YOUNG DADS LEARN THE ROPES

TEEN PARENTING

Read the full article in Issue 56 - Winter 2016/’17 of ‘Changing Ireland’!

Flick through the pages or download the PDF here: http://bit.ly/CI-Iss56-Winter2016-17

 YOUNG DADS LEARN THE ROPES 

BY CIAN MATTHEW KEARNS

  When you hear the words “teen parent” the mind jumps to a scared young girl and an absent father. Yet, this is often not the case. 

Young dads from Ballyfermot discovered inner strengths 

and also that there’s no mountain, never mind any hill, 

that they can’t climb. These are not trips for the faint-hearted or softies!

A 2012 study by Crisis Pregnancy revealed that, in general, adolescent males who are parents believe they should take responsibility for the pregnancy and not leave everything up to their girlfriend (where applicable). Furthermore, given a range of preferences for the future, 38% of those surveyed wanted to stay with their girlfriend and raise the baby together. While surprising to some, this reflects reality. Almost a third of young parents are already cohabiting. 

Margaret Morris, co-ordinator of the national ‘Teen Parents Support Programme’, explains that keeping fathers involved in their child’s life is crucial, even if their parents’ relationship has ended.