When Children Have Children
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On any given Thursday evening you can walk through the doors of Hope Pregnancy Center in Kalispell, Montana and discover a unique gathering of moms swapping potty-training tips, learning about child development, or kneading loaves of bread. This may sound like any other mothering support group, but as these attendees equip themselves for 18 years of hands-on parenting, they're also figuring out how make it to their 18th birthday as members of the ministry Teen MOPS.
According to The National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, 34 percent of young women become pregnant at least once before they reach the age of 20—and 79 percent of these are unmarried teens. Nearly 80 percent of unmarried teen mothers end up on welfare. In addition, children of teenage mothers have lower birth weights, are more likely to perform poorly in school, and are at greater risk of abuse and neglect.
For me, these statistics are all too real. At age 17, my life changed overnight. One day I was an honor student, the next an expectant mother. Embarrassed about my situation, I dropped out of school. My emotions were torn; I wanted my old life back, but secretly I also was excited about being a mom.
My boyfriend dumped me, and my friends moved on with their senior year. Yet there was a group of women who stuck by me. They gave me a baby shower and invited me to Bible study. Because of their influence, I became a Christian.
Fifteen years have passed since I was that pregnant teen. Now I give my time and efforts to Teen MOPS to help support young women who face the same struggles I once did. Affiliated with Mothers of Preschoolers International (MOPS), Teen MOPS not only helps teenage moms, it also provides an outlet for women such as me to give back the same encouragement we once received.
Opening the Doors
Teen MOPS started in 1995 in Modesto, California. The first coordinator approached MOPS International with the idea of an after-school club for young moms at the local alternative high school. Today there are more than 100 Teen MOPS groups in 32 states and 1 in Canada.
Teen MOPS groups range from small gatherings of 6 attendees to a group in Peoria, Arizona that reaches more than 80 young moms every week. Some groups meet in churches, others at schools or pregnancy care centers.
While the style of the group varies by location, most follow a common format, which includes a free meal, free childcare, and a meeting that consists of games, speakers, discussion, and creative activities.
"Teen MOPS gives girls a peer group and an identity," says Elizabeth Melvin, coordinator for a group in Lakewood, Colorado. "These moms can share their stories, fill in the girlfriend gaps, and receive support and advice from women besides their mother. The girls also provide transportation and babysitting for each other and swap clothes and strollers."
Originally published in: Today's Christian Woman, 2006, July/August, Vol. 28, Issue 4, Page 56
Related Topics:
Encouragement, Mentoring, MOPS, Outreach, Single Mothers, Support, Teenage Mothers
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Average User Rating:
Jennifer
How sad that the above sister can't see good coming from the volunteers willing to mentor these young women! Of course teen pregnancy is a tragedy and there are wonderful couples waiting to adopt and it would probably be best for the babies that these girls would choose adoption. But you can't force them and praise God they are choosing life! Since they are choosing to keep their babies, shouldn't we come alongside them and offer what we can to give hope of a better life to the generation they are giving birth to by helping the mothers make better decisions for themselves and their children? Not to mention taking every opportunity to share the love of Christ with them and hopefully truly see the changes that only the Spirit of God can create in a life?
Olivia
How sad this article is...we see the effects of teen pregnancy everyday...welfare, no father, substance abuse, sexual, physical abuse of the child, sometimes even death... Its whats best FOR the child...no amount of baby showers, gifts or talk will turn a 15 yrs old into a mature mother... As Christians we must teach that adoption to loving, mature married couples is the best & loving option in many of these cases...Sadly too many babies are growing up only to suffer their mothers bad choices..
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