Teen Pregnancy

8 girls at our TreeHouse are either pregnant, or have a baby under a year and a half. Is it something in the water?

I am so frustrated with how unfair this is, and how unsafe these "kids" are being! I feel like I could talk to these girls day in and day out about sex. How not having it is the PERFECT birth control. And if they can't go on that path, that they NEED to be using birth control.

But some of these girls got pregnant on purpose. They see a baby as someone who will love them unconditionally.. but what they don't realize is that as the parent, you are in charge of loving them unconditionally.

As I step back and look at these girls and their family situations, many of these girls do not have fathers who are actively involved in their lives. And many of their mothers spend more time yelling at them and telling them what a waste of space they are, than loving them. Their parents are not loving them unconditionally. For some of them, their parents are not loving them at all. Having a baby often looks like having someone to love you. But being a parent means giving a lot more than receiving. I can think of countless times of me not giving my parents the recognition or love that they deserved, and them still loving me in return. These girls don't have parents like mine, so it is no wonder they see a baby as a way to fix their lives.

At this point what can I do? Giving up your baby for adoption is seen as a weakness with in these teenagers culture. The one girl who did give up her baby for adoption gets a bad wrap for it all the time.

I look up to her for her strength.

So my only option is to try and support these girls and reinforce that they are lovable, capable and worthwhile. That they are not alone, and that I will love them no matter what. Maybe my unconditional love for these girls will one day make and impact in their lives.

As always, please join me in prayer for these girls, for their children, and for their families.

peace to you. thanks for reading.

heather