Writen by Vanda Somdjeu
Statistics have shown that teenage birth rate has declined but that doesn't mean teens still don't get pregnant.
So Imagine, as a parent, your teenage daughter tells you she is pregnant, how would you react?
Would you condemn her for bringing you shame and disgrace, or stand by her in her most difficult moment?
In A Second Chance , a novella aimed at teenagers and young adults, the author raises this issue in a beautiful love story between two young people. Shura the protagonist finds out she is pregnant while preparing for her final exams. Her Christian convictions keep her from terminating her pregnancy, a decision she doesn't regret especially as things go well in the end for her. But she goes on an emotional roller coaster ride as she fights the condemning world around her, beginning with herself.
Like Shura, many young girls who get pregnant are unable to escape the condemning world around them especially in Africa.
No one realizes the emotional strife they are going through, they are normally their own worst judge. And that is enough punishment in itself.
So if your teenage daughter tells you she is pregnant, think about what she must be going through, instead of worrying more about what the world out there will say and consequently reprobating her.
Talk openly with your daughter, listen to her and let her talk to you, be a parent and a friend no matter how bad the situation may seem. She will appreciate you better as a friend and parent.
Vanda Somdjeu is author of VanDiane Books, a brand of books exposing African culture through fiction romance. http://www.vandasomdjeu.com
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