It's not a whole article, just one of those little tidbits they throw in there to take up space. LOL!
For reference, Today's Parent is Candada's big mainstream parenting magazine. (My landlord got us a subscription - think he was trying to tell us something? LMAO!)
Anyways, here it is:
"You want grandchildren, don't you?
Fertility experts in the UK say children should learn about their biological clocks at the same time they learn about condoms. 'Sexual health messages at the moment focus entirely on avoidance,' British obstetrician-gynecologist told The Guardian. But as more and more women struggle to conceive in their 30s or 40s, says Hamilton, young people need to know the risk of not having babies earlier in life."
What do you guys think? I think it's interesting, I like that these things are being talked about in the mainstream. Obviously they're not talking specifically about teen pregnancy, but they're talking about rethinking childbearing. Not especially radical or anything, but IMO when you see small things like this and the article in Teen Vogue in mainstream media, it sort of allows for opening up the convo, ya know? Every time we talk we are practicing and participating in a discourse, and when this stuff hits the mainstream so that we can talk reasonably, I think that's a baby step towards changing the dominant discourse.
What do you think, am I too optimistic?
I do think it's awesome that it's getting out there in some more mainstream media that you know, it's not a horribly awful thing to have babies when you are younger. Obviously, we still have a long way to go in gaining mainstream acceptance.
I'm a little put off by the assumption that what a parent wants regarding grandchildren is even relevant. I also don't like that the tidbit kind of implies that if you have a daughter, it's not a matter of whether she will have (or want) babies, but a matter of when
I think it's a great idea to talk to our kids about that kind of thing, family planning, finding their own ideal time to have children, and letting them know that there is no pressure to have or not have children at a certain time just because certain people think they may or may not be ready.
I would say I'm not surprised. I've heard a lot of reasons why having children at an older age is risky, higher risk of birth defects, higher risk of delivery complications, less energy, etc. Younger mothers are acceptable as long as their married. An early oops baby is viewed as a little miracle by outsiders. Now when they start talking about having babies outside of marriage, then I'll rejoice and be optimistic, but for now it's just talk.