Scarleteen

it really bothers me that people pretend to be pregnant for some reason or another. in highschool you see it alot more than you reasonably should. It just really bothers me because i dont think they realize how scary it really is to have a test come up possitive. I have a year and a half of highschool left and the baby is due mid september this year. Im terrified that im not going to graduate on time. School administration assures me that if i put in the work theyll make sure i graduate, but thats alot of stress. I have to do all my 12 courses distance learning and i really dont know how im going to do that. Its hard and its scary. why do people think its okay to pretend like that?

Hi Markopollo,

That's likely one of those questions where the answer varies widely from person to person. Is it something you've seen a lot at your school or in your community?

Hi Markopollo,

Can I also ask if you are required to do distance learning or do you have the option to complete your courses at your high school?

I know in really young girls (I'm talking <10) it's often about pretending to be grown-up, or wanting to be like people they admire, the same reason they tend to like baby dolls. In teenagers, though, the issue's a bit more complicated. There is obviously an undeniable evolutionary urge to procreate, even though we mostly logic through it these days. As you know very well, it is terrifying to be pregnant while young and still in school, or honestly in any situation that you don't have complete control of and feel safe in. That is something that people who aren't (and haven't been) pregnant simply cannot understand. For them, it's just another fantasy, like pretending a lollipop is a cigarette: they get most (though not all) of the psychological reward with only a few of the consequences (for example, the social judgement). Furthermore, some people do it to keep the attention of boyfriends or significant others, because they are afraid of losing them. If you're speaking specifically of Gaby Rodriguez from The Pregnancy Project, she was attempting to document and help to destroy the stigma that surrounds teenage mothers. While this can be seen as insensitive (because, in some ways, it is), it also has a purpose that will hopefully help people in your situation - ideally, it already has.