Running Head: MINI ASSIGNMENT C: CULTURAL IMMERSION

Mini Assignment C
Cultural Immersion Experiences: Teen Parenting
John Burroughs
Georgia State University

Running Head: MINI ASSIGNMENT C: CULTURAL IMMERSION

Cultural Immersion Experiences: Teen Parenting

Being raised in a middle class family, we were taught from an early age that teenage
parenthood is taboo. My view of the stereotypical of teen parents has been that they are less
educated, more promiscuous, lower class and that their pregnancies were likely unintentional.
While I knew of a few people in high school that become parents, they were not my close friends
and it was difficult to understand what their lives were like. MTV produced a reality show called
Teen Mom that was intended to cast a spotlight on young parents. In many ways, it glorified teen
pregnancy as the girls cast on the show have become pseudo-celebrities who make $60,000 a
year (Caramanica, 2010). Other media attention included the pregnancy pact in 2008, where 17
girls at a Massachusetts high school were expecting at the end of the year (Pouliot, 2008). These
stories perpetuate current stereotypes and make society less sympathetic to the difficulties of teen
parents. While I consider myself to be an open-minded and understanding person, other people
may be more judgmental of this group as they consider teen pregnancy the outcome of a choice.
Teen parents are very likely to need the aid of a social worker, and being compassionate in these
situations should be the goal.
This group was an interesting choice because I did not have much personal exposure to
teen parents, but as a social worker this group might be encountered on a regular basis.
Understanding the challenges of teen parents is therefore very important. As a sophomore in high
school, a classmate told me that he had a 9 month old. He explained that at age 15, he had to
work every day after school and on the weekends to help support his son. At the time, it was
unfathomable to me that someone my age was in that kind of situation. It was nearly impossible
to project myself into his shoes and understand what his life was like. There were a few peers
who had to deal with teen pregnancies, but not many. Some chose to have abortions, and one
went on to get married before the birth of her son.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that, In 2013, there were
26.6 births for every 1,000 adolescent females ages 15-19, or 274,641 babies born to females in
this age group. Nearly eighty-nine percent of these births occurred outside of marriage (Office
of Adolescent Health, 2014). It is very concerning that many teens go on to have more than one
child. In 2013, almost one in six (17 percent) births to 15- to 19-year-olds were to females who
already had one or more babies. Birth rates are also higher among Hispanic and black
adolescents than among their white counterparts. Estimates from 2012 data show that one in
eight adolescent females (12.5%) in the United States will give birth by her 20th birthday
(Office of Adolescent Health, 2014).
To truly understand what life is like for a teen parent, I spent time with Chloe Ostrica, a
young mother of a two-year old. Chloe was very open about her desire to get pregnant at the age
of 19. She had experienced an unplanned pregnancy a year before with someone she had only
been dating for a month. Because the relationship was very new, Chloe was considering adoption
or abortion when she learned that her pregnancy was ectopic. Following that loss and a break up
with her boyfriend, Chloe admits that she got drunk very often and was using marijuana. When
she got back together with her boyfriend, the idea of starting a family seemed like a good idea. In
hindsight, Chloe admits she believed they would be together forever. Not for a single second
did I think we wouldnt work it out (Ostrica, personal communication, 2014).
Chloe also concedes that the use of drugs and alcohol helped her believe they were both
ready for parenthood. I think it was part of being so young. I didnt understand that having a
baby doesnt necessarily make someone want to be a dad (Ostrica, personal communication,

Running Head: MINI ASSIGNMENT C: CULTURAL IMMERSION

2014). As soon as she got pregnant again, Chloe stopped partying. Once sober, she immediately
realized she had made a terrible decision. If I had thought it through, I would have waited. If I
had known that there was a maturity level needed -- and no matter how much you want a baby,
that it doesnt mean youre ready (Ostrica, personal communication, 2014). Without the drugs
and alcohol, Chloe realized her boyfriend was not ready to settle down and provide for their
child. He would often cash his paycheck on a Friday, then not come home all weekend, spending
his money partying. They broke up and got back together several times, but for the last year she
has been a single parent to their daughter, Summer. While Chloe loves her daughter completely,
she admits there are difficulties that came with her choices.
When asked about the hardest part of being a young, single mom, Chloe said, Its the
realization that Im doing it by myself. I dont have the option to put myself first. I dont get to
say I want to date, because I dont have the option to be selfish like that (Ostrica, personal
communication, 2014). She also says that people are judgmental of her. She has been questioned
regarding her choice of an expensive day care when her friends and family know that she is
broke. Chloe states that older people are more likely to judge her as a single parent, but even her
friends treat her differently. They do not include her when they go out, assuming that she cannot
go. Chloe says that sometimes she is lonely, but she believes being happy is a choice and tries to
hold on to that idea.
Chloes relationships with her parents were strained due to her decision to have a baby.
Her father asked her repeatedly if she had considered other options, and her mother kicked her
out of the house. At that point, she and the babys father moved in together, but without money
and lack of employment, they found themselves on public assistance and using credit cards to
pay the bills. Today, Chloe has a decent job and a roommate who is also a single mom of a
toddler. While she is not thrilled with her roommate or debt situation, she feels that it was her
choice to have Summer and that she must take responsibility for being in her current
circumstances. Being a single mom limits the choices that she has.
Hearing about Chloes struggles reinforces my desire to help those in need. It is so
important for us not to be judgmental about others circumstances, but to look for ways to help
people forward. Chloe says that people stereotype her as being a bimbo, as if she must have
slept around and gotten pregnant. After she told her boss that she was pregnant, Chloe was fired
from her job at a senior living home. She was very religious, so I was a sinner in her eyes. She
immediately started looking for a reason to let me go (Ostrica, personal communication, 2014).
Chloe subsequently won an EEOC suit, but decided it was best to leave that environment of
discrimination.
When asked how social workers could best help young parents in her situation, Chloe
said, I think it is about believing in people and letting them know that you believe there is a
better future for them. Its empowering people to believe that they can help themselvesand that
you believe that they can help themselves (Ostrica, personal communication, 2014).
Spending time with Chloe and her daughter reminded me that each person has a story to
tell. She did not fit my preconceived idea that all teen pregnancies are accidents. Each person
seeking help as a single and/or teen parent will have a different situation that might include
unplanned pregnancy, rape, incest or other components that I have not experienced yet. To
increase my cultural competency, I will continue to seek out those opportunities to listen and
help without judgment.

Running Head: MINI ASSIGNMENT C: CULTURAL IMMERSION

References
Caramanica, J. (2010). At 40, circling back to teenage life. New York Times. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/arts/television/29freeman.html?pagewanted=all&_r
=0
Pouliot, K. (2008). Massachusetts high school faces pregnancy boom. Fox News. Retrieved from
http://www.foxnews.com/story/2008/06/19/massachusetts-high-school-faces-pregnancy- boom/

Office of Adolescent Health (2014). Trends in teen pregnancy and childbearing. Retrieved from
http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/adolescent-health-topics/reproductive-health/teenpregnancy/trends.html