Stay Out Loud is our monthly series featuring articles writen by teen, for teens. Got something you want to say? Email your submissions and story ideas to stayteen@thenc.org.

Have you been watching the new documentary series "16 and Pregnant" on MTV? All of us here at Stay Teen have and we think it's great. But don't take our word for it... We asked one of the wonderful teens with whom we work, Avery from Chevy Chase, MD, with to share some of her thoughts on the show. Here's what she had to say:


The title of MTV's new show, "16 and Pregnant," is pretty self-explanatory. The show shares the personal stories of teenage girls who are dealing with pregnancy and parents. Despite the fact that they all have teen pregnancy in common, each of the girls we've met so far - Maci from Tennessee, Farrah from Iowa, and Amber from Indiana - have completely different lives and interests. However, each of the girls starts out saying that she will keep her life nearly the same as her pre-pregnancy existence once she has her baby. Not surprisingly, conflicts immediately arise. The main issues stem from the teens' desire to maintain some, if not all, of their pre-baby priorities and the strain it puts on their relationships.

Despite their initial hopes, these teens quickly realized that having a baby brings serious life changes and sacrifices. Both Maci and Amber move in with their boyfriends. However, the girls are very reluctant to give up their hobbies and interests, while their boyfriends are even more so. In the first episode, Maci is interested in school, dance, her boyfriend, Ryan, and most notably, dirt-biking. Throughout her pregnancy, Maci continues school, a job, and dirt-biking. Maci realizes the dirt-biking is not a good idea, and tries to convince her boyfriend Ryan of the fact, which upsets him. As a result, Maci literally goes into labor while riding on the back of Ryan's four-wheeler (what a way to bring a baby into the world). Once Maci has her baby, she tries to make it all work: school, a part-time job, hang out with her friends, dance twice a week, and keep her boyfriend. She soon realizes she cannot do all of this and must give up her one outlet and source of fun: dance. Maci grows up quickly and tries hard to re-order her priorities. Ryan, however, does not. He goes out with his friends almost every night and leaves Maci home alone with the baby, regularly shirking his paternal responsibilities. As a result, their relationship crumbles as they struggle to stay together for the sake of the baby. Unfortunately, they are both completely miserable.

Amber and Gary have a similar story. When she gets pregnant, they move in together with the best intentions for their future. They both agree that they must save up all their money for when the baby comes. Unfortunately, Gary has difficulty putting the baby ahead of fun and he buys a $500 PlayStation 3. This causes huge tension, not only between Gary and Amber, but also between Gary and Amber's family, who rightfully criticize his immaturity. Like Ryan, it seems that Gary has trouble giving up his hobbies and the couple ends up fighting about who must take care of the baby when they are both exhausted from work, lack of sleep, and lack of fun.

Unlike Maci and Amber, the father of Farrah's baby is absent in her episode. She wants to raise the baby at home with the help of her parents and early on she claims having a baby won't be "that hard." She wants to stay in high school, continue cheerleading, and go on dates. One by one, she realizes she can no longer do any of these things. She leaves school because she cannot stand the gossip about her and so she has to quit cheering, and soon realizes that dating is not really a plausible option for a pregnant teen. On top of that, her relationship with her family progressively deteriorates and becomes more hostile as the episode goes on. In one of the episodes most revealing scenes, her mother calls her attitude "anti-Christ."

Ultimately, as the first three episodes of "16 and Pregnant" prove, it is very difficult to maintain one's regular teen priorities when one has a baby, and it is nearly as impossible to maintain healthy relationships with those around you, despite how well-intentioned it all starts out to be.

Want to learn more about the show? Check out our "16 and Pregnant" page for more information, sneak previews, discussion guides, and much more. Don't miss new episodes of "16 and Pregnant" on MTV every Thursday night at 10/9c.