Lynne Spears had a parenting book in the works, which is now, according to this article in People.com, ‘postponed’. Not a wonder, since her 16-year-old daughter, Jamie Lynn, is pregnant. I wonder why that was the straw that broke the camel’s back considering Britney Spears hasn’t been an angel. I mean really, would you want to buy a parenting book from this mom? I do wish Jamie Lynn all the best and hope that she is able to handle the responsibilities that are before her.
There are a few lessons we can glean from this teen pregnancy that will help to prevent if from happening in your family. One, always keep the lines of communication open. Talk to your daughters and sons about the pregnancy. Beside all of the stuff about sex and contraception, your sons need to know that they could face criminal charges for sex with a minor, these laws vary by state. Of course, this incident shouldn't be the only time you talk about dating with your teen.
My daughters play basketball and we’ve had games the last two nights, but I plan on bringing this topic up this weekend. Have you talked to your teens about Jamie Lynn? How did it go? Share your thoughts in the comments area.
I just had a question. Wasn’t Jamie Lynn on the disney channel doing a series for kids. This bothers me because that just goes to show look what these young teens and adults are teaching our children.
I have 3 daughters who are 11, 14 and we talked about the Jamie Lynn situation much the same as we have always talked about teens with babies. Yes, they are very cute and usually very loved, but the way a teen parent’s life is altered is severe and permanent. I personally have had enough of Spears stories in the news. I hope Jamie learns from her sister’s mothering mistakes. I was thinking I hope the media will allow Jamie the privacy it never allowed Britney. But, it seems that she and her mother are using this situation as a major publicity stunt. I hope they both quickly step up to the plate and give this baby the quality parenting that the Spears siblings apparently lacked.
oops realized I cut off my eldest daughter’s age! She is 16 :]
I’m not sure I agree with your statement “Of course, this incident should be the only time you talk about dating with your teen.”
I think you should always keep the line of communication open with your teens, esp. about dating. Maybe not bring this actual incident up repeatedly, but reminders of what happen when you do adult actions (have sex), you can quickly have the responsibility of an adult (by having a baby!) and miss out on your own childhood, isn’t a bad thing to remind your children. Kids need to know you are there for them, unfortunately, too many kids don’t realize it or have parents that care enough to talk to them. I wish I could adopt them all…
Angela, She’s Zoey on Nickelodeon
Maria, thanks for pointing that out! I fixed my missing n’t in should, making it shouldn’t. I absolutely agree with you!
What is really sad about all of this is the fact that here in America, the ideals are all wrong. It’s sad that some moms get the idea into their head and buy into the whole lie that our little girls and boys have to mature so much earlier now than when we were children.(Just because girls now a days are having their periods sooner, doesn’t mean that they are now little women) When will kids be allowed to be kids? What happened to playtime and recess, allowing kids to play rather than watch and idolize. And since when do parents get into their head, their kids are in reality small adults (Jon Benet and her mother who loved beauty pageants comes to mind) Kids are just that, kids…. There is no aspect of childlike innocence anymore. This is where the problem begins and ends. Too much in a hurry to grow up……. too many crap shows on the television, too many movie stars, tv stars to hold your breath over….. the ideals are all screwed up…….. I am a mother of a soon to be 15 year old girl and 4 1/2 boy. I wish it would all change…. but the populus is the engine that wants and runs this machine.
I totally agree with Lorraine, we need to respect our children enough to allow them to have a childhood. After all isn’t that why it’s called CHILDhood? I pray that the Spears will have enough love and compassion for this baby and adopt it to a married two adult parent home.
“This should be the only time you talk about dating with your teen”?
Are you kidding? The more chances we give our kids to see through our eyes, the more influence we have over them. Talking to them about a third party who’s made a grievous mistake is a great way to put the both of you on the same “side”.
Do it often, and you may find THEM initiating conversations about dating with YOU. Then you can start seeing through their eyes.
Remember, you were a teenager once.
I had to laugh, I didn’t even know who these people were. I had to read all the way through to see that it was Britney Spears mother who was writing a book on parenting. I had no idea who the sister is because we don’t have the TV on in our house during the week, and we tend to watch PBS or NetFlix movies rather than TV garbage.
Worried about your daughter’s role model getting pregnant? Why is your daughter’s role model a TV actress anyway?
Sara said: “Why is your daughter’s role model a TV actress anyway?”
That is a good point! We, as a family, have never gotten to the celebratity fluff, but know some people who do. Like I know that I will need to talk to both of my daughters about this. The older one because she will read it in the news, the younger one because she’ll hear all about it in school. But neither watch tv enough to even know who Jamie Lynn is.
If I haven’t said it once, I have said it a million times – We really need to boycott Hollywood! America is insane with celebrity worship! Why is Brittany even newsworthy?! The “brat pack” (Paris, Lindsey, Brittany,. . .) are all such outrageous role models for young women. They are shallow, simple minded wealthy trailpark trash. I have had enough of Hollywood and the stars! They are all so full of themselves!
I heartily agree with everything Denise said about keeping communication open, talking about sex and contraception and we did our best to follow these guidelines. However last month my 17 yo DD announced her pregnancy due to a glitch in their safe sex and contraception plan. She has just suffered a miscarriage. My point being there is no magic solution to this and you can only try to prevent teen pregnancies. It is after all up to our teens to protect themselves.
I also know many women in their 20’s, 30’s and 40’s who have had their contraceptive fail for one reason or another. I for one am not about to cast the first stone to condemn any woman in this situation 16 or 46.
I feel inclined to remind people that the final turnout of children does not always reflect mistakes parents have made. We are created with a will , and in some children, this is stronger than in others. I have four children, all raised the same, with the same biological parents except for my oldest son (my husband and I married when he turned three years of age)and all four turned out quite differently.
My husband and I teach parenting classes in our home and facilitate a Chip Ingram parenting series (it is wonderful) at our church.
My oldest son was a very compliant, easy teenager to raise, married at the young age of two months shy of his 18th birthday, DID NOT marry because he had a baby in the works, and has gone through the drug scene, smoking and is 27 now, turned out to be a great husband, Father and friend.
My oldest daughter, 22 next month, was overly attracted to boys very young, from 14 on, lost her virginity at 15, no baby as a result though, and hit hard drugs including mushrooms that changed her entire life. She became depressed and bipolar, put on meds although she is a sweetheart of a girl and has helped raise her boyfriend for the past seven years. They have broken off an engagement twice now in the past two years and we, her parents, are still praying she will not marry this young man she is currently living with.
My youngest son, now 20 1/2, used to witness to homeless people and had a very soft and gentle spirit about him. He seldom got into trouble at all and finished high school with a 3.9 GPA, earning him scholarships and always found great jobs. He now drinks, has a suspended driving license for too many tickets (he paid them all, just got over 20 in a three year time period – mostly for speeding), and has affiliated himself regularly with pot smoking. He lost his virginity less than a month before he turned 18, no baby as a result thankfully, and his consideration for his parents he was always so respectful to, has almost entirely disappeared.
But don’t lose hope for our family- my third child, a daughter who is turning 22 the 30th of this month, never drank, smoked, did pot, or got into trouble but maybe once in all her growing up years. I could raise my finger and she was in tears. She loved pleasing people and never lost this passion. She walked down the aisle October 2006 as a beautiful virgin and married a wonderful virgin man whom we call our third son.
Kids often do as they please, despite their parent’s teachings, so before you slam Lynne Spears for her inadequate parenting skills, let’s take a look at the best known evangelistic as well a wonderful parent, in all time; Billy Graham. He loved his children unconditionally, was no doubt a non-perfect parent (they don’t exist in this world) yet turned out a young man named Franklin Graham, who was an alcoholic for quite some time and lived on the wild side despite his parent’s words of wisdom and practical parenting skills.
Pray for Lynne and her daughter Jamie. Pray for Brittany, her mother and the little Spear’s sister. As soon as we become prideful in thinking just because we believe we have done the perfect parenting job, one of our children or grandchildren will show up pregnant and we will find ourselves in the same disappointing situation as these mothers.
I was a pregnant teen at 15, at no fault of my Mother’s. She single handedly raised me right; I chose not to listen and go my own way. She is the best parent anyone child could ever have had. God rest her precious soul.
Pray for parents, as it is the hardest job known to the human race.
I agree totally with you Denise Spooner. We are, on the whole too quick to judge. I am sure Lynne Spears had words with her youngest daughter, once she could see what was happening to Britney. I am sure also she wasn’t with Jamie at the moment of conception. We all know that conception can actually take from one minute to a few hours – getting pregnant, especially if you are young and fertile is so so easy to do. We all hope and pray it will not happen to our own children, but one never knows. As you pointed out, you can have a child start of wonderful and end up no so wonderful and a child start off awful end up doing great things. So nobody should judge as we cannot see the future and do not know what our children will present to us in the future.
I just hope Jamie realises that a child is for keeps and hard work and gives herself over to mothering. Lets face it also she is extremely rich so can afford much more in the way of help than most normal 16 year old pregnant girls.
I think that mothers and fathers can not take for granted by popularity and acceptance at church communities but need to see and relate to their children according to reality and not be protected behind the guise of church.
I think communication was not availble in a larger scope.
Jamie Spears doesn’t even get to learn from her mistakes! She had an abortion after the news slipped out, so baby is no more. I stongly believe that abortion is wrong and why would she do that to her baby and herself??!! She could have had the baby and then gave it up to adoption or took care or it herself. She is no romodel for teens.