There's only so much room in a high school yearbook and, after celebrating the school's graduates, cheerleaders, football team, and drama club, one "group" at Santa Fe High School is insulted they didn't get their own page: teen parents.
Apparently, the New Mexico high school always leaves enough space in the yearbook to celebrate its teen parents, who have to juggle the challenges of classwork and homework along with parental duties like keeping doctor's appointments, staying up all night with a sick child, making bottles and meals, playing with them — I mean, it's an exhausting list of responsibilities and I commend them for handling it all.
For some reason though, the school decided to exclude its teen parents from having their own exclusive page in the book this year. And teen parents feel shunned and upset by this move.
The school released a statement, explaining why it made this choice:
In previous years, teen parents were distinctly grouped together within a separate program on the school site. This year, there has been an effort to include the students in regular high school programming. All of the students are included as individuals within the yearbook. If the students want to represent themselves as a group similar to other student activities, they can inform the yearbook committee of their wishes to be included. We fully support and encourage our teen parents to remain in and be an active part of their schools.
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This sounds like the most open-minded school on the planet and it seems all will be resolved if the teen parents simply get together and request a page so they can identify as a "group."
But does anyone else think this is bizarre?
Giving birth at 16 doesn't make you a member of a club. As a mom, I'd be disturbed seeing this in my child's yearbook because it celebrates being a teen parent. I'm not saying a teen mom or dad should be humiliated and shamed. They should be commended for valuing life and choosing the most challenging path possible — and for managing to be great parents and graduate school at the same time.
I just don't agree that teen parenting should be viewed in the same way as an extracurricular activity. And, if I were in the shoes of these teens, I'd be more in line with the school's belief: I'd want to be seen as an individual, and not as a "teen mom," which makes up one part of who I am.
Do you think teen parents should get their own page in a yearbook?
Image via Karen Horton/Flickr