December 20th, 2007 at 1:27 pm
I read about Jamie Lynn Spears (Britney Spears’ 16 year old sister) announcing that she is 12 weeks pregnant yesterday. Wasn’t at all surprised, considering her big sister isn’t exactly a good role model. Ok, maybe that statement was a little harsh but she is a Nickelodeon girl, of *squickly clean* Disney… what in the world was she thinking?
It is reported that her 18 year old boyfriend is allegedly the father. Correct me if I’m wrong here but if an 18 year old guy gets a 16 year old girl pregnant, isn’t that a sex offense? Regardless of whether both of them had consensual sex.
Personally, I’m afraid of what it might look to the millions of kids who are fans of her show. Will they now think it’s ok to have a baby that young? How would you even explain to your kid about her pregnancy? To have young kids look up to someone like that is a little worrying. Britney Spears is causing enough trouble. If I had kids, not sure whether I would like them to watch Nickelodeon, especially her show. This is something that makes me so nervous if I had a daughter.
Disney is also not having much luck in the controversy department too. This is the second controversial incident this year — High School Musical star Vanessa Hudgens had nude pictures circulating on the internet not too long ago.
And to think … she looks so angelic, so innocent! I guess looks can be deceiving.
3 Responses to “Not a good role model”
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amy said: @ 10:10 pm
December 21st, 2007
i’m with you. scary time to have kids.
-t- said: @ 10:24 am
December 27th, 2007
I disagree.
If you have kids, no matter what age they are, as soon as they know how to work the TV or the computer, you have to start educating them about sexuality…in a sensible way of course.
It doesn’t hurt them to know about these things. There is nothing ugly in nudity. There is nothing wrong with love, sex and pregnancy. Kids just have to gradually understand the various contexts in which these “elements” can be seen. And this part of their education should be completed sooner rather than later.
Educating kids is MUCH better than restricting their actions (like not allowing them to watch TV…) because restriction won’t teach them anything. They will actually be longing to make these very mistakes you’re trying to protect them from (watch TV), not seeing the possible consequences (discovering that old porn movie and become totally confused).
Raise your kids to be responsible individuals, who will make the right decisions because they understand what they are doing. That is YOUR job as a parent.
Make sure YOU are their role model and make sure YOU are the one to tell them about “the birds and the bees” BEFORE it’s too late.
Normally kids need to be sexually educated before they become teenagers. Girls much sooner than boys since they enter the vicious hormone cycle at a very young age (11-13) and they better know what their period is about.
It’s as simple as that. If you are sensible enough to explain everything to your kids and if they trust you enough to ask you about anything, then there is nothing you have to worry about. And most of all you can relax, because you know you did everything in your power and you can most likely trust your kids.
By the way, purely biologically spoken (neglecting the psychological side) age 16 isn’t the worst for a pregnancy. 17 - 22 is the perfect age for the first child. And I think it’s perfectly ok if women (!) that age make a conscious decision to become pregnant. Now, I do not know that girl at all, but at least being in that business and having an older sister like that, she certainly isn’t a naive girl that has no idea what she’s getting into, plus she probably has a solid financial base.
Besides, what is your guess…are there more teenage parents (accidents) among youngsters that grew up in a prude or in a sexually educated environment?
Answer for yourself and then look here for the facts: http://www.advocatesforyouth.o...../fsest.htm
The Foo said: @ 2:54 pm
December 27th, 2007
@T
I agree in the way that kids should be educated and they have been doing it here but yet kids are stupid enough to not heed that advice. No matter what and how we stop them, they ARE going to have sex or experiment with it — so we need to get it into their thick skulls that they need to be *smart* with sex i.e. safe sex. My gripe in the article is not the fact that they had sex — it is the fact that they are stupid and naive enough to think that having sex without protection or birth control won’t make them pregnant.
A child should be brought up by someone mature enough to have one and at 16 years of age, she still has a ways to go to be one and one that is probably still growing up and learning life. How in the world do you teach a kid the right things in life when you are still young and are still learning it yourself? And to see how her sister has a hard time bringing up her own kids — she should see it too. And to think of it, her sister is almost 10 years older and still not ready! kids also to a certain extent, follow their parents too — so unless she brings her kid up the right way, it is going to be the same thing all over again.
It may be a perfect age biologically but to me, kids that age should learn to enjoy being a kid and the experiences of being one … they shouldn’t worry about adult things like having a child that would eventually come in later life whether they are financially capable or not. I have talked to many teenage mothers that regretted having a kid that young because they missed out on that part of life, a part of life that they can’t bring back i.e. just being a teenager.
Now the kids get affected too — kids in single parent homes have a harder time coping when they see other kids having their both their moms and dads to go home to. rebellion and other negative behavior may result in it. I had a number of good friends that told me that if they ever had one wish, that they would have grown up in a house in which they had a dad (or mom) to come home to. I am not saying that it is always the case, there are some that work through the struggles and turn out ok but the majority don’t.
Financially they will be ok so that’s not the problem but the ones that aren’t rich and famous may have the financial burden. I see a lot of actresses having kids and they just pay someone to take care of them full time. They don’t take the responsibility of taking care of it themselves and they don’t know the true meaning of parenthood. Hence you’ll get the Britney Spears types that don’t even know how to raise a kid, endangers them and gets their kids taken away.
I don’t subscribe to the *sex only after marriage* thing BUT I do have strong feelings about being married when you have a kid. I believe that a kid has to have both their mother and father in the same home to bring him/ her up. It seems to be a trend with Hollywood actors nowadays with getting pregnant because they want a kid too — which in a way creates a negative with kids that aren’t mature enough to think on their own and follow their idols, thinking it is the right thing to do.
In an age where it is deemed *ok* to have a USA President (Clinton) have *sexual relations* with Monica Lewinsky while being married and Hollywood actresses getting pregnant, changing partners and getting married (then divorced) like it is the flavor of the day… i might be fighting a losing battle here.
Like you said, it starts at home with that parents and one has just to hope that you did enough. But i believe the other part should come from the movie stars too as they need to set a good example (and they are not doing it right now). THEY need to preach safe sex too. all the education and raising by a parent to do the right thing will be thrown out the window when a kid sees her fav. singer or actress having an unplanned pregnancy — and the next thing you’ll see are kids trying to copy her because it is the *cool* and *trendy* thing to do.
About her being naive… she certainly is! She should see Britney having a lot of problems and should learn from it — especially with her sister having a hard time coping with having kids when she wasn’t ready too. Not sure whether you’ve been following the news here but Britney has been getting into trouble with a lot of things lately from endangering her kids to drugs etc.
Bottom line is that getting pregnant is not just about wanting a kid ….it should be also whether you are ready for it (financially and psychologically). And I must say that having money to bring up the kid is just half of it too. It will impact the kid (psychologically) more than it will the parent if you aren’t ready for it.