I wasn’t allowed to watch Three’s Company as a kid because my parents felt the portrayal of a single, horny man cohabitating with two single, horny women was abhorrent. Indecent. Inappropriate.

I railed against the absurdity of their decision. I raged at their naiveté about what I knew about the world around me.

“I’m nine years old! There’s nothing they could do on that show that I haven’t seen before. I know people smoke. I know people say bad words. Just let me watch it. Please?”

I have to laugh at that now, partly because it pains me to admit that my parents were completely right. The issues in play on Three’s Company – sex and promiscuity and all that comes with it – were out of bounds for a nine-year-old. Still are. My parents’ refusal was intended to let me be a kid as long as possible. A child who still carried a Fat Albert lunchbox to school had no business watching Chrissy Snow cavort around in a red bikini while Jack Tripper tried to summon the boner control to refrain from sporting wood on national television.

Fast-forward 30 years. I’m the parent now, which means I’m the judge of what is and is not acceptable for my own kids. Obviously, they’re not allowed to watch the modern day versions of Three’s Company – Desperate Housewives and shows of that provocative ilk – but now that there are cable stations expressly geared toward kids, they don’t really care about those grown-up shows anyway.

But...

One of the great and awful things about being a parent is that when you fuck up, you fuck up big-time. It’s not like, “Oops. I dropped your sippy cup on the floor and some apple juiced got on the rug. Have to clean that up.”

It’s more like, “Oops. I gave you free reign to watch Nickelodeon because I thought it was safe for kids and now the 16-year-old girl on one of the shows you like got pregnant.”

Now what?

Do we tell them? Do we expose them to the sort of grown-up issues that kept me from watching Three’s Company? Or do we hide it from them because they’re too young to know any of this yet? Too young to know why a 16-year-old girl should not be pregnant. Too young to know how a 16-year-old gets pregnant. Too young to comprehend anything more socially significant than that there isn’t really a giant sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea.

I have no idea.

Amended Friday morning because I wrote this part initially and then chickened out but Hot Wife said I should post it so here.

(WARNING! SOCIAL COMMENTARY AHEAD! If you’re one of the readers who gets upset when I talk about something other than poop and who likes to belittle those with opinions that differ from your own, kindly piss off.)

There was a report by the Associate Press yesterday that announced Nickelodeon was considering a special program on its air about teen pregnancy. I nearly puked.

Fact: teen pregnancy is real.

Fact: kids need to know what this girl did was stupid, irresponsible, and ruinous.

Fiction: that message should be delivered on a television show.

I’m naïve. I went to a state university. I’ve had a mental illness. But this is what I want.

I want Nickelodeon – a channel that markets itself toward children – to take a fucking stand.

I want them to announce that they have canceled this show, and I want them to say they did so because their audience is children and Ms. Spears’ behavior does not reflect the image they want those children to see.

I want them to say that parents who wish to speak to their children about this issue can log onto a website where they can find resources and strategies written by professionals.

In my view, that would be the decent thing to do.

I do NOT want this girl to be lambasted, nor do I want to see her mother publicly humiliated. Her daughter is not the only pregnant teenager in America.

I’ve strongly considered the alternate point of view – that this TV special should air because this issue needs to be raised to the kids and their parents in the same forum where the girl became famous. But I'm cynical, and I'm also a realist, and I know such a show would be more about whoring out for advertisers than about discussing the issues in an educational manner.

Besides, it's my job to educate my kids. It's their job to entertain them.

Am I burying my head in the sand by not addressing this with my kids? No. I'm not saying I'll NEVER address the issue. They know about strangers and touching in inappropriate places and telling a grown up. But that's what they need to know NOW. But for today, I'd like to let them enjoy their blissful ignorance.

Comments

It's never too young to recognize, and take advantage of, a learning opportunity. Your daughter may only be four years old, but this is as good a time as any to have a talk with her about teen pregnancy, contraception, and abortion.

Are you serious, BGBG? You missed the whole point of this post- keep your kids as they are, kids. No four year old has any business knowing what teen pregnancy, contraception and abortion are. Give me a break. Please.

I prefer to let the kids enjoy the reruns that will be showing and not mention the issue to them. The last thing I really want to explain to my eleven year old right now is sex ed. I look forward to your comments on the maternal, er...grand maternal Spears parenting book, lol.

BGBG, you can't hide behind the double letters. I know who you are. We are going to have your daughter over for a playdate and discuss this matter all together. Sound good?

Melissa, no worries. DGM and I run the show around here.

Thankfully, 3's Company was a primetime show-- aired in a time slot geared to adults. Spear's show "Zoey 101" is on a kids' NETWORK, for pete's sake, and is aired about a dozen times a day.

I don't think it's necessary to explain anything to the kids right now. My kids watch 5 years worth of reruns of "That's So Raven" and still haven't realized that the show was cancelled almost a year ago. They'll show reruns upon reruns of Zoey 101 just like they do now. The little baby mama will earn lots of residuals from her stint on the show, and we'll go on with our lives.

LIke someone else said, I'm certainly not ready to have "the talk" with my 7-year old!

One thing I will say; as a kid, I was *extremely* aware of the adults around me and their issues, or whatever. Had they delayed having "the talk" (why have one big scary talk? Why not give simple, age-approriate answers as the questions come up?) any longer than age four, I would have searched for, and found, whatever information I could get and read. Ignorance may be bliss, but a certain amount of knowledge of The Facts won't hurt.

Do I think that kids should have to know about all the intricacies of Miss Trailer Trash 2007? Hell no! Let em watch re-runs. And quick get the v-chip and block everything but The Donna reed show and Sponge Bob. (kidding. Mostly)

There will be no discussion of teen pregnancy here. I will boycot Nickelodeon in my own way if they don't pull the show, including reruns. There needs to be real consequences for her choices. She's 16! And I will NOT be attending the baby shower.

Answer the questions that the kids ask, in an age appropriate way. If you don't then it will seem taboo and exciting. Discuss with Hot Wife what the answers will be so that you present a united front, but don't hide the truth from them.

But that's just my opinion. From everything I've read here over the years you are awesome parents and will make the right choice for you and your kids.

P.S. What friggen Nick show has a pregnant 16 year old!?!?!

unless and until DGM and HW decide to have "the talk" with their kids (wait, did any of you get "the talk"? I certainly didn't!....sorry) the time to tell them is when they ask. Nick is talking about doing a "special" on teen pregnancy so do be on the lookout for that.

DGM is so right! We never thought we'd have to police what the kids are watching on a KIDS channel! What a world!

This is a catch 22. We want our kids to stay innocent and be kids for as long as possible but on the other hand I want them to have enough knowledge to know when something isn't right.

A lot of the kids our kids go to school with have older siblings & learn not so nice things from them or their own parents. Like when my daughter came home from school in the SECOND friggin' grade and told me her girlie area is called a 'taco.' She learned that from a boy in her class who picked it up from his 14yr old brother. Or last year when a first grade boy was raped in the bathroom at school by a fourth grader. If that first grade boy had a little bit of basic knowledge would he have tried to get away sooner?

Other people's kids that my kids are exposed to on a regular basis scare me more than trying to age appropiately field their questions about something they see on tv or a rag mag at the grocery store.

Your sweet 4-year-old does not need to know the background of the person who plays a character on a TV show. If she were old enough to have knowledge of the pregnancy independently, then I would have that conversation. 4 years old is too young to do that.

Our parents let us watch the Brady Bunch, of course not knowing that Greg and Mom were having an affair. We watched The Cosby Show when Lisa Bonet was having trouble and wound up eloping with Lenny Kravitz and having a baby. We watched All In The Family even with all the horrible racist things Archie said. We watched MASH, even though they were making moonshine, had a guy dressed like a lady, and had all sorts of sexual innuendo. None of this was ever "explained" to us as kids and we survived just fine.

It's sad when any 16 year old gets pregnant, no matter who she is or how famous she is. It happens every day. Just more proof that all the "abstenince only" BS they're teaching in our schools is a waste of time and money.

I posted before the amendment...CNN just announced that Nick is talking to Linda Ellerbee to host the special so at least they appear to be trying to get it right (wishy washy enough for ya?).

But I have to agree, they should pull the show and provide info, but can any specials. At the very least show or say nothing before 9pm...

I have a theory. I plan to use it in raising my 3 kids. Here it is: the longer you keep children protected from "adult" issues, the better prepared they will be to deal with them once they are confronted with them. For the record, I am not going to shelter my kids in amish country. I am simply going to let their biological brains grow and progress as nature intended; dealing with childish things and childish reasoning. Exposing children to information earlier than necessary does not do a child's brain any favors. A child brain is worse equipped to deal with information it is not prepared for than an adult brain that has been "sheltered" from it "for so long." Once your brain is grown up a little bit, it is perfectly prepared to deal with whatever it is that comes down the pike. A child whose brain has been assaulted with "adult" information in its early stages of development will be at a disadvantage when it comes to making responsible decisions at a later brain stage (teen years are especially susceptible to these decisions). Sometimes I wonder if the whole tv thing is worth it. I can't watch every show to be sure it's appropriate for my kids, so maybe I'll just skip it entirely. Of course, my oldest is 5, so we shall see how that plays out in the future. Good luck to all of us parents!!!

My mom sat me down when I was 5 or so - when the first of the difficult questions started to be asked - and had the all-the-details "talk" with me. She then did the same for each of my sisters, being sure to include us ALL in the conversation for a "refresher course." I knew all the proper names, what went where and how everything worked, when I was very young indeed.

My mom had been molested as a child and wanted to be sure that we knew the facts and knew what the difference between good touching and bad. I know that she was doing the best she knew to do.

But I know now that exposing children that young to that kind of detail, especially repeatedly, can cause what the professionals call "an atmosphere of seduction" - it makes the children behave as though THEY had been abused, even tho the abuse was a generation before.

I know that my experience was a little extreme - heck, my mother required the use of proper names for body parts and functions at all times: no euphemisms like "poop" or "butt" or "weiner" allowed!! But it made me determined to keep my children as innocent as possible for as long as possible. When they ask, I'll answer, but I won't sit down and give the Sex Ed 101 speech to someone whose sole involvement with the opposite gender consists of "ew."

The last episode had already been shot before this fiasco.
I think they are drawing more attention to it by making a special. Unless your kids read Paparazzi mags and tv shows they won't know anyway. I think the special would be run to "make up" for the fact it will still air the show anyway.
Will they pull the re-runs? Probably not. Can we shelter our kids forever? No. I say don't say anything and they will be none the wiser. Plus, years from now they will have a Three's Company moment like you did! ;)

Meanwhile, what did Nick expect by hiring a Spears girl. I'm not a name caller, and I've lived in more than my fair share of trailers, but trashy is trashy is trashy.

I hate to judge one by the rest or the family, but this just goes to show, before you hire someone to work on your CHILDRENS NETWORK!!! look at the *word deleted cause it's just too mean* of a big sister of hers, and think about how even that association might affect your network...

I agree with Hot Wife, they should pull the show and not air repeats ever. The show should never see the light of day again. I understand that there will always be 16 year olds getting pregnant, but I don't think we need them on tv for our children to see, even if the shows were from before they got pregnant. I know that my kids wont be watching the show ever again.

Nickelodeon has absolutely no business educating our children on teen pregnancy.

Bottom line, you two, is you know your children better than anyone else in the whole world, certainly better than the suits running what is probably the most popular television station in America (my kids, 17 and 15, still watch it sometimes - will Spongebob ever go off the air?). I think 4 is too young for this kind of stuff, but that's my opinion, and mine doesn't matter.

I am pretty sure almost all the shows on Nick are also on video tape. Maybe a break from "live" tv while they sort this mess out would be a good thing? Lord knows, there's enough Spongebob video to go around for another 20 years.

'Besides, it's my job to educate my kids. It's their job to entertain them.'

I can't agree with this statement more. I'm a single father of two children and absolutely hate people blaming everything on TV. If you don't want your children to emulate behavior they see on TV, then teach them better. We can't expect the networks to 'dumb down' all of their shows to make them acceptable for children. Its unrealistic and bad business. the fact is that the stuff we don't want our children to see is the stuff that adults want to watch.

Parents need to stand up for what is theirs and take some responsibility. Stop blaming everyone else, spend time with your children and teach them right from wrong.

I've never commented before, but this post & HW's comments have inspired me (is that the right word? nevermind...) I 100% agree with you and in fact, JUST YESTERDAY, banned my kids from Nickelodeon. I was not completely aware they were watching it until recently (bad mama, I know, I know) but when I found out, I was skeptical and told them I was not entirely comfortable with their programming and that I really needed to view the shows with them first. Then the latest bombshell happened. I don't have the time to watch every one of their shows, so I'm banning them ALL. There's more than enough on Disney that I have viewed and deemed okay, so they'll have to make do with that or play outside.

AMEN Danny!! You GO!! I had EXACTLY the same thought when I heard this news! I agree that this girl should not be lambasted and so forth. But 16 year old girls who make exceedingly bad decisions that wind up with them being pregnant do not get to have their own television show! I am sorry but that just isn't how it works. Or at least, how it should work! (Soapbox now free for whoever wants it ;)

I can't help but notice there's no mention of Spears' partner in all this. He's responsible, too-- in fact, of the two who tangoed, he's the legal adult. Yeah, Spears is the famous one and the one we're socialized to lambaste (or not, I hope!) but the lesson I'll be teaching my kid (who, I'll admit, is still in diapers at this point) is that it's irresponsible to forget the dad's responsible, too, and I bet DGM will agree.

A-FUCKIN-MEN. You're dead on Danny.

It's time we ALL started behaving more responsibly for the next generation. I'm sick and tired of TV shows, stars, sports players, and spoiled rich kids having the upper hand and undue influence on our kids. I'm by no means a prude, but I'd kind of like my 2 year old to be allowed to just be a kid before being bombarded with all the CRAP that's out there.

TV should entertain and inform. It's now just become a forum for any idiot to try and get their 15 minutes (i.e., reality shows). And the lessons they (TV shows) ARE "teaching" has more to do with avoiding the idea of consequences being attached to your actions, and growing up more quickly than your body or mind can grasp. I give you BRATZ dolls as Exhibit A.

I'm not expecting the TV to raise my child, but it might be nice to get a little help from them in attempting to set a good example. Enough already. Let parents do the parenting.

Well said through and through.

I know its not much of a response, but I'm trying to get out of the damned office ASAP, but wanted to let you know that as a father of three girls I whole heartedly agree with your perspectives on this one.

best, and happy holidays!
Chad

kenandbelly,

Of course you're right, but that's an entirely different conversation. With respect to who is responsible for the pregnancy and all of that, the dye is cast. That's the family's issue to deal with now.

My concern is for MY kids. And YOUR kids. I've felt for some time now that the attempts to prematurely "sexualize" little kids with Bratz dolls and the like is dangerous and, frankly, unconscionable. But this situation with the Spears kid (and her beau) is too far.

I really just want some large corporation to make a decision that's best for children -- profit margins and ratings be damned.

But we all know that's highly unlikely.

You know, I wasn't allowed to watch three's company either and i was older than you were. Then, my first home away from home was me and two guys...

anyway, mom tried to engage me in this the other day. You know what? I'm worse than they were. I don't even let my kids watch Zack and Cody or whatever it is. They've never seen zoey 101. I'm not judging you and your choices, just sayin.

Why do they need to know that she's preg? it's not on the show. How are they going to find out? Friends at school? I think it will blow over, but I do agree with your idea of Nick's solution. Totally. A show on teen preg? LAME! The kids who are old enough to get it, get it already and they aren't going to watch some after school special and suddenly know the right thing to do.

but how many times did mom talk to us about the birds and the bees? (did dad talk to you? I don't remember that) All plain truth and bare facts. That's it. That was enough.

I agree with the folks who said "tell the kids when they ask" (unless they wait to ask until they leave for college!).

xo.

ps - BGBG made me laugh out loud. LOUD! Hilar.

I respectfully disagree with, at least, the vehemence with which you suggest Nickelodeon shouldn't have any on-air response to the situation.

Ideally, if it's handled right, those parents that want to discuss it with their kids can do so with the aid of a sensitive, well-thought-out program talking about it in a way their kids can understand, while those like yourselves that don't can decline to watch. I refer you to the classic Sesame Street where Mr. Hooper died; that's what the medium is capable of when it's done right.

As for canceling the show, wouldn't that be more likely to provoke questions from the kids that watch the show, not more? Why should Ms. Spears' choice to be sexually active and have a baby also result in her being, essentially, fired from her job? I can't imagine you'd consider that appropriate consequences for an adult, even one on a kids' show... right?

I was 12 when I found out about SEX and believe me, my world came to an end!

I am there with you. They should either go with re-runs or replace the girl in the show with someone else and just move on!

The kids will learn about stuff like that in junior high sex ed.

Dismissed!

Peter: I welcome the opposing viewpoint. I recognize that you were only trying to provide a frame of reference, but can you see how the Mr. Hooper episode is so starkly different from this scenario? Death is a fact of life that kids could confront at any time. I lost a grandfather when I was five years old, and I'm certain that episode would have been helpful to me.

But teen pregnancy is not an inevitability like death; it's a bad choice.

Certainly an adult should not be fired from a job because she got pregnant -- but that's my point exactly. Ms. Spears is not an adult. She's a minor who works on a television show geared toward other minors. In my view, the only way they could leverage this scenario "educationally" is to shine the light on her and say, "Look what this idiot did. If you don't want to end up in this shitty predicament, keep it in your pants."

I don't think that's the right approach either.

I don't know.

We don't really watch Nick because I think most of its shows are not appropriate for my kids (6 and 3). So apparently I am with your parents and maybe one anal sphincter tighter.

My REAL question is what sort of sex education this girl got.

Was she an ABSTINENCE girl? I suspect so. If so...that's one more for the open and honest approach with kids.

Julie
Using My Words

Tell them to be like Helen and I. We have no kids of our own, but you would think those kids upstairs were ours. And I know the truth about Jack and Larry.

I actually agree to a point with BGBG.

I'm English, and here the age of consent is 16, so to me this isn't a big issue at all, it's relatively common in fact. Of course my kids will know about teen pregnancy and the like, it's not dirty, or taboo... it's life. It happens.

Should every teenage mother who made a mistake (or even chose to get pregnant) be shunned from society, hidden and shamed so our kids all get the impression that the world revolves around happily married couples and children with mummies and daddies with pretty flowers in the garden?

Maybe that's the ideal, maybe it's what you want for your kids, but I'm damn sure I want my kids to know what happens in the real world. I'm not going to flaunt sex ed in my child's face before they're either (a) extremely curious or (b) in junior school (that's age 7 here), but likewise I won't hide it either.

Yes, I worry for the Spears girl and every other teenage mother, it's not easy. I worry for their children, I doubt that's an easy position either. But given Zoey 101 seems to have finished filming, I'm not sure how exactly the kids are all supposed to find out anyway. If they do, so what? She's young, she's pregnant. It's her life.

I know it can be seen as a bad example, but I think it's an even worse example to show our kids that anyone who messes up gets treated in the way so many are advocating for Spears.

I suppose if I view it as a 14 year old getting pregnant I can understand your views a bit more, but even then I don't think the girl should be shunned or lose her ''career''.

As for Nickelodeon, I do think they're overstepping the mark a bit if they try to go into sex ed.

I realize the Sesame Street analogy is flawed; I was primarily using it as an example of how even awkward, sensitive material can be handled well in the context of a television show aimed at a young audience. Schedule it at a time when parents are more likely to be available to watch and discuss the show with their kids, not just another episode kids will come across on accident. Then you, as parents, maintain your right to choose not to watch, and maintain your children's innocence. Personally, I would rather see Nickelodeon make more resources available for parents who do choose to have that conversation.

As for the series itself, I would definitely be against continuing the series with an obviously pregnant actress, because that goes much farther toward forcing you as parents to have the discussion you don't want to, and that's absolutely your call to make that choice. That's not, as I understand it, the case here.

I realize that Ms. Spears is, unfortunately, a role model; I don't necessarily think that creates a greater punishment for bad choices. What if she wasn't famous? Would you expect the same consequences for a high-schooler that worked at a daycare provider? What about at Toys 'R' Us? Or a bookstore in the kids section? They work with, around or in jobs aimed toward kids, they're also minors, they're just not famous. I just don't see how the consequence of having her TV show pulled forevermore from the airwaves is connected to the act of being sexually active and getting pregnant. By all means, it's a bad (terrible) choice, but I do think the punishment should be connected to the offense.

All my above comments notwithstanding, the last thing I'd want to see is "The Zoey 101 Nickelodeon Special, co-sponsored by K-Y and Trojans!"

You know, personally, I don't give a shit if BGBG wants to have a teen pregnancy-learning themed party for her freaking TODDLER, but Nickelodeon should most certainly NOT be shoving this crap down our throats.

I have spoken with my children at a fairly young age about sex/etc., BUT that was MY CHOICE. I don't want some fucking network deciding that they will be teaching my kids on THEIR TIMETABLE.

I will boycott them forever if they even think about doing such a thing.

Wait, you mean there ISN'T really a giant sponge who lives in a pineapple under the sea?

Next you'll be telling me there is no Santa Claus.

RIGHT ON. Let your kids be kids... for now.

MH
www.undomesticdiva.com

The thing to me that was most shocking about this was Nickelodeon's reaction. I expected them to be pissed and take a stance and cancel her show.

A TV station doesn't get to choose when you decide to tell your kids about these things. Especially when they are doing it to make money.

This is a tough one, Danny. I don't even know if a 4 and 6 year old are emotionally equipped to handle an issue like this. I'm sure you can simplify this down to an "early pregnancy bad, married and pregnant good" lesson, but you'll of course feel like your short changing them by not explaining a lot of the finer points such as how it can affect their education, prospects for employment, and even those around them. Due to a different set of circumstances, I have had to address teen pregnancy and sexual abuse (because that's what this amounts to) with my kids since they were 10 and 9, but only because I had to. I want them to be kids and enjoy being kids, without too much of the worry that we carry as adults. You're the parents, so it's gonna utlimately fall on you and Hot Wife to decide how to approach this one (of course). Keep it simple and keep hammering it in for the next couple of years until there mature enough to handle it on a deeper level, or go full steam and be prepared for lots and lots of questions and confused looks.

It's a TV show with actors getting paid to pretend to be someone they are not. No need to bother with the personal lives as long as you cancel your kids' subscription to Hello! magazine. We can't indulge in the cult of celebrity and then complain when we know too much about their personal lives. I'm pro-choice, but can't help but wonder about the many teen-age celebrities who have surely gotten pregnant, had an abortion, and so don't have to worry about public condemnation, at least in this area. This girl is being punished for getting caught. Some of the same people who are denouncing this poor famous product of a train wreck (her mom was shocked because she was always home by curfew!) are picketing Planned Parenthood offices every other weekend.

With such young children, I'd ignore it until they asked questions. Just a little older, though, and I'd pounce on it as a fabulous "see what can happen" learning situation. When my daughter was at soccer practice my son and I would walk the neighborhood by the field. His ten-year-old self wondered about all the girls around a low-income apartment complex pushing strollers with toddlers running alongside. You can bet I used that as a big shiny example of Consequences, and I did it without the help of a Nickelodeon special. Please, Linda Ellerbee, just say no.

I couldn't have said it better myself. I totally agree with you. Thank you for putting into words exactly how I feel about it.

OK, another European (i.e. German) chiming in ... I got the rap in kindergarten, as part of the 4- or 5-year-old curriculum (called "in the bathroom"), knew what the body parts were called, and that you keep them to yourself unless you want to end up being a mommy or a daddy yourself (meaning you couldn't play any more and had to go to work everyday and all that). Thus, in 7th grade, when certain "magazines" showed up during recess, the sensational thing was gone, and I already knew how to make sure nothing "bad" would happen to me. It didn't (and I didn't) until I was of age--something I chalk up to that constant education. Did I get "the talk" at home? Nyeah. A bit. But not really.

Anyway, here's my suggestion: Until she starts showing, redo some episodes, write her character out of the show, and shift the focus to one of the other characters. That'll keep questions from the minors contained, the show going, and at the same time, gives the parents time to tackle the topic.

But then, I'm European, and therefore probably always already without morals ...

I know you said you wanted the show cancelled (which it probably won't be). But if it continued on without Spears (which is how the season finale was written, i.e. that they could write her out easily) would you be satisfied with that option? Or if they did cancel the show would you let your kids still watch the reruns? I honestly don't think that Nick is going to let a pregnant actress keep acting because of parental backlash, but if they just took her out of the equation is the show less offensive? (spinoff, etc)

oh and I totally agree that the "teen pregnancy" special is a horrible idea

The younger Spears can just follow in her sister's footsteps and not parent. Why let a child get in the way of someone's fun, ey?

That's my fear - that thousands of girls will get the idea that having a baby is no burden whatsover - you can continue doing whatever it is you were doing before you had a child.

Should she be shunned for having a child? No. Should she personally have to care for the child she brought into the world? You'd better believe it. That's all she and her fans need for the lesson to be brought home, imo.

I agree TV should not glorify teenage pregnancy. Nor should we rely on TV to deliver such important messages to our children. Parents these days seem to rely on TV to teach their kids.

Thank you for this post, Danny. I agree with you 100%. We will boycott Nick if this ever airs. We've already banned several shows already, including the one who lives in a pineapple under the sea (so rude!).

Sure teen pregnancy happens, and it is a fact of life, though it doesn't have to be. Sure, my kids will find out about it one day. But we will discuss it with them when WE feel like the time is right, not when a TV network who feels like shoving the issue down our throats, and our children's throats is perfectly appropriate. As was already stated, a TV station will not choose when to discuss this issue - I will.

A kid's TV network has no place bringing issues like this up, especially since the shows are geared towards young children. My 6 and 8 year olds do not need to know about 16 year olds getting knocked up. It's bad enough they know about Britney shaving her head, and having her kids taken away from her.

Should she be shunned? No? But should she had a show dedicated to her pregnancy air on a kid's network? NO! I'm probably in the minority here, but I feel that if you've screwed up really bad you should be ashamed. If I had gotten pregnant out of wedlock I'd have been ashamed of myself.

Thank you again, for airing your opinion. And thanks to your wife for kicking you in the pants to post it. It needed to be said.

Thank you for this post, Danny. I agree with you 100%. We will boycott Nick if this ever airs. We've already banned several shows already, including the one who lives in a pineapple under the sea (so rude!).

Sure teen pregnancy happens, and it is a fact of life, though it doesn't have to be. Sure, my kids will find out about it one day. But we will discuss it with them when WE feel like the time is right, not when a TV network who feels like shoving the issue down our throats, and our children's throats is perfectly appropriate. As was already stated, a TV station will not choose when to discuss this issue - I will.

A kid's TV network has no place bringing issues like this up, especially since the shows are geared towards young children. My 6 and 8 year olds do not need to know about 16 year olds getting knocked up. It's bad enough they know about Britney shaving her head, and having her kids taken away from her.

Should she be shunned? No? But should she had a show dedicated to her pregnancy air on a kid's network? NO! I'm probably in the minority here, but I feel that if you've screwed up really bad you should be ashamed. If I had gotten pregnant out of wedlock I'd have been ashamed of myself.

Thank you again, for airing your opinion. And thanks to your wife for kicking you in the pants to post it. It needed to be said.

Biggest tantrum I ever had was when my parents told me I couldn't watch Three's Company anymore. I was about 9, just like DGM.

I think it was a secondary result of their once watching Soap after Three's Company one night after I went to sleep. They banned them both, and I was left with only Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley those nights.

We haven't censored anything yet, and our 6 year old has watched Zoey 101, probably after Spongebob, or because the schedule on these kids channels are so completely random - or by design of their marketing departments.

I don't think Nickelodeon should make a big deal of the pregnancy, or make an announcement, but I agree they should discontinue the show.