The Effects of Teen Pregnancy on Children

Children from homes run by teenage mothers have to face almost insurmountable obstacles in life. The incidents of depression and mental health problems, the lack of father figures, and the high rate of poverty often connected to children in homes run by teenage mothers put them at serious disadvantages when compared to children raised in nuclear families. Many people believe that the implementation of sex education in schools and the addition of more federal aid for single parents are major causes for the country's high rate of teen pregnancies. When the true purpose of sex education and federal aid is to help strengthen the mother and her child so that they can eventually lead productive lives. <br><br>The absence of a father figure in the home brings about a chain reaction of dilemmas. The emotional problems that children suffer because there is no father in their life can be potentially hazardous to their future. Many children tend to be effected mentally because these powerful emotions have the potential to do permanent damage in a child's life. Children may experience sadness and depression, aggressive behavior, frequent illness, difficulty in school, eating problems, and sleeping disorders. <br><br> Many children also suffer from various social difficulties and self-esteem problems that come along with living in a one-parent household. The pressure that children raised by teenage parents go through is tremendous. Children who don't have fathers present in the home often feel unloved. There is no trauma as excruciatingly painful as parental rejection and there is probably no worse of a way to wreck a person's life.<br><br>Males are affected differently by the absence of a father than females are. A boy needs a male role model in his life so that he can learn how to become a man. Children who don't have good role models often choose negative, unsavory characters to mold themselves after. These children become susceptible to many of the dangerous risks

Cited: /b><br>1. "Family" Encyclopedia Britannica Online <a href="http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=118054&sctn=2">http://search.eb.com/bol/topic?eu=118054&sctn=2</a> [Accessed December 2, 1999]. <br>2. John R. Meurer; Linda N. Meurer; Richard L. Holloway. "Clinical Problems and Counseling for Single-parent Families." American Family Physician 54 (1996) : 864-868.<br>3. Gordon B. Hinckley. "The Teaching of Values: Putting the Father Back as the Head of the Family." Workshop. U.S Conference of Mayors. Salt Lake City. 15 Nov. 1998.