Babies having babies...

So I know I'm suppose to be giving healthy tips...but please bear with me as I vent a little. With my job, at times I have to travel to different schools for health fairs and to speak to students. A recent event really made me aware of the fact that our youth have no drive or ambition! I blame it on several factors such as: small town mentality, parental involvement/guidance, and environmental influences, to only name a few.

There are high schools...and junior high schools where pregnancy is the norm. This absolutely breaks my heart because they feel like having a baby is the end all be all. At this point, college is no longer an option. Maybe I care too much, but there has to be something that we can do!

I don't know what the answer to this problem is, but I realize that it is a viscous cycle that keeps going full circle. My parents were 21 and 22 when they had me...and I cannot wrap my mind around me being a parent at that age. Therefore, as I said previously, much of it has to do with the way one was raised. I commend my parents on being absolutely amazing in raising my sisters and I. With this being said, I know that if there is one thing we cannot change, that is the way people choose to raise their children. BUT... what we CAN do is have an influence on those that we come in contact with. Please know that I am in no way discounting the fact that one can be a great parent at a young age, but there are so many of our children falling by the wayside because they do not have the proper mentors and influential figures to push them to achieve at their full potential.

So I say all of this to say, please encourage our children to be the best that they can be and to pursue their dreams...without succumbing to peer pressure. I have finally come to grips with the fact that I cannot change the world, but if I can just have a positive impact on one then I have done my job! I ask that you do the same because we were once told "You are the future!" Now there is a new generation that is the future...let's encourage them!

**** Now, I will get back to giving you healthy tips! :) ******