Holy Cow, I'm going to be Great Uncle Green!
That's right ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls... The first thing I heard as I walked in the door late tonight was that I, your humble correspondent, am - in nine months time- to become a great uncle.
Can you believe that?
Quite frankly I can, considering the news comes from the most dysfunctional part of my wonderful family.
You see, my idiotic and highly irresponsible 16 year old nephew, got his idiotic and highly irresponsible 16 year old girlfriend pregnant. If there is any silver lining in this cloud of irresponsible idiocy is that they, in conjunction with her parents (I suppose {and hope}) have decided to keep the baby and not opt for an abortion, which is, in my opinion, murder at any stage of fetal growth.
My first reaction upon hearing the news is that I hope they decide to put the child up for adoption, which is the sanest option, since neither my nephew or his girlfriend are in any way, shape or form, ready to be parents. (Heck, I don't really think I was quite prepared for full-blown parenthood at 27, when my daughter was born in 1997, and she was a planned pregnancy. Nearly 10 years later, I am still dumbstruck by this more often than I care to admit.)
Apparently they are frowning upon the adoption path because neither one of them can handle having a child out there that they don't know and would always wonder about. I can only hope that cooler heads will prevail in the next nine months and this will be the conclusion that is reached. I know that I will suggest this to my nephew when I see him, whenever I see him, repeatedly if I have to, even if my opinion is not asked for (which it won't be, I'm sure).
I'm told that my sister's reaction and my ex-brother-in-law's reaction were quite rational and level headed. Though I doubt it, especially in regard to my ex-brother-in-law, who is the polar opposite of level headed in any sense of the term. I question my sister's reaction too, though I can reasonably assume she handled it in a much better fashion than he did.
It will be interesting to get her take on the situation when I talk to her next.
Seriously can't wait for that conversation.... [sigh]
posted by Tim @ 23:58
9 Comments:
Holy Cow!
That's incredible!
I can't imagine having a baby at 16, but I'm glad they have ruled against abortion.
Best of luck to all involved
You never know Green. This might be one of those occasions where your nephew and his girlfriend rise to the occasion (no pun intended). Though it is going to take extreme dedication on your nephew's part, they could make it work. There's should be resources in their area to help them at least until they can graduate. Assistance with food and health insurance AND (they are probably no where thinking of this now) it's a lot easier to get funding for college courses if they have a dependent. It's hard work, very hard work, but definitely possible to succeed and still have a baby so young.
if they chose not to end the pregnancy, that's their choice and i think everyone should respect it.
The important thing is that they had the choice.
kayla: I'm glad they have too and yes, luck is needed.
autumn: they could make it work - there's always the chance, though I don't have confidence he can do it. I hope I'm wrong, though. I would hope that they'd use all available resources to help themselves and I hope their parents will suggest all avenues of assistance.
AG: I'm glad they had the chioce, too and chose not to end the pregnancy. I'd much rather see them keep the baby and struggle than walk away by aborting it, which teaches them nothing if there's always an easy way out. I still think adoption is the best way to go, though
hang on a minute - are you actually in favour of a woman's right to choose (despite, quite obviously, being opposed to abortion itself)?
If so then you've got my respect - it's a subtle postion a lot of people don't seem to be able to manage without getting a lot of flack.
AG: Yes, while I think abortion is wrong and equates to murder, I understand that I have no right to impose my preferences on someone else.
That's why I always shudder when I hear of aortion clinic shootings, bombings, etc. The actions of those nutjobs in no way will stop a woman who is set on having an abortion. And better for a trained physician to do it safely than for a woman to perform a self-abortion (which does happen, sadly) and risk herself as well as killing the fetus/baby.
Ultimately, the woman who has an abortion will have to deal with her own conscience about it, which I can only imagine would be a rough road for anyone to travel.
Plus there's the fact that, Christian or not, everyone will one day stand before God and justify their actions, thoughts, words, etc.
that's one of the most nuanced arguments I've heard you make - you should develop it into a GVD post! It should generate some good discussion.
AG: is this nuanced argument of mine a good thing or bad? I'm not sure I want to go there on GvD...
nuance is a good thing.
and i think it's perfect for GvD. besides the issue being one that is highly relevant (people's views on abortion usually have either scientific or religious underpinings), it'd be a good opportunity to show that even someone as firmly in one camp as you are can still buck the party line as it were.
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