I don't think teens should have kids. We live in a world where its hard for adults to even support children. If it happens then it happens but there's no reason it should be happening when we have knowledge of how to prevent pregnancy. Some teen parents do make me very angry because I think they get stuck in a fantasy world where they are unable to realize that difficulty or raising a child.

I agree with you very much that some adults are bad parents and I think we need to support both teen parents and adult parents because the children's lives are at stake and no matter what we may think about the parents the children need to have our support.

I know of 13 people around my age (20-22) (including myself) that have given birth, are currently pregnant or have had abortions in the last 2 years! this makes me nervous because all of us are still living at home, going to school, having part time jobs (if we can find them) and raising baby would just make all that more complicated. This is still no reason to hassle them when they'll get all the hassle they need from the babies lol.

P.S. Canada has the same legal age to have sex (16, raised from 14 a few years ago) and I think if that's what you want to do then do it but DO IT RIGHT!

I don't really think it's the age that matters, it's the maturity level.
You can be a teenage mom without "looking" like a teenage mom.
I was 18 when I had my son, and no one gave me shit for it, and I never saw anyone looking at me funny.  But I felt pretty confident that I was a good mother, and I always put my son first.
Some other 18 yr. old moms aren't ready to be parents, and they don't want to change.  I think you can tell when you see them with their kid.  It's how they interact with them, i guess.

Like one of the above commenters said, teenagers ARE kids. They're a bigger, more hormonal, and sometimes more smarter version of your little eight year old child.

"When teenage girls become mums they grow up fast, they become woman. I have seen it."
You don't know every woman who has been a teenage mom. Some of your friends may get more mature and may grow up a little after giving birth, but not all of them do. Many of them dump the job of parenting their child onto THEIR parents; aka the childs grandparents.

Just 'cause they can pop out a kid doesn't make them grown up. If they take care of it correctly I'd go out on a limb to say the could have grown up; but I'd definitely not say that all of them do that.

I'm not going to feel sorry for teenage parents. They chose to have sex. So just like the adults (who don't get all that much sympathy when they accidentally become pregnant) they're not going to get sympathy from me. Especially when they don't use birth control; and if they can't use the birth control correctly (to avoid pregnancy) then perhaps they should avoid sex all together.

I don't think it's just age that matters in this. It's maturity and the ability to provide for the child. It's knowing what you're getting into before you're eight months pregnant. If they're mature, if they can care for a child, if they can provide for themselves and the child without too much help from others, then age surely doesn't matter. But in the case that most teenagers cannot get a job that would support them enough, that kind of says having kids is off limits there. Or should be.

Teenagers shouldn't be having kids... well, eighteen and over maybe. I don't think you should have sex except with your spouse, so only within marriage, let alone have a child. And I'm okay with people marrying at 18, so okay. But it's irresponsible to go out and do things that could have major consequences, and especially since most teenagers- and I mean MOST- cannot properly take care of a baby; heck, most of them don't even support themselves!

@cagebirdd@xanga - That's a law in many US states too... well, all of them have an age limit but some are lower and some are higher. I think most are 16, though.

babies having babies is never a good idea!!!!!

i dont think teens should have kids. but i dont think the shitty irrisponsible older parents should have had kids either.

i know a few teens that are better parents then some of the 30 year olds out there. and vice versa.

I had mt first at 19 and I think I did a pretty good job with him, but admittedly, parenting isn't something everyone is cut out for. Knowing what I know now, I would NEVER put a teenager in a situation where they had even a remote chance of becoming a parent but it would be wrong of me to look down on them for having a baby.

Some teens are great parents. Got to take that one on a case-by-case. It isn't an ideal situation but that doesn't mean they automatically are incapable of handling it because of their age.

I say it should be okay and excepted in society for teens to be parents. Most parents are still teenagers in the head anyways. Age doesnt have much to do with anything. Its the stereotype that goes with the age that makes people think its not acceptable. Most parents are shitty parents anyways. They dont teach children anymore, they just sit them in front of the TV. I am a teen parent and I WILL/AM A GOOD ONE. I will teach my children and I will show them I actually love them.

I had my daugher at 19 and I still have not stoped getting crap from people.  My doctors office just assumes Im an idiot when it comes to parenting and people still give me dirty looks now that Im 23.  I think being a mom is the hardest job in the world but I think Ive done better then some adults I know.  It really depends on the person.  Some people should just never have kids.  Now I would never reccomend that any teen to run out and get pregnant... but things happen.  You just have to make the best out of a not so ideal situation.  I love being a young mother though, and cant wait to have another :D

Teenagers shouldn't be having kids but I really don't have a say in the matter. They'll do what they want to do regardless of what I, their parents, teachers, the law says.

But to be honest, I'm getting tired of teenage parents and their whining. "Oh everyone gives me so much crap! I swear I'm better than a lot of adult moms." It doesn't mean shit to me because in the end you were irresponsible. To me, having a child at 17 doesn't make you an adult. For  most teenage parents it just means being forced to change their schedules and priorities.

I hate saying this because I was friends with about 4 girls who decided to have kids in high school but UGH! Becoming a teenage parent is one of the most idiotic choices a person can make and I then add "stupid" along to your list of personality traits. I don't care if you "grew up/matured fast" because having a baby made you sooo responsible. To me you still made one of the stupidest decisions in your life.

legal or not, kids likes to break rules,no?
anyways, they are already not responsible when they give birth at this age,

I don't think teens should try and have children...but I don't think being a teenage parent makes you any less of a parent.  I got pregnant at 15 with my first daughter and I settled down finished school and took care of her.  I am now almost 21 with a second daughter, married(not to the father he left) and have a house.  Just because you have children young doesnt mean you can't still have a good successful life.

As for teen fathers most of them go about their marry way.  All of the teens I knew personally that  have gotten pregnant, the baby's father left within a year after the birth.  So to any teens that think they'll stay with you if you get pregnant, think again.  Its rare that any teenage boy will actually step up to the plate of being a father at such a young age.  I think it's bullshit, but that's the sad truth.