Day after day, year after year, the same story unfolds for many girls; they find out they are pregnant during the thresholds of the transition between girlhood and womanhood.
I am from a small town in West Tennessee, and, in the past two years, nine of my single female acquaintances broke the news to their friends and families: they were all pregnant. People from my hometown commented on how there must be something in the water — it was a startling chain of events for a town that is basically Mayberry 2010.
To me, the only thing in the water was stupidity and ignorance. Nevertheless, all of the girls chose to keep and raise their babies. Of the nine girls, three got married, and two are in college. One is raising the child by herself, and the rest are keeping house with their cohabiting boyfriends.
I feel like after the first few pregnancies, sexually active girls would have thought, “Hey, maybe I should be more careful…” There is really no gray area when it comes to how babies are made. These nine girls personally know how everything works; we went to the same high school and were taught the same things. It is difficult for me to feel sorry for these girls; they knew the risk.
There are so many things about situations like these that are subjective and petty. But overall, it can be agreed upon that people who are not careful in their choices of extramarital sexual behaviors do suffer the consequences of their actions. “Consequence” is a harsh word to describe a baby, but having them during a time in one’s life such as high school and college does throw a wrench in life’s plans.  An 18-year-old girl with an infant has no hope of experiencing college the way most girls do.
Aside from the gossip, rumors and drama of the pregnancies in my hometown (and in others’ I’m sure), we are swarmed with teenage pregnancy in the media. Shows like “Teen Mom” dominate the lives of viewers.  The demographic of college girls is consumed by reality television about pregnant teenagers. I will admit, for me, watching shows like that is like watching a car accident happen: awful and repulsive, but I can’t pull my eyes away.  I can’t stop watching when Amber is  screaming, cussing and slapping her fiancé in front of her daughter; I was genuinely excited when I heard Maci and Ryan broke up. And why on earth should I care?
I certainly do not enjoy the concept of a show such as “Teen Mom,” but I think the attraction is the promiscuity and hopelessness of their situations. As sick and twisted as that sounds, think about it: they have embarked on a life journey they cannot escape. They will never have the lives their teenage and twenty-something spirits long for. And we can’t get enough of it.
I think shows like “Teen Mom” are a negative influence on young single mothers. They lessen the severity of single teenage mothers’ situations. It makes the idea of having a child more like having a live accessory. 
Pop culture caters to this idea — how many celebrities have we seen have unplanned children over time? I would lose count if I tried to figure it out. They dress up their babies in cute clothes, buy them cute toys and show them off to friends, family and even strangers. But what happens when their babies start walking? Talking? Going to school?
These girls may not realize it, but the instant that mother begins to raise her child, her life will never be her own again.
She will always be a mother — always responsible for the education, health, financial stability and overall well-being of her child. I am honestly looking forward to having that role, but only after I have finished college, married my true love and started a career of my own.
Mary Chase Breedlove is a sophomore majoring in communication. She can be contacted at [email protected].