My recent trip to Rockfort placed me into a temporary depressed mood that always comes on whenever I see teenage pregnant girls. Here I was talking to my goddaughter's aunt only to see a young girl estimated to be about 16 years old with an estimated 7 month old pregnancy.
She was proudly dressed in a grey knee-length tights, white tank top, yellow bra, a sports jacket tied around her waist (technically, below her tummy) and flip flops.
My peripheral vision caught onto her just as she was lifting her legs to 'playfully' quarrel with some of her colleagues.
The usual feeling that I get when I see these girls is not one of disgust or loathing, but a deep empathic feeling that have me fast forwarding a few years down the line for these girls.
Where will they be in 5 years time?
What values will they be teaching their children?
Have they considered the burden they are putting on their families and society when they reproduce without proper financial support?
Those questions lead me to wonder about the parental guidance they have at home.
Does a child that is brought up in a stable home has a greater chance of beating the odds?
Are children who are brought up in the inner city doomed by the misfortunes of an evil force that lay in wait as they approach 11 years of age?
What about self motivation? How can a child that is seeing such depression around them day in and day out choose otherwise?
When we as adults have the power to protect them, why are we the ones who exploit them?
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