The news that 16-year-old Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant caused an earthquake in the tween world. Now it’s time for the aftershocks, especially from moms.
Britney Spears’ younger sister used to have a squeaky-clean image that anxious mothers could relate to. And her character on the hit show “Zoey 101″ was someone their teen and preteen daughters wanted to be like.
“It’s almost like a betrayal,” said Us Weekly magazine executive editor Ian Drew. “This is something that won’t be looked on lightly by those parents.”
But Lisa Welchel, who played Blair on the TV show “Facts of Life” and is the author of several Christian family books, said that as a former teen star and now the mother of teen daughters, she has some sympathy for Spears.
“I’m very passionate about wanting to speak out on behalf of this young girl,” Welchel said. “She is a role model, but it’s not her responsibility to be a role model. That’s so much pressure on a 16-year-old.”
In fact, Welchel said she considers Spears a good role model for deciding to keep the baby.
“I’m so proud of her for stepping up and being courageous and taking responsibility for her choices, and I believe she’s being a good role model
