Do not judge student-parents
Marissa Villarreal
When you look around campus what do you see?
Of course, typical books, students, professors, but one thing that has been catching my eye more frequently lately, is the sight of young children running around following their student parents.
There has been without a doubt a boom in teen pregnancy but what happens after the baby bump goes away and one is eager to bounce back and continue their life while still parenting?
The struggle is real; as we see student parents make an effort to maintain an education, a job, and parenting.
More often than not, it is the media that portrays these young parents in a negative light but as I see more and more toddlers roaming around the campus, I find myself grasping a whole new sense of respect for these mothers and fathers.
Instead of allowing the media manipulate the idea of parenting into something worse than what it is; these parents are going against MTV’s 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom images that make people believe that teen pregnancy is a bad thing, when in all actuality, not all cases turn out so poorly.
It appears that statistics prove differently. According to the study, The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and America’s Promise Alliance,with almost 70 percent of 18 and 19-year-olds attending either high school or college, unplanned pregnancies can disrupt or derail educational achievement. Sixty-one percent of women who have children after enrolling in college fail to complete their degree, a rate which is 65 percent higher than that for students who did not have children.
Even with the odds against them, it seems like student parents are determined to not become another statistic.
It can be hard enough for students to balance their work with school so I can only imagine the amount of pressure and stress, a student parent could have. It amazes me to see how people can be so quick to judge these young parents when in reality; they are most likely working harder than anyone, striving to be a good parent while still making a future for themselves and their family. If anything isn’t their child only more inspiration for that degree or raise?
It’s harsh out there and with a kid, it can only be harder so I would like to give praise to these young parents for being determined enough to not let a child keep them from their goals but only motivate them more.
