Meet "Susan" I was 16 when I got pregnant. I wanted a child because I wanted something of my own. It was hard when she was a newborn, she cried all the time and I ended up losing sleep. Her father has a new job now and helps out when he can. Words to the young people out there who are thinking about starting a family: "Wait until you're older and more educated about raising a child." It is nothing like babysitting. I just should have waited until I was old enough to realize what I was getting myself into.   Meet "Sarah" I am 18 years old and this is my first child. I am now 7 months pregnant and have had a very easy pregnancy. All of my family has been very supportive. Both of our parents have helped in any way possible. I have had a great relationship with my boyfriend and family since this has happened. I would like to tell all the teens to make sure he is the one for you before anything happens and talk openly with him about a family life. Be safe. Use protection

DID YOU KNOW...? A study of teen moms in Alaska shows that one in ten are physically harmed by an acquaintance during or shortly after giving birth. This violence is twice the rate for 13-17 year olds than it is for mothers aged 20. Fifty percent of teen pregnancies occur within the first six months of sexual activity. (Pediatrics, 2/99) Most young people begin having sex in their mid to late teens, about eight years before they marry; over one half of seventeen year olds have had intercourse. (Alan Guttmacher Institute, 1998) A recent Kaiser Family Foundation survey showed that many parents are not willing to talk to their kids about sexual topics, or wait too long before doing so. Kids with parents who talk early and often about sexuality are more likely to confide first in a parent about sexual pressure, whether or not to have sex, and the possibility of pregnancy.

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