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'16 And Pregnant' Recap: Taylor Realizes Why 'Kids Shouldn't Have Kids'!
Taylor decided not to give her baby up for adoption, but discovers how hard it is to be a single teen parent when her boyfriend isn’t the dad he promised he’d be.
Taylor Lumas was an average high school student from Ohio until she found out she was 15-years-old and pregnant. Taylor’s mom Debi suggested that she consider giving her baby up for adoption like she did when she was 17, but Taylor and her boyfriend Nathan were convinced they had what it took to raise a baby.
Both Nathan and Taylor grew up without fathers, and Nathan was adamant that he would be an active part of his child’s life. Taylor, young and naive, figured she was better suited than most parents out there and therefore could do a fine job caring for a baby despite her age and financial situation.
Debi still had her doubts, and made sure that the young couple knew she couldn’t contribute much financially to care for their daughter. Taylor wised up fast and spent the summer babysitting for her older sister so she could save up to provide for her baby. Nathan, on the other hand, knew he should get a job but slacked off all summer because he figured his mother could just pay for everything.
Taylor wasn’t prepared for how hard labor was, but that was only the beginning. Because they couldn’t afford day care, Taylor had to give up going to school and took classes online. Nathan still went to high school and didn’t have to spend all day holed up alone with a baby. The worst part of it was Nathan didn’t even feel bad about the inequality of their relationship, he just kept insisting that he should be the one who gets to go to school when she would tell him how hard it was to be so isolated.
On the nights he would stay over to help Taylor he would lay in bed and refuse to do anything she asked him. Instead he would hurl insults at her and accuse HER of being lazy. Eventually Taylor’s mom was fed up with watching her daughter be so mistreated and confronted Nathan for his bad behavior and all he did was claim Taylor would never give him credit when he did his “turn”…
“This is why kids shouldn’t have kids,” exclaimed a frustrated Debi.
Debi also asked that Nathan get a job and he and his mother contribute financially because it wasn’t fair that they were strapped with all the fiscal responsibility. In the end Nathan and Taylor try to give their relationship one last shot, but it is strained.
At one point Debi tries to defend Taylor by saying that people have to remeber that they are only kids, but Taylor’s older sister reminds her that they were adult enough to get themselves in this situation and should be adult enough to raise a baby. I think that is a very honest truth that is missed by most people on this show. If a young couple makes the decision to have a baby as teenagers and not consider adoption they have to be ready to accept the consequences and not be flustered when they are stripped of their social lives and relationships.
These kids make such big decisions without truly understanding what it means to be a parent. Nathan wanted to be a “dad” but when it came down to it he didn’t want to put in the work which was completely unfair to Taylor, especilly because on top of that he was emotionally abusive towards her. When Nathan found out she was pregnant he was excited and want to go out and buy baby clothes, that is such a small an unrealistic idea of what it means to be a parent. They all say they can handle being woken up all night and then having to contend with cranky babies all day, but they don’t understand how hard it is until their friends are all out at football games and they’re at home with dirty diapers and a crying baby.
In the aftershow, Taylor reveals that Nathan cheated on her while she was pregnant and based on Taylor’s Facebook page it seems that they are no longer together and he is enjoying his freedom to pursue relationships with other girls. I wouldn’t be surprised if he still hasn’t found a job. I think for girls who find themselves in Taylor’s position they should really make sure their boyfriend knows what he’s in for when he refuses adoption, because the fact he never got a job that summer proved he really wasn’t ready to be the father he claimed he wanted to be.
Tell us what you thought of Taylor’s episode. Do you think her mother was right and she should have given her baby Aubri up for adoption?
Nicole Fukuoka
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