Letters to the Editor
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Condoms break
Tracy, please stop suggesting that failed contraception is likely to be due to breaking condoms. Condoms almost never "break." When they're ineffective, the overwhelming reason is misuse.
BTW, I don't know if Jamie Lynn Spears is good or bad. But I do know she has already taken up too much of my time, and I'm going to read a good book now.
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Never mind how she got pregnant?
I hope we all know how she got pregnant.
This is nothing to celebrate or excuse or otherwise give a pass to. I've never been a huge fan of the "celebrities need to be pure FOR THE CHIIIIIILDREN!" mantra, but without consequences, without disapproval, and without some indication that getting your stupid ass knocked up at *16* is a BAD THING TO DO, how many tweener girls are going to think somewhere in their little pigtailed still-playing-with-Cabbage-Patch-Dolls heads "well *she* did it and it's not that bad"?
Of course what they don't realize (since they're only 11 or 12) is that her family has insane amounts of money and child care and health care and private tutors and all that good stuff. *That* is the problem -- young girls will see no shame and no hardship for this girl (I mean really, did any of us expect her to go to college anyway?), and then after nine months will see the million-dollar photo shoot of the pretty young mama and her adorable wee babbie in People magazine and will not be able to translate that into real life, where there are in fact dire consequences for teen pregnancy.
What a family. I see also that Lynne Spears book on parenting has been indefinitely pulled from its scheduled publishing date. Jeebus.
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She SHOULD be ashamed
Spears was someone kids looked up to...that goes with being an actor. She shouldn't have been having sex in the first place. I will give her credit for chosing to have the baby, but I hope she puts it up for adoption. She is just too young to be a mother and I don't think she's up to it. Further, I believe the father will soon be up on charges of statutory rape.
While I think the baby should be put up for adoption and raised as a normal child, I do believe Spears has earn being shamed. HOPEFULLY, other young women will learn from her and just not have sex. After all, as Tracy pointed out, "Birth control fails, condoms break."
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It's a strange world...
I felt compelled to inform my wife (who willfully ignores all popular culture) of Ms. Spear's impending bundle of joy, not because I thought she'd care, but because our older son (aged 6) occasionally runs across it, and I know some of his school mates do, and he may have questions.
Her response?
"Tart."
As she was on her way to work, I stared incredulously after the woman I married who minored in women's studies, wrote her masters thesis on the role of empowering women in the church (she's a minister), who herself has extremely painfull memories of a similar response by her own mother reguarding her own inconvient truth at aged fourteen...
After she returned from work, I called her on her Bullshit, and she replied, "what the Hell do you want me to say? She should have known better... she should have done more... she should have been more responsible..."
My response: the world's a cruel place, and platitudes about other people's responses to really, really personal matters don't really help anyone. As I tell my boys often and with great vigor: "everyone thinks they are right, from the biggest asshole, to the smallest waif... your job is to help those that are weak smaller and weaker than yourself"
My point? Why bring it up? Why comment at all?
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Pregnant and 16 - she is a BAD ROLE MODEL
Yes, there is a huge problem with being pregnant at 16. You should not be pregnant at 16. I have 2 daughters, and know where they are. They could be getting pregnant, but I have my grave grave doubts. They are supervised closely. One is unlikely to get pregnant, because she is not interested. The other is very popular, but still is not in situations where she could get pregnant.
And yes, it only takes a moment to get into that situation. Still, what is going on that this child is getting naked with some guy? She is probably exposed to older, more sophisticated guys on her movie set. In many many cases, the cause of pregnancy in a young teen like this is an older, predatory male. Since this kid is in many TV situations, doubtless the sets are crawling with such perverts.
She is a terrible role model. TERRIBLE. I don't care about the idea that we are supposed to be non-judgemental and all that. Nope, I call her a little slut, and her mother a very bad mother.
Plus, the guy needs to be identified IMMEDIATELY.
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I see your point, but.
In this day and age, it's EXTREMELY hard to get accidentally pregnant. If you use hormonal birth control and a condom, the chances of getting pregnant are so slim that....well, I mean I suppose it's theoretcially possible you could still get pregnant. But honestly, we're talking one in a million chances. I just don't have that much sympathy for girls that "end up" pregnant - especially someone as worldly and with as many resources as Jaime Lynn Spears. Second of all, let's give Jaime the benefit of the doubt and say that despite doing everything right in terms of birth control (and I'm NOT saying that she shouldn't be having sex at 16 - I was, and whatever, I'm not one to judge. But I made damn sure I was doubled up on the birth control to avoid just this situation) a 16 year old who gets pregnant and is "shocked and terrified" as the magazines would have us beleive should not be having a baby. Period. Let alone one in the public eye, who is rightly or wrongly a role model for other young girls. Anyway, suffice it to say that you will not catch me feeling sorry for Ms. Spears the junior. This whole thing reeks of a pathological need for attention.