MTV just wrapped up the second season of Teen Mom and it has a lot of people talking. Is MTV glorifying teen pregnancy and motherhood? Producers insist that statistically the rate of teen pregnancy in America has gone down since the show began, but many people wonder if that is entirely true. “Teen Mom” is a documentary type show which follows four young mothers who previously appeared on “16 and Pregnant”. The young moms struggle to navigate being a teen and a mother at the same time and MTV catches it all on film. Love them or hate them, these young moms are instant celebrities. Still, sometimes we would like to give them some advice. Here are 10 things we want to say to MTV’s teen moms.
If you are a new viewer, one of the first things you will notice is the way these young mothers scream. They yell at their parents, baby’s dads, and anyone else who crosses them. Postpartum hormones can be miserable, but these young moms need to chill out in front of their babies. In one episode, Jenelle was screaming loudly at her mother with her 1 year old son on her hip. The baby looked so scared and insecure! Teen moms, please stop screaming!
Have you noticed the weird way Chelsea’s baby always has orange stuff in her bottle? Is it pedialyte? Is it Kool-Aid? Is it soda? We just don’t know. We just wish she would pour it out and put in some formula!
Rage is a common theme on Teen Mom, but in the past two seasons this has manifested into domestic violence. In season 1, Teen Mom Amber was seen repeatedly punching and pushing her gentle giant boyfriend Gary. In season 2, Teen Mom Janelle was captured hitting her mother in a fit of rage. Later, she was caught on tape beating another girl’s face in for talking to her boyfriend. Enough with the violence!
Of all of the young mothers that season 2 followed, only Leah had a reliable baby’s daddy in the picture. The other three girls struggled with varying degrees on clinging to the past and trying to make things work. Chelsea was quick to take in her baby’s dad when he came crawling back despite the fact that he continued to be unfaithful and to verbally abuse her and her friend. They broke up and we all felt relieved until the final episode where Chelsea revealed to Dr. Drew that she was back together with the deadbeat. Seriously, girl! You and your baby are better off without that guy.
Many of the Teen Moms rely heavily on their parents for help. Whether they are living with their parents or relying on them for financial support or free childcare, most of the families really stepped up to help their daughters when they became new mothers. Yet it was a really rare occurrence when you saw the teen moms say “Thank you”.
Motherhood goes by in the blink of an eye, especially that first year with a new baby. We want the Teen Moms to slow down and drink in the moment. Sure, they need to get jobs and finish school, but it’s also important to enjoy your baby too. Let yourself live in the moment, moms!
Over and over we have seen Teen Moms attempt and fail to get their education. This season, Chelsea realized that she couldn’t finish high school and would need to pursue a GED instead. Jenelle attempted college, but her bad influence boyfriend convinced her to skip classes and let things slide. Leah longed to go back to college, but was unable to go with her responsibilities at home. Kailyn did go to college, but struggled and ended up dropping part of her classes.
It’s hard to be a new mom just because of the physical and emotional stress. Add crazy hormones to the mix and you feel like you are out of your mind. We want the Teen Moms to wait for their hormones to settle before making any big decisions they might regret.
Some of the moms are incredibly hard on themselves. We want these young moms to relax a little. Cut yourself a break, girl! You don’t have to do everything at once. Just love your baby and finish your education. You are doing great!
Finally, we just want to say “thank you” to these courageous young moms who chose life for their babies. We know the sacrifices you are making and we are cheering you on!
The young ladies featured on Teen Mom 2 have a difficult set of circumstances to deal with, but overall they are doing well. These 10 things we wish we could say to MTV’s Teen Moms are just a few things we’ve noticed. Still, the entire situation of each mom is not televised and we don’t pretend to know everything. Most of all, we are glad these moms are working hard to do the right thing for their babies. We all make mistakes along the way, but you keep moving and keep going until the day comes when you look back and say, “I survived!” If you could sit down with one of the Teen Moms from Season 2, which one would you choose? What would you tell her?
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