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Monday, July 6, 2009

Controversial Issues Will Continue to Be a Focus When I Take on Teen Pregnancy

As I have shared many times on this blog, I do not shy away from tackling controversial topics in my three published books—Lifetime Loser, Finish Line, and Tuey’s Course. Some of the subplots that take place on and around the Prairie Winds Golf Course have included alcoholism, racism, crooked politicians, illegal sports gambling, womanizing, and many other areas that provide great content for any writer. With my new book Opur’s Blade, which is scheduled to be released later this year, I will continue to address issues and develop characters that will make my readers think and maybe even shout back at the pages once in a while. One of the topics you can expect me to explore is the difficulty that comes with teenage pregnancy.

What are some of the problems associated with babies who enter the world when their mothers are still in high school? Young pregnant women are not as likely to get the proper prenatal care and are more likely to smoke than their older counterparts. The result of this behavior can manifest in low birth weight, which is often a contributing factor in blindness, deafness, and cerebral palsy. Teenage moms are also more likely to struggle financially, leave their own education unfinished, and create poorer “life outcomes” for the children they raise. You will have to read Opur’s Blade when it becomes available to learn the specific story and struggles of my character, but you can be sure the road is not easy.

What are your thoughts on teen pregnancy and how to decrease its occurrence? Should there be more sex education in schools? Are parents not being proactive enough in knowing what their children are doing? Is the media responsible for the beliefs that teenagers hold about sexual behavior? I know it’s not really related to golf, but I would love to read your thoughts on this hot-button topic. And, I look forward to your reviews on how I handled the issue when Opur’s Blade is released.

2 comments:

Jennifer @Vitality4all6 said...

Teen pregnancy; that's a tough one. Different factors can be at play..

Too much sex education and they know too much, not enough and they are misguided.

Parents love and guidence; not enough then they seek love elsewhere, being too strict makes them rebel.

It's finding proper balance, educating them what having sex means, what consequences are out there...

I educate my teen girls. My daughter gets it, but both my home and her dads home is aligned to pay attention to her and what she is doing and we both have open discussions with her. My step daughter is another story, I worry about her. At her mothers she has freedom, and her mother was a teen mom. I try to educate her but it's difficult because my household isnt in complete control.

Please keep me updated. This is a great topic to touch on.

Anonymous said...

I like the theme of mentoring troubled youth. They... I like the theme of mentoring troubled youth. They can make such an impact and are so badly needed for so many young people.

James