[ScottGem]

We have told you what the law is. That won't change. But, if your home life is as you have said, then you might want contact your local Family Services agency.

Also he is guilty of sexual misconduct under Arkansas law:
Sexual Misconduct - Section 5-14-107 (a) A person commits sexual misconduct if he engages in sexual intercourse or deviate sexual activity with another person not his spouse who is less than sixteen (16) years old.
(b) Sexual misconduct is a Class B misdemeanor.

It is sounding like you planned this pregnancy in the hopes that it would help you get out of the house. If so that was a foolish, immature thing to do. It may be one thing to watch a baby brother, change diapers, feed etc. But caring for a newborn full time is very different. Plus you have no clue how much it will cost to care for the child. As a 15 yr old you can't earn close to enough money, even the two of you (assuming he doesn't go to jail).

[Mason123]

How would he be guilty when there is only about a year between us

[Alty]

I understand that and with both of us working im sure we coild do it along with his familys help, i have people to help and i already have a lot of diapers and clothes and all of that just need to get formula. Thats it, i already hve most of it different sizes of diapers up to threes.

I still don't think you get it. When my son was born I had to go to the store every second day for diapers. Luckily I breastfed, so I didn't have to buy the very expensive formula.

You may have things already, but those things won't last long. Diapers, formula, and clothes, well, you'll be buying every single week. Formula alone will cost you hundreds of dollars every month, diapers too.

What about the delivery? Do you have the $12,000 plus to deliver your baby? Do you have the $250 per doctors visit that you'll have to pay when the baby is born? What if there are complications? Mothers your age usually have complications when they give birth, that's why people preach about teen pregnancy. Your body is not ready to have a child, and that can cause major issues. What if you or the baby has to spend an extended period in the hospital?

Unless you have a job where you're making over $50,000 a year, just you, you won't be able to afford this baby, even then it will be tough. Forget about the bf's income. Soon you'll be doing this on your own, because the chances of you two staying together, well, the odds aren't good. You'd have a better chance winning the lottery.

I hate to be the voice of reason, especially since I'm sure you won't listen, or you won't accept that what I'm saying is true. But, your fantasy baby, well, the reality isn't nearly as easy as you seem to think it will be. This is going to be the hardest thing you ever do. My main concern is the baby, because the baby deserves the best, and at 14, you really can't provide that.

Just my opinion.

[ScottGem]

How would he be guilty when there is only about a year between us

Did you read the law I posted. He can defend against a rape charge based on a close in age exemption. But that doesn't apply to the Sexual Misconduct charge. If charges are brought against him he will have a criminal record, which won't help his ability to earn money.

[J_9]

15 year olds just don't get it. I recently delivered a baby to a 15 year old girl. She laid in the bed texting her friends as I was doing full blown CPR to her baby that was born dead. Yes, I said DEAD. She believed that all babies were born this way and that we did CPR to all babies.

Her family pulled the plug on that baby yesterday, and we said goodbye to a beautiful little 6 pound angel.

They think that an $8 an hour part time job will be enough money to get them through. They are sadly mistaken. It's a shame girls this young believe they can keep their babies and give them a good life because they can't.

[JudyKayTee]

Apparently when you're 14 and pregnant you know everything.

How sad for the child about to be born.

[cdad]

15 year olds just don't get it. I recently delivered a baby to a 15 year old girl. She laid in the bed texting her friends as I was doing full blown CPR to her baby that was born dead. Yes, I said DEAD. She believed that all babies were born this way and that we did CPR to all babies.

Her family pulled the plug on that baby yesterday, and we said goodbye to a beautiful little 6 pound angel.

They think that an $8 an hour part time job will be enough money to get them through. They are sadly mistaken. It's a shame girls this young believe they can keep their babies and give them a good life because they can't.

Im sorry for your loss. Not many know how to measure the commitment of the nurses in the night as they come and go to watch those that can not watch after themselves.

[J_9]

Im sorry for your loss. Not many know how to measure the commitment of the nurses in the night as they come and go to watch those that can not watch after themselves.

Thank you Cali. But my point was that these are children we are talking about her. They don't understand that things can, and do go wrong. They are not fully aware of how much time, dedication and money it takes to raise a child.

They are still children themselves and have no real knowledge of what it takes to raise a child whether the child is healthy or has special needs.

[Wondergirl]

This is why 4-H Club was so popular when I was in my early teens. Raising a calf or foal (or puppy) and taking it to the county fair for judging took a lot of time and energy, so that youngsters weren't at all interested in having human babies. And my mom had her last one when I was 16, so helping care for my little brother killed any "baby hunger" I had.

[JudyKayTee]

Im sorry for your loss. Not many know how to measure the commitment of the nurses in the night as they come and go to watch those that can not watch after themselves.

This is off topic and will probably get pulled BUT I don't get much of a chance to say "thanks" to Nurses everywhere. I've posted this before - it was the Nurses who made the difference when my late husband was so ill. They answered questions and cared for him and cared about him and propped me up on more than one occasion.

The Doctors wore their expensive shoes and drifted in and out, looking vague and troubled.

It's the Nurses who kept that hospital going - and I think it's probably like that everywhere!

So - thanks to J9 and all of the Nurses out there who are like her.

[J_9]

This is off topic and will probably get pulled BUT I don't get much of a chance to say "thanks" to Nurses everywhere. I've posted this before - it was the Nurses who made the difference when my late husband was so ill. They answered questions and cared for him and cared about him and propped me up on more than one occasion.

The Doctors wore their expensive shoes and drifted in and out, looking vague and troubled.

It's the Nurses who kept that hospital going - and I think it's probably like that everywhere!

So - thanks to J9 and all of the Nurses out there who are like her.

It won't get pulled if I have anything to do with it Judy. Thank you for your thanks, but that is just what we do, we don't expect thanks or gratitude, we do this because it is our passion to help others just as I am trying to help this girl.

She doesn't realize the time and expense that a baby is going to bring. She may have "raised" herself or some siblings, but that is a totally different animal than raising a newborn. It's like comparing apples to oranges.

While I commend her for wanting to take responsibility for her predicament, it is not in the best interest of the baby at hand.

[alkalineangel]

I just want to tell the OP that I became pregnant with my first child at 19 years old, with a boy I had dated for 3 years. Even at 19, and a high school degree, this was terribly difficult. Even with our parents support and both of us working. We got married so our insurance would be better, and because we thought the baby would make our love grow. We struggled with bills, we struggled with having enough to eat, and because we could not afford daycare, worked opposite shifts. This meant that one of us was always alone with the baby for 1/2 of the day, and working for the other 1/2. To top it off, our son suffered with Reflux and GERD and also had a hernia. He screamed for 2-3 hours straight each night, even with medicine and then threw up for the rest of the time. Eventually we had to have surgery to repair his hernia. Our medical bills were through the roof. We never went out, we never ate out, we didn't have cable tvs or cell phones, we used the internet at the library, our friends moved on and did their own things. Years later,when our first son was 7, we divorced, because we realized that we weren't those 19 year old kids anymore, we were nothing alike, and we were never going to make something work that never should've worked to begin with. I don't regret my son, and even though I have risen up and finished college and bettered myself, it was the hardest struggle I have ever had. I am 29 now, and JUST NOW are things starting to ease up for me. I just wanted you to know that things never go like you think they will, and since you're under 18 things will be harder. The chances of you and your boyfriend remaining together are slim (not saying you won't, just saying the odds are against you) Just make sure you think things through well. Good luck to you

[LisaDee]

Excuse me but I myself are fourteen and pregnant and have decided to keep this child. I fully understand that I will never have the life 'every teenager' apparently dreams of. Though I will be happy knowing that I have created a new life. I also know that having to raise a child isn't no luxury. Not every underage pregnant girl is that foolish. Don't judge everyone on one idiots mistake.

[JudyKayTee]

Excuse me but I myself are fourteen and pregnant and have decided to keep this child. I fully understand that i will never have the life 'every teenager' apparently dreams of. Though i will be happy knowing that i have created a new life. I also know that having to raise a child aint no luxury. Not every underage pregnant girl is that foolish. Dont judge everyone on one idiots mistake.

How are you intending to support this child? Good that you are happy to create a new life. Which foolish idiot are you referencing?

[Alty]

Excuse me but I myself are fourteen and pregnant and have decided to keep this child. I fully understand that i will never have the life 'every teenager' apparently dreams of. Though i will be happy knowing that i have created a new life. I also know that having to raise a child aint no luxury. Not every underage pregnant girl is that foolish. Dont judge everyone on one idiots mistake.

I'm sorry, but I have to ask, how are you going to raise this child? Where I live the only place you're old enough to work at is McDonalds. So how are you going to support this child? By support I mean putting a roof over it's head, food on the table, clothes on it's back, doctor visits, etc. etc. etc. Doubt you can afford that even if you do get a job at McDonalds working 80 hours a week.

Being on welfare, or letting your parents pay to raise your child, is not being a parent, and it's not being responsible. So please, enlighten me, who's paying for this child, taxpayers? If so, then you do have the luxurious part of the deal, since I'm working so you can "bring a new life" into this world. :(

[JudyKayTee]

I'm sorry, but I have to ask, how are you going to raise this child? Where I live the only place you're old enough to work at is McDonalds. So how are you going to support this child? By support I mean putting a roof over it's head, food on the table, clothes on it's back, doctor visits, etc. etc. etc. Doubt you can afford that even if you do get a job at McDonalds working 80 hours a week.

Being on welfare, or letting your parents pay to raise your child, is not being a parent, and it's not being responsible. So please, enlighten me, who's paying for this child, taxpayers? If so, then you do have the luxurious part of the deal, since I'm working so you can "bring a new life" into this world. :(

She already knows it ain't no luxury - whatever that means.

[Alty]

She already knows it ain't no luxury - whatever that means.

I think it means that we get to work 40 hours a week so that part of our paycheque can go to supporting her and her child. But, she will have to actually take care of the baby, at least while her mother isn't there to help her, or when the father doesn't have visitation every second weekend. :(

Just makes me want to scream. Babies having babies. They have no idea! None at all. Pregnancy is the easy part. It takes more than knowing "it ain't no luxury" to be a parent. Sadly the only one that's going to suffer is this unborn child. I weep for the future.

Where did society go wrong? That's what I'd like to know. Was teen pregnancy always this big a problem and we just didn't know about it before the internet, or is technology, and teen parenting, part of the problem with today's teens? Is it lack of education, or just plain stupidity? Who's raising these teens to think that being a mom at 14 is cool?

I can only say that at almost 14 my son has no desire to parent a child. Thank Dog! Then again, I wouldn't allow it, and yes, I do think that the parents of these children allow way too much, like dating, and too much time out of their supervision. The parents are partly to blame, in my opinion.

[Fr_Chuck]

I think it means that we get to work 40 hours a week so that part of our paycheque can go to supporting her and her child. But, she will have to actually take care of the baby, at least while her mother isn't there to help her, or when the father doesn't have visitation every second weekend. :(

Just makes me want to scream. Babies having babies. They have no idea! None at all. Pregnancy is the easy part. It takes more than knowing "it ain't no luxury" to be a parent. Sadly the only one that's going to suffer is this unborn child. I weep for the future.

Where did society go wrong? That's what I'd like to know. Was teen pregnancy always this big a problem and we just didn't know about it before the internet, or is technology, and teen parenting, part of the problem with today's teens? Is it lack of education, or just plain stupidity? Who's raising these teens to think that being a mom at 14 is cool?

I can only say that at almost 14 my son has no desire to parent a child. Thank Dog! Then again, I wouldn't allow it, and yes, I do think that the parents of these children allow way too much, like dating, and too much time out of their supervision. The parents are partly to blame, in my opinion.

Actually she can drop the kid off at a day care center where your tax money pays for the child to be looked after while she either goes back to school or gets a job. I do martial arts at a center that does almost nothing but that. Then they get them into pre K programs paid by our tax money for free education. Not to say the free health care under medicaid for mother and child,
I could keep going but I am seeing if my passport is in order to move.

[Alty]

actually she can drop the kid off at a day care center where your tax money pays for the child to be looked after while she either goes back to school or gets a job. I do martial arts at a center that does almost nothing but that. Then they get them into pre K programs paid by our tax money for free education. Not to say the free health care under medicaid for mother and child,
I could keep going but I am seeing if my passport is in order to move.

So we all work our butts off while they continue their education, other people look after their children, they get free medical which the taxpayers pay for? Ya, that seems fair (sarcasm). :(

No wonder so many teens are getting pregnant, it's a free ride in a fancy car that someone else is paying for. Makes me mad. If we want to end teen pregnancy then don't give them anything. Make them work for it, like the rest of us do. Make them live in cardboard boxes on the streets if they can't afford a home, make them dig through trash cans for moldy food if they can't afford to put food on the table, make them wear the same clothes week after week. Maybe then they'll finally realize that being a 14 year old mother isn't as much fun as they think it will be when society finally says they've had enough and will no longer give that support.

A new life my arse! That new life is doomed to become just like the mom! :(

[Wondergirl]

All should be rendered sterile until five years after marriage vows are taken.