Wow, I didn’t think it was possible for me to get so weepy over a television show. The adoption episodes of 16 and Pregnant are always the most gut-wrenching, so it’s only natural that the reunion special required a box of tissues as well.

Wow, what an intense finale for this season of 16 and Pregnant! This year we’ve met all kinds of girls from all over the county and learned about the different struggles they’ve gone through as pregnant teenagers. But this season finale, featuring Allie, was especially heartbreaking.

If there was one thing that drives me crazy on 16 and Pregnant, it would have to be: where are the dads?! Not only will a baby not make him stay (8 in 10 teen dads don't marry the mother of their child) but a baby won't even make him change a diaper.

I think it is safe to say, after watching Catelynn and Tyler (the famously cute couple from Season 1) who chose adoption for their daughter, it is not easy by any stretch of the imagination. Catelynn and Tyler were 100% in support of adoption and it was still hard. So, now, imagine that only one parent favors adoption. What happens then? Well, that is exactly what happened in this week's episode

If you’re having sex, there is always a chance of pregnancy. No contraceptive is 100% effective! Here’s the deal: If someone is having sex there is a chance of pregnancy. It doesn’t matter how great their parents are, how nice their neighborhood is, how good they are in school, or what kind of plans they have for the future.

Going on 3 seasons now, we’ve seen a lot of different situations on 16 and Pregnant. Maybe we’re even a little desensitized after watching more than 30 young women cope with pregnancy and new motherhood. But this week’s episode of the show got me more worked up then all I’ve been in a long time.

Girls who have an older sister who is a teen mom are more likely to become teen mothers themselves. Why do you think that is? Living with teen pregnancy might send the message to some girls that having a baby at a young age is no big deal. In this week’s episode of 16 and Pregnant, Cleondra becomes pregnant during her junior year of high school, despite watching her sister struggle with motherhood at the same age. Since she helped raise her niece while her sister was out partying, Cleondra thinks she knows what to expect. But babysitting didn’t prepare her for the enormous pressures of motherhood, or the huge strain baby Kylee puts on her relationship with boyfriend Mario. Babies make relationships a lot harder; in fact, 8 out of 10 teen fathers don’t marry the mother of their child.

Did you know daughters born to teen mothers are more likely to be teen mothers themselves? Three times more likely, in fact. That’s a lot…and Danielle is one of those girls. Being a teen mother herself, Danielle’s mom wanted to make sure it didn’t happen to her child. As a result, she had stressed to Danielle time and time again the risks of unprotected sex. Unfortunately though, Danielle still ended up pregnant. It’s not like she didn’t know how to avoid pregnancy; she had even gone to a clinic to get on the pill (that’s actually how she found out she was pregnant—guess she should have thought about that BEFORE she started having unprotected sex). So, with that said, why do you think Danielle and boyfriend Jamie took the risk of having unprotected sex after only being together for a couple of months?

Did you know nearly 78% of teens say they have all the information they need to avoid an unplanned pregnancy? So, if that’s the case, why are there more than 750,000 teen pregnancies in the United States each year? That means more than 2,000 girls get pregnant each day. Holy Hannah! Maybe they think it can’t happen to them? Except that really doesn’t count as protection.  And because I insist on continuously emphasizing this, I may as well say it one more time…there are only two ways to prevent an unplanned pregnancy—and those two ways are abstaining from sex altogether, or using protection carefully and consistently every time. Sex happens—so really, it’s just better to be prepared!  

So, what happens when your parents just don’t like your boyfriend? And better yet, what happens when your parents don’t like your boyfriend…who also happens to be the father of your twin sons? Sounds like a recipe for disaster to me. Unfortunately, this is exactly what Jennifer experienced after she and boyfriend Joshua got pregnant with twin boys (Joshua Jr. and Noah).  And, yup, you guessed it: Jennifer’s parents aren’t exactly number one in the Joshua fan club.