Jamie Lynn Spears Pregnant at Sixteen, Blame Gets Tossed Around
by Super Jive

So. The breaking news from the land of swimming pools and movie stars is NOT that Britney Spears is pregnant again, as was rumored recently, but that her teenaged sister, Jamie Lynn, is. This has raised some debate in the blogworld. I am seeing "Mother of the Year" thrown around sarcastically in the direction of Lynne Spears, Britney and Jamie Lynn's mother. Is this really Lynne's fault, though? Really?

The facts as we know them is that Jamie Lynn (star of the Nickelodeon show "Zoey 101" which is aimed at teens) is sixteen and the father seems to be her boyfriend of two years, Casey Aldridge, 19. She is going forward with parenting this child with the support of her family. And now there is a big to-do about Jamie Lynn as a role model for the young people who watch her show.

Debbie Schlussel calls for a boycott of the whole network that airs "Zoey 101", as Nickelodeon is presenting a special on teen pregnancy hosted by Linda Ellerbee. Schlussel also compares the Jamie Lynn situation to the Dana Plato case twenty years earlier. (Plato, then 20, was an actress on the sitcom "Diff'rent Strokes," and was fired from her role after becoming pregnant out-of-wedlock.)

Dan Martinsen, Nickelodeon spokesperson, weighed in on the teen pregnancy special:

“Whenever an issue becomes so prevalent that it’s inescapable,” Mr. Martinsen said, “her [Linda Ellerbee's "Nick News"] show is where we turn to help kids navigate and interpret and understand it.”

I applaud Nickelodeon's response to this, which seems to reflect reality. "Hey, something happened here. Let's address it." I have heard this teen pregnancy thing happens to other girls too, probably including some in Nickelodeon's audience. I like the idea of girls not feeling isolated and others hearing about real-life issues.

Blogger Terry Hernon MacDonald has astutely observed that Jamie Lynn didn't "get pregnant by herself."

"The so-called Christians who denounce Jamie Lynn for setting a poor example for their daughters might remember this: She could have had an abortion.

She didn't, so say a prayer for her and leave her alone."


Of course the inevitable Britney comparisons are trotted out:

Britney has two children, and she cannot visit them without being supervised. Now, her sister is taking after her. THAT’S RIGHT, EVERYONE! JAMIE LYNN SPEARS IS PREGNANT!!!

It also made me think about Jamie Lynn's mother. I have seen lots of headlines flying by since this was announced, and people in the blogworld are asking where her mother was in all this. "First Britney, now Jamie Lynn," they say. (Not to even mention the fact that Britney is legally an adult.) Jamie Lynn is sixteen. What can you do with a sixteen-year-old girl? Follow her around constantly? Clap a bell jar over her? I was under the impression that at some point children need a little autonomy so they can make decisions and mistakes for themselves, fortified with the values and lessons passed on by their family. I would think that this, in combination with having some faith in your child, is the best you can do.

On hearing the news from Jamie Lynn, Lynne Spears said:

I didn’t believe it because Jamie Lynn’s always been so conscientious. She’s never late for her curfew. I was in shock. I mean, this is my 16-year-old baby.

We have to take Lynne at her word that she had every reason to trust her daughter to make good choices. I find cases like the recent story of the woman who had a modern day "chastity belt" piercing performed on her daughter more troubling. Yes, it's not ideal for such a young woman to have a baby, but at least her family seems to be supporting her.

So why do the media always blame the mother, anyway? It doesn't seem to matter how old the person in the midst of the scandal is, either. People were blaming Kathy Hilton when Paris, 26, went to jail. I remember when Gary Ridgway, the Green River Killer, was arrested his mother was "profiled" and held up to scrutiny, and his Wikipedia entry notes that she was "dominating" in his early childhood.

Okay, so I hope I haven't violated some obscure subsection of Godwin's Law here, because I know teen pregnancy is not on par with murder. Which brings me to another point about this. Will Jamie Lynn's life end because she is becoming a teen mother? Is it really the end of the world? I doubt it. She is about to take on a heavy responsibility, as mothers of all ages do. She can't change what has happened, now, and is moving forward with her life. I think she's fortunate she has the love of her family and financial resources, which many teen mothers do not.

Gawker analyzes 100 Jamie Lynn headlines
The View Ladies weigh in

Submitted by Super Jive (view blog) on Fri, 12/21/2007 - 18:42

Comments

 

The reaction is about what

The reaction is about what one would expect, and the world is ready to take a seat as judge and jury, even when the world does a poor job of running itself. That should be our first clue, eh?

A bit of background... parent of two daughters, 23 and soon to be 16. As a parent, we try to empower our children to be able to make good choices - not to be perfect, but to have enough of a guidance system that helps them learn from mistakes, weigh the impact on their lives and those around them, and to have the strength to dust off and move on.

We have a young woman who is placed in one of the most notorious and public of environments. We have people ready to judge her for this, to judge her parents for her being there, and to tie this all to overall family history to make one juicy and gossip worthy story.

In the end, she is still a 16 year old who is entitled to make her own choices, but she has no ability to shut out the rest of us who are trying to nose our way into her business.

16 year olds get pregnant. We don't have to go very far to find someone who was or is preggers at that age. And in many circles, this issue has been a topic of discussion for the length of my adult life.

We have tried goofy things like abstinence only. We still resist covering everyone under health plans. We resist bc and attach stigma to its sale, lawsuits flying over pharmacists opting out.

At least we don't play the shame game that was prevalent when I was younger, with people counting fingers after an announced pregnancy close to a marriage date.

None of us like to see a young woman preggers at this stage of life... but as with any other woman, I support her right to choose, and hope we extend the courtesy of recognising she is still a human being.

nelle

Submitted by nelle2nelle on Fri, 12/21/2007 - 20:50
 

Easy to be judgemental

When I heard the breaking news about the pregnancy, my first impression was to judge, which is ironic since I was also a teenage mom many years ago. When that point dawned on me, it brought to light just how easy it is for society at large to berate her and her mother.

My parents were not divorced,were very involved with my life, and led by example to teach me right from wrong. I knew the difference, I just didn't care. To sum it up, there's nothing they could have done to prevent it.

I am not defending what Jamie Lynn did and am certainly not an advovate of teenage parenthood; I know all too well how hard that is. But, JL does have some things going for her that most in her position don't: money, maturity beyond most of her peers(due to more exposure to the world, albeit perhaps a skewed exposure), and seemingly, family support.

I'm just saying...It doesn't take much courage to jump on the bandwagon and say what a bad girl she is, her mother didn't do a good job...

J of the Ladies Lounge
www.weekendwarriorsguide.com

Submitted by jliedtke on Sun, 12/23/2007 - 13:26