Parenting Classes Required for Students in Texas

September 29, 2008

Teenage pregnancy costs Texas taxpayers more than one billion dollars annually so the lone star state is now requiring that high school students take a parenting class. As part of the public school curriculum, teens will be taught fourteen one-hour lessons on topics from the price of diapers to healthy relationships and father involvement. Do you think it is a good preventative measure?

22 Comments

brielleblonde 4 years 33 weeks

christie -EVERY democratic state teaches sex education. I grew up in New Jersey and we learned about different types of birth control, STI's, and consequences for having sex. Maybe that why no girl in my entire high school was pregnant while I was a student there, because we learned early. I don't understand why all schools don't teach the same! What else are you going to learn about in Health class?

brielleblonde 4 years 33 weeks

christie - EVERY democratic state teaches sex education. I grew up in New Jersey and we learned about different types of birth control, STI's, and consequences for having sex. Maybe that why no girl in my entire high school was pregnant while I was a student there, because we learned early. I don't understand why all schools don't teach the same! What else are you going to learn about in Health class?

g1amourpuss 4 years 33 weeks

Exactly, PiNkY PiNk. "backward-ass republican way of thinking" That's why I added 'way of thinking' and the reason Republican was Lower-case, christie. :)

g1amourpuss 4 years 33 weeks

Exactly, PiNkY PiNk.<i><b>"backward-ass republican way of thinking"</i></b>That's why I added 'way of thinking' and the reason Republican was Lower-case, christie. :)

PiNkY PiNk 4 years 33 weeks

they shouldn't teach/act as if kids are a horrible thing. god, the way they make it sound it's as though children are a curse. what they should be teaching is safe sex.

CarrieJo 4 years 33 weeks

I was 14 when I became sexually active. I was surprised to notice that I had a strange desire to have a baby after I became active. Luckily I have a sister who only 2 years old at the time, so I knew from first hand experience just how hard being a parent is, and just how much I didn't really want to be a parent. I was able to chalk up my strange pregnancy desire to natural instinct and not be silly enough to actually try and get pregnant. My sister is now a senior in high school in San Antonio, TX and tells me that there are so many girls talking about wanting babies. She even knew some girls that wanted to have a baby in middle school!Having some real knowledge about the difficulties of parenting will absolutely NOT encourage most kids to go and get pregnant. I would like to see those kids have to spend some time with real babies, too, so they can have the hands-on experience. Yeah, babies are cute, but those kids will find out really quickly that babies are not just something to play dress-up with. They take a LOT of time, money and energy.

CarrieJo 4 years 33 weeks

I was 14 when I became sexually active. I was surprised to notice that I had a strange desire to have a baby after I became active. Luckily I have a sister who only 2 years old at the time, so I knew from first hand experience just how hard being a parent is, and just how much I didn't really want to be a parent. I was able to chalk up my strange pregnancy desire to natural instinct and not be silly enough to actually try and get pregnant. My sister is now a senior in high school in San Antonio, TX and tells me that there are so many girls talking about wanting babies. She even knew some girls that wanted to have a baby in middle school! Having some real knowledge about the difficulties of parenting will absolutely NOT encourage most kids to go and get pregnant. I would like to see those kids have to spend some time with real babies, too, so they can have the hands-on experience. Yeah, babies are cute, but those kids will find out really quickly that babies are not just something to play dress-up with. They take a LOT of time, money and energy.

christie 4 years 33 weeks

Teens in Texas generally have to use the system, as do teens in every other state where programs are available. They get on Medicaid, WIC, Food stamps and other public assistance programs. I have friends in other states who did the same thing and they were in their 20's, not poor just not enough to support a child. I guess what this program is trying to do is help them get off on the right start.And g1amourpuss, generalizations are not fair, not everyone in TX is Republican and other states do the same thing. I don't know of any other state that teaches sex education either...

christie 4 years 33 weeks

Teens in Texas generally have to use the system, as do teens in every other state where programs are available. They get on Medicaid, WIC, Food stamps and other public assistance programs. I have friends in other states who did the same thing and they were in their 20's, not poor just not enough to support a child. I guess what this program is trying to do is help them get off on the right start. And g1amourpuss, generalizations are not fair, not everyone in TX is Republican and other states do the same thing. I don't know of any other state that teaches sex education either...

g1amourpuss 4 years 33 weeks

I kind of had my own (VERY Liberal, yet safe) approach I wanted to take with my daughter. Dunno about that really... That would be in Texas, huh? This state is so fk'n stupid. Have they even thought about the fact that it might actually create the desire for students to have children? Fk'n backward-ass republican way of thinking.

g1amourpuss 4 years 33 weeks

arienne 4 years 33 weeks

Brielleblong - Teenage mothers often end up on public assitance. They don't get very good jobs so they don't make much money and often don't have heath care.

hithatsmybike 4 years 33 weeks

how is it a preventative measure? preventative to what, they've already got the kid!Brielleblonde, a TON of funding goes to teen moms, through social programs and social assistance. Statistics cite more than half of them jumping on the welfare wagon. They're very expensive.

hithatsmybike 4 years 33 weeks

how is it a preventative measure? preventative to what, they've already got the kid! Brielleblonde, a TON of funding goes to teen moms, through social programs and social assistance. Statistics cite more than half of them jumping on the welfare wagon. They're very expensive.

brielleblonde 4 years 33 weeks

how is teenage pregnancy costing the state of texas money? do teenage girls get some sort of funding? i don't understand..

pinkprincess1101 4 years 33 weeks

this is an awesome idea with the high teen rate pregnancy here in san antonio, texas

fjaril 4 years 34 weeks

yeah I was being sarcastic. I live in Round Rock, Tx and there are plenty of parents that goto 'sex-ed' class and watching what comes out of the teachers' mouths. It's insane. What kid is going to feel comfy with that. ugh.

fjaril 4 years 34 weeks