Why teens should take parenting classes

Fatimah Fasasi
ENG1D
9/25/2014
TEENS AND PARENTING CLASSES In this day and age, teenage pregnancy is becoming more and more common. One of the easier ways to educate them is for them to take parenting classes, to learn what it’s like to take care of a child. As a result of this they will learn that it is not as easy as it seems. In my essay, I will be discussing why I think teens should be required to take parenting classes. It will let them see the consequences of raising a child, they will learn valuable skills, and at a young age, financially they just wouldn’t be able to raise a child. My first point is perhaps the most important in my opinion. The reason for that being, if the teenagers know the consequences before hand, at least, they would rethink their decisions and try to abstain from it. Therefore there could possibly be less teen pregnancies in the world. The class could also educate what the limitations are on one’s life if they do have a child. Example, if your friends are out going to prom and having fun doing teenage things, while you are stuck at home taking care of your child, you would probably wish you were with them. Also in your teenage years when you should be thinking about an education and dreaming about your future, stressing over exams and test, you shouldn’t be stressing over a child. So this just shows how it restricts one to do the things they want, especially in their teenage years. This brings me to my next point: life skills. If you are taking parenting classes, chances are you will need all the info you learned in that class, later on in life. Learning how to change diapers, bathe infants and young children, basic domestic skills etc. would be very important to know later on in life. In order to be a good parent, most teenagers would need to learn a lot of skills in a short amount of time, and the vast amount of things they need to comprehend can easily be overwhelming. By going through the skills step by step in a classroom environment, these necessary skills become much more manageable, and all students can gain rewards from these newly learned skills, even those who do not plan on having children. A high school parenting class will be able to make the student know that being a parent is a full day job and these classes help teens realize what you have to be able to take on, in order to be a capable parent. Social class, wealth and income also play a big role in decision. My third and final point is, they most likely won’t be able to afford it. Teenagers would learn that taking care of a child is not as easy as it seems, and that without a proper income they can’t even dream of having a child. Instead of saving up for college they would be saving up for having a baby. In these classes they would realize how much it actually costs to raise a child and the stress it comes with. In conclusion, I think teenagers should be required to take parenting classes because it will benefit them in the future in many ways and will teach them the cons and pros of teenage pregnancy. Overall I think the class would be a real eye opener to them all. Especially now a days, where teenage mothers account for one in ten new mothers out there, parenting classes are one of the most beneficial ways.