Being a mom isn’t easy, nor is being a parent in general.  For those who are also facing other stresses like schooling, high school, or often just life in general- the problems can become compounded.  Between hormones and school, throwing parenthood into the already difficult time can put many into hardships.

While normally television shows the censored and sweet ending version typically, shows like MTV’s Teem Mom have been cropping up lately showing more of what being a teenaged parent is like in one’s normal life.

Lawmakers have also been paying more mind to teenaged moms by looking into ways to help help support themselves, and their youngsters while they continue getting their education.  More often than not, many teenaged moms drop out of school and can find themselves working low paying jobs, and never quite getting around to going back to get their diplomas.  While there are some who have found ways around those statistics, it seems many don’t.

Every year, there are approximately 750,000 teen pregnancies and 400,000 teen births. Of these teen mothers, only half earn a high school diploma compared to 89 percent of their childless peers, creating a dropout crisis that has severe short- and long-term consequences for the economic success and well-being of their families and communities, as well as our nation.

These alarming statistics stem from the many barriers that pregnant and parenting teens face in enrolling, attending, and succeeding in school, such as discrimination by their schools in violation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972; the failure of states, school districts, and schools to excuse students for pregnancy- and childbirth-related absences or to assist them in maintaining academic progress; the challenge of juggling schoolwork with parenting responsibilities; and the lack of access to affordable, quality child care, transportation, and other critical services.

(Source)

While being a parent isn’t always easy, even for those who are at later stages in life, there are ways to find help.  Hopefully this trend can grow more, and more areas can work towards helping teen parents do the best by themselves and their children.

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