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"The Thing About Being A Teenage Mother...Is That I'm Young"

From: Curie Youth Radio
Length: 00:05:48

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Two teen moms talk honestly with high school interviewers about what happened when they found out they were pregnant, how they told their boyfriends and families, and where they go next. Read the full description.

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Piece Description

"What are you going to do?" said Valerie's boyfriend, when she told him she was pregnant. This piece weaves together the stories of two teen mothers from Chicago's Southwest Side who receive different levels of support from their babies' fathers and from their own families. This piece looks honestly at the sometimes disturbing takes the teens have on pregnancy ("It was like I was meant to get pregnant," says Valerie), the day-to-day pleasures the new moms feel with their children, as well as the difficulties that accompany motherhood in high school: exhaustion in class, falling grades, depression. The candid, personal, sometimes funny stories of these two young women are of concern to all listeners, from youth to parents to policy makers. On July 4, this piece was broadcast on Jake Austen's public affairs show on Chicago's WHPK 88.5.

11 Comments Atom Feed

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Review

This audio story is very interesting not only because it shares the stories of young mothers but also because it’s not exactly an interview but just young mothers talking about their experiences as a mother. I really enjoyed the music that was incorporated throughout the piece because it makes the audio piece more exciting. The overall piece was great; the way it was structured and put together was awesome. Especially because both girls had the opportunity to speak about their own experiences and give their opinions. It would have made the audio story even more interesting if the parents of the young girls would have been part of the audio story. But overall it was a great piece.

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Review of "The Thing About Being A Teenage Mother...Is That I'm Young"

Curie Youth Radio's exploration of what it is like to be a teenage mother by utilizing two very different young women effectively engages the listener in an interactive, intimate conversation. Fantasia's music that is dispersed throughout the piece helps to connect the listener with a famous figure that was also once a teenage mother. The young women featured in this piece seem honest and intimate, regardless of how socially stigmatizing teenage pregnancy can be. Some of the audio within the piece was a bit unclear, primarily during Valerie's interview. However, the piece as a whole comes full circle. The comparing and contrasting of two women, one supported and the other not, contribute to the piece's balanced nature. Overall, an effective piece that exposes some of the darker truths of teenage pregnancy.

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Review of "The Thing About Being A Teenage Mother...Is That I'm Young"

It is good to here some music in between when they talk as well in the beginning of the piece. As the two mothers talk about how they got first pregnant and how they told their boyfriend that they are pregnant. They both tell how their boyfriends reaction. Its good to here from one mother that one father is financially ready and happy to the father of their child. The other mother tells that the baby?s father gets out of jail, then goes back after the baby?s birth day. They both talk about the time line of how the first pregnant to the way their boyfriend is around them and their child. At lest some fathers are there to take care of their child. I would?ve token care of my child no matter what. These fathers are lucky to fathers to a beautiful child.

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Broadcast History

On July 4, this piece was broadcast on Jake Austen's public affairs show on Chicago's WHPK 88.5.

Musical Works

"Baby Mama," by Fantasia, from "Free Yourself," J Records LLC, 2004. Excerpted throughout piece.

Related Website

http://www.curiehs.org/curie_youth_radio