A Personal Experience of Working at Winn-Dixie and Opinion on Teenage Pregnancy

When I was fourteen years old, I worked at Winn-Dixie, a huge grocery store that was ten minutes walking distance from my house. One day, after-school I got ready to go to work. Of course, I did not drive, so I walked to work. Once I got there and opened my register, a young pregnant female that looked extremely frustrated by the child, who was rolling around in the cart with all the groceries came through my line. He was one obnoxious little two-year-old, throwing groceries on the conveyer belt and demanding candies.

Meanwhile, the poor teenage-mother was fumbling through her purse searching for her WIC papers. It was such a sorry sight to watch because she looked so frustrated with the child and her inability to locate where her papers were. Having a child at a young age is a huge responsibility. Moreover, teenagers having babies can affect the mothers education forcing her to work lower paying jobs, can alter their lifestyle causing them miss out on the recreational activities, and cause financial burden for the mother.

I was working as a part time cashier at Winn-Dixie and attending school. I did not intend to work there for the rest of my life. I believed that I would eventually graduate college and enter a well paying career. While on the other hand, this seventeen-year-old will remain uneducated because she already has a two-year old child and another on the way. However, I will have a career to focus on and will not have to work as many hours to support my family.

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That will mean more time towards taking care of my family by being home, rather then being at work for most of my childrens childhood. Because of the pregnancy, the teenage-mother will continue to be uneducated, work many hours and drift away from sharing a close bond with her children.

Furthermore, teenagers should not have babies because their lifestyle would change dramatically. Her friends would probably stop coming around to go hang out and party. My friends are dear to my heart. Moreover, my best friend and I get ready for a party at my house, wearing outfits that are outrageous and doing each others make-up. It is a ritual for us that we enjoy very much. I would hate to be restricted from enjoying my life. When I am seventeen, I want to act like a careless stupid teenager, not a responsible, liable mother to two children.

In addition, teenagers rarely have money to go shopping for themselves, yet they think they can afford to have children and support them. The idea of having a child is ridiculous to me because my parents pay for my college education, Visa credit card bill, and the Toyota that I drive. I would not dream of breaking their trust and love for me by getting pregnant during my teenage years. On the contrary, the teenage girl would have to work to pay for the childs medical expenses if the child got sick, an apartment if her parents threw her out of the house, clothing and food for her babies as well as herself, and toys for the child. I am a person of pride and hate to take handouts, but this teenage mother would have to use government assistance to provide for the children, which to me is degrading.

Nevertheless, teenagers should be afraid to face the harsh consequences and be prepared to take on the duty as parents. I know that I am too young to be solely accountable for another human being. I want to be free of financial burdens, and to be able to enjoy my teenage years. A child is a blessing, not a curse, and unless I am ready to take care of that blessing, I will not get pregnant and feel trapped in a horrible mistake.