4 Babies, another on the way

Dallas Morning News ^ | 11.28/2004 | Jennifer Emily

[sinkspur]

Once a party girl, teen mother struggles to raise quadruplets

Amanda Davis was 17 when she met Jimmy Calabrese. He was 27 and married. They shared cigarettes and a passion for NASCAR. Amanda was at a low point in her life, and he "filled in the empty place. If I wasn't with him, I was thinking about my life and how I messed up." Within two months, she was pregnant. Now Jimmy doesn't visit much or pay child support. Her mother lives in Denver. Her father is in jail. Amanda's salvation is her 61-year-old grandmother, Connie Franklin. Everyone, family or not, calls her Granny.

Amanda and Granny sit on opposite ends of the couch, each holding a baby. Amanda leans forward, rocking Lexi gently but quickly back and forth. Granny lays her head back, closing her eyes and patting Abby.

"I wish someone would give me a bottle and put me to sleep," Granny says to no one in particular. Today, she stole a few minutes to wash her long red hair. She never got a chance to brush it.

[ItCanHappenToYou]

Of course sexually active people of all ages should use contraception if they are not ready to become parents.
Nothing's perfect, including conntraceptive methods,which is why physicians often recommend using redundant methods. But using contraception gives you a better chance of avoiding pregnancy than using nothing at all. Do you agree?

Abstinence is fine, if you can do it, and should certainly be encouraged. It is good for many reasons,not just avoiding pregnancy and diseae but also for avoiding psychological traumas from premature sexual experimentation and for avoiding heartbreak at a young age.

Unfortunately, not everyone has the strength of character to do remain abstinent. These are people at risk, people for whom contraception is a must, imo. I frankly don't understand why anyone would think that sexually active teens shouldn't rely upon contraception; it's certainly less risky than using nothing at all.

Stats on effectiveness of contraceptives:
http://www.mckinley.uiuc.edu/health-info/sexual/birthcon/thnk-bc.html

Your mileage may vary.

[Yaelle]

But using contraception gives you a better chance of avoiding pregnancy than using nothing at all. Do you agree?

Absolutely. I know people, though, who ended up pregnant on many different birth control methods, INCLUDING permanent sterilization. Luckily, they were married people.

I like very much what you wrote about how sex is bad for young people also for emotional reasons. We underestimate what heartbreak can do to the young, hormone-addled brains of both boys and girls. Sex and drugs should be avoided by minors. I think rock and roll would be OK, LOL, but NO VIDEOS.

[ItCanHappenToYou]

I had a neighbor who supposedly had no tubes and her husband ran on ...half a tank ...when they got married. Their daughter is about to graduate high school.:D

C'est la vie.

[cmotormac44]

after we cut thru all the BS, she is just another 'little tramp' who gave her ass away (and keeps on giving, like the Energizer bunny)---I only feel pity for the kids who have less than an honest chance to grow up and be something better

[Baraonda]

"(and keeps on giving, like the Energizer bunny)"

The Energizer Bunny keeps on going and going. This girl's batteries are reversed, and she keeps on coming and coming.

[SuziQ]

"I actually thought we would be together for a long time. For forever," Amanda said wistfully. "I never thought it would be like this."

This is so sad. She is desperate for love any way she can get it, even if she has to invent it. She is also breathtakingling STOOPID.

Is Jimmy still married? Does she really think he'd ever leave that perfect situation where he isn't faithful to his wife, but is constrained from making any other commitments? Makes it easy for him to cat around with girls like Amanda. Makes you wonder how many other kids he has in the Dallas area.