Why does everyone say a 14-year-old shouldn't have a baby if she is able to take care of a child?

Answer 1

I decided that since everybody had ridiculous answers...I would give you a straight answer that hopefully everybody would agree on without hostility.

The issue is not whether or not a 14 year old is capable of taking care of a baby. I know some mature 14 year olds who would make better mothers than some women who are in their 20s and 30s. However, raising a baby is a lot of hard work and requires time, energy, money and it would change your life drastically. The percentage of teen girls who have a baby and graduate from high school is very slim. So when thinking of having a baby, you would need to consider very seriously if you would be able to graduate high school and how much more difficult it would be with a baby than without.

Then you need to consider your social life. Having a baby would take up a lot of your time. Unless you would have a babysitter (and that could cost you money, unless you have a parent that would babysit for free) babysit for you. You wouldn't be able to go to parties, the movies, the mall or just hang out with friends nearly as often.

Your dating life could also change drastically. If the father of the baby stays with you, then you would be one of the few teen girls who's boyfriend stuck around once the baby was born. IF the father of the baby chooses to not stay with you, then you need to consider what your future dating life would be like. There are some good guys who would date you even though you had a child, but a lot of guys would choose not to date you because they don't want the responsilbilty of children just yet.

Another thing to consider is college and university. Do you know what you want your future career to be? Does it require college or university? If so, very few teen moms end up going to college/university because the money demands of a child is a lot and the time it takes to get a certificate or degree at university takes 2-4 years which is a lot when you have a child to raise.

I'm not saying you wouldn't be a great mom, but perhaps in making your decision, (which is a major decision at that) you need to consider every aspect of life and how much it will cost you in every way.