Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month – May 2024
Every year, the month of May is Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month to bring about awareness regarding teen pregnancies. At The EDGE, because we work with teens and their parents, teen pregnancy is a topic that we discuss a lot. When we present healthy choices and healthy relationships to the teenagers (6th through 9th) we emphasize that there are many challenges that come with teen pregnancies. In addition to these challenges, statistics show that children who are born to teen parents tend to struggle as they grow older and head into adulthood. Obviously, our goal and hope for teens is that they will engage in healthy relationships, get married, and begin having children once married. Research clearly shows that this is the best path for today’s young people to take, helping them avoid poverty and helping them achieve their goals and dreams.
And at the same time, we recognize that not every teen is going to make these healthy decisions. We do our part to help them think through the consequences and consider their options. But at the end of the day, they have to make their own choices. Whether they make the choices that we had hoped, or they do not, we are always ready to walk alongside them no matter the situation they encounter. Even though we teach a message that is geared to reduce teen pregnancies, we do not shame teens that find themselves pregnant. In fact, we make it our mission to encourage them to become the best parents that they can be by offering Life Skills classes at no cost to them.
While it is important for teens to hear about teen pregnancy from The EDGE, it is even more important that they have these discussions with their parents. Our job at The EDGE is not to be the teen’s parents. We do not take that role at all. We simply teach truth and encourage students to make healthy choices. Parents play the biggest role in this entire discussion. If you are a parent of a teenager, we strongly challenge and encourage you to have a conversation with your teen(s) this month regarding teen pregnancy. Though it may be awkward, it is incredibly important. If you are not sure where to begin, feel free to contact us and we can give you some tips.
If you are interested in reading more about Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month, here is an article from National Today…. please see the link here for more information.