It Could Be Worse!

[aheyer]

I moved away from Fairfax five years ago, and must have taken for granted the type of school/community I grew up in.  When relocating to the Boston area for a higher paying job and to establish myself in my profession of choice, my wife and I made the decision to stay away from the city life and move closer to the coast, so we settled on Gloucester.  After reading this article, moving back to that area once we have kids is looking a lot more appealing.  Scary to think that this would have been almost a fifth of this years entire graduating class!

I would hope that people don't take for granted the community in which they live up there.

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1815845,00.html?cnn=yes

[Loctavious]

     I think one would need to take into account all the factors of this 'story'.  I believe the stat, but to say kids are bored or needing to feel human is crazy.  There are possibilities of explanation a lot more viable than that.

Catholicism has always taught abstinence and that pre-marrital sex is a venial sin.  Yet, when kids are coming of age, there's very real changes, sensations and feelings that are VERY powerful.  Now i don't know much about that school, but if i know catholic schools ( i attended them for 12 years), i know that sometimes they can be very enigmatic about what they teach about sexuality among some things.  As anyone would know who took intro to Psychology, when something is forbidden to children without ample explanation, it actually creates more of a curiousity in that forbidden thing.  Add the subject of changing bodies and feelings, and you've got a recipe for disaster.
Going a step further - from the sounds of it - there was something else at play in this story.  A 'pregnancy' pact infers some sort of group mentality.  For those same Intro to Psychology folks, group mentality can be similiar to 'Mob Mentality' in which common sense, principle and virtue can be over-ridden psychologically as the individuals find comfort, belonging and strength in groups.  I can't even begin to see the logic in making a pact to become pregnant as it would spell an early end to childhood and great responsibility at an early age.  I mean perhaps these girls have some how been brainwashed into thinking by someone outside the school, but again to what ends and purpose i can't begin to guess.

the fact that older boys, sometimes homeless were the fathers really puts a furhter puzzling spin on it.

To be fair, i saw a stat that siad that teen pregnancy actually went up last year - the first time in years and that has researchers puzzled as well.

We ARE truly lucky to live in the community we do - as it sometimes goes in the opposite direction in rural communities as when there's nothing to do on a regualr basis - kids find ways of beating boredom in sex, drugs and crime.

[dearon]

I can only comment on one thing.  Where the heck were the parents in all this!  No communication, no parenting, do they even know where their daughters were?
I raised 5 children and did not have that problem.  I gave them some independance, when it was abused, it they were punished appropriately.  I always knew where my children were and most of the time what they were doing and with whom. Yes it was difficult, I had three teenages at once,  we all lived through it.  My children may have thought, at times, I was the meanest parent and I didn't care.  I was their parent, not their buddy.    It takes lots of work to raise children and I was a working mother as well.  Pact or no pact it is about being able to communicate and instill values in your children. Religion often plays a part in it, but for the most part doesn't.  Unfortunately, less people go to follow religion now than ever.
Being a watchful parent takes lots of work I don't entirely blame the child.  After all they are still children under 16.....

[Mummy]

I also believe being an active and involved parent helps BUT it takes a VILLAGE to raise a child, the old time saying hasn't changed, in my opinion.  The VILLAGE has a responsibility to ACT on certain behaviors as well as the parent!  Remember silence is a form of approval.  You are either part of the solution or you are part of the problem.  Education is very important on these topics.  Create an environment where the children CAN discuss these topics freely and openly.  You have to talk about it for the children to know how you feel.