Douglas and Michaels

Why does it seem that celebrity mothers are always so happy about having children? It’s because they have the money to pay the nanny, the cook, the fitness instructor, the maid, and in Kristie Alley’s instance, the skin care expert that gives her a facial every morning. Who do you think spends more time with their kids: the nanny or the mother? This is not to say that non-celebrity moms are unhappy with children in their lives. I have never shadowed a celebrity mother, but I think it’s safe to say that they have people readily available that they can rely on to take care of their children when they want a break, while the majority of parents have to scramble to find a babysitter that is not at their beck and call. Magazine publishers are going to feature happy mothers on their covers because their goals are to gain readership, keep the reader intrigued, and SELL. Nobody wants to read page after page of depressing stories about the sometimes harsh reality of life.

I do not know a great deal about the stipulations and guidelines for welfare besides what I have seen on television and read in news articles. What I have seen and read has given off the image that the majority of those who are on welfare are unwed, unmotivated women who continue to get pregnant by various men in order to receive a bigger payout each month. I know that there are cases where people use the system in the way it was intended for and not to take advantage of it, but there needs to be a way to weed out those who continue to make the wrong choice of having children and make taxpayers pay for it. The question is how?

One other thing I want to bring up is MTV's show, "16 and Pregnant." I'm not a weekly viewer for the show, but I feel like this will, if it has not already, ignite a spark in the minds of young viewers that are part of this age group to think that they could potentially get on the show if they become teen parents. Although MTV isn't necessarily glorifying teenage pregnancy, these reality stars are gaining fame for something that should only happen when people have the resources and financial ability to take care of another human life.