lizzybeth--I have to agree with you. I'm seeing a worrisome and growing trend for young moms having multiple babies with "baby daddies" (that name literally makes me physically sick as it trivializes one of the most important jobs in the world!!). I have a very liberal world view and I hold nothing against single moms who choose to raise their children by themselves--in fact, their tenacity amazes me. I applaud them for stepping up to the plate when an unplanned pregnancy occurs.
However, I'm seeing a trend of babies as "fashion accessories" and "Proud Parent" as a badge of honor on Myspace. It's becoming commonplace for young moms to post their ultrasounds as their default pic. If you look closely at these sites, they are mostly about pop music, clubbing, clothes, make-up--everything which would be totally healthy for that age of person without a young family.
There's not a lot of discussion on nutrition, child care, questions about development, etc. (and this is a generalization, of course). There are lots of graphics and "scrapbooking" looks which show the baby dressed as cute as can be, mixed in with profane hip-hop music and highly inappropriate photos of friends--usually at parties or drinking.
I see this as teen focused, not child focused. Truly poor choices with no sense of oversight by guiding older family members. Another thing I'm seeing with greater frequency are photos being posted which are clearly taken in "visiting centers". This tells me that DHS is involved in some way.
When that baby comes along (planned or a big surprise), we all know that mom and dad move into second place for quite a while. I'm not seeing that with many young moms. Will most of these kids grow up and be fine citizens? Most likely. Is this optimum, though? Obviously not.
A disclaimer here: I also see legions of young moms and dads who are working their bunnies off to raise their kids right. They make mistakes as we all do when we are new parents. But by and large, you can spot these young families a mile away. I make it a point to let young parents know how impressed I am when I come into contact with them. We, here on WS, know what a tough world this is to bring a child into. They've got their work cut out for them. My hat is off to those moms and dads.
