I've resisted the impulse to dive into this well elaborated slice of social commentary, as the author seems to be the exception to the "statistic", & why quibble with a success story? Hell, I was the sole result of a late union between two grown-ups. Dad was 40, & probably clueless about diapers. Mom was 29, & clueless about dad. Them was the days when 40 was not the new 30, & 50 was way over the hill. I was 10 & my "old man" was 50. Not a lot of tackle football together. But I had friends to fill in for the messy stuff. Dad taught me how to fish, set up model trains, & how to stay married for 50 years. No real point to this story, except that a kid can't pick the age of his/her parents, & probably couldn't care less (statistically).
A note on the following:
I have a daughter now, yeah she's only heading on a year old, but in 16 years I'm quite certain that I would prefer to hear "daddy, I'm pregnant" as opposed to "your daughter is going to need rehab" or "the defendant has been found guilty and will not have a chance of parole for 4-8 years".
I'm not quite sure why there's an either/or involved in said situation.
I mean it could have read, "I'm pregnant, daddy, but don't worry...I plan to marry Billy Bob just as soon as he gets outta' rehab". (Not lookin' good, statistically speaking).
Which leads to this:
As far as statistics are concerned, I feel they are part of the problem. Part of the attitude directed at teen pregnancy, is in fact treating them like a statistic.
Yup.... Lies, damn lies, & statistics. Hard to get away from all of 'em.
However, stats are just numbers. They can't lie. They just count. They note odds. And, unfortunately in today's "gotta' have it now"/ gnat's attention span world, the good old-fashioned Romeo & Juliet luv story, regardless of age is the absolute rarity. Too bad. Yeah, you have to expect an inappropriate comment or two from folks who "just don't understand". Not really their fault...just comes from stats, & what they see on Jerry Springer.
Knowing these sayings are all entirely true, why do people insist on starting them off feeling like failures, and worse telling them they have somehow failed something, especially in a case where they haven't even begun their attempt. All people hate being treated like numbers, and albeit it is inevitable but rarely produces a positive outlook
All you can do is live life up to your standards, & the naysayers will slowly take notice. Your kids will notice too.
Best wishes, Ron.