adopts the baby.

Pregnant teenagers who need support due to lack of family help and interest can turn to some social services. Teen pregnancy support can be found by going to city offices and asking about different options and local programs. Women’s health centers, clinics and Planned Parenthood can all offer teen pregnancy support that can be helpful to teens looking for options. There are also living centers where pregnant teens can find safe, affordable child care, and a place to live while they look for work and try to get on their feet.

Providing parental support of pregnant teens

In many cases, pregnant teens need support during this time. You need to decide how you can help, and what advice you will give. It is important to realize that your teenager still needs some love, and still needs support. This is true whether your daughter chooses to keep the baby or to give it up for adoption. The choice is always difficult, and your daughter will likely feel upset and stressed.

Friends and relatives can provide support as well. Even if you feel a pregnant teen has made a mistake by having a baby, you can still show kindness, love and support. You can offer to listen, and to provide advice when the teen asks for it. In some cases, if you feel it is appropriate, you can offer to help watch the baby while the teen is finishing school as a mom, or gets a job.

It can be difficult to get over the strong feelings that can accompany a teen pregnancy. You may want to lash out. However, it is quite likely that the teenager is already painfully aware of her mistake, and wishes to move on with life. Shunning her may only lead to more heartbreak down the road. Think about how you can present a scenario that can help your pregnant teenager make a decision that is best for the baby, and provides her a chance at a future. It’s up to you whether you will help her overcome this mistake and make something of her life, or whether you will abandon her.