Babies Having Babies: Nickelodeon's Poster ChildSplashed across the headlines this week was the announcement that Nickelodeon Teen Star Jamie Lynn Spears, sister of the infamous Britney Spears, delivered a baby at a Mississippi hospital. To every parent's delight, Jamie Lynn is 17 years old and the new father is her very adult 19 year old boyfriend. In most states, this pregnancy started as statutory rape. Of course, stardom saves Jamie Lynn's boy toy from a few good years in jail. Her parents must be so proud.
Of course, these are the same parents of Britney Spears, so one has to wonder who is raising these children? At least in Britney's case, she was mentally ill and an adult with incredibly poor taste in husbands. Jamie Lynn's choices had more to do with the parents and the publicity need of Nickelodeon than the child star's obviously bad choices. Of course those choices ended up on the cover of a popular magazine announcing her pregnancy -- so clearly she doesn't believe she made poor choices.
On December 17, 2007, a magazine announced that Nickelodeon's Zoey of Zoey 101 fame was pregnant. Jamie Lynn, who plays the aloof Zoey character in the popular pre-teen comedy was only 16 years old at the time. The father was Casey Aldridge, her "long time boyfriend." At the time, Casey was 18 years old and was working as a construction worker.
In the state of California, Casey's actions in "hooking up" with Jamie Lynn was nearly an offense of felonious statutory rape. As the age difference was less than three years, Casey's act of improper recreational acts would only be a misdemeanor. As Jamie Lynn's delivery occurred in Mississippi, one can only guess that such laws are even less severe in that state.
The point of this commentary, of course, is that Jamie Lynn's parents have again illustrated that they are terrible parents. Though Britney's father is to be given credit for trying to pick up the pieces of Britney's life, it is no excuse for letting your high school age daughter go out with an adult who is now shaving twice a day and then to allow the subsequent publicity by Nickelodeon and others to praise the situation. It is appalling.
One could empathize with a "mistake" between two high school lovers, but this was no mistake. The parents knew Casey's age and they knew about the relationship. To capitalize upon that with "first baby" pictures and magazine covers is incredible.
At age 17, Jamie Lynn is now a single mother and the father is hiding from the media -- and perhaps the police. This is not the best example for my three children, ages 7, 9 and 10. They have questions. I have to give answers. Due to the publicity machine of Nickelodeon and Jamie Lynn's parents, it is hard for any child in America to avoid the message that teen pregnancy is just a matter of love and fame.
Of course, Nickelodeon was first on the scene to profit from Jamie Lynn's last episode on their pre-teen channel -- before the baby bump started to show. Even now, if one goes to Nickelodeon's website and search for Zoey 101, you will see Jamie Lynn front and center.
Below the promos, you will find a sponsored link advertisement for a "Free Parenting Site," among which you will find "pregnancy tips." Thanks Nickelodeon. I would not know how to raise my children if I did not have such a great resource like your programming sustaining me.
In years past, when teenage pregnancy was actually looked down upon, the media would have quietly and respectfully pulled the show off the air and dismissed the young star to the awaiting arms of protecting parents. Not so in 2008.
Now, thanks to Jamie Lynn's parents and Nickelodeon, we celebrate single motherhood as if it is the expectation and norm. These are sad days indeed.
Calling all 15 year old girls . . . find your man at your nearest construction site and contribute to our nations population growth. It is up to you! If you have any questions, log onto www.nick.com where we give parenting advice. While you are there, check out our new series called H20r which features bikini-clad babes pretending to be mermaids who tease teenage boys about their real identities. When they grow up, they all hope to become Bay Watch actresses and marry rock and roll legends, just like naked star Pamela Anderson.
Of course, the Beehive Standard Weekly has railed against Nickelodeon before. Some of our readers may recall the episode of Drake & Josh where the two brothers win a championship academic challenge by cheating. In the end, they win the competition, never correct the bad behavior and are not even remorseful that they won with the use of corrupt behavior.
I enjoy watching the cartoons on Nickelodeon, but I do not enjoy watching suggestive programming that creates a Hollywood morality in the minds of children and pre-teens.
Just for the record Mrs. Spears and executives at Nickelodeon, I don't want my daughter to be pregnant at 16 and to be a mother of a baby at 17. I don't want my sophomore daughter to date a boy who has graduated from high school. I certainly don't want my son at age 18 or 19 to violate the law by dating and impregnating a barely 16 year old child
I don't want my 9 year old son to ask me about who he should date -- in elementary school. I don't Nickelodeon to set the dress standards so low that my 7 year old daughter dresses like a mermaid when she goes out (remember mermaids are actually topless in folklore and Nickelodeon's version is not far from that image).
In short, Mrs. Spears, start acting like a parent not a promoter. Let's start at not selling pictures of Jamie Lynn's new baby -- the one without a legitimate father. Oops. Too late. Well, maybe Mrs. Spears will catch on as time goes on.
As to Nickelodeon, it needs to start acting like a television network for children and stop promoting unhealthy behaviors, dress, and poor morals.
I think most sensible people would agree that old fashioned values are time tested, true and true. Responsible messages and conservative values create well adjusted and stable children, who in turn contribute to society. In contrast single welfare moms only create dependency for future generations.
For now, we are turning off Nickelodeon at my house. There are too many messages that run counter to my parenting. We might watch Sponge Bob now and again, but until Nickelodeon can get their messages straight, it goes on my list of blocked channels.
We can only pray that Jamie Lynn marries and raises her child in a proper home with a proper father. Sadly, I expect we will be seeing jr. on the cover of a pre-teen magazine any day now. Not a great start and not a good example.
For those wanting more information on the real issues surrounding teenage pregnancy I recommend The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy (www.teenpregnancy.org)
