Kids Having Kids: a Poverty Formula?

James Q. Wilson, one of the country’s leading criminologists and a UCLA professor, offers advice for breaking the cycle of poverty: Graduate from high school, don’t have children outside marriage, and don’t have any babies before the age of 20.

Are teens listening? According to a survey by the National Center for Health Statistics, 1995 figures show that black and white teenagers are bearing fewer children. But Latina teens are having more children. From 1989 to 1995, births to Latina teenagers rose 32%.

DEBORAH BELGUM spoke with teen parents about how having a baby has changed their lives. RAFAEL DELGADO

17; Belmont High School sophomore, Los Angeles; has a 4-year-old son who lives with him and his parents

One of the things about having a baby is that you have to give up your own life for the life of your kid. That is a challenge to me, but I am happy to do it.

My parents were surprised when I told them I was going to be a father. They were not mad, but disappointed that a 13-year-old kid was having a kid. As time has passed, they have seen I am more responsible.

The mother of my son is in El Salvador and she’s not coming back. The extra responsibility is hard. One of my main concerns is the future. I can’t decide whether to go to college or into the Army. In the Army, I’d have a free place to live and still get paid while I was training. I could send that money to my parents. But I wouldn’t be able to see my son as much.

DEBORA AGUILAR

18; senior at Will Reid Continuation High School, Long Beach; married with a 10-month-old daughter

I don’t think this professor’s theory is true. Just because you have a child when you’re young doesn’t mean you are destined for poverty. I think it might have been true a long time ago, but now there are many opportunities for a girl with a baby.

We have schools like mine where you have the pregnant minor program, the teen mom program and a home studies program so that you can continue with your education. They also have a nursery here for toddlers and infants. There is a breast-feeding room.

I know society thinks it’s wrong to have a baby when you’re young. They always think we are on welfare and they don’t look to see that many of us aren’t. They don’t think we are going to graduate from high school or go to college or take care of our own. We shouldn’t be stereotyped.

BRANDY GOZUM

17; has a 9-month-old son and lives with her parents; Long Beach

I don’t think you are doomed to poverty if you have a child outside of marriage or have one before you are 20. But I do think it is really important to finish high school. If you don’t finish high school, then people will know you won’t finish anything.

Getting pregnant and having a baby is not something I would recommend. But if you are going to do it, take care of your baby and yourself and stay in school.

ALBERTO CORTES

18; Belmont High School senior; has a 1-year-old son and shares child-rearing with his girlfriend

It’s hard. I used to play soccer, but now I can’t because I have to work. Sometimes it’s tiring because after getting out of school, I have to go to work and I don’t have that much time to see my baby.

I’ll get home from work (as a cook) at 9:30 p.m. Sometimes, I’m up with my baby until 1 a.m. It has affected my school work. Sometimes I come to school late or I miss first period which starts at 7:40 a.m.

There is tension in the relationship with my girlfriend. I feel tired and stressed and don’t feel like seeing her or sometimes having an intimate relationship. Before the baby, we used to fight a lot. Because of the baby, we spend more time together and talk more together.

VANESSA CAVATAIO

15; sophomore at La Vida-South Bay, a county education program for pregnant minors; has a 4-month-old son

The challenges of having a baby when you are young is that you don’t get to do things you normally would do. It is harder to get your school work done and get child care arranged. You’re at school and you haven’t gotten enough sleep or you didn’t get to sleep the entire night.

I feel more responsible now. I don’t feel like I’ve messed up anymore. School seems a lot more important. Having a baby made me look at life more seriously.

If I had to do it all over again, I would have waited to have a baby. I am doing the best I can, but I would have liked to have waited until I finished my education and had gotten a job.