First she goes on a talk show (apparently without her mother's knowledge or permission) and says she doesn't think abstinence will work. Now this. Sounds to me like Bristol Palin is pretty much done with being the dutiful daughter to the Wicked Witch of the Northwest.

Lots of luck to her in the coming years. She'll need it, but she deserves it.

perhaps your readers should take a shower after reading it.

Writing about teenagers breaking up tends to bring out the crapulence.

for readerreader to jump in here and explain to us all why this isn't a story. Yes, the media feasted on the fact that Palin's teenage daughter was pregnant. But -- instead of following Obama's lead and declaring family off limits during the campaign -- what did she do? Put them front and center. Instead of allowing them to make decisions and live their lives in (semi)private, she used Bristol and Levi as talking points to moralize about the right to life and yadda yadda yadda.

You could practically see the shotgun in poor Levi's back as he sat there and grinned uncomfortably for the cameras. If it's true they've split, I say, good for them. And yes, all you Palinites, this IS a story... more precisely, the wholly predictable denouement to the one that your gal set it motion last fall.

That surely must be running through Bristol's head at this point. What a sad case. OTOH I'm happy if Bristol and Levi just move on with their lives without compounding it by getting married out of a perceived sense of duty or obligation. It would never work anyway and they'd just have to divorce in public.

I have to wonder though about Levi's family. Mom is up on drug charges and must need money. The tabloids certainly pay so perhaps this is why the story is coming out.

and let the snarkfestival begin.

...because that meant she wouldn't be forced into marriage--which is _exactly_ what would have gone down. :)

But thank goodness.

I wished them the best when they were engaged; I hope they can both be good co-parents now, but I can't help thinking that they just dodged a bullet by not being married at 18.

Can't have been easy, given the pressures on them to stay together and sanctify this mistake. Tough on the baby, but it would take a miracle to keep that baby's life from being wrecked anyway - he just had shitty luck when they rolled the "what family are you going to be born into" dice.

They held it together for the cameras for a while, but eventually everyone reverts to type.

Now, what am I going to do with those His & Hers polar bear towels I ordered for them off the Wasilla Bait & ChiliDog Bridal registry?

Snarking at a couple of kids whose foibles and struggles were thrust into the spotlight because they happened to be related to a famous person is low, cheap, and dirty. And you know it.

Whatever your politics, and whatever you think of Bristol Palin, she's having to grow up right now, and fast. Broadsheet's writers might want to give that a try too.

If a person willingly goes on camera to discuss her life, media outlets are allowed to analyze that her story, and the events and facts of her life which may corroborate or contradict her story.

In this case, it's not like some paparazzi chased Levi down on a snowmobile and tracked his visits to and from the Palin home: Levi's sister went to the media.

And if Bristol Palin's story has anything to offer parents of teens, or teens themselves, the breakup of her relationship with her baby's father is, sadly, relevant. ("Look at Bristol Palin. She had supportive parents, a loving home, and a boyfriend who sacrificed a great deal. And she still didn't get the fairy tale ending. Single motherhood, especially when you're still in high school, is tough.")

I certainly wish Bristol Palin (and Levi) well. And it's regrettable that her facebook status is a newsworthy item. But I'd direct any complaints to the Matriarch Palin.

Alaskans over the last quarter century have been giving their kids the strangest first names....

I feel sad for Levi, Bristol, and their baby. Even the hope of an amicable co-parenting relationship seems gone.

Bristol seems to be making great decision given the circumstances and upbringing most of which are not of her making. No matter how one feels about her mother (who is the antithesis of everything I believe) or how likely this marriage would have failed there is a kid involved. This is yet another kid that is most likely growing up with out a strong male influence in his life. This is a young lady that is going to struggle even with family support for most of her young life. This is not a reason to glout.

All I have to say is "Breaking News & Opinion" indeed.....

"Star" Magazine?

Creeping Jesus.....it really must be a slow news-day for you kewl&sassy grrrrls at Broadsheet.

sincerely,

David Terry

www.davidterryart.com

1. Yes, this is media-worthy. Levi's family came to the media, and the event is directly related to a hot-button issue of the campaign. Just because it didn't work out the way the Republicans wanted it to doesn't mean that we have to stop talking about it. Choices have consequences. Bristol made a choice, and lo and behold, she didn't get the fairy tale.

2. So let's hear from some single teen moms without the government-job health insurance and the vast family support system. Because Bristol did a pretty good job of glamorizing the whole teen pregnancy thing during the election. I'm just glad she came clean now.

3. I do hope Bristol becomes some sort of spokeswoman for teen girls who get pregnant. They really, really do think that having a baby (baby!!!! with cute little outfits!!!) will be a bowl of cherries. My 18-year-old cousin just had a baby (against the wishes of my uncle -her dad who raised her- her twin sister, our grandmother, and, well, pretty much everyone else involved) and I work with teen mothers everyday. Generally they take to it like ducks to water (if they didn't, they would probably make a different choice when possible) but every single one has that bittersweet moment when they realize there is much they have given up, and that, yes, they could have waited 5 or 10 years instead, but nobody's bringing back your senior prom, your freshman year in college, etc. Or I should say, teen moms have that moment every day when they watch their non-mom friends get to be...teenagers. So give them some real sex ed and some condoms, and most of all, please STOP glamorizing this in popular culture.