CREATURES OF THE LAND

A teenage girl carrying her baby.

I have been thinking, brainstorming and asking questions.

I am totally confused, where are we living now?

Is the society ok or am at the wrong position on the cardinal point?

Where are we heading towards, is there any future for the land?

Why are the creatures within thinking of the now but not what the future holds?

It is no longer a hidden secret that young ones are giving birth to young ones. One might say it is reproduction. The young ones are assuming adulthood too early. Parents have no say.

Children walking away. Street life is what they portray

They do what pleases them. Whether it’s good or bad, these young people resort to social vices with ease without recourse to accepted social norms.

If I may ask, is teenage pregnancy and early parenthood a societal norm or a problem?

It was quiet interesting when I heard people say ‘wo time etwamu’ to women of 20 years and above who give birth. It has even come to be a slogan in most communities where teenagers who get pregnant laugh at adults who have not been able to conceive.

Parents do ignore children after a first pregnancy to go stay with the man, most times with no marriage rites performed. Parent, unable to offer the maximum care for their kids, rather think pushing their pregnant daughters to go and stay with the men responsible for the pregnancy releases them from being financially responsible for the girl child. A situation that I describe as ‘sorry’.

These turn the young ones into parents at early ages and therefore have to engage in several life surviving activities such as hawking and more. How can a child take care of a child? A question I often ask myself.

Teenage pregnancy and parenthood is like a generation of teens parenting children, ending up in creating a cycle of endless poverty.It really saddens my heart to see young girls hawking with their babies at their back. 

Things seem to be right but I do see a very big issue at stake. I recently visited a community and upon what I saw; girls moving to and fro doing nothing, I got very sad. We should not forget that these young ones, in about five or ten years will be adults.

Therefore if these future leaders are doing nothing, what happens to young ones they bring forth? Have you by any way thought of why poverty is still pervasive and overwhelming in the society?

Incomes earned mostly serve the purpose of hand-to-mouth.

Creatures of the land are everything, ok?

There is only one moment to be a teenager and another to be adult. So why do you destroy the beginning and hope the future will be bright.

What do you think can be done?

                                                       

Francis Quayson/ahantanews360