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"Mom, Dad, I'm Pregnant."
Standing by Your Teen – No Matter What
By Megan Potter
Take advantage of the new relationship this situation has fostered, and talk to your teen about having sex. Ask whether they plan to continue to have sex. Talk to them about contraception, what they did before and what they should be doing now. Be open and honest and encourage them to believe that one mistake doesn't make life a failure. Continue to be supportive of them and make it clear that they can always come to you with questions about sex now that the issue is in the open.
It is a devastating thing to find your teen has been irresponsible enough to get pregnant. But it's also a devastating thing to destroy a relationship in a few moments, or months, of anger and disappointment.
"When push comes to shove and families are not there for you, you start to feel like a failure. Then you start to act like one," says Fremor Williams, executive director of the Grimsby Life Centre. "That's terrible when you become a parent."
If you are supportive and open, your kids might make the right decisions and be more likely to look forward to a bright and hopeful future. Without you, they may be doomed to fall in among the statistics of depression, poverty, abuse, neglect and to have children with equally dim futures. Be the best parent you can be and stand by your teen – no matter what.
