LUVIN ME

A way to express my thoughts to the world...

Friday, February 17, 2006

The Teenage Mind

I work with a group of teenage girls (from age 13-18... from the tougher parts of Dallas...every city has a bad area or two) about twice a week. Every week I give them at least one day to just talk about the issues that they face, and how they try to deal with them, then I try to give them alternatives if needed. I also try to get the parents more involved in these girl's lives. Some of the things these girls talk about would blow your mind! They are able to confide in me, and sometimes keeping their secrets becomes a difficult task, when I know what they are doing is harmful.
I was faced with two hard situations yesterday.

Situation #1:
A few weeks ago, this girl came to me....A 13 year old girl is having sex with a 15 year old boy, and I know the mothers of both kids fairly well(we go to the same church). I talked to this girl and asked if it was okay to sit down and talk to her mom about safe sex, birth control, and abstinence(if she would consider that). She didn't mind. The first question that came to my head is, how can you have a 13 year old daughter in this day and time, and not have already talked to her about sex? But anyway, we are talking, and I can quickly see that this mother is in complete denial. She refuses to even consider what I am trying to say to her, gets upset and leaves with her daughter. Now I would be happy if my daughter came to me and told me that she needed help BEFORE she gets pregnant or contracts an STD! The girl came back to me yesterday and asked if I could take her to get some birth control pills. I instead, gave her a number and contact to one of my friends at the local free family planning clinic, and told her to go see her. She then hangs her head, and as she turns to walk away she says, "I knew you wouldn't do it." I explained to her that I didn't feel right going against her mother's decision, but I was offering her help at a place where she didn't need her mother's permission. She said that she didn't want to go alone.

Now my dilemma is, what should I do? I have a mother that is in denial, and has forbid me to talk to her daughter about sex. On the other hand, I have a young girl who is crying out for help. What would you do in this situation?

Situation # 2
At the end of each Thursday session, we give one girl a change to ask the group a question, and we all come back and discuss our answers the following week. At the end our discussion yesterday, a girl brought up the subject of abortion. She wanted to know who God would hold accountable for the death of the unborn child. She said she already knew that the mother was sinning. But, wasn't the doctors sinning also since they were actually taking the life? And what about the nurses who chose to work at the abortion clinic and prepare the patient for the procedure? I am pro choice when it comes abortion, but this goes beyond that. I feel that every situation deserves a different outcome(When you factor in the some of causes of unwanted pregnancies).
This one had me puzzled. Thank goodness I have a week to think about it!

What are your thoughts on the two situations?

10 Comments:

  • At 8:37 AM, Blogger Ladynay said…

    Situation 1 = I would either find someone to go with her or either talk to her mom again and get her to understand that she has an active child and if she don't want to be a grandmother or go visit her child in a hospital for an untreated STD, she better get on the ball!

    Situation 2 = I choose not to touch....

     
  • At 11:25 AM, Blogger TTD said…

    #1 - would try to talk to the mom again.. if she's still in denial.. take the child. her mother may end up thanking you in the end when her daughter (although sexually active) isn't pregnant or STD positive prior to high school graduation..

    #2 - im pro-choice as well. w/ that said, im also catholic.. although catholics believe that abortion is wrong we also believe that God is forgiving. I think that as long as the person isn't constantly receiving abortions as a form of bith control and she shows some form of remorse, God will not punish her. i never looked at it from the doctor being wrong POV.. dont know about that one

     
  • At 12:48 PM, Blogger The Sarccastik Variable Why said…

    #1) i would try and talk to the mom again...if she is still in denial, talk to another family member, her uncle or her aunt, grandmother or something...i'm like you i would try and help out and young'n who's cryin' for help...and if that don't work...prayer changes everything....
    #2)..tough situation...i've always believed it's a woman's choice with that said....i still dunno...give me something to talk about with the mrs.....good post

     
  • At 10:19 PM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Situation #1

    I’m sorry but I would have to help her. I know that may be wrong and that the mother probably would be furious, but in this day and age, anyone who sexually active needs to take precautions. Just because her mother is in denial, does not mean that she should have to suffer a fate that could really be devastating to tell the truth. A 13 y/o certainly can’t raise a baby and with AIDS

     
  • At 10:19 PM, Blogger Superstar Nic said…

    Situation #1

    I’m sorry but I would have to help her. I know that may be wrong and that the mother probably would be furious, but in this day and age, anyone who sexually active needs to take precautions. Just because her mother is in denial, does not mean that she should have to suffer a fate that could really be devastating to tell the truth. A 13 y/o certainly can’t raise a baby and with AIDS on the rise among teenagers, mom is being incredibly foolish in my opinion.

    Situation #2

    I’m really stumped on that one!!! I mean, I am a person that is pro choice because I believe that everyone should have the right to make their own decisions about what goes on with their body, but at the same time I could never see myself (personally) having an abortion.

    This is really a tough one. I never thought about the doctors either. I really don’t know!

     
  • At 3:47 PM, Blogger Abeni said…

    No 1.I'd talk to some other member of the family who may be open to handling the situation.I worry though that she needs more than birth control pills since they not going to protect her from STD.As an aside I think I'd die if I had a 13 yr old having sex.

    Hmmm.am pro choice although I don't think I could ever do it.I think it is degrees of blame now I think of it.I guess you can say the doctors are exempted if you say they are not doing something illegal.Its similiar to asking if the person injecting the lethal injection is guilty of murder.

     
  • At 4:08 AM, Blogger Charles X said…

    situation 1: go with her before she gets pregnant, since her mother is not doing her job.

    situation 2: i dont know god, so i cant answer.

     
  • At 3:47 AM, Blogger Omar Ramon said…

    #1 save that girl's life before she ruins it by way of mom's neglect....

    #2 The doctors/nurses are doing what they are trained to do and what they beleive is right..helping people live their lives in a way most conducive to the patients'(the moms') preferences. The mother is making the choice in what to do with the life inside her. the clinic/hospital staff are doing their jobs. they don't know if the patient is getting the procedure done because she was raped or because she want to be able to fit her sexy jeans at the next hoe-down...their ignorance of the complete situation and the completion of their duties as medical practitioners excuses them from penalty in my book...but thas just my rationale..like Charles (kinda) said...how can man presume to know the mind of God?

     
  • At 6:51 AM, Blogger LUVIN ME said…

    I appreciate all of your comments...they really helped me out alot.

    I have thought alot over both situations...

    Situation#1...I talked to the girl's grandmother at church yesterday and she is going to try to talk some sense into the mother. She said if that doesn't work, she will take her!

    Situation#2...I cannot decide another's fate, so I will have to go with Omar on this one. I'll have to leave that answer in the hands of the higher power!

     
  • At 10:00 AM, Blogger Newy said…

    #1 I would have to help her

    #2 I am pro-choice. I believe it was a woman's right to choose and I did have an abortion when I was younger. Do I regret it? sometimes, but I was not in a position to care for a child (I was 16). I am in no position to judge anyone and feel that you have to answer for you. When you think about the doctors and nurses, they violated the hippocratic oath or did they....think about it....they did preserve life...the life of the mother that desired an abortion. Because if they didn't give her a safe, clean environment to have one, she may have gone to a back alley and got an illegal one. Possibly dying in the process.

     

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