Blog #1.

Gretchen Otto

Blog #1

            For my first blog entry I decided to analyze a Teen Mom episode.  I chose an episode from season two.  I thought this was a great piece of media that reflects not only on adolescent girls, but boys as well.  This show consists of four mothers raising their child/children.  Chelsea, Jenelle, Kailyn, and Leah are the four mothers that I will be referencing in my blog.  The episode I watched was focused on the mothers in college or trying to start college. 

            Chelsea is a single mother but is still dating the baby daddy, Adam.  Although, Adam does not contribute to the baby financially one bit.  Chelsea’s father is very wealthy and has provided opportunities for Chelsea that the others girls are not fortunate to have.  Her father purchased a house for Chelsea, her baby, and her best friend to live in.  This shows that Chelsea does not have the challenge of finding a place to live like the other girls.  Chelsea’s father is also paying for her college tuition.  Her father is constantly on her case asking her how school is going.  Did you finish your homework?  Have you started studying for your test yet? Those are the type of questions Chelsea is often asked by her father.  Just because she is an adolescent, he does not thinks he is capable of taking care of her baby and doing well in school.  He thinks he still needs to “father” her even though she is moved out and on her own. 

            Jenelle is a single mother living with her mother and her mother’s boyfriend.  Jenelle and her mother do not get along one bit.  Her mother believes that Jenelle is a terrible mother and can’t handle anything.  This is a perfect example of how adolescent’s feelings are not taking seriously.  Jenelle’s mother does not care about Jenelle’s feelings and thinks she has a lot of growing up to do.  Jenelle is constantly being told she has no idea what she is doing and is ruining her baby’s life.  Jenelle’s mother currently has temporary custody of Jace, Jenelle’s baby, until Jenelle is capable of taking care of him.  This family is more in the lower class.  Jenelle really wants to go to college so she can provide a better life for Jace, but she cannot afford to do so.  Unlike Chelsea, Jenelle has a lot for challenges to deal with as an adolescent.  She has to deal with the relationship with her mother, trying to find a new place to live (and pay for it on her own), and try and fund herself so she can get a college degree. 

            Kailyn lives with her boyfriend (the baby daddy) and his parents.  She was kicked out of her own house when her mom found she was pregnant.  She then had to find a place to live for her and her baby, Iaasac.  Kailyn has two part-time jobs, a full load of credits at the local community college and is a full time mother.  This goes to show that most adolescents know what they want and know what they need to do to be successful.  Yeah Kailyn definitely has a challenging life to say the least, but she is committed to everything she is apart of.  In the Raby article we read for class, they mentioned how adolescents are “incomplete subjects”.  Well Kailyn proves them wrong.  She knows exactly what she wants in life and is a motivated young lady.  She just had a bump in the road that she is over coming. 

            Leah is a mother of two twin girls living with her boyfriend, the father of the girls.  They live in a trailer an hour away from Leah’s family.  Leah’s boyfriend has a full time job.  Leah is a stay at home mother taking care of the twins.  They have financial instability.  Especially since Leah does not have a job.  They would not be able to afford childcare, and neither of their families lives close enough to take care of the girls. 

            After watching this episode it really hit me that the role of women has not changed all that much over the years, especially in Chelsea and Leah’s life where their boyfriends do not help out with caring for the children.  When I read the Kearney article I stated in my discussion that I do believe the role for women as changed.  I still believe that to a certain point, but watching this episode made me think more about it.  In Chelsea’s case, her boyfriend lives with her and does not help with financial support or taking care of the baby.  Also, in Leah’s case her boyfriend works a full time job and is off on the weekends.  During the weekends he is off you would think that he would give Leah a break and help out with the twin, but no.  She is the main role for caring for the children. 

            Years ago it was like that too.  The women were the only source for caring of the children.  Yeah it has changed for an extent, but not totally.  The perception of women is still the main role of taking care of the kids. 

            Social class is definitely a significant role in how adolescents act.  In Chelsea’s case where she is upper class, she has everything handed to her and it is easier to succeed.  Whereas, Jenelle is lower class and does not have any financial stability what so ever. 

Citations

Kearney, Mary Celeste. Producing Girls. New York: Routledge, 2006. Print.

Raby, Rebecca. "Chapter One: Conducting Research With Adolescents." Across a Great Gulf? 39-54. Print.

"Teen Mom 2 | Ep. 5 | 'Too Much, Too Fast' | MTV." New Music Videos, Reality TV Shows, Celebrity News, Top Stories | MTV. 9 Feb. 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2011. <http://www.mtv.com/videos/teen-mom-2-ep-5-too-much-too-fast/1657487/playlist.jhtml#series=2211&seriesId=34714&channelId=1>.