Posted:9/22/2008 11:46:00 AM Posted By:Ruth Chambers Comment: Interesting responses to your blog. For my own two cents, Sarah Palin in no way represents my pride in being a woman, and this has nothing to do with her pregnant daughter. Our views are "polar opposites" no pun intended. Granted, she is attractive and entertaining. She is also scary and not qualified for a position as vice president of our country. I see in her the same half truths, lies and deceit that are the hallmarks of the present administration. That she would bring an infant, challenged or otherwise, into a crowded convention hall shows a total disregard for the child's health and her own selfish ambition to secure votes at all cost. Her manipulative spirit is historic. When has a young man been thrust into the national spotlight for deflowering a 17 year old virgin? Have we come so far to gain so little? Author Reply Here Posted:9/5/2008 1:09:00 PM Posted By:Felicia Lasiter Comment: You write a lot - but say nothing. What a waste of good space Reply: Voicing one's opinion responsibly, is one of America's most basic freedoms. Therefore, it is a superb use of space and the more comments we inspire - the better. Posted:9/4/2008 11:02:00 PM Posted By:Lita Poehlman Comment: In my humble opinion, education and birth control could have saved this young girl's youth. I wonder who will support this young couple and their baby until they are emotionally & financially able to stand on their own. They're likely to become just another statistic and an innocent child will pay the price. Sad! Reply: Your concern echoes many who wonder about contraception and sex education. Stats show that young marriages, particularly those that start with a child, may be in for rough sailing. Thanks for your comment. Posted:9/4/2008 8:51:00 AM Posted By:Barbara Holstein Comment: As a psychologist, mother, daughter, granddaughter, etc. I agree with Dorree. Life is tough anyway and an early pregnancy and baby can be very hard. My great-grandmother on my mom's side, Sarah Watchmaker, had her first baby around 16 (married, of course). That baby became sick and died. By the time my grandmother was born when my great-grandmother was all of 18, you can only imagine the stress and grief she had already been through. Her next baby also died, leaving my grandmother in the middle of two grief processes. My great-grandmother than had eight more children that all lived. My grandmother went from a house of early grief to being the babysitter and helper of eight younger kids. No wonder she only wanted three children and was frantic when my mother had a second child at 40-worrying about my mom's health and safety night and day. One can say how times have changed and they have. But a woman is always vulnerable to the tremendous stresses that the gift of life gives her. I wish this young lady well and I hope she is ready to be a mom and wife. I just also hope that she has time to develop herself and that life will be kind to her. As far as the rest of us women, judgement and wisdom always are valuable tools to have with us-not just our emotions. Dr. Barbara Becker Holstein, author of The Enchanted Self, A Positive Therapy and now The Truth (I'm a girl, I'm smart and I know everything) Reply: Thank you for sharing your personal story and perspective. Your wise comments and values are appreciated. Posted:9/4/2008 6:51:00 AM Posted By:Joan Barger Comment: FYI, Time (once again) did not do due diligence in re FFL: their position is to have *no* position on contraception, as stated here on their webpage. Moreover, out of curiosity to give them a fair shake, I subscribed to them for a year and they never once said anything about contraception in their newsletters, or anything at all about reducing teen pregnancy, or in fact anything concrete about making life easier for teen mothers. It's a lot of hype but they're another traditional anti-abortion organization dressed up as "empowerment" without anything different from the old Phyllis Schlafly days of punishing women with the "consequences" of sex. Reply: Your comment on TIME Magazine and their position and interpretation is very interesting. I appreciate your info on your personal experience with reading the FFL newsletters and mission statement. I find it interesting that huge media outlets like TIME and the Washington Post, do not always agree, even on big issues. Who is right, and who is wrong? That's a looming question that circles back onto the issue of real news, and the interpretation of the facts. What is the truth, and what is fiction? Posted:9/4/2008 4:29:00 AM Posted By:Jim  Blair Comment: Hi, The Republican Party has come a long way since V.P. Dan Quayle and the Murphy Brown controversy. Then, Republicans thought women should be married BEFORE they have babies, and that children need a father. Now we have a V.P. candidate who says that she is proud that her single teen daughter is having a baby, and the Right Wing base goes wild cheering. What better role model for American teen aged girls than that? What can be more "pro-life" than having babies, and why wait until you are married? A group of high school girls in MA are ahead of the curve on this one. So how long will it be before a Republican candidate announces to a cheering Conservative audience that he is marrying his same sex lover? What could be more "pro-family"? Reply: We appreciate your view and thoughtful comment. This blog is clearly inspiring controversy and this issue is opening up many dialogues. Yes, things have changed as far as acceptance of young teen mothers. Some readers will agree with you, while others will disagree - but you have put your position out there in a very clear way. F&F.com was developed to foster a community with various opinions. Thanks for understanding our mission statement. I am delighted that you find my article worthy of controversy and discussion. Keep the comments coming - the more the merrier. Posted:9/3/2008 8:01:00 PM Posted By:T B Comment: Complete and utter horse manure. Palin is supremely unqualified for the position nominated. This shows, more than anything else that John McCain simply doesn't know what he's doing and is unfit to be President. Reply: Certainly a number of people agree with you, while others who have left comments on the site, disagree. The most important thing here - is that you are contributing your two cents. I hope that others will continue to chime in and expand upon this very important issue. Dialogue and controversy is one of the freedoms is one of the things that makes America great. Posted:9/3/2008 7:58:00 PM Posted By:Tom Moore Comment: Re: "Who would have thought a scandal such as a teen pregnancy would be uncovered so soon?" Your politics are showing! Who would have thought that a teen pregnancy in the U.S. would be a "scandal?" I take it we will see a full take on Obama's mother's unwed teen pregnancy "scandal" also? Tom Reply: It's a solid point to take a look at Obama's history. He had a single mother, yet went on to Harvard. So what does this mean regarding the stereotypes that we all maintain? Half of our F&F staff is Republican, half of us are Democrats. I am happy to hear the other side. Would you be willing to submit some commentary for us regarding what you think about the candidates past - and how it can be a predictor of the future? Would love to hear your take on it. Posted:9/3/2008 5:09:00 PM Posted By:Carol P Comment: A number of mothers I know, myself included, have made choices for our daughters that we did not anticipate having to make when they were 6 or 7. Our society pushes sex so much that children cannot escape the message that sex is something to be desired and had. Our school system lets middle school and high school students out at 2:20. Our work force is set up so few parents are home at that time. How can we expect teens to abstain when social pressures encourage them to have sex, when hormones make them want it and empty homes are available? A number of mothers I know have put their daughters on birth control even before these girls become sexually active, prematurely in the mothers' minds, because they can at least circumvent pregnancy if they cannot prevent sex. It has nothing to do with how responsible or moral a teenager is. It has more to do with temptation, peer pressure, media messages and opportunity. An unwanted pregnancy or an STD is not the only danger for sexually active teens. Their peer interactions become more about sex and less about learning how to relate. Perhaps we need to re-think school hours and work days. Many of our children are capable and mature for their ages, but most need more supervision than our society provides for. Yes, it is the parents' responsibility, but even the most responsible parent is at a disadvantage when there is such a long gap between the times when the children get home and the parents get home. As for opposing sex education, does a child who is all too well aware of how his/her body is changing benefit from a lack of knowledge of how it works? We have gone too far to push the clock back to the days when a young woman was told about sex the night before her wedding. Reply: If you've read some of my past articles, especially on Both Sides Now.. .I could not agree with you more. We are living in a society where sex is tossed at young people, but they are not given the tools to know how to deal with it. Certainly sending kids home from school, when parents are not there, is a serious issue that the government has not paid attention to. Many politicians should hear your voice. We live in a society where Britney Spears and Lindsey Lohan are role models, and having children out of wedlock lands you on the front page. These societal issues need to be addressed. Whatever your political persuasion, we need to not get lost in the personality and charisma of the candidates, but we need to look at how the candidates will respond to the issues that we raise. Thanks for your insight and well thought out comment! Posted:9/3/2008 5:05:00 PM Posted By:Rita Rich Comment: Great essay. I hope that the boyfriend of Bristol doesn't feel trapped. Seems to me that he now is, if he wasn't before, in a situation where he WILL marry Bristol--like it or not. I hope he gets the counseling he needs to be a supportive companion to that 17 year old girl and a caring, nurturing Dad to the baby. And, I hope that if they make it to the Veeps house, off of Observatory road, in N.W. that there's a good Nanny brought in from out of town. A newborn, and a youngster with downs syndrome--what a handful. Reply: Great point about the boyfriend. Rita, thanks for your insight. I think that you've raised a very important and somewhat overlooked point. Levi is innocent in this - he is so young. I wonder why nothing about their plans for marriage was discussed prior to last week? This young guy has been swept along in a situation he never anticipated. Your advice for counseling is correct, and your wishes for him are kind. back to the blog    Home  |  Book Dr. D  |  Press Room  |  Advertise with Us  |  Contact Us  |  Legal Notice  Copyright 2008 Fifty and Furthermore  |  Dr. Dorree Lynn  |  All Rights Reserved.