If you have listened to the news during the past month, you couldn’t help but to pick up on the story that Britney Spears’ sixteen year old sister, Jamie Lynn, is pregnant. I was very surprised to hear my first grade granddaughter talking about her…not a subject I want her to learn about just yet! Ironically, she is known in her own right as the main character on Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101. Zoey is the first girl to attend an all boys’ boarding school, known for her “smarts and her spunk.” Luckily for Nickelodeon, Jamie Lynn has finished filming the fourth and final season of the show. Perhaps the pregnancy was planned around the show’s end? This brings publicity that is contradictory to the wholesome image that Nickelodeon strives to present for the younger (9 - 14) TV viewing audience. If you read about Jamie Lynn on Zoey 101’s cast bio, the image is the small-town girl next door. Well, she probably is as far as that goes.

Think MTV interviewed residents of Jamie Lynn’s hometown, Kentwood, Louisiana: Those who agreed to speak with us also seemed mixed on just what to make of Jamie Lynn’s situation. Some viewed her as just another teenage girl, while others noted that she has plenty of young fans who view her as a role model, and as such, she should’ve put more thought into her actions.

Her mother claims that she has been home every night by curfew time. Wake up, Mom! Kids don’t go by a time schedule - they do it when the opportunity arises. No pun intended. A conversation I overheard in the lobby of the high school where I teach: “Tammy and Jimmy are a couple. They’ve been having sex for two weeks. It’s official.” It wasn’t said in a whisper - it was stated out loud as I was walking past the young lady broadcasting the news to her friends.

Pregnancy rates among adolescent females have fallen steadily since 1990 (36%) until recently with a 3% increase. Statistics, though, show that teens coming from intact homes are less likely to get pregnant. In 2005, 18 percent of sexually active high school students reported using birth control pills at their most recent sexual intercourse compared to a slightly lower percent since 1993. The greatest decline in teen pregnancies has been within the African-American population. During this same period, there has been a marked improvement in the sex-ed health courses in high schools leading to a more informed teen population which, in turn, has resulted in lower teen pregnancies. It doesn’t mean they aren’t engaging in sex, just not having the numbers of babies of past decades.

Pre-teens are very impressionable and much more aware than when our children were their age. The role models they see portrayed in the media send the message that sexy is attractive for young girls. Even the dolls have short skirts and plunging necklines. Boys aren’t given the message that it takes more than sex to be a man. There isn’t a clear image defining the differences between love and sex. Some young people are engaging in sexual activities before they know what it is about, before they reach high school. By educating them while in the middle school years as to the health risks and consequences of unprotected sex, pregnancy risks for both the young girl and the child, the benefits of abstinence, and the options of birth control, teens will be prepared to make better informed decisions that will affect them for more than just the moment. They need a real dose of reality when it comes to projecting what their future may hold for them. More information can be found at the Women’s Health Channel.

Healthy People 2010, a federal initiative to improve health in the United States, has set a goal to reduce pregnancies among adolescent females ages 15-17 from 68 per 1,000 in 1996, to 43 per 1,000 by 2010. Related goals include “increasing the proportion of adolescents who abstain from sexual intercourse or use condoms if currently sexually active.”

Rumor has it that Nickelodeon will run with the opportunity to do a special on teen pregnancy. Perhaps this will help deter young ones from engaging in sex but only if it shows them as high school drop outs, struggling to make ends meet, taking care of a little one while trying to earn a living, having to accept welfare in order to provide food for the child, not being able to go out with friends and party, staying home and being her own babysitter on Saturday nights instead of getting paid to watch another’s children, or not being able to find a boyfriend because she already has a boyfriend. Also, they should include how it affects the children - socially, emotionally, and economically - what impact it has on society as a whole. That won’t be the picture if they focus on Jamie Lynn Spears. Maybe she’ll come out with her own maternity clothing line now -but, unfortunately, that’s not reality for 99% of the young, unwed mothers.

As grandparents raising grandchildren, great care needs to be taken to insure the children are provided the support, love and care that they would receive in an intact home so they don’t become part of the teen pregnancy statistics. Surveys show that daughters of unwed mothers tend to follow the same path. Teen mothers are more likely to drop out of school and live on welfare assistance. Sons of teen mothers are more likely to be in trouble with the law when they are teens. Sex education should not be just the school’s responsibility. The school can only educate the children for one period a day, one marking period a school year. For the rest of the time, they are our responsibility. Books are available that can help with how to approach the subject. If you don’t feel comfortable discussing the topic with your grandchild, find someone you trust.

Online Resources:

• Teen Pregnancy.org - free information to download and additional links
• Ten Tips for Parents
• Talking Back: What Teens Want Parents to Know
• UNICEF’s research center - “Teenage Births In Rich Nations”- international pregnancy estimates

Books:

• Amazon.com - Teen Pregnancy Books