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 Photo provided: Terrance Cole, 37, of Van Wert, in the white shirt, is helped to shore after being pulled from Grand Lake St. Marys Friday afternoon. By MIKE BURKHOLDER
Managing Editor
CELINA — Two area men were pulled from the cold waters of Grand Lake St. Marys Friday afternoon. |
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Programs help teen mothers |
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Wednesday, 27 August 2008 |
By MARY BARGDILL
Staff Writer
ST. MARYS — An official with a countywide program says she hopes to help area high school students cope with the difficulties that often accompany teenage pregnancy.
According to the Ohio Department of Health, the estimated number of teen pregnancies per 1,000 females in Auglaize County for girls ages 15 to 17 was 29 in 2006.
The dilemmas that go in hand with unplanned teenage pregnancies are something Auglaize County Graduation Reality and Dual Role Skills Coordinator Lisa Seeger deals with every day. The GRADS program is offered through the Ohio Department of Education. Seeger helps teenagers facing unplanned pregnancies develop an education plan to manage school as well as be a parent. While Seeger works primarily out of the Wapakoneta and St. Marys high schools, she also travels to teenagers’ homes or to the remaining public schools in the county as needed.
“I work with mothers and fathers,” Seeger said. “I work with them if they are pregnant or parenting. The goal of the program is to stay in school. We want them to graduate and to be a good parent.”
One goal is to support the girls and encourage them to have a healthy pregnancy. Seeger also talks with the teens about parenting skills, money management and career planning.
“Anything I can do to help them be more successful,” she said.
Seeger said that a good deal of time is spent just talking when she first meets with a teenager involved in an unplanned pregnancy. They also discuss what the teen’s options are, and think through a plan.
Seeger said she is only allowed to meet with a teenager twice without permission from her parents.
“If parents get involved that’s great,” Seeger said. “For a lot of them it’s such a shock — how are we going to deal with this?”
Seeger also refers the teenagers to agencies in the county that could offer assistance.
GRADS is supported in part through federal grants such as the Children’s Trust Fund, as well as Auglaize County Job and Family Services.
The Family Life Center of Auglaize County, which recently moved to its new location at 112 S. Front St., offers free pregnancy testing and counseling to teenagers and women facing unplanned pregnancies.
Executive Director Candy Dicke said clients come to the center seeking impartial advice and confidentiality.
The center does not reveal a girl’s pregnancy to her parents or the baby’s father unless she gives permission.
“That’s what we do,” Dicke said. “We don’t force them into making any kind of choice. We present to them the different possibilities out there.”
Dicke said the services a teenage mother needs is different from that of a pregnant teenager.
“She has questions about what if the baby can’t stop crying, what’s the best way to communicate with the baby, how to play with the baby and first aid for the baby,” Dicke said.
Dicke said that while it may be difficult for the parents of a pregnant teenager to come to terms with the situation, it is important for them to try to support their child.
“The parents of a pregnant teen — they go through every possible emotion,” Dicke said, citing anger and frustration at the top of the list. “They (the teenager) need unconditional love and support. You have to go beyond the anger and the hurt, you still have to love them. That person is still your child.”
Dicke said teenage boys involved in an unplanned pregnancy are often frustrated with the situation as well.
“They’re upset that they made a mistake and that’s why they don’t want to tell their parents and hear about it again.”
Elizabeth Pregnancy Services, based in Celina, also offers clients free pregnancy testing and counseling.
“Maybe they just need a boost,” Founder and Ministry Director Carla Eberle said.
The mothers earn mommy points through classes they take at the center that enable them to purchase items such as a crib, play pens, strollers, diapers, clothes and car seats.
“Anything that you would need to have a child, we have there at the center,” Eberle said, adding that the goal was for the mothers “to hopefully learn something about themselves and their babies as they go.”
During the classes, the women learn about budgeting finances and caring for an infant.
“We see that they’re being responsible,” Eberle said.
Eight to 10 teenage girls and their boyfriends and parents gather for the meetings that are held each month.
“We’re finding a lot more boyfriends coming, trying to be supportive,” she said. “It’s great. It’s wonderful to see that, and we are seeing more and more guys come in.”
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 02 September 2008 )
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